"What makes you think she didn't forgive you?" Rose asked curiously, her eyes piercing through him, it was as if she could see all his dirty secrets.
"She looked really uncomfortable while speaking to me, I apologized to her and even offered to give her a lift home but she ran away." He explained softly, as he drew imaginary patterns on his trouser.
Rose took a deep breath. "I'm not sure why she did that, but I can assure you that she had no intention of hurting you."
Silence overwhelmed them, as a lot of things went through Nathaniel's mind. "I would never hurt her." He admitted. "She looked scared of me and it kind of hurt."
Rose became worried, she didn't want Nathaniel to feel that Grace was a bad person. She knew her friend's discomfort, she must have been uncomfortable meeting Nathaniel in a place like that and at that hour. She would have loved to tell Nathaniel the truth about her reaction, but it wasn't in her place to do so.
Rose shook her head, pushing aside the bad memories. "I understand. Well, I could tell you a little about her. What would you like to know?"
"Everything, I guess." Nathaniel said, laughing a little. "What she likes, what she's interested in, how long have you been friends?"
Rose leaned back on the bench, thinking for a moment. "Well, we have been friends since childhood, Grace is really into a lot of things. She plays the guitar and sings, and she's really good at both. She's also really interested in art, and she loves going to museums and galleries. She's really passionate about travelling and trying out new things too."
Nathaniel listened intently, taking in all of the information. "Wow, she sounds amazing," he said. "I had no idea she was so involved in all of that."
Rose smiled. "Yeah, she's pretty great."
Nathaniel's face fell. "Yeah, I was hoping I could be friends with her, just like I am with you." The disappointment very evident in his dull brown eyes.
Rose put a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder. "I don't think you did anything wrong, Nathaniel. Grace can be a little… guarded, sometimes. She's been hurt before, and it takes her a while to trust people. But if you keep showing her that you're a good person, I think she'll come around."
Nathaniel nodded, feeling grateful for Rose's advice. "Thanks, Rose. I'll keep that in mind. I have a ton of friends already thanks to you." He looked out towards the street, the bus approaching their stop.
"You don't need to mention it." She smiled. "The bus is here, I have to go." She said as she climbed into the bus, waving at him from the window; and he smiled while waving back.
What was the point of a fancy goodbye, when they were still meeting tomorrow.
It's had been a while since Rose got on her bus, and Nathaniel's driver finally pulled up in his sleek black car at the bus stop where Nathaniel was sitting, his bag clasped between his knees. Nathaniel stood up as soon as he noticed the car and made his way towards the car.
As Nathaniel reached the car, James stepped out and held the door open for him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Nathaniel. How was your day at school?" James asked, greeting him with a warm smile.
"It was great, James. But, can we change the plan for tonight?" Nathaniel asked as he got into the back seat.
"Of course, sir. Where do you have in mind?" James asked as he closed the door behind Nathaniel.
"I'd like to go to the pizza shop from last night." Nathaniel said with a hint of excitement in his voice.
James' eyebrow rose in surprise. "Are you going there because the pizza is good, or for other purposes?" He asked teasingly.
Nathaniel blushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, probably both." he said, chuckling.
James couldn't help but grin at Nathaniel's enthusiasm. "Well, then, let's go!" He said, hopping into the driver's seat and starting the engine.
As they made their way through the town, Nathaniel could hardly contain his excitement. He had been thinking about Grace since yesterday and his heart beat quickened at the thought of seeing her again. Her serene facial features, her quiet voice, everything about her was attractive to him.
It was the first time, he had ever felt this strangely about someone, what was it called?
As they pulled up outside the pizza shop, Nathaniel's heart raced with anticipation. "Are you sure she is still in?" James asked curiously,
He shrugged, not too sure. "I think so."
"Come in with me." He offered, and James agreed to it right away. He knew that if he was around, Nathaniel would probably feel a little more confident.
When they got in, Grace was attending to some customers a big smile on her face. It was almost as if she was a different person; her eyes were swollen and puffy, like she had lost a lot of sleep. As soon as she noticed them, her smile faded and there was an empty look on her face.
Nathaniel and James walked towards a vacant table to have their seat. After a short while, Grace came to attend to them, holding her small notebook and an uneasy smile. "Good day, sirs. what would you like to order?" She asked as kind and as gentle as an angel, her eyes staring at them innocently.
"The regular here, and two bottles of sprite." Nathaniel replies.
"Coming up shortly." She walks back behind the counter.
"Is she your girlfriend?" James asked, causing Nathaniel to choked on air.
"Hell no! She's just a classmate." He denied vehemently.
"I thought she was someone you liked?" He confessed, still observing the way Nathaniel's facial features reddened from embarrassment.
"No, I'm just curious about her; We don't even speak much."
"You ran desperately after her, last night." He turned his eyes away from James, totally embarrassed that he had forgotten that James was in the pizza shop when he ran out of the shop. "She dropped something." He lied.
"Here is your order." She dropped the tray on the table, and Nathaniel tried desperately to hide his embarrassed face.
Grace kept wondering why Nathaniel was here again; she had actually thought that after the incident yesterday, he would never approach her again. But here he was again, observing from the other end of the room as he ate his pizza. He had become strangely acquainted with Rose and most of their classmates; so much so that it felt unreal. She couldn't understand what he wanted from her, could it be that he really didn't have any bad intentions?
She wasn't so sure, he looked pretty nice and down to earth from afar… Jamie had looked the exact same way, but she couldn't forget what he did to her. Terror slowly climbed up her chest, as just the remembrance of his name was enough to make her go mad.
"Are you okay?" Tony asked, he probably noticed how she was struggling to breathe.
"Yes, please excuse me." She forced out as she left to go to the restroom.
Nathaniel noticed that Grace was gone, but he couldn't say where. He just looked up and couldn't find her anywhere; but he was sure she hadn't stepped out of the shop. However, just as he was about to go look for her, she appeared from behind the counter. All the healthy colour got drained from her face, she looked pale and on the verge of dying. Was she sick?
Despite looking worn out she continued her work diligently; attending to other customers with a fake smile while taking their orders. Nathaniel sat there in admiration of her, but he was also concerned about her. She looked like she was about to drop at any moment.
"Don't you think you're being too hard on yourself?" Tony asked.
"I'm sorry?" she asked nervously.
"You should go home, you don't look too well." He placed the back of his palm on her forehead, trying to get her temperature. She twisted uncomfortably from him, and smiled awkwardly.
"I'm fine, I'm just tired."
"That's more reason you should go home, we don't want you passing out here." He replied. Taking the notebook from her, he then stretched out his hand, requesting the apron which she took off reluctantly. "If you're not better by tomorrow, don't come. Alright?" she nodded sheepishly.
"Hurry along now." Tony said, as he put on his apron and got back to work.
Nathaniel was eager to go after her and probably offer to give her a lift, but he couldn't find the courage to speak to her. He was afraid she would misunderstand his intentions; So, he just sat there and watched her exit the shop.