Emil's brows twitched up. He leaned back in his seat, returning Nathaniel's hard look with one of his own. Pale blue and dark brown clashed, neither of them willing to look away first.

I blinked. What had suddenly gotten into them? Brenda was frozen beside me, and Mr. Andersen whispered something to his wife with an amused smile.

"And why is that?" Emil asked, his tone seemingly polite.

"She's busy," Nathaniel replied curtly. "And she hasn't been in the city for a long time anyways. I could have Brenda show you around, if you'd like?"

"Of course, sir," Brenda nodded, jumping in to diffuse the suddenly tense air, her eyes wide.

Emil squinted slightly at Nathaniel. Mr. Andersen cleared his throat, breaking the two men's stare-off.

"Emil, I'm sure you'll find your way around. We only have a couple of more days in the city anyway," the silver-haired man said. His son took a deep breath and gave a nod. "Now, about that venture we were talking about in Asia..."

The conversation drifted back to business, and I breathed easier as tension left the room.

Soon enough, we were bidding the guests good night. I excused myself to the restroom. My bladder was screaming.

I was washing my hands in the sink when Brenda walked in.

"Hi," she smiled, turning on the water in the next sink.

"Hey," I turned off the faucet, and dried my hands.

"I'm really grateful for this evening, Daphne," she said, shaking water off her hands. "Mrs. Andersen would've probably been bored out of her mind if you weren't here."

I shrugged, throwing the paper towel in the trash bin. "You're welcome. It was a good time for me too, she's a nice lady."

She hummed, leaning her hip against the counter. "Although at the end there, I was kind of worried Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Andersen would start a duel of some sorts." She breathed out a laugh, snagging a paper towel to dry her hands. She wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Mr. Maxwell is really possessive isn't he?"

"Um.." I frowned. "I guess..?"

"He's a great boss, but he can be really scary sometimes," she blurted out, then looked at me with wide eyes. "Please don't tell him I said that."

I bit back a smile. "I won't."

"I thought I was seeing things when I first saw him with you back at the office. It's the first time I saw him so laid back.

"What?" I asked in incredulity, because Nathaniel was always easy going. His lips were almost always pulled into a smile. "That's odd."

Brenda just laughed, waving me off. "I guess it'd be odd for you. I mean, he's infatuated with you so it's normal he smiles so much around you."

My eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"What? I mean, you guys are going out, right?" she asked, digging through her purse until her hand emerged with lipstick.

"Uh...no. No, we're not," I replied matter of factly, my heart skittering. "We're just friends."

She applied a coat of lipstick and smiled at me through the mirror. "oh, I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I mean, he's clearly head over heels for you. I'm sure you've noticed. The way he looks at you is just..." she let out a dreamy sigh, looking absently at the mirror, when her phone rang.

"I have to go, my fiancé is picking me up," she said, quickly gathering her purse. "Thank you again, Daphne. Also, you and Mr. Maxwell look so good together."

She winked and left me in the restroom with the echo of her words freezing me in place. Then Mrs. Andersen walked in.

"Oh, hello Daphne."

I shook my head, as if that could help clear away my thoughts. "Hi, Mrs. Andersen."

She pulled out a round compact powder and flicked it open. Glancing at me through the mirror, she pressed the puff to her face, speaking in Danish. "I'm sorry for how my son acted. He put you in quite a difficult position. Although Mr. Maxwell didn't even give him a chance. He can be very jealous, no?"

Her smile wrinkled her eyes as she closed her powder palette with a snap. I opened my mouth, but she kept going, "the way he looks at you reminds me of the way my Oliver used to look at me when we were younger. Although he still does now. But that's not our subject. Anyway, I expect an invitation to the wedding! Good night dear!"

I was left gaping as she disappeared into one of the stalls. My phone's ringtone snapped me out of my thoughts. It was Nathaniel. I was gone too long.

He was waiting for me in the hallway, his gaze worried. His expression eased when he spotted me, and he smiled. The two women's words were loud inside my head.

"You took your time," he said, looking me over. "Are you okay?"

I mutely nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"Alright, let's go. I called Claire, she said Mark is already asleep." He put his hand on the small of my back and we walked to the main hall of the hotel side by side. I didn't admire the chandeliers, the high ceilings, or the shining gold-like marble.

He'd called Claire to check on Mark. I glanced at him. A tangle of emotions I couldn't place knotting my guts.

My mind raced with Brenda and Mrs. Andersen's words. Nathaniel. The man who had taken me in and cared for my brother and me for the last couple of months. The man I literally owed my life to. He had feelings for me.

What's funny was that the idea didn't sound as foreign as what I should've expected. It resonated in my mind as the truth. Deep down, in some corner of my heart, I knew it. So why did I not realize it until it was shoved in my face by other people?

Because I had no earlier experience like this? Because I didn't know how a man and a woman could develop a relationship that went beyond friendship?

Or maybe it was because of the kind of consequences it would have on my life.

"Nathaniel!"

I started at the loud shout. We were halfway to the door. Nathaniel groaned, stepping a little closer to me.

A young man, maybe a few years older than me, waved at Nathaniel from where he stood in the middle of the busy hall with a swarm of girls fluttering around him and a couple of other guys.

He left his group and jogged up to us. His sandy blond hair looked thick and luscious, brushed back from a pretty looking face with clear green eyes, a straight nose and a jaw peppered with a dark blond scruff. He was tall and thin, his shirt was a patterned green that set off his tan and his slim jeans lengthening his legs.

"Hey, big bro! Fancy seeing you here!" he grinned widely, stopping in front of us.

"Blake," Nathaniel said. "What are you doing here?"

Blake. I remembered Claire and Nathaniel talking about him before. He was their half-brother.

"Just hanging out with some friends. What about you?" His eyes drifted to me and stayed there.

"Business dinner," Nathaniel replied as Blake's gaze trailed over my body in an overtly appreciative manner. My hand twitched for my knife. I didn't like him.

"And who is the lovely girl?" he drawled out, shooting his brother a wink. "Also part of your business dinner?"

Nathaniel took a deliberately slow breath. He looked calm, but anyone who knew him enough could see he was irritated.

"This is Daphne. A friend of mine," Nathaniel said. "Daphne, this is Blake, my brother."

"The better looking sibling, obviously," he said. His eyes flickered down at my body, never settling on my face for long. I didn't like the way he looked at me. It brought up unpleasant memories. I gave a nod.

"I know every beautiful girl in the city, but I've never seen you around," Blake said, his head cocked aside as he glanced down at my body again. "Where has my brother been hiding you all for himself?"

I fisted my hands.

"Blake," Nathaniel warned, his tone bone chilling. "Watch your tongue."

Blake's eyebrows rose slightly, looking between Nathaniel and me. He held his palms up in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just joking brother," he said as a shrill female voice called his name. "I better get going. By the way, Dad was talking about a family dinner. You and Claire haven't dropped by since christmas."

"We'll see. I'll call him later."

"Right." He licked his lips and nodded at his brother. "I'll see you around, then."

I breathed easier as soon as Blake moved on to join his colorful company. Nathaniel and I left the hotel, the cold air outside nipped at my warm face during the short walk from the door to the car.

Nathaniel sighed heavily after we settled in our seats. He loosened his tie, his head thrown back and eyes closed. "Sorry about Blake. He can be... he likes fooling around a lot. I apologize for his behavior."

Nathaniel wasn't the one who should be apologizing. "I could see that," I mumbled.

"Yeah....and thank you, for tonight," he looked at me and smiled. "You did a great job, Mrs. Andersen looked like she enjoyed herself."

"She did most of the talking, so..."

He breathed out a sharp laugh. "Yeah, she's quite chatty. I'm almost relieved that I can't understand Danish."

"Hey, that's mean." I chuckled. He shrugged, his smile widening.

"You also did good with the touching thing," he added in a low voice, then his smile melted into a frown. "Although, Emil held your hand a little too long at the beginning there."

Mrs. Andersen's words echoed in my head.

"He can be very jealous, no?"

*** **** ***

The ride back home was more or less quiet. Claire waited for us in the living room of the dimly lit apartment. Mark had gone to sleep earlier, and she quickly left after hugging me and her brother. I walked her to the door, though, while Nathaniel went into his room to change his clothes.

"Claire, can I see you tomorrow?" I asked as she shrugged on her coat.

"Sure. Nathaniel is picking you up so you can go to the doctor's though, right?"

"yeah, about that..." I trailed off, flickering my eyes away. "I was wondering if you could pick us up, instead? If you're not busy, that is."

Claire abandoned her shoes and leaned closer to me, worried. "Daphne, did something happen?"

"Yes. I mean, no... Look, I just, I want to talk to you about something," I said, glancing over my shoulder when I heard some movement in the living room.

She slowly nodded and squeezed my arm. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

Nathaniel was in his pajama pants and t-shirt, leaning against the kitchen counter with a glass of water in his hand. "Claire is gone?"

"Yes." I crossed my arms over my chest. "She's going to pick us up tomorrow to go to the doctor's, so you don't have to."

Nathaniel frowned. "I don't really mind..."

"It's fine. I want to spend some time with her anyways." I avoided the intensity of his gaze. "Good night, Nathaniel."

He mumbled a good night, and I escaped to my room.

**** *** **** *** ****

I had taken the afternoon off work in order to accompany Mark to Dr. Shields' cabinet. She wanted to have a word with me first, so I left Mark in the waiting room with Claire.

She asked me about Mark's childhood, the environment he grew up in, and our parents. I tried responding as truthfully as possible, but my hesitation on certain questions didn't go unnoticed.

Dr. Shields assured me that everything we discussed would stay strictly between us. I wanted Mark to have the best chance at life, and Dr. Shields would be able to help him do that, so I steeled my nerves and told her most of what I'd told Nathaniel.

There was no judgment in her eyes, much to my relief. And after what felt like forever, I stepped out and let Mark in.

Dr. Shields left the door of her office open to put Mark's mind at ease, and Claire and I sat in the waiting room, our chairs within sight from Mark.

We couldn't hear what they were saying, but being able to see me and Claire made Mark cooperative. He looked like he was responding to the doctor, so I settled back in my chair and looked at Claire.

The wide windows showed an unexpectedly bright sky despite the cold. The sun rays settled on the colorful mat in one corner of the waiting room, tiny toddler chairs surrounded a couple of low wooden tables. Several paintings hung on the walls, their colors bright and cheerful.

I picked up a magazine from the white coffee table, filtered through it without really knowing why, and dropped it again next to the vase of fresh white daisies.

The cabinet was empty except for us and the receptionist, too busy typing away behind her desk.

"So, want to tell me what's going on?" Claire whispered, turning in her seat to eye me in concern.

I bit the inside of my cheek. How to begin? I had rolled in bed all night thinking about Nathaniel. And when I managed to sleep, I had all sorts of senseless dreams about him.

I was honest enough to admit that having Nathaniel think of me that way made my heart flutter in a pleasant way.

The problem was thinking about what had to come after.

Being in a relationship with a man was not something I'd envisioned for myself anytime soon. Anytime, period.

The aspect of physical intimacy that came with relationships made my stomach churn with anxiety.

And Nathaniel was a man in his prime. He would definitely have physical needs. That thought planted a seed of doubt in my mind. Was that what he wanted all along? Was that what he would want in the future?

I knew those thoughts were ridiculous, because up until now, Nathaniel had been nothing but a gentleman.

But for how long? A doubtful voice asked in my mind. I strangled it. If I went down that trail, I would ruin my peaceful life.

"Well, I just-" I sighed, deciding to just spill it. "Does Nathaniel see me as more than a friend?"

Claire leaned back as if the shock from my question had physically shoved her. Then a face-splitting grin tugged at her lips.

"Why are you asking that?" she asked. "Did he finally crack?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What does that even mean? I'm asking because someone hinted at something like that."

She arched an amused brow. "And you believe them?"

I squirmed in my seat. "I mean, I do? I just... I just realized I had a feeling about it all along, but for some reason, I didn't want to admit it to myself. I think. So it's true? You think he's... you know."

Claire chuckled. "It's not my place to tell, but since you asked for my personal opinion, I would say that he is irrevocably and definitely smitten by you."

"Claire!" I whisper-yelled, flickering my wide eyes to the receptionist. Thankfully, she didn't look like she was interested in our conversation.

Claire shrugged, unapologetic. I groaned, rubbing my face tiredly. Claire's expression softened. She patted my knee.

"What's wrong, Daphne? You know you can talk to me."

"I know." I looked at my lap where my hands fiddled with the edge of my sweater. "I'm not ready for that, for what that implies..."

Claire hummed. Her fingers touched my chin, and I met her kind dark eyes, so similar to Nathaniel's.

"None of that matters. None of it matters because I still didn't hear about your feelings," she said. "Just because he has feelings for you, doesn't mean you have to be something to him, something more than a friend. What about what you want?"

Her question caught me off guard. And I realized that I was automatically putting myself in a position where I would be under the mercy of a man. I didn't even realize that I actually had a choice. For the first time in my life, I actually had a choice about letting someone have that part of me or not.

It was ironic, for someone who had spent her whole life wanting to be in control of herself and her body, I instinctively assumed that I had no choice in the matter.

My own feelings.

But the thing is, I didn't understand my own feelings. I was certain that Nathaniel would always hold a special place in my heart, but did I think of him that way? What was that way in the first place? How would I know my feelings for him were of that kind?

"I-I don't know." I frowned, a feeling of frustration tightening my chest. "I don't know... I mean, I like Nathaniel a lot but, how do you even know that you like someone that way? I-I don't know how..."

"You don't have to know, sweetheart," Claire smiled. "It's okay not to know. With everything going on in your life right now, it's very understandable."

"But what do I do?"

"About what?"

"About Nathaniel?"

"Did he say anything about this subject? Did he ask you to make a decision?" I shook my head and she shrugged. "There you go. You don't have to do anything. I'm sure he's content just being in your life the way he is right now, so you don't have to bother your pretty little head about any of this."

Oh.

I slowly nodded. She was right. Nathaniel didn't act any differently than he usually did. He didn't say anything, didn't ask me for anything. I was the only one overworking my mind with unnecessary questions and theories.

"Okay?" Claire asked.

Relief made me smile. I nodded. "Yes. Okay."

"We'll cross that bridge when we reach it. For now, just focus on getting everything back on track," she said, sitting back with a satisfied smile. "Besides, Nathaniel would never make you do anything you wouldn't want, you know that right? Otherwise, I would make him pay very dearly."

I rolled my eyes with an amused smile, because I knew how much Claire loved her brother. They were close and they treasured each other. "You don't mean that. You love Nathaniel."

"Of course I love him, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't slap him silly if he did something stupid," she said smugly. "Besides, I love you too much to just sit back and watch him hurt you."

My heart swelled at her words. Other than Nathaniel, Claire was the one person I owed my life to.

Claire's phone rang, she shot me a sly smile before picking up.

"Nathaniel! We were just talking about you!" Claire said.

My eyes widened and heat crawled up my neck. If she told him what we were talking about, I would be so mortified. Ugh. I shook my head furiously at Claire.

"Nothing you should worry about," she said. I slumped in my chair, glaring at her. Her eyes crinkled at the corners. She listened to Nathaniel for a while before speaking to me, "he's asking if you guys want to grab a bite before going home. He can pick you up from here. What do you say?"

I thought for a moment. I didn't have to act any differently just because of yesterday's revelation. We were still friends. I nodded to her.

Not long after the phone call, Dr. Shields and Mark stepped out of the room. Dr. Shields gestured for me to follow her inside again as Mark sat with Claire. He looked normal, not a trace of agitation or unease on his precious face.

Dr. Shields was more than happy to confirm that the possibility that Mark was autistic was very low. The way he'd been behaving was his own way of coping with his environment.

The finger stimming and flicking had considerably reduced, the doctor figured that as his life stabilized, his earlier habits would slowly disappear.

"He's a very smart child, very aware of his surroundings. And he seems to pick up a lot of details that you may think he'd miss," Dr. Shields said with a smile, clasping her hands on top of the tablet on her desk. "He's also mature for his age, despite seeming otherwise.

"But he's still a child in a sensitive stage of his life. I could see that he's used to acting a certain way. But I believe the changes in his surroundings have done him a lot of good. His personality will start developing more, but I wouldn't be surprised if he still acts differently compared to children in his age group."

The doctor talked more about what we could do to keep moving Mark in the right direction and help him adapt.

I was awash with relief. Mark would be fine. He was intelligent and strong. He might have lived through what most kids shouldn't have, but he was in a better place now. We both were.

So I listened to the doctor's words carefully, nurturing the hope in my heart.

He would be fine. We both would.

**** ********** ****

"I take it everything went well?"

"Yes." I strapped on my seatbelt as Nathaniel started the car, glancing back at Mark to see if he was strapped in.

Claire had waited with us until Nathaniel arrived, delivering us to his 'tender care', her exact words, before leaving in her own vehicle.

"We took another appointment. Mark doesn't seem to mind Dr. Shields much." I looked over my shoulder at Mark. "Right, Mark?"

He shrugged, the click clack of his Rubik's cube filling the vehicle. "She asks too many questions, but she's not bad."

Nathaniel chuckled, taking a right turn. After a few minutes, he glanced at me. "So... you're okay?"

I fronted. "Um, yes... why?"

He hitched a shoulder, his eyes focused on the road ahead of us. "You seemed a bit off, yesterday and this morning."

"Oh."

"Mhm, was it the dinner? I'm sorry if I sort of guilt tripped you into accepting..."

"No, no. I enjoyed dinner."

"Was it Blake?" he asked again.

I shook my head. "It was nothing, really. I just had something on my mind, but it's all good now."

"Okay," Nathaniel nodded reluctantly. "As long as you're alright."

Ten minutes later, the sun had already disappeared behind the tall buildings of the city. They looked like titans of darkness inked into the orange sky. Nathaniel pulled over down the street from a cozy-looking café.

He held the door open for us. The bell chimed as we brought in the chill of the late-January evenings into the warmth of the café. I tucked my hands in my pockets, touching the knife there, and glanced around. An electric fireplace crackled in the corner, casting the red brick walls in a soft glow. People spoke in low tones, filling the quaint wooden tables.

There was no line at the counter. A young woman with an infectious smile took our orders. We scooted to the side and waited for our drinks and sandwiches to be ready. Nathaniel patted his pockets with a frown.

"Shit," he said before his eyes widened. He glanced at Mark, who was struggling to hold back a smile, looking down. I chuckled.

"Sorry." He cleared his throat. "I just forgot my wallet in the car. I'll go get it."

"You don't have to. I'll pay," I offered, already knowing his reply. He'd never once accepted my offer to pay or split the bill whenever we went out to eat or when we ordered something.

"I know you can." He winked before walking out.

Mark tugged at my sleeve, his smile mischievous. "He cursed."

It wasn't like he never heard cuss words before. Mark probably knew more than most adults around us did, curtsy to our very colorful life before. The fact that it was Nathaniel who cursed surprised him. He was always a gentleman.

"He did, but you know what I say about cussing."

"I know." He stifled a giggle. "It's just funny because it's Nathaniel."

I chuckled, tugging on a brown curl that escaped his hood. The door chimed again, followed by loud male voices that disturbed the peacefully low conversations.

Two young men strolled inside and went for the counter, their grins cheeky and their demeanor self-assured. They made their order and looked around. One of them fixed his eyes on me.

His gaze appeared dark under the warm lighting. It traveled down my body, and my hand around the knife in my pocket tightened. A familiar fear that I doubted would ever go away flared up my fighting instincts. My body coiled, and my other hand closed around Mark's shoulder. Mark stepped slightly behind me, hiding his face in my side.

I just hoped they would take their order and steer clear from me. The guy nudged his friend with a whisper and headed straight for me. Idiots.

"Hey, there," one of them said, his face holding a recognizable hunger.

I kept my face blank, regarding him with cool eyes. He smiled and licked his lips, before holding his hand out to me. "Hunter, a pleasure to meet you."

I gave a nod of acknowledgement, because this was the real world and I couldn't just stick knives in people who didn't know to keep their hands to themselves.

The guy shot his friend an amused glance. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when a cheerful voice interrupted him.

"Your order is ready, ma'am."

Perfect timing. I turned and smiled at the employee, putting Mark between me and the counter. The café was busy, so I knew they wouldn't try something stupid even with my back to them.

"Thank you," I said, fishing inside my bag for my wallet.

"I got it," the unwelcome voice of the guy behind me said, stepping beside me with a credit card.

"No need," I replied, finally pulling out my wallet.

"I insist. You can sit with us for a little while. I'm sure you'll enjoy our company," he said, putting his hand over mine to stop it from opening the wallet. His smile disappeared when I ripped my hand from under his not so gently, glaring at him.

"I don-"

"The only thing she'll enjoy is you getting out of the way."

I had never thought of myself as a typical damsel in distress. Especially since the males I had encountered before were never the knight in shining armors types. But after meeting Nathaniel, much to my vexation, I was proven wrong on more than one occasion. Case in point: right this moment.

The two guys looked back at Nathaniel, looming tall and dark behind us, their expressions going from annoyance to surprise in a blink of an eye. Nathaniel's gaze was nothing short of murderous.

The boy chuckled nervously. Stepping back, he held his hands up. "Uh, we were just- we didn't know she was with, uh, someone."

His friend nodded enthusiastically, pulling him back. Nathaniel stood between us and the guys, watching them until they moved farther away.

He handed the wide-eyed clerk his credit card. "Sorry for the wait."

"No problem at all," she said, her voice high-pitched. He lowered his head towards me.

"You okay?"

"Yes." I smiled, feeling an odd sense of safety warm my chest. A feeling I had grown to associate with Nathaniel's presence.

Nathaniel took his card back from the employee and picked up our order. When I looked down at Mark, I found him staring at Nathaniel, his face unreadable. My little brother nodded to himself then looked away, as if he'd just come into some sort of revelation.

--- ---- ---

Vote and comment! I appreciate it <3

Also, follow me on Instagram for sneak peeks of next chapters!

Much love <3 <3 <3

M.B.