unusually normal

Adria fiddled with the hem of her dress nervously as she waited for Nate to show up. She did not know why she was so anxious, seeing as it was not a common feeling she was used to experiencing. Perhaps she was worried about the confrontation with the man about the thing with Marianne. Or maybe because the blonde really liked him and wanted to go well.

Jesus, she hoped he would show up soon so she could relax.

It had been a while since she had spent so many hours getting dressed for a date and had spent quite a bit of time and money simply because she wanted to impress him, which again, was unlike her. She was not sure if he would like it or not, but she figured he should, since she went through too much trouble.

What is this man doing to me?

Some men passing by gave her appreciative glances, but she chose to ignore them, halfway between entering the restaurant and continuing to wait for him. He was not late, no. For some unfathomable reason, she was early. She shook her head at her ridiculousness, realizing why it seemed much more easier to be in a laboratory.

Still, she needed Nate and that was something she was not afraid to admit.

dress!

( he looks too sexy in this picture to put at the bottom so it has to go first )

Nate stared blankly down at his black, leather dress shoes. They were impeccably polished, as always. He smoothed his dark blazer, dusting off non-existent specs of dust with one hand and turned his gaze upwards again, placidly scanning his grubby, but organised, Parisian flat. Nate looked smart- he had tidied himself up quite nicely.

Although he didn't understand why he was bothering.

Running his tongue across the back of his bottom teeth, the young man slowly loosened his clenched fist, and a scrap of crumpled parchment drifted onto the floor. Marianne was his only friend. Of course, he had only spoken to her a few times- but Lord, it was the closest thing he had ever come to. She was pretty, and kind, and funny- and everything that his imaginary friends used to be.

His lips hooked into a sad smile. His imaginary friends didn't kiss the woman he was in love with, though. The man looked down at the fallen piece of parchment, his eyes glowing with hurt. They would tell him in person, too. Nate sat down on the edge of his bed, raking a palm over his face tiredly, eyes scrunched closed. In some ways, he knew that he was being ridiculous. Adria was not his- they had not even been on their first date yet. The "yet" was in fifteen minutes.

Mari knew. She knew how in love he was with Adria- and no matter how much Nate tried to stop, tried to just resist all of the pain- pain from betrayal, and this burning jealousy- he couldn't.

Then, Adria.

The person that he had fallen so desperately in love with- so head over heels, so stupidly blinded by this alleged "love". She would never want him as much as he needed her, he should have seen that. Should have known that eventually-

But he was so in love with her. And when you're dreaming, what's the point in waking up to reality?

That's why he was bothering. He wanted to keep dreaming with her.

---

--- 10 Minutes Later ---

Nate could feel his heart both swell and burn painfully at the sight of her. It was so easy to forget what had happened. He wanted to. Maybe he should even ignore it- wouldn't everyone be happier?

"Adria." He greeted warmly from behind her, deliberately trying to refrain from touching her. It almost felt wrong, now. Like touching something that wasn't his.

"You look," Nate faltered, looking down at the dress- but avoiding her gaze subtly. "You look outstanding." He smiled, the sincerity of his compliment evident in his tone of voice.

The blonde smiled lightly at the voice and turned to face Nate, but the smile quickly fell from her lips as she noticed he was trying not to look at her. She knew then and there, he was hurt. She felt her a sharp pang in her heart, maybe the good kind, at his honest compliment.

"Thank you," she breathed before enveloping in a hug. The temptation to touch him had been too much, and she gave in, as she always did when around him. She lingered a moment too long, before pulling away and allowing a blush to cover her cheeks. For once, she was glad he was not wearing his glasses, she wanted to be able to look into his eyes properly.

Letting a small grin grace her lips, she told softly, "And you look sexy. I mean, if you want a classier comment, I'd use the word 'handsome' but that would be a total understatement, so I think my choice of word was right." Realizing she was rambling, she shook her head, almost laughing at her silliness of behaving like a lovestruck teenager. "I shall not take back my words, because you look that good."

All she could think of was to skip the formality and kiss him.

As though remembering the matter at hand, Adria sighed, "You do not have to do this you know. I know that you know what happened, and you are clearly upset at the both of us." How could he not be? It had been quite a mistake albeit sudden act, and the blonde knew she probably did not deserve his forgiveness.

Her heart broke to say those words. She needed him to stay. She needed to spend the remaining of the evening with him, and not back to her empty apartment.

Gods, she could not remember the last time she wanted something so bad.

"I can go if you want," she murmured, unable to tear her gaze away, sincerely hoping he would give her a chance to at least explain.

"You're welcome," Nate replied with a weak laugh, returning her hug with as much forced nonchalance as he could summon- although he was not able to suffocate the want to hold her for longer, to keep her in his arms. Pulling back with a quiet, shaky breath, the man allowed his lips to slip into a small, fond smile at the noticeable blush on her cheeks.

"I think, that uh-," Nate paused, the word completely alien on his lips, "sexy will do." He flashed a sheepish smile at her, nodding his head at the compliment. "Thank you."

He grimaced as soon as she brought the matter at hand up- he would have ignored it. Pretended that it hadn't happened, by now. Their conversation had been going well, she looked gorgeous, and he allegedly "sexy"- they could have had a wonderful night. Why did she have to wake him up from his dream? Nate remained silent as she spoke, kicking the floor absently.

"No." He replied quickly, his gaze immediately snapping up towards her. "No- just-" Nate exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. "Just don't- don't go." He didn't know what he wanted from her. An explanation?

The blonde grinned lightly once more at Nate's expression, "No problem. It's easy to give compliments when it's the truth." She had a feeling he was not accustomed to such a sort of attention, and instantly thought girls to be crazy to not have fallen for him.

But the selfish part of her was glad that fate had made their paths collide instead.

Adria knew she should have kept quiet, but how could she have survived the entire date knowing he did not want to talk to her? Her curiosity and this time, her impatience got the best of her. She was never good at containing her questions anyway.

She nodded her head slowly at his response, not caring that the relief was shown on her face. At least he did not tell to get lost like any other guy would have, that was something.

"Let's go inside," she suggested softly, taking him by the hand and pushed the door open. "Reservation under Mason for two," the scientist told the receptionist, who was busy staring at Nate that she didn't even hear her.

The blonde felt a surge of possessiveness envelope her and her grip on his hand tightened. "Excuse me, if you're done gawking at my boyfriend, can you please lead us to the table?"

The receptionist merely rolled her eyes and called a waitress over to direct them towards their seat. She went off quickly to fetch them drinks, obviously having noticed them both holding hands.

"Sorry about that back there," she mumbled, letting go reluctantly.

"I know the feeling." Nate murmured in agreement, his lips curved into an affectionate smile as his gaze flitted over the woman beside him. He was more than certain that Adria had been showered with compliments in her time, but he wanted his to mean more. He wanted her to know exactly how much he meant it, not just throwing out compliments as some people did.

Nate's head tilted slowly to the side, so much that it was barely noticeable, when a flicker of relief passed over her features. He hadn't really taken into consideration whether or not this date was important to her as it was to him.

Ignoring the little electric flowers that blossomed underneath the skin she touched in his hand, the man followed her in silence towards the restaurant, the only sign that he agreed they should continue was a soft hum in agreement. His eyes watched her intently as they walked, not in the least paying attention to the receptionist- only to Adria. More particularly, Adria's eyes.

At the word "boyfriend", Nate immediately snapped back into his senses, his mouth slightly parted. What had just happened? He'd missed it- something about- had Adria said that-

"I'm your boyfriend?" He blinked, ignoring the unnecessary apology. He smiled before she was able to reply, and just shook his head, before moving to pull out the chair for her with an expectant grin.

Adria raised an eyebrow amusedly at the man's question and nodded her head with a small grin. "Yes, you are. Or was I too quick to assume that?" She asked, and blushed lightly as she sat down. "A real gentleman who happens to be sexy, aren't I the lucky one?" She mumbled mostly to herself, smile still in place.

She had not really meant to say 'boyfriend', after all, they had not even asked each other the question. But she realized that it's what she wanted, and when other women stopped to stare at him, she wanted them to know he was hers. A little over the top perhaps, but she did not care.

The blonde was tempted to reach over the table and reach for his hand once more, but she did not know if she should. They could pretend it was blissful, but Nate still deserved to hear what happened and it was upto her to make sure he did not get too angry at Marianne.

For just a few moments, all she could do was stare at him. The way his hair was sort of messy, his intense eyes, the way his suit fit him perfectly...he was simply amazing. The feel of his lips against hers clouded her memory and once again, was overcome by the urge to kiss him.

Adria was a patient woman; her field of research required that trait. But as soon they'd leave the restaurant, she knew her patience would be thrown out the window.

Shaking her head lightly, she picked up the menu, a tiny smile on her lips, "I've never really had much of French food before, and so I have no clue what is good here."

"I am." Nate echoed, his happiness at the confirmation somewhat shadowed by a niggling sense of betrayal. If he was her boyfriend, didn't that mean what she had did was...What she had done could not have been cheating, Adria would never- but she had, hadn't she? And she hadn't told him, she'd waited for him to show up for their date, only to send him home heart broken.

Absorbed completely in his thoughts, the man took his own seat in an almost robotic manner, trying to make sense of this situation. He stared down blankly at the menu, his leg bouncing up and down underneath the table.

"Cognac crevette." Nate replied, the French rolling easily off of his tongue- it was, after all, his mother language.

"Avec beurre blanc. It's good." He nodded, unable to say much else.

Adria was surprised at the man's quick agreement. "You actually don't mind being my boyfriend? I mean, you never asked me and nor did we go exclusive, so I figured you maybe you would change your mind or something." This was not how the blonde wanted to express her feelings, but now that they were out, it was all there.

"Really Nate, I can see that you are having an awful time already," she sighed, notcing the man's obvious discomfort. "I probably don't even deserve a second chance after what happened, and I'm sorry."

As she heard his French, all rational thought nearly flew out of her mind. She barely focussed on the words, just admired the way his voice fit so well with the language and couldn't help but stare at him.

"I think you should order for us," she finally whispered, and put the menu down, unable to look at him.

"Well, I..." Nate trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. Even after what she had done, he would still always want to be with her. That was inevitable. "I don't think I'd uh- object to that." He concluded, lowering his gaze quickly to the table.

It slowly returned to her face as she spoke, and his heart clenched. He was ruining their time together- but what else was he meant to do? Pretend like nothing had happened? He deserved some kind of...well, he deserved something.

"Can you just," Nate paused, trying to figure out what exactly he wanted. "Explain?" He breathed, frustrated,his dark eyes searching hers.

"No." He answered, reaching over the table to cup her hands in his. "I want to talk first."

The blonde merely smiled at Nate's actions. "I would not object either," she stated firmly with a nod of her head, as though assuring him that she meant her words and was being serious. Then again, she wasn't sure how much he would believe her after what happened.

"Yes, I can," Adria murmured, not tearing her gaze away from the man. "I just need to say first that it wasn't Marianne's fault, so please do not be mad at her. She sort of likes me as more than a friend, and that's why she kissed me. I'm almost sure it was on instinct," the scientist added with a sigh. "And me being the stupid and reckless one for once, reacted to it in a way, which I see was not the conventional."

She wished Marianne hadn't done, and she definitely did wish she hadn't kissed back, even if it was on accident. Sure, it wasn't cheating since she and Nate weren't together then, but it was still a mistake.

Adria pulled her hand away from Nate's and fiddled with table cloth, focussing her look on the menu. "I get it if you are angry at me, but do not be mad at Marianne. It's not at all her fault, and I know she would hate it if she lost you as a friend," the blonde said softly, her tone almost pleading.

"So..." Nate frowned, trying to figure out the conversation. "Where does that leave us, exactly?" He chuckled weakly, raking a hand over his face. Everything was always so much more complicated with Adria. He couldn't remember doing anything with her that was just simple. The man paused, wandering briefly what that would feel like. Being simple with her- natural with her. When everything between them was resolved, they could-

Nate snapped out of his daydream as she spoke again, blinking a couple of times- and suddenly regretting not bringing his glasses. They would have helped a little.

"It was just-" He swallowed thickly, taking a moment to digest the information. "An accident? Sort of?" He questioned, his pleading tone mirroring hers. He wanted this to be over, already. To forget that it had ever happened.

"I'm not angry." He murmured, releasing her hands and resting his own in his lap. "I just...I wanted an explanation." He breathed, slowly looking up at his date again. "So thanks." Nate added, flashing the same sheepish smile at her.

"I want to only be with you Nate, no one else," the blonde stated with no hesitation. "And if you still want the same, then that leaves us at a pretty good place," she shrugged and smiled lightly. She could see it was driving him crazy, she had seen it on her only previous boyfriend as well. The fact that there was more to her than meets the eye always drove people away.

But more than anything in the world, she wanted the man in front of her to stay.

"She did it impulsively. I had already told her how you felt about me, but I guess her feelings overtook and it slipped her mind," Adria said softly, being as patient as ever. "I do not know if my response classifies as an accident, but yes, I wish I had not done it. It just...happened. I know you want a better explanation, but this is the truth."

She nodded her head, glancing up at Nate once more. "You're welcome," she whispered. "So you are not angry at Marianne?"

Nate couldn't stop the childish grin that broke out at her statement, and could not fight to hide it, either. She wanted to be with him. He had no idea why, of course, but that was irrelevant for now- she wanted to be with him. He was going to be brilliant for her. He would have to be, if he wanted to keep her. He'd do absolutely anything she asked.

"I definitely want the same." Nate murmured in agreement, nodding his head and smiling to himself.

"The truth is all I wanted." He dismissed, now eager to leave the topic. It was finished- Adria was sorry, Marianne- she was sorry too, and he would need to speak with her afterwards. He knew it sounded ridiculous, but the man loved her like a little sister already. And he could hardly blame her for falling for Adria. It would be hard not to.

"No, no I'm not." He had been. But he couldn't bring himself to be anymore. "And I'm not angry at you, either." He added. "It's done- over, yeah? Can we just..." Nate shook his head, leaning forwards from his chair, and grasped her hands firmly with his own again. "Just forget it. " He said softly, trying to catch her eye.

"Cognac crevette avec beurre blanc, bien-aimée?" Nate offered, trying to do everything in his power to move her attention to something else.

Adria couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped her lips, and her eyes regained their original brightness. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that," she breathed and shook her head, a big smile gracing her features. On watching the man's smile, she blushed lightly and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Consider it forgotten," she chuckled and held his hand tightly, looking straight at him, her eyes doing all the speaking. Even days before the date, she had dreaded this conversation and now that it was over with, she could just enjoy.

On hearing his French again, she finally couldn't resist. The blonde got up from her seat and moved over next to his, placing a firm kiss on his lips. "That sounds great," she murmured with a grin and sat down opposite him once more. The nickname didn't slip by her ears, and the blush on her cheeks brightened.

"I'm your beloved?"

"I think I can imagine." Nate laughed, his expression suddenly relieved of all the stress it bore only a matter of minutes ago. His creased brow had smoothed, his lips, which had been pressed into a thin line, relaxed- everything about him was more natural. Of course he could imagine- he was certain that he was experiencing the same rush of happiness. Although, he was also certain that it was a thousand times stronger than her own emotion.

"Good." He hummed in agreement, eyes shining with warmth. He didn't need to be a this restaurant- neither of them did, really. He was perfectly capable to cook all of these dishes in the comfort of either of their homes- they could be doing so much more than sitting and eating. Talking more. Nate wanted to know everything about her-

His eyes widened as she kissed him, more than a little shocked. His hands moved to cup her face, but by then she had returned to her seat- and the kiss was over as quickly as it had begun.

Blinking, Nate simply grinned silently in her question and hastily stood from the table, offering her hand to her.

"Come on." He smiled, tilting his head to the exit.

Now it was Adria's turn to be surprised at the man's outstretched hand, but took it and got up from her seat as well. "What about dinner? I thought..." she trailed off, hoping that this wasn't a signal that the date was already over. Shaking the thought from her mind, she shook her head and just smiled back at him, as they made their way outside.

But with that, the blonde did the one thing she had been dying to do since she laid eyes on him an hour back. As they were a few feet away from the restaurant, she pushed him lightly against the wall and kissed him once more, slow and deep. "For once, I'm not sorry," she whispered against Nate's lips as she pulled away, her hands wound in his hair.

Her grey-green eyes stared into his, as though they held all of life's secrets. She knew her desire for him was reflected in her eyes and wondered if he could see it as well. But she did not care. She wanted all of him, and she was willing to make the first move as long as he did not mind.

"Mind taking me to your home? I'm still starving and this is my chance to see if you really are a good cook or not," Adria told softly with a wink, her hands trailing down to rest on his shoulders.

"The food here's not that great." Nate said lowly, a cheeky grin plastered on his face. "You should try mine." He raised his eyebrows at her, feeling entirely more at ease now. More like himself. Smile still in place, the man led them out of the restaurant, slipping past the waiters; and ignoring the dirty looks. He didn't have enough room in his brain to register them- all of thoughts were surrounded around her. Buzzing wildly- about her eyes, about her smile, about what he could do to impress her-

His eyes widened at being pushed- and opened his mouth to question what she was doing- before it became quickly preoccupied. The man kissed her back hesitantly, his arms winding around her waist. She had never kissed him like this before; not so openly.

"No, I-" He swallowed thickly, still a little dazed after the kiss. "I was going to take you to..." He frowned, distracted by her very touch. "Where was I going to take you?" He laughed nervously.

"Ooh, that confident about your cooking skills, are you?" The blonde teased with a grin and shook her head. "But yes, I'd love to try your food." She could get used to this, she decided. Having someone who actually cared about her enough, not having to worry about her faults around him and so on. It wasn't that much of a foreign feeling since she had Logan as a friend for a while, but that was not the same as this.

Because every little thing about Nate, was completely different.

Adria raised her eyebrow, a sly smile on her lips and leaned closer to the man, loving the feel of his arms around her. "Was going to take me where?" She asked in an innocent tone, though she genuinely became curious. "I'll go anywhere with you, just take me there."

"Of course." Nate grinned childishly at her, glad of the wave of calm that had washed over him and consumed any uncertainty that had been squirming in the pit of his stomach. "I was taught by the best, after all." He murmured fondly as an afterthought, his thoughts flitting towards his grandmother for the briefest of moments. She'd raised him; and she was the best person he'd ever been privileged to know. Nate looked across to the woman standing next to him, suddenly reminded of her presence. Well, maybe not the best.

In fact, he was entirely and completely positive that Adria was the single best thing that had ever happened to him. It was almost ridiculous how effortlessly she had changed his life- just by wandering into a coffee shop around the time that he did.

It was so unlike a scientist to believe in fate.

Nate laughed weakly at her innocent tone, trying to get at least a few words out of his mouth- he swallowed again, blinking rapidly for a moment- had her eyes always been so...so- God, he couldn't even put together his thoughts properly, now- "To my," He breathed, his head becoming more and more dizzy.

"Nevermind." He muttered heatedly, before ducking his head and kissing her again.

As he continued to look at her, Adria wondered what was going in that mind of his. No one had ever looked her in that way before, a look that implied that they wanted to be with her and spend time with her. It was all too surreal, and she was nearly convinced that she was dreaming.

But every time Nate so much as touched her simply, she knew it was something real.

For the first time in a long while, she felt loved and cared for. Sure, parents had always been there and so had Logan, but she had never recieved such an amount of attention and importance from anyone else and it made her realize something shocking.

Just maybe, Adria Mason was in love with Nate Ashwood.

Her hands reached up hold his cheeks, thumb stroking the skin underneath his eyes, from which she couldn't tear her gaze from. Before she could question further, he was kissing her again.

The blonde wasted no time in responding, and moved her lips against his eagerly and full of the desire that was beginning to pool through her every vein. One of her hands tangled in his hair, while the other ran down his chest slowly.

"I love you," she breathed against Nate's lips before placing a kiss on his jaw.

Well, this was weird.

This made no sense, whatsoever. He was against a wall, kissing his girlfriend. Nates weren't meant to have girlfriends. Nates were meant to spend long hours in the lab, because they had no way else to spend their free time. Although, falling in love quickly was most certainly characteristic of Nates. Except this time, he'd fallen harder than before. Much, much harder. This time, he wouldn't be able to fall out of it. And above all, this time, it was Adria.

Everything about her was addictive. Her smile. Her scent. Her touch. His hand slid to the small of her back as they kissed, and gently pulled her even closer into him. He could hear his heart drumming in his chest; the sound rang in his ears.

"You," Nate swallowed thickly when she pulled back, blinking the haze of lust away. Until it was replaced by confusion. "You what?" No- no that couldn't be right- people didn't fall in love with Nate. Maybe he'd misheard her. Or she was talking about someone else- no, no that would be stupid- maybe she was- What was she doing?

Realizing what she said, Adria's eyes widened in slight shock and she pulled back from the brunet temporarily. Her hands still on his chest, she avoided looking at him for a moment, shaking her head. After what felt like an eternity, she looked straight into his eyes and uttered the words once more, this time with a firm softness.

"I love you. I do Nate, I just do."

It did not make any sense just as much as it did not to the man. But she did know that what she had said was the truth. The blonde was not even certain as to how the feeling suddenly may have emerged but then, a voice whispered in her mind that it had been like this for a while now.

She had been terrified to admit it, the fear of falling hard too much to bear.

Adria buried her face in his neck, her arms reaching to wrap around his waist in a tight grip. As much as she wanted to say something else, she could not speak. It felt like she had taken a big step and was worried of the outcome.