Chapter 139. Short period

Chapter 139. Short period
Laura could feel her heart palpitations again to her chest so hard that she could almost hear it playing into her ears.  Nathan's stare on her this time was different. It wasn't the Nathan he had revealed recently,  or the one who kidnapped her like a maniac. This Nathan held her strength with so much warmth in them that she could almost sense it feeling up the room with each passing second. Suddenly,  his hands moved towards her face and gently pushed away some strands of hair that had fallen to her face during her whole outburst and his movement suddenly caused her time to go stiff. Not because she was scared of him like she had been since the incident that played out between them. But more like she was trying to understand the feeling that tugged at her chest as she found it slightly difficult to look away from him.

"So what are you going to do now?" Nathan finally asked and her concentration was broken immediately.

"Um," she looked away from him first. "I guess the first thing to do is go back to the mansion,  pack my things and get the hell away from Leo and anything that has to do with him. I would rather not breathe in the same space as him right now." She said as her voice had turned low with a hint of disdain as she thought about Leo. "I think I've had my final breath about him. It's time to focus on other things now."

"Wait, you moved in with him?" There was surprise in Nathan's voice.

Laura on the other hand didn't mind it much as she gave him a nod. "It's a long story really,  and I would like to restrain myself from anything involving Leo till further notice."

Nathan nodded his head as he clasped his hands that were on his thigh together.  "So what, you're moving back home?"

Laura thought for a few moments before nodding.  "I guess that's the only place I have to go back to." She said, although her voice sounded as  though she wasn't all that excited about it. And Nathan picked up on it.

"Is...something wrong?"

Laura stayed quiet for a few moments before letting out a tired sigh. "It's just that...if you ask me, I really don't want to go home." She said as her head was lowered down.  “I've had Leo over so many times and it'll just be like a full four walls of my fucked up memory laughing back at me for being so stupid.” She said, releasing a humorless scoff at the end. “I just wish I could go on a vacation, or probably somewhere else that isn't home. But I know I can abandon work either.”

Nathan listened to her and watched the expression that crossed her face as she spoke. He understood what she meant. There was nothing harder than being in the same space that you may feel traces of something you're trying so hard to avoid. It was a slow and suffocating feeling, and knowing Laura to the point he did, it would only be a few while before the whole thing caught up to her.

“What about you staying here?” He suddenly asked 

Laura on the other hand snapped her head towards him as she stared at him with plain shock. 
“Huh?”

Nathan couldn't help but chuckle at the expression that now painted her face. “Don't act like you didn't hear me the first time, Laura.” He said with a small smile on his lips. “Like you said, you need a chance to step out of your house and catch a break and at the same time, you want to be able to work. Then I think that idea would work for your interest.”

Laura stared at him before she snickered with disbelief. “I said I needed a vacation.” She said as  her eyes scanned the living area around them. “Although your place is absolutely nice, it doesn't strike the whole vacation.” She said, “I mean it would just be like I am staying in a different apartment. Nothing relaxing about it.”

“Then why don't we make it that way?” Nathan said. Laura on the other hand raised a brow and that urged him to keep talking. “It's going to be for a short while while you try to take the load of everything off you. During your time here, it's going to be all you. We can go where you want, eat what you want, technically you get the point.”

Laura chuckled lightly before focusing her gaze one more time on him. “You're actually willing to do that?”

Nathan stared at her as she asked the question. The next moment, he moved closer to her and picked up her small cold hands in his warmer one.

“I presumed you would have known me by now.” Nathan said with his smile dancing on his lips. “I'm willing to do anything, Laura. As long as you're comfortable with it.”

Laura didn't know what to say. Her gaze lowered towards her hands that was held gently by Nathan's before moving back to his eyes. She tried contemplating whether she should accept the proposal or not. There were lots of advantages to it and Laura knew that. She'd be giving herself the escape she desperately needed as well as being around a familiar face. But the disadvantage here was how that familiar face could cause a stir in her chest sometimes that doing certain things proved difficult.

“You can think about it if you want.” His words interrupted her thoughts and she turned her eyes to him. “Probably you can go home first and if you decide you want to come back here, then the door is always going to be open to you.”

Laura took some thoughts of the situation first before finally passing him a nod. “I'm guessing you'd want to accompany your new house mate to get her things from the estate.”

At her word, Nathan could not help the wide smile that immediately broke on his lips. He let go of her hand and rose up from his seat. “Let me change into something better and we'll leave.”

Laura didn't waste time to nod then Nathan, passing her one last glance walked away from there. Laura on the other hand thought about her decision for a while. Had she taken a smart decision or had she thought too rashly? She didn't know at that point, nor did she want to fill her head with the various possibilities that Nathan might be a bad person. For once, she didn't want to think or feel anything.

She was going to act out the way the urge came to her and she already had an urge settling in her chest specifically for when she returned back to the mansion. Just that she wasn't going to be returning with a calm head this time.

Nathan and Laura immediately made their way to the Carter's estate. The drive was quiet while Nathan who was driving through small glances as Laura who's knee hadn't stopped moving the whole drive. As much as he knew she was trying so hard to hide the fact that she was still very deeply affected by the situation, Nathan had learned to see deeper than the veil she often presented to others to see.

Finally, the two of them arrive at the estate. Nathan's car parked some distance away from the entrance as he found no need to actually park alongside other cars since their stay would most definitely be a short one. They knocked against the door and he was pulled open immediately by one of the maids who bowed at them while they stepped in.

“Let me go pack.” She turned to him. “You'd be okay waiting in the living room right?”

Nathan nodded immediately. “Just go do what you have to do. We'll leave once you're ready. Laura took his hand and gave it a small squeeze before releasing him and made her way upstairs. 

Some minutes after she had completely packed up the little things she came with, she took a few moments to stare around the room she had stayed in for only a short period. Then she realized that has always been the situation for her.

She had always been just another short period for Leo.