I don't remember falling asleep last night. All I remember was snuggling against Nathan and balling my eyes out. As I open my heavy eyes, I don't find Nathan in the bed or anywhere in the room. I sit up and search for him. He left me?
"Good morning," I turn around to find him entering the room in his PJs. His black t-shirt was hugging him perfectly.
"I thought..."
"That I left?" I nod yes. I feel bad for looking at him suspiciously everytime. "It's okay. After the way I have behaved, I wouldn't trust me either. But I would like to take this chance at redemption and make something out of it." He walks closer to me and caresses my cheeks.
"Let's go out for breakfast." He suggests.
"Umm, I am not hungry." I settle down on the bed.
"Alright. How about I make you breakfast." He sits in front of me.
"No really I am not hungry."
"Not be pushy but you haven't eaten since yesterday's Lunch." He's right I have lost my appetite. I don't know what to say. Yesterday was a nightmare. I look past him and find my adoption file on the coffee table. It's all true and unbelievable.
Tears fill my eyes before I can control them. I look at Nathan with teary eyes and I see his dilemma. He moves closer and hugs me.
"You don't have to...."
"I want to." He brushes my hair. I pull away and wipe my tears.
"Who are you and what have you done to my snappy fiery Nathan." I try to lighten up the mood. He smiles, kissing my cheek. teeth."
"So, you like the snappy fiery Nathan, huh?" he smirks.
"Yes. He's the one I fell for not some sweety sugary moron." I answer.
"April, really there is no excuse..." Before he could say anymore, I keep my fingers on his lips.
"You can make it up to me by falling for me." I push him into me and he falls on top of me. Laughing, I quickly connect our lips and turn our position so that I am on top. I try to deepen our kiss but I feel his hesitation. We are interrupted by his phone. Nathan quickly disconnects and look at his phone. As soon as he sees the name of the caller, he gets up and moves outside. I frown at his actions. Whose call can he not attend in front of me? I decide to follow him. I find him in the study with his back towards me.
"Mr. Grey..." My steps come to a halt as soon as I hear that name. My dad is calling him. My adopted father. "I don't think that's a very good idea." Nathan continues, "And how do you suggest I say this to her. Mr. Grey, at this point, all I want to do is make this a safe place for her to deal with her emotions...yes I understand. I am very sorry. Take care please." Nathan cuts the call and turns around, only to find me frozen at the door. Neither of us say anything. There are no words to express the pit in my stomach.
"What is it?" I ask after several minutes pass.
"Umm, he wanted to know how you are doing." Nathan paces closer to me, "He's okay, just sad."
"Hmm." I look somewhere in never never land, thinking about all the good moments with my father. They are like a stab in my gut. I gulp hard then turn around running back into our room.
I take a cold shower to block my mind. I get dressed into my PJs. As I climb in the bed I find a tray full of food by my side. All my favourites, but what catches my eyes were the cookies. They looked like my mother's cookies, the ones she makes for my birthday. I pick up the plate and smell them, they are them.
"Nathan!" I shout. A second later he appears in the room.
"Hey..."
"Take these away." I grit my teeth. He looks at me with surprise but then nods and takes away the dish. I cover myself with my sheets and fall back into dreamless sleep.
NATHAN'S POV
Yesterday was a nightmare. As I wake up I feel a heavy weight on my shoulders. I cannot even imagine what her morning would be like. The morning she lost everything, the morning her identity was lost. April Grey. I have been so used to calling her 'Grey'. I turn in my bed to find her asleep, she finally fell asleep at 3 in the morning. I trace my finger along her beautiful face. This face has made me crazy for months now. This face has the ability to bring me down to my knees. And now it is soaked in tears. I had forgotten everything as soon as I read the file she handed me.
There is a pit in my stomach thinking about how to handle this situation. She was a mess and so were her parents. How am I supposed to comfort her? I was a mess myself days ago, until... Until I gave into my feelings. Ever since I first saw her she was mesmerizing. Young, beautiful, intelligent, caring, selfless, pure. I have put her through hell and yet she never lost herself. Her cheeky self. As I freshen up I decide to be her rock through all this. This is my chance at redemption and I'll take it.
_____________
After the call with her father, I am more perplexed than ever. April is a mess. She fell asleep but hasn't eaten anything. Those cookies were detrimental. I sit on the couch and try to think with a calm mind what I should do next. She needs to feel loved right now. But she won't even talk to her parents and I am a stranger. So I narrow down on two people who understands her more than me. Amy and Zack.
"Hello, who's this?" Amy answers.
"Hi Amy. This is Nathan Walsh."
"What do you want?"
"I want you to come over. There is a rather sensitive news I have to give you."
"Is it about April? Is she okay?"
"Please come over then I'll tell you the rest. It is urgent."
"I'm on my way."
Amy reaches in 20 minutes and I meet her in the garden.
"Why have you called me here? Let's go to April's room! Is she okay?"
"Sit down, please." I gesture her to sit next to me on the grass. Oh God, this is so sad. "April's not okay. She found our that she is adopted yesterday at the orphanage she volunteered at."
"WHAT?" Amy doesn't say anything else for a long time, "Wait a minute, I talked to her yesterday morning, she told me about you two. How can her world come crashing down like this?" She was hardly talking to me, just blurting out sentences. A moment later there were tears in her eyes. "Oh my God." She chokes. I rub her back as she cries. It takes her a few minutes to pull herself together.
"Amy, I called you here because she needs a friend. A familiar face. You have known her a long time, maybe she'll express what she's feeling better with you. Maybe you can even call Zack." I suggest. But then it hits me, there is only one person who can help her right now. Whom she will let in without hesitation. I gulp hard and say it, "Or maybe we can call Dylan..." I trail off and Amy snaps her head towards me.
"Why?"
"Because she loved him. She will let him in. They love each other and that will help her process all this." I gulp.
"So she didn't tell you." She says and I frown, "Dylan still loves her."
It should have come as a shock to me but it was not. I knew he was in love with her. I guessed it. But that doesn't matter right now, all that matters is supporting her.
"If you call Dylan he might take this opportunity to win her back. She's vulnerable, she might not be thinking straight, what if she goes back to him?"
I think hard about what Amy is believes might happen. All my heart focuses on is that all this is just a possibility, which may or may not happen. Bottom line is, she will feel better. I nod and say, "If that's her decision then I will handle the media and the merger. She can go."
"You love her that much?" She asks me and I freeze. I haven't even had the time to think about that.
"That is not the topic of discussion. Let's call him." I urge.
"No! You didn't even ask me what was her reaction. She doesn't love him, Nathan. She likes you and I think all she wants right now is you by her side. It's sweet of you to call us here but you are the only one she will let in."
"That's not possible. I am a stranger to her. I never showed her my true self. I didn't want to."
"And yet she fell for you. She chose you over Dylan."
"Amy I can't help her. I was a mess until a few days ago. And I think we both know I don't handle overwhelming situations well."
"Would you stop blaming yourself and making it all about you?" She says sharply, "This is about April and how she feels." I register her words. Of course, I can't make it all about me. That is what I did last time. This was supposed to be redemption.
"I guess you are right. I do that don't I? Making it all about me?" I chuckle and she laughs.
"You annoying little shit." She playfully hits me on the arm, "I am sorry, I was wrong about you."
"Ahh, it's okay. I was an asshole." I say and she concurs. "Let's go wake her up and make sure she eats something." I get up with this newfound determination and offer her my hand. She takes it and we go upstairs.
APRIL'S POV
I wake up after a short nap. This is so frustrating, why can't I sleep? I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't even stop crying. How pathetic. I climb out of bed only to sit back down due to a head rush and blackness in front of my eyes. I open my eyes again and walk towards the window. I see Nathan and Amy in the garden. I rub my eyes to ensure that I am mistaken. Amy? How? I see them laughing together. The next moment Nathan gets up and offers her his hand.
He offered her his hand? He has not even done with me. What exactly is going on? I feel a rush of anger inside me for no particular reason. The door clicks open and I find only Amy standing there.
"Hey!" She says.
"Where is he?" I ask her.
"Oh, he is making you your favourite soup in the kitchen. I must say he is really winning hearts."
"Your heart?" I say bitterly.
"What?" She says out of utter confusion.
"What are you even doing here?" I ask her.
"Umm, I came to know..." she trails off. The anger inside me boils like lava. She knows! Nathan told her! Since when do they talk?
"Get out!" I almost yell.
"What? April, I came to-"
"Get the fuck out!" Amy flinched at my outburst. Who gave her the right to know? How the fuck is she in my house, laughing with my husband?!
"I don't understand..."
"Hey there!" Nathan enters the room with a bowl of soup. His smile fades away as he senses the vibe of the room, "What's happening?"
"Nothing," I tell him and take a step to move out of the room. I lose my balance and Amy helps me.
"Jesus Christ!" She exclaims, "You haven't eaten anything. Nathan bring that soup. Now I don't care how mad you are at me, you are eating that whole bowl and I do not want to hear a word from that mouth." Nathan kneels down as I sit on the bed and hold up the spoon. Looking back and forth between them, I take a bite. How did they become a team? So everyone has a team except me? Nathan can be around everyone but me? Because I'm a burden. Tears spring into my eyes at the thought. I see Nathan and Amy exchange worried looks as he continues to feed me.
"Amy would you...?"
"Yes of course." She nods and kisses me on the forehead before leaving the room. Nathan doesn't say a word until I finish the bowl of soup. When I am finished he sits beside me, holding my hand.
"Talk to me." He says. I roll my eyes, as if. "I know I am the worst. But tell me why are you mad at Amy? I was the one who told her."
"Since when are you two a team?" I snap, "Oh I'm sorry, of course you are because she is not me. Because you would laugh with anyone else than me. Tell me again why are you here holding my hand? Wouldn't you rather be with a chipmunk?"
"Alright, I deserve that, but you should know the only reason why I was avoiding you was because I wanted to find the best way to handle this situation. Then I realised you don't need me to handle it, you just need me by your side."
"Help me find them!" I turn towards him.
"Okay." He says with a little hesitation. He looks at me for a long time and then leans in closer. A small smile forms on my face as he places a small kiss on the corner of my mouth. His hands gently cup my face as he kisses me. I pull him closer and move into the bed. After a short make-out session, I snuggle against him.
"Where should we start?" I think out loud, "I think we should go to Mr Anderson and ask for the details. I have to do this." I look up at Nathan who just nods.
"Don't you wanna know what your father said?"
"No."
"April-"
"No. You cannot be telling me that you will stand by me and then plant doubts in my mind."
"Alright." He agrees and kisses my forehead.