Four hours later, Natalie was finally done with her work. She stretched her arms for a while and then took off her wig. The monotonous routine she had been doing for the past two years.
"Hmm, not as many gifts today as before," Natalie muttered as she checked the gift bag on her work app. "Oh, Nic! Did he watch me until the end?"
Natalie moved from her chair out of the live room to the television room where Nicholas was supposed to be. And he was already asleep with his cell phone in hand. Natalie chuckled softly, stepping closer to Nicholas, sitting next to the sleeping man in a sitting position.
Natalie's eyes could not escape Nicholas' perfect face. Really like an extraordinary masterpiece. Natalie wondered, why would such a great man want her so much? Even though Nicholas could definitely get a much better woman.
Seeing Nicholas who looked very tired, made Natalie feel sorry and slowly patted the man's shoulder.
"Nic, don't sleep here. It's better to sleep in my room," Natalie whispered softly.
Without waiting and trying hard to wake Nicholas, the man quickly woke up and began to open his eyes. "Are you done?" asked Nicholas, still half-awake, rubbing his eyes.
"Yes. You'll get sick if you sleep here, just move to my room," Natalie said again.
"Then where do you sleep?"
"Me? Don't worry about me. I can sleep anywhere. Come on," Natalie invited as she pulled Nicholas by the arm to get up from his seat. It was difficult to lift the man, given that he was much bigger than Natalie.
"Then we'll sleep together," Nicholas said casually, either because he wasn't fully awake or because he really wanted to be in the same room with Natalie.
Natalie was instantly shocked, looking at the blonde man strangely. "Don't be silly, Nic. I'll sleep here."
"I don't want you to sleep here."
"This is my place, so I have the right to do whatever I want."
"Just because it's your place, I'm being rude if I sleep in your room and you sleep on the couch."
Natalie gave Nicholas a belligerent look. It seemed that Nicholas was intentionally making her argue.
"Argh, fine! I also sleep in the room," Natalie broke off, finally relenting. She walked first to the room followed by Nicholas from behind.
Actually, Natalie was still thinking carefully whether this decision was really the right one. What if something unwanted happened? No matter what, two different genders placed in one room must be difficult to think clearly. Even Natalie didn't trust herself, what if she was the one who attacked Nicholas first?
Natalie quickly shook her head, pushing her dirty thoughts away.
"Nat? Are you okay?" asked Nicholas worried because Natalie's expression was frowning and looking angry.
"I-I'm fine. This is my room," said Natalie inviting Nicholas into her private area.
The minimalist-style room that combines neutral-colored walls with a touch of light-colored decorations creates a room that looks so elegant. Nicholas smiled slightly, unable to lie if he was happy to be in the private space of the woman he loved. Not to mention his heart was beating fast, as a result making Nicholas also nervous.
"Nat, if you feel uncomfortable, I'm really okay sleeping on the couch," Nicholas said realizing that Natalie looked awkward.
"No, I'm fine. We will sleep in the same bed, and the barrier is this," Natalie said as she placed a teddy bear in the middle of the bed, the doll became a barrier between Natalie and Nicholas' territory while sleeping.
Nicholas' face was flat again, he nodded in agreement. "Okay."
"You can go to bed first, I need to remove my makeup." Natalie sat in front of the dressing table, painstakingly removing the remnants of the thick makeup she always wore at work. Meanwhile, Nicholas was engrossed in watching her. From the first time he saw Natalie wearing makeup, it made him happy. For some reason, he found it difficult to describe his own feelings.
An hour passed, Natalie was done with her facial and ready for bed. She was surprised to find out that Nicholas hadn't gone to bed yet and kept watching her.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet? Aren't you very tired?" Natalie asked in surprise, sitting on the right side of the bed. Trying to act casual even though she was feeling uneasy inside.
"I was waiting for you."
"Huh? Let's go to bed then," Natalie said, starting to lay down her body that was very sore from spending four hours in front of the camera.
Nicholas began to follow Natalie, his body facing her, looking at her intensely. Of course, this made Natalie a little nervous. "Must be very tired, huh?" asked Nicholas with concern.
"Well, not bad. Though not as tired as you are at work," Natalie replied with a bitter smile.
"I can't sit in front of a camera and talk about things for more than four hours either. That's why I think you're so great."
Stunned, Natalie turned to the blonde man who never took his eyes off her. She changed her position to face Nicholas, now they were facing each other.
"Really? You're not the type to talk?" Natalie asked.
"It doesn't look like it? I prefer to be the one who listens."
Natalie chuckled softly, then nodded in agreement. "I realize that."
"Nat," Nicholas called.
"Hm?"
"It's cold."
Natalie squinted suspiciously, of course she understood what Nicholas really meant. She didn't think Nicholas was a man who liked to take advantage of opportunities. However, it turns out that all men are the same.
"You mean you want me to hug, right? I know the subterfuge of all men!" Natalie snapped, raising the blanket to halfway up her neck. She no longer wanted to ignore the blonde man.
"No, I'm serious. Can you turn up the temperature again?" pleaded Nicholas, visibly shivering. The man was only wearing a t-shirt and training pants. Not to mention that Natalie likes to be in cold temperatures, making her room feel like she's at the poles even though the rain hasn't stopped, it's getting bigger and bigger with thunder.
Instantly, Natalie felt very embarrassed because she was thinking the wrong thing. Her cheeks were so red, she wanted to bury herself alive. "O-oh, okay. Wait a minute," Natalie said nervously and tried to find the AC remote.
Natalie pressed the remote button to raise the temperature to Nicholas' liking. And after that, Nicholas no longer protested.
"Thank you."
"Y-yes."
"Ah, but you thought I wanted to be hugged-"
"Lu-forget it! Pretend it didn't happen!" cut Natalie off quickly.
Ctarr!
Natalie's nerves were perfectly rounded when the night sky became bright in an instant due to lightning. Plus the sound made Natalie scared and unconsciously took refuge in Nicholas.
Nicholas was equally surprised, his body instantly froze because Natalie was now hugging him so tightly. Hesitantly, Nicholas embraced the body to be closer to him and even more protected. "It's safe, Nat. You're safe with me," Nicholas whispered so softly and soothingly. His big hand gently stroked her back.
Natalie, who was initially trembling with fear, gradually calmed down. "Sorry, please leave it like this for a while longer," she pleaded softly.
"Yes, you don't have to worry about it, I'm fine."