Chapter 74
AURORA.
As Nathaniel and I left the restaurant, he kindly offered to drive me back home. I accepted his offer, because how could I not? If it would give me more time to spend in his company, I would gladly drive around the world with him.
The cool evening breeze gently pulled at my hair through the open window and I closed my eyes, smiling genuinely for the first time in a long time. It felt like everything in my life was finally coming together and all I had to do was sit back and let it unfold. Dinner with Nathaniel and his sister had been amazing and it made me realize that other than Lola and Justin, I didn’t have many friends to hang out with. It was nice to get to know other people.
Nathaniel’s deep baritone broke the peaceful silence. “Aurora, there's something I thought I should let you know. I'll be leaving on a business trip to Japan the day after tomorrow. Fukushima, to be precise.”
“Oh,” I said, weirdly concerned about how sad those words made me. “How long will you be gone?”
With one hand on the wheel and the other resting against the window, he shrugged slightly. “Less than a week, give or take.”
I thought about not seeing him for a few days, awkwardly biting the inside of my lips. At least he was not going away forever, my mind told me. He’d be back. “Are you reporting your schedule to me now?” I teased, wanting to lighten my mood.
Nathaniel laughed, his eyes briefly leaving the road to meet mine. “Yes, I suppose I am. After all, I'm reporting my schedule to my wife.”
The word ‘wife’ hung in the air, and I couldn't deny the warmth it brought to my heart. It didn’t feel as weird as it had when he’d said it weeks ago in his car. Now, it even made me blush just thinking about it. I was Nathaniel Everleigh’s wife.
Although his words filled me with warmth, I was still not ready to openly say it out loud. So, I chuckled instead, opting to tease him. “Japan, huh? Will you be enjoying sushi every day, while I'm stuck here with regular takeout?”
He grinned. “I might have some sushi, but don't worry, I'll miss your cooking terribly.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Everleigh.”
“I’m counting on that.” He winked at me.
Our laughter filled the car, and the affectionate way he looked at me sent a shiver of warmth down my spine. Boy, was I in too deep.
****
The days without Nathaniel felt strangely empty, and I hadn't fully realized just how much his presence had come to mean to me. A sense of longing had settled in and even though he made an effort to call or text me whenever he could find the time, it was the same as seeing him face-to-face.
The office was empty, with only I and Doris on the first floor now with Nathaniel gone and though I tried to immerse myself in work to stop thinking about him, I found myself unconsciously staring at his office door, hoping he was inside sitting in front of a screen or something.
Talk about hope-springs-eternal.
One evening at home, my phone tinged. I leaned forward to grab the device, my breath hitching as a notification flashed with a news headline that sent my heart plummeting. I sat upright with a start and my eyes re-read the headline, ‘Earthquake in Fukushima, Japan.’.
Panic surged through me as the realization hit me like a ton of bricks—Nathaniel was in Fukushima for his business trip. Frantically, I dialed his number, my fingers trembling with anxiety. But there was no answer, just the ominous silence on the other end. The minutes stretched into an agonizing eternity, and I couldn't shake the fear that something terrible had happened.
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. In those few moments of fear, images of our time together, from the first day we met to our shared laughter and the last moment we’d shared together before he left, flashed through my mind. Each memory felt like a treasure, and the thought of losing him was unbearable.
“Oh, God,” I murmured shakily as the call tone rang with no answer again. I felt the tears run down my face frantically. I’d only just gotten him. How could I lose him without even telling him how I felt? That I cared for him the way he cared for me? That thoughts of him broke my concentration every single time?
In my distress, I hastily dialed Winter's number, hoping he might have some way to contact Nathaniel. He was his best friend, after all. He picked up almost immediately, and my voice trembled with anxiety as I explained the situation.
“Winter, it's Nathaniel,” I stammered, “he's in Fukushima for his business trip, and there's been an earthquake there. I've been trying to reach him, but he's not answering and I'm so worried.”
Winter hesitated for a second before answering. “Calm down, Aurora,” he said. “I'm sure Nathaniel is safe," he said. "He's a resourceful person, and he wouldn't put himself in harm's way.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do know it,” he countered. “What I don’t know is why you sound so worried.”
I paused at his words, realizing there was an underlying innuendo to them. Was he trying to say something or was I just imagining it? “Am I not meant to be worried?”
“I didn’t say that,” he sighed, somewhat dejected. “Aurora, you have to understand that earthquakes in Japan are not uncommon," he explained. "In this case, it was a low-magnitude quake, and while it did cause some damage to a few old rural houses, the city is where Nathaniel is visiting and the infrastructures there are usually well-prepared for such situations.”
I would admit that Winter’s words did a lot to calm my nerves. He would know better, surely. He spoke with a calm and reassuring tone that gradually eased the rapid beating of my heart. “Thank you, Winter but I’ll feel much better once I know for certain that he’s okay.”
He chuckled softly, and I could almost sense his reassuring smile through the phone. “Of course, Aurora. We all care about Nathaniel, and I'm sure he'll be in touch soon. In the meantime, try not to worry too much. I'll let you know if I hear anything.”
“Please do.”
As we ended the call, I opened my browser to check for any new updates about the earthquake. Even though Winter’s words had eased my panic a little, I was still not completely fine with the silence from Nathaniel’s end. I said a little prayer to God for his protection and hoped that nothing bad would happen to him.