Eighty- The man she once swore to destroy

"So, this is where you have been hiding from the world, hiding from your reality," Nathaniel calmly said, his grip still around her shoulders.

As the emotions in his eyes alternated between concern and joy and perhaps anger, Chloe found it harder to bring words out of her mouth.

She found it more surprising that he somehow found her. Just when she was certain she did a good job of running away from her life, he ended up locating her.

"Are you going to keep staring at me with those teary eyes of yours?" he asked, the lowered tone of his voice pulling her heartstrings that she felt the urge to cry some more. "I can't believe you have been tucked into this house, crying your eyes out."

"I cried just today!" she retorted strongly and he chuckled.

"Sure. I'm letting you go now." Her buttocks kissed the ground softly as Nathaniel did as he said. "You have a nice place though," he continued, his footsteps approaching the living room.

"It is very cozy."

Eyes shut tightly, Chloe contemplated running out of the house, running away from him, but she couldn't do it. It seemed like his presence caused her so much disturbance, it was a chore to get up and dash out of the house.

"Why didn't you pick my calls?" she heard him ask as he took his seat.

Chloe gave him no response. But she found the strength to get up from the floor. After closing the door, she walked into the room, dragged the bean bag, positioned it opposite the man, and sat down.

"Didn't you receive my messages?"

"I don't use a phone anymore."

He scoffed. "I can see one on the shelf over there."

Her hands playing with each other in a bid to ease her feeling of nervousness, she asked, "How did you find me?"

Nathaniel didn't fail to break the rate at which his eyes planted firmly on her. As he slapped the thickness of his thigh for whatever reason, he replied, "I found you when you opened your door. Amir and I came here for some business and our car got stuck in the mud. We were hoping to get some help but,"

his lips drew a smile.

", we found you instead. I found you."

On hearing Amir's name, her chest leaped. He was one of the reasons she ran away. Chloe felt it would be difficult to face him after she put him in danger. "Is Amir feeling better now?" she asked as she reasoned that she could at least do that.

"It's been weeks. It would be weird if he wasn't feeling okay, so you can stop beating yourself up."

Chloe was not hallucinating, anger was indeed in his emotions. He did a good job of hiding it at first but she could see it clearly at that point.

"You can insult me if you want," she calmly said as she blinked away the last drop of tears in her eyes. "I know you want to."

Nathaniel's cologne hit her nose as he shifted in his seat and had his knees hitting the ground softly. Soon, he crawled towards her, a kind of intent in his eyes, a kind of intent that confused Chloe.

When he was so close to her that he could hug her or perhaps, reach for her hair, he stopped, and at the same moment, her heart skipped a beat.

"Are you sure you want me to insult you?" he asked, the softness of his voice caressing her ears like they always did. She found herself shutting her eyes as he asked his next question.

"Do you think you deserve the insult and the blame?"

"Nathaniel..." she called with her weakened voice. "I was a spy. Because of me, your relationship with your brothers was destroyed. Because of me, Amir was shot."

Her hands shivered as the bad conscience enveloped her once more.

"I fell in love with you despite knowing people will be hurt in the end."

Their eyes connected fiercely as she opened hers.

"I was selfish Nathaniel. I fell in love with you and hurt you even though I knew that would happen. I was the reason the Agency got to you guys. I-"

"You are not to blame Chloe," Nathaniel spoilt her plans to go on and on about her faults even if it meant repeating facts. For a second, his eyes traveled across the room that was now wearing an atmosphere different from the peaceful vibe the space gave.

"Listen..." He cupped the side of her face, his touch igniting fireworks within her, fireworks she instantly killed.

"Gabriel is the reason we are all at this surprising point of our lives. If he didn't go crazy about how he felt, you wouldn't have been asked to spy on us."

"But-"

"I also blamed you until a few days ago. I felt it was your fault. But no..." his other hand cupped her face and she felt the urge to cry again. The manner with which his voice spoke messed with her emotions, so much that she wished to just lay in his embrace for some minutes.

"Denial is the reason most people lose something or someone important to them. And I refuse to lose someone important to me again."

For some seconds, silence raided the room after Nathaniel's words. The next second, Chloe sniffled, her emotion had escaped.

"Hey," Nathaniel cooed, his oceanic eyes giving her the embrace she needed. "You can cry, it is okay to cry. I am here for you."

Her lips formed into a weird shape before she released the flood whose exit made her eyes sting so much, she finally buried her head in his welcoming chest.

"I am so sorry," she wailed as Nathaniel's hand traveled to and fro the span of her back, his caress causing more eruption of her tears.

"I just like you so much, it hurts."

"Shh," he cooed some more as his caress continued. "You are fine Chloe, stop blaming yourself for what happened."

Her arms went around him as she sought more comfort. Then Chloe realized something.

Not only did she miss him, but she also missed being in his embrace so much that she wouldn't consider letting go of him the next second.

She missed his delicious kisses, she yearned for his fingers being on her skin, introducing something electrifying into her system.

Even though it was just once, she could not forget the beautiful traction between them. The way he slipped in and out of her, introducing a new feeling after each moment, she missed it so much and she was just realizing all of that at that moment.

"Chloe?" Nathaniel called after she went quiet. "Are you okay?"

Her arms still around his waist, she asked, "Did your car really stop working right in front of my house?"

"Do you think I lied?"

After another sniffle, she answered, "It's just unbelievable."

"I didn't lie, Chloe."

Chloe looked up at him. "Oh."

"I almost gave up looking for you."

"I can't believe you looked for me," she commented, a smile finally planted on her lips.

He chuckled, his heartiness resonating into her body. "At first, I looked for you to fully blame you and have you take responsibility for your actions. But when Agent Conner told me the reason you took the job, I found my reasoning. And after Amir spoke sense into me, I realized it was really unfair of me to blame you."

Chloe hold around Nathaniel relaxed and she sat up instantly. "Agent Conner told you about my..."

"Your brother, yes. He is the reason you decided to work as a spy."

"Well..." Chloe shrugged. "That didn't work out. I didn't get what I wanted from the Agency at the end of the day. They just used me."

"You got me. And Amir," Nathaniel said, his voice, a whisper. A beautiful whisper that had Chloe smiling again before she could tell.

"Yes. I can't believe it, but yes." Chloe felt at peace at that moment. Surely, that day took an unexpected turn, from being a rainy day, then the day she finally cried, then the day she finally got to realize her yearnings, she just had to love the outcome, she just had to.

"I have a proposition for you, one you can't resist." Chloe's brows lifted accordingly.

"Amir and I have thought about this a lot. We would like you to come and work with us."

"As a maid?"

"Really?" Nathaniel shook his head at her attempt to joke. "We want you to finally have a real job. We want you to finally find happiness doing what you love."

"You don't know what that is."

"Making music," he instantly responded. "While searching for you, we found out a lot about you and it made me realize that you need a fresh start in life."

"I can give myself a fresh start," Chloe proceeded to argue.

"Really?" Nathaniel took one more look at the room. "Is this your fresh start? Sitting in this peaceful yet boring space?".

"I-"

"Think about it."

"I will."

"While you think about it, keep it in mind that I'll find your brother once you accept my job offer."

Her heart leaped at his words, but her face showed no emotions. "Are you bribing me right now?"

"No." His finger found her chin and he tilted her head slightly. "I am ensuring that I don't lose you again. I want you by my side always."

Before she could say anything, his lips fell on hers and Chloe found herself drowning in the love she felt towards him and in the love he communicated as he captured her lips with a hunger that seemed unquenchable.

Chloe embraced the happiness the moment brought, every feeling of guilt running away as she registered it in her head that she deserved the joy that comes with being with the man she loved.

The man she once swore to destroy.