pour some sugar on me

Adria sighed to herself as she made her way to the stage. It had already been a couple of hours but the crowd didn't seem to be decreasing, rather the opposite in fact. She had been trying to spot anyone good looking in the audience to keep her mind away from half the drunk people surrounding her. Sure, she enjoyed her job, except it sometimes got a bit...uncomfortable.

Hearing the cheering of the crowd, even she couldn't keep the smile from her face. She still found it surprising that these people were actually here to see her and ever since then, she has been confident about herself.

Focussing her attention on just the music, she smirked at the audience, before slowly unbuttoning her shirt, revealing the black lace top underneath. She held onto the pole and twirled, her smirk only widening as the howling increased.

Loosening her blonde hair, she let it sway over her shoulders as she trailed her hands down to her shorts and looked around, but froze suddenly.

It was an all too familiar face that was staring at her, and she couldn't look away.

No. It couldn't be. What was he doing here?

Nate didn't care.

First of all, he did not care that he did not fit in with the rowdy people at the club, throwing themselves about like wild things. He did find them strangely interesting, though. A few girls had thrown him flirtatious glances- none of which he had registered or understood- and the small group of men that he had found himself trapped in were giving him bemused looks.

Second, he did not care that hunting out a person that he had only known accumulatively for a few hours would usually be considered weird. Was he legally a stalker? Nate frowned at the thought. He supposed he did fit the profile rather well.

Third, he did not care at allthat Adria Mason, the girl that he had undeniably fallen in love with, was a stripper. In fact, he had barely given her occupation itself much thought- only that he now knew where to find her.

And there she was.

Nate's eyes widened behind his glasses as she came onto the stage, and a dark blush- though it was hard to notice in the dim lighting of the club- surged through his cheeks. He swallowed thickly as she twirled around the poll, suddenly feeling as if he were intruding.

The man next to him howled, grinning up at her.

A tidal wave of jealousy knocked the wind out of him for a moment, his jaw clenching. He wanted this to stop. He wanted her. He wanted-

But she looked so happy. Nate glanced at the man to his left, then looked down at himself. Was that the type of person she wanted? He could never-

Why had she stopped?

Oh.

Unsure of what else to do, Nate lifted both of his hands sheepishly, giving her a thumbs up.

Adria's eyes widened even more in shock at Nate's gesture. Did he just approve of her current state of position? What the fuck? She didn't know whether to be overjoyed or confused by it. She supposed it was a mixture of it, but she was panicking on the inside as well. What if he was making fun? What if it was just a trick?

Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, she realized that she just wanted to get this over with and hopefully, not have to face him. It wasn't part of the plan.

He wasn't supposed to show up here.

Turning her attention back to the task at hand, she felt her lips turn into a smirk once more as she unzipped her skirt letting it fall to the floor. She then turned around and jumped back on the pole, sliding down with one hand.

By this time she laid on the stage, her head hanging off the stage and she trailed her fingers across her red thong and threw flirtatious winks just for kicks.

Adria's hands slithered along her shirt undoing the buttons of her lace top effortlessly as it slid off her shoulders and on the ground, leaving her in just her brown heels and black slip covering her bra.

And with that, the money started rolling in.

Eager to get off the stage, she collected the money and with a last sexy shake of her hips, she got off the stage and without really giving it a second thought, made her way to Nate, ignoring all the howling. She draggee him into the nearest dressing room and closed the door.

Putting on one of the long robes she found, she turned to him expectantly, her eyebrow raised. "Did you come to see me? If so, how'd you know I work here?"

Though her composure was cool and calm, she was messed up on the inside. Oh how badly she just wanted to feel his lips on hers once more, just like the last time.

Nate blinked as her skirt dropped to the floor, and he almost immediately turned his back to the stage. He couldn't watch this. It wasn't okay for him to watch this. He wanted to watch this.

Without his permission, he looked over his shoulder, only to catch a glimpse of a bright red thong. His cheeks almost turning the exact same colour, Nate looked away again. His head was filling with black sawdust.

He blew out a rough breath of frustration, scrutinising the dark, grimy floor of the club. He should care that she was a stripper. But he didn't. He only cared that she was there, in front of him, and that he could-

A childish grin appeared on his features as Adria dragged him away, and somewhat glad of the jealous looks he was being thrown. Stifling the outburst of possessiveness, he followed her in silence as he watched the back of her head intently. Was she mad?

His grin faded.

"Yes." he confirmed her first question, with one tight nod.

"Riri told me." Nate murmured, leaning against one of the tables in the dressing room.

Adria wondered if 'Riri' was the woman she had met here a few weeks back. Deciding that it probably was, she let the thought slide before turning to look at Nate once more.

"Right, which brings me to my next question; why did you come to see me?" She asked, eyebrow still raised. The last time they parted, she thought it was the end. And now, he got dragged into this hellhole and had to watch her do that.

She ran her fingers through her hair. "You did not have to come here you know, you did not have to watch me..." she trailed off, mostly expecting the look of disgust to flash across the man's face. Hell, he couldn't even stare at her during the whole time she was on stage.

He was shocked. And creeped out. Obviously.

Nate frowned, obviously confused by her interrogation. Why was she so mad? He'd only seen part of her dance.

"Because I wanted to see you?" he said, though it came out as more of a question. Wasn't it obvious that he wanted to see her? Why else would he be here?

His dark eyes scrutinised her intently as she spoke. There were signs of stress in her features. Had he caused that?

Why were girls so confusing?

"But I-I didn't know where to find you." he mumbled, suddenly dropping his intense gaze to the floor.

"So, uh." the young man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, before forcing himself to look up at her again.

"How are you?"

"Why would you want to see me, Nate?" Adria mumbled mostly to herself, not even sure if the man heard her or not. "I don't want you regretting to have seen me like this, which is why I did not mention it before."

She wished fate had let her wait to have told him herself.

The blonde sighed, "I'm not fine, alright? My mother is getting more ill by the day, and it is nearly at the stage of hopelessness. My store isn't doing that well either and just yesterday, I nearly had a disgusting and slightly scary experience with one of my customers," she shuddered. Sure, she knew how to defend herself, but sometimes....

"Anyway, now that you saw me, I suppose you are ready to leave?" She questioned, sitting down on one of the chairs, her head in her hands, not looking at him.

"Because I," Nate frowned, and paused.

Love you.

"Wanted to." he finished. "Why would I ever regret seeing you?" What on earth was she talking about? He genuinely could not understand her. Why was his presence here so awful?

His face contorted slightly in pain as she spoke. She sounded so wounded. He didn't know how to make it better. He wanted to, so badly. What could he do?

Swallowing thickly, and almost without a second thought, the man made his way over to her chair and knelt in front of her. He wanted to make the pain go away.

Nate sucked in a shaky breath through his nose, and slowly unclenched his right hand silently. He reached it out hesitantly towards her face, and gently pealed away her own hands from her head. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was.

Flashing her a small smile, he brushed his thumb over her cheek.

"I'll help you with your mother. And the store." His head moved to rest on hers, his hand still gently cupping her face.

"And I'll hunt that customer." he smiled sheepishly, knowing full well that he'd struggle to do anything of the sort. He could always try. Or find someone to help him.

He scrunched his eyes closed, a deep frown creasing his brow. Exhaling slowly, the man pressed his lips to her forehead.

"But I'm never going to be ready to leave, Adria."

"Because what I have for a job, even if temporary is unacceptable, isn't it?" Adria questioned, as though it was meant to be obvious. "You could not even bare to watch me..."

Just like he couldn't handle to either.

"A stripper, Adria?! You want to be a stripper?!" Ryan shouted, his face contorted into disgust. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"It's just for a while, I promise," Adria tried to plead. Anything to make him stay. "I really need the money, Ryan and you know that."

The man shook his head as he made his way to their apartment door. "There are plenty of decent jobs out there! Why such a fucking lowlife occupation?!"

"None of them offers me the quick cash I need," she said helplessly. "Damn it Ryan, just please understand."

"No Adria, I can't. It's impossible. Unless you change your mind, we're done."

And with that, the door slammed.

Her eyes filled with tears at the memory, but she blinked them away. She looked in surprise as Nate leaned in front of her, and she instinctively reached out to graze his cheeks.

"You will? Really?" The blonde asked in a shocked whisper, not believing what he was saying. "Thank you, that means a lot."

She closed her eyes at the feel of his lips, gentle on hers and she looked into his eyes. "Why wouldn't you want to leave? What I do out there is..." she trailed off, though her hands remained fixed on his, which were cupping her face.

"No." he said simply in response, frowning. "You need the money, right? Or..." Nate's left shoulder did a little half shrug. "Being a stripper isn't being a demon. Why are you so..." He shook his head slightly, struggling for the right words. Ashamed?

"Of course." he blinked, a little surprised that she was so shocked that he would offer to help. What did she think he was going to do? Watch her suffer in silence alone?

"Because I can't." A weak laugh ripped from his mouth. He couldn't leave her. It was impossible.

"I need the money to pay for my mother's chemo treatments. She's fighting cancer Nate, but the doctors say that..." Adria trailed off, tears in her eyes once more and bit her lip. "Oh gosh, I feel like such a fucking mess," she muttered. "Nobody wants to date a stripper, no one learns to trust me enough," whispered the blonde.

She stared at the man in surprise once more, before acceptance arrived on her features. "Well, that is good because I do not want you to leave either. At all. You have no idea how much I've been thinking of you since we last parted," she breathed, as she leant in front of him on the ground as well, her fingers running through his hair.

"I missed you," she admitted quietly, blush on her cheeks.

"I'll pay for it." The words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush, eager to prevent the tears that were threatening to spill. How was he going to pay for it? He was paid considerably well, but most of that went to his own grandmother's treatment, back in France in her elderly home. What was he meant to do? Choose between the happiness of the woman in front of him or the health of the woman that had raised him?

No. He would not choose. He could not bring himself to choose. He cared about both of them too much. His lips, despite the situation, curved into a minute smile. He cared about Adria a lot, didn't he? He hadn't felt like that in a while.

It was simple, really- he would just work extra hours. Or, actually, just demand money for the extra hours he had been working already. Easy.

"You are a mess." he murmured, thumb circling her cheek. "A mess of wild and beauty and surprise and passion and," His voice gradually became louder, his grip tightening on her slightly, and found himself breathless.

"I love you."

"What? No, I can't have you do that!" The blonde exclaimed in protest. "Are you fucking mad?! Those things are way expensive and I'm positive you need your pay for your own needs. No way," she repeated with a shake of her head.

She would have smiled or even blushed at the man's compliment, if it weren't for his next words.

I love you.

Her eyes widened and her hands tightened their hold on him. She suddenly started panicking. "Y-You l-love me? B-But..." she trailed off and shook her head vigourously once more, feeling helpless. Oh gosh, it was happening again wasn't it?

"Why, how?" Adria whispered, the fear and worry in her voice. She did not care that she was overreacting, it had always been like this since her first time. "How can you say that? We haven't known each other that long, yes? I do not want this to be a joke."

It almost broke her back then. She could not let it happen again. She was certain that she liked him a whole lot.

But was that really love?

She looked into Nate's eyes, trying to see their truth. The blonde nearly felt breathless by the intensity of his gaze. She wanted to say the words back, but something was stopping her.

"It's fine, Adria." Nate murmured reassuringly, trying to ease the woman's growing hysteria. "I can afford it. I'll try to help her, whether you like it or not." He added quietly, with a weak little smile.

The man's eyes widened as he realised what he had said, and immediately dropped his hands from her face, before stumbling backwards away from her, as if she had burned him.

"I don't know- I-I....." the man blurted, a flurry of incoherent words rushing from his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that. He was meant to compliment her, and make her feel better and then shut up.

They hadn't known each other for that long at all. What if she called the police and pressed charges? A guy that she had met twice, who had followed her to her work place and then declared his love for her. He didn't think his odds would be too high.

A joke? She thought he was joking?

"Do you think that-" Nate frowned, utterly confused. "You think that I came here because I was joking?" he asked incredulously.

Adria shook her head once more, "I am not about to start borrowing money from someone just to take care of my problems. You have your own needs to worry about, so do not bother about me," and told firmly.

"You are n-not joking?" She questioned, almost in surprise. "I thought this was all some sort of amusement for you, including my job, just like it is for others," she told softly, her arms around herself and rocking gently back and forth.

She smiled lightly, though she suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion and acceptance wash over her. "I apologize, but I cannot say that I reciprocate the feelings. At least not now."

The blonde wanted to explain to Nate, but she did not know how. "I like you so much, you were all that I was thinking about," she admitted finally, "but my fear makes me believe that it is not love."

"Show me that it's true. It does not matter how long it takes."

She felt saddened at the loss of contact, his hands warm and comforting on her skin.

"Adria." Nate frowned. "I said I'm going to help, whether you like it or not." He said, his voice unusually as firm as hers. He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the complicated woman in front of him. It would take years for him to finally understand her. "Okay- I won't help you. I'll just help your mother. And she hasn't said I'm not allowed to do that, so it's fine." He concluded, smiling childishly at finding a logical solution to her stubbornness.

The young man continued to slowly back away from her, staring at the floor as he did so, until he had reached the opposite wall and leaned against it. He gnawed on his bottom lip, watching the grimy dark floor intently as she spoke. He should leave. He wasn't good at these talks. He was only meant to say a "hello" and a "how are you?".

"You think I'm like them?" Nate muttered, a sort of hurt in his voice. He thought he was the opposite of the rowdy men outside- he'd felt completely out of place.

"That's, uh." He frowned deeply, kicking the floor absently. Nate lifted his gaze upwards to her again, flashing a sheepish smile.

"That's okay."

"She doesn't even know where I'm getting the quick money from," Adria admitted quietly. "And now including that, if I take money from someone else...no, it just won't feel right. I can take care of her and myself, I don't need anyone else. I know I complain a lot, but at the end of the day..." She trailed off with a shake of her head. Ever since she was a kid, she was on her own. It was only at high school she met Logan and befriended him and he was the only one she let help, simply because she was weak that time, but not anymore.

A part of her still missed him and wished he hadn't run away.

She quickly shook her head again and made her way to Nate. "Not like those men outside, just people in general," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I'm not usually like this, you know," she chuckled lightly and looked at him, her fingers interwining with his. "I do not like being so vulnerable but with you, all the logic in my mind just gets away."

"But I'm willing to take a chance, Nate. You're worth it."

Nate frowned deeply at her, fighting the strong urge just to pull her into a hug and not let go. He wanted her to know that she could rely on him for anything- anything- and she wasn't giving him the chance to do it. He wanted to help.

He clasped his hands together tightly, trying to calm himself for a moment. "Accepting help isn't being weak, Adria." he murmured quietly, shuffling his feet absently. He wouldn't push the point further- but it was so frustrating that she didn't want his help when he was so entirely willing to give it to her.

"I'm not people." He smiled weakly, having almost always been told that his whole life. Taunted and teased for not fitting the status quo- it was the first occasion in his time that he had ever said it in a positive way. Nate wasn't like most people.

His arms, to his mild surprise, wrapped around her tightly- just glad for the physical contact with her. He rested his chin on her shoulder briefly= but grudgingly loosened his grip as she pulled back, although kept his arms wound around her waist.

"Logic." He laughed. It was ironic that he, a scientist, found no point in it with Adria.

"Does that mean I get to take you out on a date?" Nate grinned childishly.

"I know it is not weak, but I would hate to have to rely on you for something so major," Adria muttered with a shrug of her shoulders. "And besides, you are already helping me a lot just by being my source of comfort. That means a lot more to me than the acceptance of your money."

She realized with a sudden surprise that she never wanted Nate to go away from her. Ever. The blonde knew then and there that she would always need him to be around during good times and bad, and no one could ever replace him. But more than anything, she needed one thing.

Adria wanted to be his girl forever and not anyone else's.

The scientist chuckled lightly and nodded her head, "You are definitely not like people, Nate. You are so much more wonderful," and whispered, a small smile making it's way across her lips. "Any girl would be lucky to have you as their loved one."

As the man's chin rested on her shoulder, she turned her head to the side and placed soft kisses along his neck, while one hand played with the fine strands of his hair. The way his arms enveloped her made Adria experience a feeling of security she had not felt in a long time. The action made her wonder if he had a possessive side and decided that he probably did.

"No logic at all, absolutely zero," she murmured. "But I like it that way."

"Seeing as I had already asked you before, my answer is a definite yes," she grinned, her cheeks turning an almost dark shade of red against her fair skin, before wrapping her arms around his neck once more and tugging him closer for a kiss. "Where are you taking me, Mr. Ashwood? Because, I shall follow you anywhere," she whispered against his lips with a teasing smile.