Fate's Fun

Nate leaned against one of the trees overlooking the large lake, fiddling with a piece of grass idly in one hand. The lab back in Paris was closed now for a few months while it was under construction, and it was only there that he could conduct his research both accurately and efficiently.

In short, he had no life outside of work, and now he was wandering around in England. England had always been his home away from home- particularly London. So after wandering aimlessly around Paris for a few days, the young man had made his way here.

He brushed his hair away from his face, feeling a little uncomfortable without his glasses on. After all, he only needed them for work.

What was he doing here?

Adria sighed to herself as strolled across the Meadow Lake. Her mother's condition was worsening and she found herself working double time both at the bookstore and at the club, just to earn enough to pay for the operations. She couldn't remember the last time she time she took some time off for a break, and was glad that she picked today.

After a while of walking, she spotted a familiar figure leaning against a tree, and a grin made it's way across her lips. Of course she hadn't forgotten him, how could she have? It probably had been months though, since she saw him. But all the while, her thoughts were surrounding him.

"I definitely liked you better with the glasses," she said as she made her way over to him, hoping that he recognized her.

"Adr-" he cut off, not quite daring to hope. The chances were almost impossible- meeting her twice, in two different countries?

Without realising, the man had immediately stood up to greet the stranger. "Adria?" he repeated, knowing full well it was her now. He didn't think he could forget her face- he'd been spending a lot of time at work trying to figure out what he should have said to her. How he could have stayed longer, and gotten to know her better. Or how he could have tried to be funny- girls liked that, didn't they?

They'd had hundreds of hypothetical conversations in his head.

Feeling a little stalkerish at the thought, now that she was a real person again, he waved sheepishly at her.

"I'm not working now." he shrugged, waving one hand at his surroundings.

Feeling happy that Nate recognized her, she nodded her head, grin still in place. "Yes, that would be me. Though this is a fucking awesome surprise, I'm glad we're meeting again," Adria said honestly, speaking her mind as usual.

She didn't think he would have remembered her or even glad to see as she recalled the way he fled the cafe after talking to her for just a few minutes. She hoped she wouldn't scare him off again, in turn leaving her disappointed.

She figured this was probably meant to be as she didn't believe in coincidences.

"Yes, clearly you are not," she commented and laughed lightly, leaning next to him against the tree. "So what brings you to London?"

Nate grinned gleefully to himself while she spoke, not entirely paying full attention. He was still so amazed that she was there- right in front of him. He could finally say all of the things he wanted to- like...like...

"You look pretty." he blurted out. Pretty?! He was meant to have said "you look good." Of course, pretty was still an understatement- and good even more so- but he didn't want to come across as weird and now she would-

"I'm, uh," Nate mumbled, wary of the small distance between them. "...just relaxing. My lab's closed for a while."

Adria blushed lightly at the man's sudden comment, hoping he didn't notice. Sure, she was aware of her looks, seeing as many men had complimented her before, but to hear it coming from someone she really fancied, elevated the feeling.

"Thanks, you're really good looking too," she grinned and winked at Nate, returning to her normal composure.

The woman frowned slightly at his response. "How come your lab is closed? Um, Paris, right?" She asked as she wondered if that was his hometown. "Is your family there, too?"

And just like that, she suddenly wanted to know everything about Nate Ashwood.

Nate felt his ears burn an unattractive shade of dark red at her reply and her flirtatious wink. Was it meant to be flirtatious? Was he making out everything she did as more...well, ideal? Ducking his head to hide his blush, the man mumbled a simple thanks in response.

"It's under reconstruction." he answered, a small, slightly smug, smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He was partly responsible for the new facilities and equipment being added to his workplace.

"I'll be in England for a few months." Nate added, not entirely realising it until now. He wanted to spend time with her. He wanted to know her. He remembered that she said she had a night job- it had driven him mad, trying to figure out what she did while it was dark.

"Yeah, Paris." he nodded. "They're spread out across France and England." he grimaced slightly, recalling how many times he had moved across the English Channel.

"Where's your family?"

Adria was surprised at the man's reaction, thinking that he was used to the flirtatious behaviour from a girl like her. But then she realized that the girls these days wanted a mindless hotshot jock that was blonde in every way, unlike wanting a guy like Nate, who was seemingly endearing and a gentleman.

It was almost too good to be true.

At his response, she found herself smiling as well, not at his answer, but because she caught the slight smile on his lips. The very lips she hoped to kiss soon. She shook her head as though to clear her thoughts and felt her cheeks warm lightly.

"Few months? That's amazing!" The woman exclaimed, not bothering to hide her excitement. "So does that mean you are free to hang out with me?" Adria questioned Nate with a grin, officially asking him out. A part of her wanted to tell him about her night job, but she knew she couldn't. He would probably be disgusted by her...no, she couldn't say a word.

Her smile faded as he asked about her family. "Well, my mother is the only family I have here in England, and she is currently fighting cancer; which is why I won't be moving for a while."

And just like she didn't want to mention her job, she didn't want to tell him her father was dead.

"Uh," Nate blinked in response, nodding his head slowly. "Well, yeah." he mumbled, still shocked at her enthusiasm. Why would she want to be with him for a few months?! A childish, unreasonable part of him thought for a second that it was a prank- it had been pulled too many time before by the prettiest girls at school not for him to be suspicious of it- but he dismissed the thought as quickly as it had appeared. "Yeah." he repeated, his smile growing.

"That's..." Nate trailed off, frowning. The man ducked his head slightly, trying to get a better look at her face. Was she the only one that looked after her mother? "...I'm sorry." he finished off, unsure of what else to say. Unconsciously gnawing the inside of his cheek, Nate rested his palm lightly on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before it retreated back to his side.

His hand tingled uncomfortably.

Why did he want to touch her again so badly?

"So we will get to spend some time together?! That's fucking great!" Adria grinned, feeling both happy and surprised at Nate's acceptance. Her mind was already going through various scenarios where they'd visit all the hotspots and maybe it'd lead to something more.

Giving him a teasing look, she said, "Once we're done sightseeing, we should absolutely go on a proper date. You know, fancy restaurant, pretending to be perfect when we're actually not, that kind of stuff. What say?" She bit her lip, hoping she didn't go too far and scare him like last time. "I love your smile, by the way," she added softly.

Adria just nodded absentmindedly at his words, she had already those enough times. However, she was startled by his sudden touch, but before she could say anything, he pulled away all too quickly. She frowned, wishing his touch had lingered a little longer. Almost on instinct, she put her arms around his neck and hugged him, simply because she wanted to feel his touch once more and also because she didn't want to think about her mother.

"I'm sorry," she murmured as she pulled back and wiped away the few tears that spilled, the thing that happened everytime she talked about her mother.

"Yeah." Nate repeated again, finding it was the only word his brain could come up with, now. Smiling broadly at her- but not quite meeting her gaze- the man rubbed his neck. "Where would we go?" What if he bored her? What if she got tired of him? What if he messed everything up? An anxious frown creased his forehead, making him seem much older than he was. Adria was worth the risk.

"A-" Nate mumbled, his lips parted in shock. "A date?" he asked, his body jerking stiff in anxiety. "A-are you sure? Bec-Because I'm...an-and you're..." his voice gradually faded, barely able to fully articulate his train of thought.

Another dark blush burning his ears, the man nodded in appreciation of the compliment. "I, uh- your smile is, well- and it's-" he struggled for words, then dropped his gaze. "Nice smile." he mumbled lamely. What was he doing?

His breath caught in his throat as she hugged him, and his arms wrapped hesitantly around her waist. He felt numb. And somehow, electric. He didn't understand it. Nate hated not understanding.

Feeling at a loss when she pulled away, he frowned at her tears. "Don't be." he said quietly, his voice unusually husky. Before he could stop himself, Nate reached out and pulled her into another hug, his arms firmly wound around her waist, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He wanted to understand her.

Adria shook her head, grin still in place. "I don't know, we could anywhere you want to go. Or just a pick a place at random, doesn't matter." And in all honesty, she didn't care. They could go to the most boring place on earth and she'd still have a great time just because Nate was there with her. She would use whatever excuse she had to, in order to be around him and a part of her knew she was going to be crushed when he moved back to Paris.

The woman laughed lightly at his reaction and nodded. "Care to complete your sentence as to what I am and you are?" She teased as he stuttered, though she was doing it for fun, trying not to show that she found it adorable. "It's fine if you don't want to, I just thought it might be fun," she said, feeling disappointed that she probably did push it too far.

"Glad you think so," she replied and smirked a little in amusement.

Adria couldn't push away the funny feeling inside of her as Nate hugged her back. She had never felt it before, not even once. Maybe close to it, but it was never this surreal. Almost like a dream. She didn't feel like letting go, at all.

She was about to reply when suddenly she was pulled into another hug. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she smiled nonetheless and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly in response. Without really thinking, she placed a palm on his cheek and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Well," he murmured, dark eyes sweeping the landscape thoughtfully. "I like it here." Nate said softly, his brown eyes warming with affection at the lake. It was nice to be somewhere that wasn't so central in a city, for once. "We could..." he trailed off, his voice lacking any confidence, and shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "...eat here, maybe."

He grimaced slightly at her teasing- knowing that it was all in good nature, but he could not help but be sensitive over his life long stutter- and quickly nodded his head. "I mean, we're different, aren't we?" he asked, his voice heavy with worry. She was so perfect. And he was so...not.

"I want to." Nate smiled a little. "I'm just surprised you do." he admitted, forcing a certain nonchalance into his sentence.

As soon as she kissed him, his body froze. Everything inside of him felt cold, and somehow empty, as if it were void of any feeling. Apart from his lips. They burned. Each movement of her mouth sent a refreshed wave of a tingling sensation through him.

He pulled back after a split second, completely bewildered by the sudden surge of emotions that had rushed into him.

That had been his first kiss.

His eyes widened, realising that his hands had somehow moved to cup her face. He couldn't move them.

"What?" he croaked, unable to talk properly quite yet.

The blonde couldn't help but let a smile cross her lips as she watched Nate's serene expression. Though it's been an incredibly short time, she already knew he was simply amazing. He was so different and she found herself falling deep for him. It was utter madness.

But madness is what Adria's life is based on.

"Here sounds just about awesome," she nodded her head in agreement, smile still in place. "An outdoor picnic will be fun! You'll probably have to tell me all your favourite foods, so I know what to pack." She grinned lightly.

Seeing his fallen look, she instantly felt guilty. "I'm sorry, I did'nt mean to make fun of you...sorry," she said again and bit her lip. "Yes, we're different, but from other people. You and I together aren't that different Nate, trust me." The woman shrugged and gave another smile. "Besides, once you find out everything about me, you'll probably be creeped out," she replied, as she recalled the cause of failure of her previous relationship. First and last.

Maybe Nate could change that, though she feared to tell him about her other job.

As soon as he pulled away, the blonde woman's eyes widened, surprised at herself for what she did, but she didn't regret it. His lips were so soft...

Her cheeks felt warm as he placed his hands and her own hands reached out to stroke his cheeks gently.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry..." she apologized for the second time, unable to look at him in the eye, but not allowing herself to move away from his magnetic touch. "I'm sorry," she sighed again, as she realized that he hadn't kissed her back.

So much for being straight forward, she thought.

"I can cook." he said quickly, glad that he could boast at least one of his talents to her. "I mean," Nate shifted awkwardly. "if you want me to, I can cook it all."

"That's okay." he mumbled, trying to sound as indifferent as he could. Nate took a moment to look at her, a confused frown creasing his brow. On what planet were they the same? She was confident, pretty, easy going and perfect. What was he? A nervous, bumbling idiot. His lips curved into a small, sad smile. "I still think we're different." He raised one eyebrow at her questioningly. "Creeped out?" he quoted, and couldn't help being amused by it. He was the creepy one, here.

Nate tilted his head slightly, trying to look her in the eye. His hands burned against her skin.

"I..." he breathed heavily.

"Stop being sorry." The word's rushed out of his mouth, and he ducked his head, pressing his lips softly to hers again.

"You can cook? Wow, that's amazing!" Adria exclaimed and grinned. "And here I was thinking there existed no more guys who could do that. But if it's a bother, I can cook some of it, no worries."

The blonde smiled lightly. "No, we're not. We're both individuals with lots of potential and things to offer, but sadly, others tend to avoid people like us. I mean, it has been like that for me," she added in a quiet voice. "You are simply amazing Nate, don't ever forget that," she told softly and smiled for real. "Creeped out or disgusted, yes, that's exactly how you'd feel if I told you certain things."

She looked at him in surprise,but once again, she was caught off guard as he kissed her. Adria wasted no time in responding and one of her hands reached to tangle in his hair. She felt like she was on fire, not able to get rid of the high burning feeling in her stomach and she could sworn she could hear her own heartbeat.

This felt right.

She pulled back gently and leaned her forehead against his, while trying to catch her breath. She placed her hand on his cheek, loving the feeling.

"Don't leave me," she murmured to herself, not even realizing she said it.

"My grandmother taught me how to cook." Nate shrugged shyly, recalling hours he had spent attempting to make french pastries with her, back home in Bordeaux. God, he missed it there. He planned to go back there, eventually. He threw Adria a wistful look, his lips slightly thinning into a small, disapproving line. Would she ever visit him there?

They didn't know each other that well, he had to steady himself. He'd been down this road too many times to count, and in every one, he managed to get himself hurt. His hurt had even been planned by the girl. It was fun for them.

It had been Hell for him.

Nate shook his head stubbornly. "We're different." he said, his tone suggesting that he wanted to drop it, barely registering the compliment that she had given him- he was too wrapped up in his inner turmoil. They were complete parallels. That was good though, wasn't it?

He sucked in an unsteady breath through his parted lips, his thumb caressing her cheek absently. He frowned, brown eyes disturbed.

"Why?" he whispered, voice hoarse. "Why do you want me?"

"Your grandmother sounds like a cool lady," Adria replied softly and smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she had spent time like that with any of her family members abroad. She was so focussed on taking care of her mother, that she barely kept in touch with her relatives. All she had was a few cousins who were busy roaming the world with their band.

She felt sad when she realized that Nate would be returning to France soon and she knew then and there, that she had to make plans meet up with him once in a while.

The woman frowned at his tone, wondering why was it so hard for him to see the truth in her words. But she decided not to argue with him about it. For now. The frown stayed on her lips when she noticed the look in his eyes, almost wishing she hadn't said or done anything to cause him distress.

"I don't know," she whispered truthfully. "All I know is, there is just this unexplainable feeling and I've never felt it before...and I don't want it to go away. Ever." She smiled lightly, avoiding his gaze once more.

Nate shook his head a little sadly in response. "She used to be. She has Alzheimer's." he mumbled. She was only half the woman she used to be, now. It was, in some ways, easier to treat her if he forgot who she was before.

His gaze flitted back to her, and he blew out a frustrated sigh as he noticed her confused frown. "Sorry." he apologized quietly, and slid down the tree trunk they were leaning on to sit on the grass. He looked up at her, eyes heavy with concern. "But we are different." Nate rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to articulate his thoughts. "It's good that we're different."

"But..." he trailed off, trying to figure out how Adria could ever possibly- "but I'm weird." he laughed weakly.

"That's freaking awful," the woman murmured and gave Nate a hug. "Do you visit her often? Or does she have someone else living with her at home?"

Before Adria could argue once more, she realized that he was right. They were different. Maybe not by personality, but possibly by everything else. Besides, all his continous comments were pretty much making her convinced that perhaps he wasn't interested. If he didn't want to date her now, how could he ever accept her as someone who was a part time stripper?

No, she couldn't go through the humiliation again. It had nearly killed her self esteem the last time and she refused to let it happen again.

"You're right, it wouldn't work out between us," she found herself saying and took a few steps backwards, her fists clenching and unclenching. "But hey, if you ever need a tourguide, don't hesitate to give me a call," she murmured and gave a forced smile.

"Well, I guess I should get going," the blonde said, her eyes darting away from the man and suddenly wanting to get away.

Nate responded to the hug weakly, his arms barely moving to wrap around her before she pulled away. He ran a hand through his nest of messy hair, his jaw clenching slightly. "I used to live with her." he replied, and shrugged. "But she needed to go into a home. She needed more than I could give her."

Nate looked up at her, his dark eyes foggy with confusion. When had he said that it wouldn't work out? Where did she gather that from? Being different was good, wasn't it? If she were so completely alike to him, it'd be like talking to himself. He frowned deeply, completely puzzled by what the girl next to him had said. Were all girls like this?

"You-" he broke off, now even more confused. She kissed him, then took off?

She was just another pretty girl who had come to play with him, wasn't she? He was an idiot.

God, he was such an idiot.

"Yeah, okay." he mumbled, turning his gaze away from her and watching the lake, an evident hurt etched into his features.

"Why are you acting all sad?" Adria muttered quietly, having glanced at the man's distressed features. Suddenly she was lost. Just like her previous years when she was with that someone whom she thought would be hers forever.

But fate was evil. Or perhaps, it was so she would meet somebody a lot better. One would accept her. The good and bad.

The blonde felt tears in her eyes once more and at that moment, she hated herself. This was so unlike her; she wasn't the type to shed tears for such pathetic situations. Then again, this wasn't exactly considered as 'pathetic', now was it?

Having been taunted and teased, she did not fall for guys easily. In fact, they were the least of her concern. But every second she so much as looked at Nate, she was going deeper and deeper.

It would be better to leave now than cause him trouble, even though she definitely did not want to leave it like this.

"I'm not sad." Nate mumbled in response, resting his chin on his knees and deliberately keeping himself faced away from her.

I'm not sad, I'm just an idiot.

He shook his head, a wry smile playing at his lips. He always played the idiot in this game, didn't he?

"I'm fine." he replied gently, his voice void of hurt now. He could shake it off, he always did. He glanced behind him to look at her, and his heart twisted painfully.

"I'll see you around." he smiled, tone neutral. He was fine by himself- always was, always would be. Probably.