Seventy-two- Regrets

Chloe who had fallen asleep in Nathaniel's arms after she had experienced something the most amazing thing, walked out of the bathroom with the only white bathrobe that accessorised the whistle tiled room, covering her wet nudity.

Nathaniel who had woken her up to bathe was seated at the edge of the bed, his head buried in the laptop seated dutifully on his lap.

Recalling how sensual his eyes were earlier made her want to reach out to him and stay in his arms all day. So, she got rid of the slippers on her feet and climbed onto the bed, the little ache in between her thighs ignored.

"What is it Chloe?" Nathaniel asked without looking behind him and with a grin she shifted closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, the light from the device burning her eyes a bit.

"I just want to hug you..." Her hold tightened and the man could not help but chuckle.

"Don't tell me you are hungry for my touch already. " He went back to typing.

Chloe pondered on his question as though she didn't know the answer already.

"Aren't you a bit sore?"

"Just a bit..." she replied almost dreamily.

" So... " The fact that his head was angled in a way that made it seem like she was being ignored made her like that particular moment even more.

"Do you want me to do something about that?"

Her legs which were spread on both sides of his thigh decided to meet each other and with a quick shift, she had them wrapped around his thick waist.

"Maybe..." she whispered with the aim of sounding very seductive.

"Maybe?" His voice croaked and Chloe felt the vibration and it made her feel so good.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

He slightly turned his head. "Are you even dressed?"

" Uh..." She could picture the amused look that was probably on his face.

" No?"

Nathaniel's body shook delightfully. "Is it just me or are you becoming naughtier?"

As he set his laptop to the side, excitement grew within Chloe and she did not hide it.

"I like naughty though..."

He shifted a bit and with his skillful manoeuvre, Chloe was straddling him seconds later.

As their eyes locked, Chloe recalled how powerful it felt to have him inside her. She felt like she was on what people referred to as *cloud nine*.

And she was not going to lie to herself, she wanted more.

"Chloe?" His fingers brushed her hair which lay carelessly over her shoulders, backwards and as that happened, he made brief contact with her skin and she shivered a little and it was not because of the fact that she was still wet and almost exposed.

"Yes, Nathaniel?" Her arms went around his neck.

Chloe read a change in the excitement he had in his voice earlier and she wondered what he was thinking at that moment.

"Your... Father..."

Her grip around the thickness of his neck relaxed a great deal and she felt her insides rejecting his incoming words. But she didn't give in to the rejection, she was actually interested in what he could have to say about the issue.

"What about him?" she finally asked after a deep swallow of gathered moisture in her mouth.

"Do you have questions for him?" She blinked.

"I mean, you must have things you have been wanting to ask him about."

"Like why he left my brother and I?" She casually threw into the conversation and Nathaniel gave a single nod, his eyes wearing a little guilt.

"You also mentioned that your mother left you too. Do you know where she is?"

Chloe smacked her lips loudly, her eyes fell on the ceiling above and she said, still with a causal tone, "She is dead."

"What?"

"She died a year ago."

"Oh."

Chloe managed a smile but her mind had already traveled to the past.

She had actually reunited with her mother when she went on her first mission. It was like a gift to Chloe, seeing her mother again gave her hope since her brother's death was already drilling a hole in her heart.

But things went south and her mother died in the crazy brawl that broke out that day.

Ducking her head as the immense anguish of that particular night was already making a re-entry into her heart, Chloe found herself wondering if things would have been different if she had met her mother that night.

Maybe they were fated to meet again no matter how long it takes.

That night just had to be the wrong timing...

"I lost parents in a plane crash when I was seven."

Chloe's head came up instantly at Nathaniel's sudden statement. "What?"

His fingers went back to her hair but this time, they brushed continuously in a coordinated manner. Nathaniel wore a short smile which Chloe could tell he was putting on to hide his true emotion.

"I recently learnt about the true nature of their death actually."

" You-" Chloe swallowed to moisturize her parched throat.

"You didn't know they died in a plane crash?"

Nathaniel shook his head, his lips contorted into a peculiar dome shape before continuing.

"I was told they were criminals who were killed on the run."

"Criminals? You believed they were criminals?"

" It was easy to manipulate my mind back then because I already sort of hated them for not spending lots of time with me. So, when I was informed about their death and how it happened, I grew a new kind of hatred towards them."

As he did most times, he was speaking unemotionally, one would think he was devoid of feelings.

" What changed? How did you learn about the true nature of their death?"

" Strangely, it's all thanks to you..."

Chloe's brows lifted slightly.

His eyes which had been darting here and there as he talked, locked into hers and she saw signs of tears that made her lock her arms around him in a more assuring, comforting manner.

"I didn't think about them until the day we briefly talked about having parents. After that day, no, after the whole Amir issue, I decided to embark on a journey that led me to where I grew up."

" You learnt the truth then?"

He nodded. " My uncle who had informed me about their death turned out to be a greedy man who just wanted to take over their company. When I met him, he confessed to setting up a plane crash that led to their death."

" Is he in jail now? That Uncle of yours should be in jail." No matter how many times she heard tales related to his, Chloe just always found it hard to wrap her head around how easy it was for families to betray one another.

Nathaniel snickered. "He is suffering right now, he doesn't need to be in jail. Anyway Chloe..."

He secured his palm on her back.

" This is my point... I know you are angry at your father and you most definitely don't want to see him. But I don't want you to be filled with regret later on."

Chloe wore a small frown.

" Right now, I am swimming crazily in regret. I regret hating my parents when they were alive and dead. I wake up and wish I didn't spend years of my life wishing they were rotting in hell. Trust me Chloe, you don't want to find yourself feeling that way."

" So..." She sucked in a huge breath and let it out as slowly as possible, her eyes making sure not to look into his.

"You want me to speak with my father."

"Whenever you are ready, let me know and I will set up a meeting with him. What do you say?"

Chloe wished to fight his suggestion, but he was making a lot of sense. And the thing called regret... she had her fair share of it already and she would be lying if she said it felt good.

So, she decided to trust his words and with a single nod, she agreed to his suggestion.

"When I am ready, I'll let you know."

"Oh, that's just wonderful." He hugged her closer and planted a small kiss on her left cheek.

As she made to complain about how insufficient his kiss was, he leaned in, she tilted her head properly and he caught her lips with his. And within few seconds, he reminded her how good his touch felt.

When he broke the kiss, his lips smiled warmly as his eyes did as they connected with hers again.

"It must really hurt..." She placed her palms against his cheeks and also smiled warmly.

"... learning the truth about your parents."

Nathaniel pulled her even closer and soon, his arms were wrapping her, a homey feeling accompanying the engulfment.

"I am just glad I have you."

Chloe would have smiled but for some strange reason, she recalled why she had the opportunity to be in his arms that moment.

She remembered the risky decision she had taken and she felt sad instantly.

"Chloe?" When she did not respond, he said, "You should quit your job. I'll get you a new one and-"

The door made a loud bang and that sound was followed by a loud thud which put an end to their embrace. Nathaniel abruptly got up but with mindfulness, he helped Chloe get down though his face wore absolute confusion.

"Amir, is that you?"

Covered in mud and strangely... blood, the man shook all over like he just faced his worst nightmare and that definitely was a thing of concern. His eyes widened, he got off the floor and took distorted steps towards Nathaniel and Chloe.

"What happened to you?" Nathaniel rushed towards him.

" Seb- Sebastian..." His voice came out as a whimper and Chloe could already feel something terrible had happened.

"What happened to Sebastian?"

"He..."

"Talk to me Amir. What about Sebastian?"

The terror-striken man startled Nathaniel a little as he instantly grabbed onto the collar of his shirt. When their faces were almost touching, he said almost inaudibly, "He is dead Nate. He has been murdered."