Nathaniel walked up to a small store squeezed in between two other shops and I followed him up to the unassuming door. As he opened it, a heavenly scent wafted toward me. I walked into the little restaurant and stopped just inside the doorway, letting my mouth drop open in awe.

The floor was covered in large red and white tiles with small tables scattered across the area sporting matching red and white tablecloths. On the walls, the Italian flag hung proudly in the middle of both walls and there were pictures of what I assumed were Italian landscapes. In the back of the store, I could see a huge brick oven where a smiling man in a chef's hat and red apron was pulling out a freshly baked pizza. The scent of melted cheese, tomatoes, and perfectly cooked crust wrapped around me like a hug, and I couldn't help but inhale deeply.

"I love the smell of this place."

Suddenly my senses snapped back to the present and I could now feel just how close Nathaniel was to me. I took a step forward and turned to see that he had been trapped in between the door and where I had stopped to admire the store.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." Nathaniel laughed soothingly.

"Don't worry about it. I reacted the same way when I first came here. Where do you want to sit?"

"Anywhere is fine with me."

Nathaniel led me to a table close to the brick oven, taking the seat across from me. I had barely situated myself when a plump, cheerful woman wearing a red apron that matched the pizza maker's bustled out and stopped at our table.

"Why, hello there! I haven't seen you for so long I nearly forgot what you looked like, little businessman," the cheerful woman said with a wink at Nathaniel. He chuckled good-naturedly and I pressed my lips together to try and keep from grinning at the woman's nickname for Nathaniel.

"I've missed you too, Mrs. Giordano. It's been really busy with it being my senior year," Nathaniel said with an apologetic shrug and the plump woman laughed. When her gaze turned to me and a teasing glint in her eyes lit up just like Auntie's though, I felt a slight sinking feeling as she opened her mouth.

"Did you finally stop by because you wanted to introduce your girlfriend to me?" Mrs. Giordano asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

I quickly looked down at my lap, feeling heat explode across my cheeks and even up into my ears.

"Opal is an important friend and she's helped me out a lot lately, so I wanted to get her a treat to thank her," Nathaniel explained after a short pause. 

I peeked up at him and was surprised to see that we were blushing at the same time for the second time today. Although I couldn't help but smile when Nathaniel called me 'an important friend'.

"Ahhhhh. Is that right?" Mrs. Giordano asked with obvious mirth in her expression. Nathaniel flushed an even darker red but I nodded firmly at her.

"I'm excited to try your pizza, Ma'am," I commented, desperately trying to change the topic.

Mrs. Giordano beamed brightly at me and reached out to pat my shoulder fondly. 

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing! I'll tell mio amato to be extra generous with the cheese for your first time," she said with an affectionate wink at me. Her easy affection calmed me down and I couldn't help but smile shyly up at her as I thanked her. "What will you two friends be having to drink then?" Mrs. Giordano asked, looking at Nathaniel out of the corner of her eye. He cleared his throat and met her gaze with a hesitant smile.

"I'll have water with a few lemon wedges in it. What would you like, Opal?"

"That sounds good," I replied. 

Mrs. Giordano smiled and placed a menu on the table. "Perfect! I'll let you two peruse that and I'll be back in a minute!" 

She walked off with a spring in her step and I couldn't help but wonder if Auntie would be like that if she were a grandma.

"Hey, Opal..." I looked up at Nathaniel and he smiled at me. "Didn't your Aunt want us to take some pictures?" 

I blinked in shock, honestly dumbfounded that Nathaniel actually was willing to go along with my Auntie's demands.

"Are you sure you want to?" I asked worriedly and Nathaniel chuckled.

"If it makes her happy, then why not?" he asked with a shrug and I felt myself relax as I smiled gratefully at him.

He stood up and came over to kneel next to me. I pulled out my phone, skipping past the three unopened texts quickly, and snapped a picture. As I examined it I grinned and gave Nathaniel an 'are you serious?' look as I saw the telltale bunny ears made by his fingers. Nathaniel laughed and stood up.

"What? That's our thing now," he said with an easy smile that I couldn't help but echo.

"Oh, would you two like me to take a picture of you?" 

I flinched in surprise as the ever cheerful Mrs. Giordano came back, placing our water glasses down and holding her hand out for my phone expectantly.

"Oh, we just..." 

Without waiting for me to finish, she took my phone from my hands and pulled me up out of my chair with a glint in her eyes.

"Okay, let's take it beneath the flag!" She prodded and poked us over to the flag closest to us and positioned me at a slight angle. "Perfect, now let's have our little businessman hold you from the back and lean in!" 

I gasped and felt my cheeks explode with heat. "B-b-b-b-but..." I stuttered, turning and looking up at Nathaniel who was opening and closing his mouth without making any noises.

"Friends hug each other all the time, there's no need to be embarrassed," Mrs. Giordano goaded with sparkling eyes and I just KNEW she was doing this on purpose.

"Still, that's a little..." Nathaniel tried to argue but Mrs. Giordano walked up and pulled Nathaniel towards me. He knocked into my back and caught me around the waist as I stumbled.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Opal," he mumbled as he pulled me back against him, steadying me with a hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head, not daring to look at him. My entire attention was focused on the arm that was still around my stomach and the feel of Nathaniel's heat against my back. Memories from when I had nearly fallen asleep against Nathaniel's back after the orientation race flooded my mind and even though my brain was going a million miles a minute, I felt surprisingly relaxed being so near him.

"You two look so cute together. Come on, little businessman, hold her tighter and lean in," Mrs. Giordano instructed, seeming genuinely excited.

"Mrs. Giordano, we already took a picture. This really isn't..."

"I'll give you a discount on your pizza if you play along with me," Mrs. Giordano said, cutting off whatever Nathaniel was going to say and smiling broadly at us. She reminded me so much of Auntie and her wheedling ways at that moment that I actually let out a chuckle.

"I'm not cheap," Nathaniel huffed out indignantly, but I was surprised that he hadn't released his hold on my waist yet. 

Feeling strangely peaceful, I looked backed and met Nathaniel's eyes.

"Since you're treating me it would be nice to get a discount," I commented with a small shrug. "If you don't want to though, then that's fine."

Nathaniel blinked, his expression unreadable, but then he slowly shrugged and nodded. He moved the hand that had been on my shoulder and slowly looped it around my waist as well.

"Let me know if you're uncomfortable," Nathaniel whispered into my ear and a shiver went up my neck at the strange sensation. I quickly nodded but then looked down with a frown at my arms, which I had been holding unnaturally up and away from Nathaniel's.

"Ummm.... How should I...?" I started to ask as I bent my elbows and tried to figure out how to position myself.

Mrs. Giordano chuckled and bustled over, placing my right arm so that I was resting it on top of Nathaniel's and holding onto his forearm, then she took my left hand and positioned it so that it was holding the back of my neck. I couldn't keep myself from sucking in a deep breath when Mrs. Giordano pulled Nathaniel, causing him to be even more flush against my back, before instructing me to lean back while tilting my neck so that I was resting against his shoulder and my forehead was brushing against his jaw.

"Prefect!" Mrs. Giordano declared after gently pulling some of my hair to drape down my arm and shoulder. She began feverishly taking pictures, changing the angle every once in a while. Inside I was telling myself that I really had no business being in this kind of position with a boy... but at the same time, I was shocked at how natural it felt to be leaning against Nathaniel like this.

"This reminds me so much of when I met mio amore, Angelo, during my summer in Italy," Mrs. Giordano said with a dreamy sigh, glancing over at the man making pizza at the back of the store. "What a happy time... Let's take more!"

She spent the next couple of minutes repositioning us and then snapping pictures from every angle she could think of. When she was finally satisfied, she placed the phone in my hands and beamed at me and Nathaniel.

"Go ahead and look through those! You may be surprised at what you see," she remarked with a knowing expression before taking a step back and clasping her hands behind her in a picture of patience.

I furrowed my brow in confusion at what she might have meant. Feeling incredibly wary, I began swiping through the pictures, holding them up so Nathaniel could see as well over my shoulder. He slipped his hands from around my waist and held onto the back of my phone, tilting it slightly so he could see better. My fingertip brushed against the palm of his hand, and I realized that he was still standing close enough to let me relax against his chest.

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I took a tiny step forward and Nathaniel immediately took an even bigger step back, dropping his hold on my phone. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw him rubbing the back of his neck firmly and he looked as embarrassed as I felt. I tried to give him a soothing smile and tentatively walked over to his side, close enough so he could see the pictures but not so close that we were touching again.

As I swiped through the pictures I couldn't help but be astounded. In the first few pictures, both Nathaniel and I were blushing fiercely and looking incredibly awkward. But as I continued to swipe, I could almost see both of us relaxing and I could feel my cheeks heat up the more I saw us leaning into each other with more natural smiles. Sadness gripped me as I looked at the pictures that seemed to be snippets out of a romance novel I had read once and I wondered what had possessed me to go along with this idea.

My thumb suddenly paused though and I blinked away the sadness as I looked down at one of the last pictures Mrs. Giordano had taken. When she had repositioned us Nathaniel had accidentally tickled my side. Somehow Mrs. Giordano had snapped a picture as I was laughing and Nathaniel had thrown one of his hands up in apology but his other was still resting on my hip to keep me upright. His smile was gentle and his golden eyes were sparkling with both apology and amusement. I blinked down at the picture for several seconds before looking up at Nathaniel and trying to form a natural smile.

"This one is kind of fun," I admitted, glancing back down at it.

"I'm still sorry for tickling you," Nathaniel muttered with a quiet chuckle. "I like it too though."

"Mmmmhmmm," Mrs. Giordano hummed teasingly, causing me to jump slightly in surprise. 

I met her gaze and saw her giving me a knowing look. I felt myself blush and looked away, once again feeling guilty that I was giving people the impression that I was a perfectly normal girl. No matter what, I couldn't let myself forget that I didn't deserve any of this happiness or this false sense of security I had found within Nathaniel's friendship.

"You went a little overboard, Mrs. Giordano," Nathaniel said with a chuckle, and a shy smile spread across his lips. "But it was kind of fun. Thanks."

Mrs. Giordano's eyes sparkled happily and she grinned broadly at Nathaniel. "It was my pleasure, little businessman. Are you two ready to order?"

"We just need another minute. I'm sorry," Nathaniel replied and she shook her head, still smiling.

"Not a problem! I'll come back in a minute!" With that she walked back into what I assumed was the kitchen area and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"So... what pizza are we going to get?" I asked, clicking my phone screen off before tucking it in my pocket once again.

"I usually get the Jalaproshroom Signature pizza. It's really good."

"Jalaproshoom?" I repeated and Nathaniel nodded.

"It has jalapenos, prosciutto, and mushrooms with pepper jack cheese. The name is just a mixture of all of the ingredients."

"Sounds great!" I agreed and sat back in my seat as Nathaniel circled around to his own chair.

Mrs. Giordano took our order without any further embarrassing requests and fifteen minutes later had brought out a steaming platter of pizza. For a second I just sat and admired the masterpiece in front of me. The crust was thick and beautiful with melted cheese along the edges and it looked like it was drowning in sauce and toppings.

"Wow! I've never seen so much stuffed onto a pizza!" I exclaimed and Nathaniel grinned.

Using a napkin from the dispenser on the table, he lifted a drooping piece up and strings of cheese followed it as he lifted it as high as his chin where the strings finally separated from the rest of the pizza. Almost reverently, he offered it to me and I took it eagerly but waited for him to get himself a piece before taking a tentative bite. Spice exploded in my mouth and I gasped at the amazing flavor.

"Ah, is it too spicy?" Nathaniel asked after swallowing. I shook my head vigorously and took another bite, enjoying the sensation of the spice tingling on my tongue.

"It's great!" I declared after I swallowed and Nathaniel laughed.

"I'm glad you like it! You can take the leftovers home with you if you want."

"Oh, but I couldn't. You're paying for it so..."

"My mom doesn't like me eating stuff like this so I can't take it home," he admitted with a sheepish grin.

"What does she like you to eat?" I asked bewildered as I looked down at the pizza.

"Well.... vegetarian stuff," he responded with a shrug and I blinked in surprise.

"Oh, I see. But you aren't vegetarian?"

"I like meat," he responded with a grin and I chuckled. I was able to eat two pieces and Nathaniel had three which left three pieces for me to take home.

"Ahh, that was so good!" Nathaniel sighed, leaning back and patting his stomach. 

I giggled and nodded in agreement just as my phone began vibrating for what must have been the tenth time. Giving in, I took my phone out. As I suspected they were all texts from Auntie; some were demanding pictures and others were asking how the 'not a date' date was going. I gasped as I read the last one.

If you don't answer me then I am going to lock you out of the apartment and make you go home with Nathaniel.

"Something wrong?" Nathaniel asked. 

I grinned brightly at him before furiously typing, You wouldn't! It really isn't a date and I will show you pictures when we get home.

"Well, I know I said I'd just treat you to dinner, but since we're here do you want to check out some of the stores around here?"

I looked up at him in surprise but smiled. "Sure. But don't you need to get home?"

"Nah, I already told Mom I was going to be late. There are some really fun stores down here; I think you'd like them."

"Okay, lead on," I agreed. 

After sending Auntie a text telling her what we were going to do, I stood to go when my phone vibrated and she replied that I better not be lying about the pictures.

"Does your aunt want more pictures?" Nathaniel asked with a grin. I nodded with a sigh and he chuckled.

"She really loves you." 

I smiled quietly and looked up at the sky. "Yah. I don't deserve her," I whispered, looking up at the quickly darkening sky.

"Did you say something?" Nathaniel asked and I smiled up at him.

"Not really." 

He looked at me for a minute but then gently tugged on my arm to lead me down the street. As we walked down the main street he pointed out all the different stores around. I was amazed at how well he knew the area, but before I could ask why he pointed at a quaint little corner shop.

"Here, this is the store I wanted to show you. They're going to close soon so we'll have to be quick."

Nathaniel pushed open a door to the store named "Freeda's Corner" and gestured for me to go in. I stepped in and gasped. From the ceiling to the floor the whole store was covered in animals! Stuffed animals, pictures of animals, models of animals, statues of animals; I had never seen so many in my life. I walked through the store in awe, reaching out and feeling some of the fuzzy stuffed animals and gazing at the paintings.

"So what do you think?" Nathaniel asked and I looked up at him with wonder.

"It's amazing!" I gushed and just like that I felt something unlock and I began running through the store at top speed, taking in everything. "Look! It's a little tiger! It's so cute! Oh look at this painting, the horses look so lifelike! Oh, and look at that eagle statue! I've never seen an eagle before. Oh! It says this is the real-life scale. Wow! It's so big!" 

Nathaniel jogged after me and I could hear him laughing but I was too involved in the things around me to care.

"Look, here's my favorite," Nathaniel held up a cute little gray stuffed kitten. I reached for it, rubbing its soft ears and grinning widely.

"It's so cute!" I looked behind him and picked up a red kitten with a white patch on its left eye. "I like this one!" 

Nathaniel grinned, stroking its head. I grinned up at him and my eyes were caught by a painting of a majestic deer standing proudly in a beautiful forest setting. Quickly I walked over and poured over every detail, drinking in the sight.

"Hey, Opal. Come over here." 

I followed him excitedly, still looking to either side of me, trying to take everything in, until we turned a corner. Around the corner was the cash register and behind that was a wall laden with animal-themed jewelry.

An older woman, probably in her late forties, looked up from some necklaces she had been hanging up and approached us. 

"Ah, Nathaniel, I was wondering when you'd come around. And this lovely lady must be..."

"This is Opal, my friend from school. Opal this is Freeda, she owns the store," Nathaniel interrupted. 

Freeda smiled as if nothing had happened and asked me, "Do you like my corner?" 

"It's wonderful! It's a pleasure to meet you!" I exclaimed, thinking that anyone who could create such an adorable store must be a wonderful person. Freeda smiled happily.

"Look all you like. I'm going to close the store, but you can stay until you're ready."

"Ready?" I asked just as Nathaniel said loudly,

"Thanks, Freeda!"

She nodded, walking up to the front of the store. I inspected some of the necklaces Freeda had been hanging up, admiring their delicate shapes when Nathaniel called, "Opal, look at these."

I walked over to a small table that he was standing by and gasped with delight. On the table were several display boxes with miniature jeweled animals attached to what looked like a headphone jack. Nathaniel picked one up and held it up for me to see. I clapped as the little brown and white squirrel shimmered in the light.

"Oh, Nathaniel, it's so cute! What are these for anyway?"

"They're cell phone accessories. You just plug it in where you would put headphones and let it dangle," he explained. 

I pulled my cellphone out and held it up close  to the squirrel to picture what it might look like. Nathaniel took my cell phone and as our fingers touched I blinked and was transported back to the bus ride home from the orienteering race when he had stroked my forehead gently... I gulped and shoved the memory away, focusing instead on the little jeweled squirrel that was now dangling happily from my phone. Nathaniel held it up and I grinned with delight as it flashed playfully in the light.

"Oh, it is so pretty!" Nathaniel grinned and called Freeda's name. "Wait, Nathaniel, I'll get it," I said as Freeda turned the corner and he shook his head.

"Hey, Freeda, can I get this?" he asked, showing off the little squirrel decoration. She nodded happily and walked over to the register, punching in some numbers without even looking at the case or asking for the price.

"$14.57, then," she said, hardly even looking at the register.

I blinked and looked at the tiny squirrel. Was this little thing really worth fifteen dollars?

Nathaniel paid before I could even take out my wallet and Freeda handed him his change. "You'd best be getting home then, Nathaniel. It was wonderful to meet you, Opal. Take good care of Nathaniel."

"Bye, Freeda!" Nathaniel said hurriedly and urged me towards the door. I waved to her as we left the store and Nathaniel sighed heavily.

"She seems to really care about you," I commented and Nathaniel blinked then smiled down at me.

"Yah. Freeda is my Mom's best friend and whenever I need a break I'll go to her store and help out or just sit and read. There used to be a huge beanbag chair that looked like a ladybug and it was the perfect spot to read."

"How fun," I remarked with a giggle and Nathaniel chuckled. "What?" I asked.

"I think you're the only person I've met that would call reading in a store filled with animal paraphernalia fun," he expalined.

"Sounds fun to me," I said sincerely and he grinned down at me. As I gazed at his grin I suddenly gasped and slapped a hand on my forehead.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I should have taken a picture of us at the store! I completely forgot!"

"Oh, well then why don't we take one here?" Nathaniel pointed at a lamppost that was a couple of feet from his car. I followed him over to it and he leaned slightly against the pole then smiled at me. "Now you."

I chewed my lip nervously but then shrugged and leaned my shoulder against the pole next to him. Once we were in position, I held up my cell phone and my little squirrel sparkled in the light of the lamp. Seeing it made me smile extra wide and I hit the button.

"Can I see?" Nathaniel asked and I passed my phone to him. "You have a great smile," he commented and I looked down at the ground, trying not to keep from smiling.

"Thanks for dinner, Nathaniel; and for my squirrel," I said while jiggling my phone to make the squirrel sparkle.

"Thank you for always helping me out," he replied and I grinned up at him. "I'd better get you home."

Once we were in the car, Nathaniel started talking about school and our upcoming AP Bio test. Normally I would have enjoyed the conversation but for some reason, I didn't want to talk about school right now.

"Can I ask you something, Nathaniel?" I interrupted him as politely as I could and he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye with a look of surprise.

"Uh, sure?"

"If you could be anything, besides a lawyer I mean, what would you like to be?" 

Nathaniel turned his head slightly to gaze at my face before drumming his fingers on the steering wheel for a second and sighing.

"You'll think it's stupid," he muttered and I shook my head.

"I sincerely doubt it. Will you tell me?" 

A quick grin flashed on his face and he chuckled lightly. "Okay. If I could be anything then I'd want to be... a detective." He glanced over at me and laughed when he saw my shocked expression.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were going to say a professor or a doctor or something like that. You seem to take school so seriously I just thought..." I trailed off as I tried to explain myself. Nathaniel chuckled again and I was surprised when he appeared almost bashful.

"I do like school. And I've thought about all of those options before... but I've loved detective novels since I was a kid. It's always been my secret dream to grow up and fight crime like the heroes from the novels I read when I was growing up. Kinda dumb, right?" Nathaniel asked me with a shrug and I instantly shook my head.

"I don't think that's dumb at all. To be honest, I would probably be really worried about you if you chose to do that, but I have no doubt you would make an amazing detective."

Nathaniel glanced at me from the corner of his eyes before turning his attention back to the road. "You would worry about me?" he repeated quietly and I was briefly glad that it was dark enough to hide my blush now.

"Obviously. Who wouldn't worry about their friend chasing after criminals that have no sense of morality?"

Nathaniel let out a breathy chuckle and nodded his understanding, but then his shoulders drooped and his fingers tightened on the steering wheel. 

"Well, you won't ever have to. It's pointless to think about it, after all. I'm going to be a lawyer," he said flatly. His sudden change in tone made me frown and I leaned back against my seat as I thought carefully about what I should say.

"If you don't want to tell me I understand, but why are you forcing yourself to become something you don't want to be?" 

Nathaniel stared straight ahead and didn't say anything for a while as I waited patiently. Finally, he sighed and gave me a sad smile.

"My father has certain expectations for me and I want to prove I can meet them."

I felt my eyes widen and a flood of memories tried to surface but I quickly shut them out, closing my eyes and turning away so Nathaniel wouldn't see how much his words had affected me. The car turned and I looked up in astonishment to see we were driving into the parking lot of Auntie's apartment complex. Nathaniel pulled into a parking space and put the car in park before opening his door.

"What are you doing?" I asked, quickly opening my own door and slipping my heavy backpack onto my shoulder.

"Walking you to the door," Nathaniel replied simply and I blinked rapidly.

"You don't have to do that," I said with a laugh while gesturing to the building in front of us. "It's not like I'm walking down a dark alley or something."

"Even so, it's only polite. Besides, I want to," Nathaniel said with an easy smile. I shrugged, not really getting it, but also not upset with the idea either.

"Thank you again for the leftovers. The pizza really was incredible there," I said with a satisfied sigh as we crossed the parkinglot together. Nathaniel grinned and nodded.

"It's one of my favorite restaurants, I'm glad you enjoyed it." 

He paused to let me walk up the stairs first. When I glanced back to talk to him, I found him looking right at me with a hesitant expression. Blinking, I cocked my head curiously and paused on the step, wondering what he was thinking.

"What's up?" I asked when he paused as well but just kept looking at me. Nathaniel cleared his throat briefly but then shrugged.

"Do you think you could text me a few of the pictures we took today? It'd be a fun memory..." he trailed off slightly looking embarrassed. I felt embarrassed just thinking about half of the pictures Mrs. Giordano took, but I nodded slowly.

"Sure. I'll go through them and send the best ones to you. Could I get your number?" I asked.

Nathaniel nodded silently and I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I grinned widely when my little jewel squirrel glimmered in the evening light and I couldn't help but move it around a bit to make it spin. I quickly pulled myself from my distraction though and typed in my password before handing it to Nathaniel.

"Go ahead and put your number in. I'll text you the pictures later tonight," I promised. 

Nathaniel took the phone without looking at it and I blinked as he grinned up at me from the step below.

"I'm glad you like the squirrel," he said with a chuckle. I grinned widely at him and reached out to touch the little cutie.

"Of course I do! Thank you for getting it for me," I said with a broad smile. "You'll have to tell me when your birthday is so I can get you something too."

Nathaniel ducked his head and typed away at my phone for a second before holding it back out for me with a smile.

"I didn't buy it for you to get me something back," Nathaniel retorted with a shake of his head "But my birthday is February 16th if you wanted to know it."

"You're a month older than me," I responded, mentally committing the date to memory and already wondering what I should buy him as a gift.

"A month exactly?" Nathaniel asked in surprise. I chuckled and shook my head, pocketing my cell phone once again.

"My birthday is March 22nd, so a month and 6 days older if you really were counting," I said with a giggle before turning to walk up the last few stairs. 

Nathaniel followed after me in companionable silence until I got to my auntie's door. I paused, wondering if I should invite him in, but he was standing slightly back and didn't seem to be planning on staying.

"Thanks again for coming with me, Opal. I had a lot of fun," Nathaniel said with a small smile and I grinned happily.

"I did too. It's always fun to hang out with you, Nathaniel. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked, suddenly feeling awkward standing in front of my door and not knowing whether I should go in or not.

"Of course. Hopefully there won't be another fiasco to deal with tomorrow," Nathaniel said with a grimace and I chuckled lightly. Nathaniel and I shared a smile and then he took a step back while rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I should let you go. Have a good night, Opal."

"You too, Nathaniel," I said, raising one hand to wave at him.

Nathaniel nodded with a small smile and turned, walking swiftly to the stairs. Not exactly sure why, I felt my gaze follow him until he got to his car. Before he opened his car door though, he glanced up at me. Taking a step closer to the balcony I waved at him again and I could see him grin as he raised a hand to wave back at me.

Feeling a weird peaceful sensation go through me, I turned and placed a hand on the door handle.