Day Seventy…
~~*****~~
[ At Sparks Mansion… ]
Jane had been waiting for a DNA sample of Veronica. Two long hours had dragged by since Jane and her companions had arrived at the Sparks mansion, and still, Nathan had not provided her with the crucial specimen.
"Have you succeeded in obtaining it, Nathan?" Jane inquired impatiently, her tone laced with frustration. She cast a quick glance at her wristwatch, confirming that the clock had already struck at 9:00 p.m.
The pair sat in the mansion's elegant living room, an awkward atmosphere surrounding the two as they contemplated the significance of the awaited sample. Meanwhile, Hanabi and Cherry were playing with Ethan on the balcony, the distant sounds of their laughter serving as a stark contrast to the tension within the living room.
"Perhaps Axel will arrive later than expected. If you want, you and your friends can spend the night here," Nathan suggested, his tone carefully measured to mask his true intentions. His offer caught Jane off guard, leaving her genuinely surprised by the unexpected gesture.
"Thanks for the offer. But I must decline. We should return home together. My father and sister are eagerly awaiting my return. Furthermore, Cherry and Hanabi have their accommodations sorted at my father's place, so it's best we head back as a group."
As much as possible, Jane would like to avoid Nathan's presence, otherwise, her resolve might waver. The fear that her inner desires would overpower her prior commitments gnawed at her conscience, creating a constant inner struggle.
The room was engulfed with silence once more after Jane rejected Nathan's offer. Jane silently observed Nathan as a nagging thought persisted in her mind– was Nathan truly alright? She thought Nathan was devastated after hearing the news of Abigail's engagement.
Jane's empathy for Nathan ran deep as she couldn't dismiss the possibility that he might be struggling in ways she couldn't fathom, hidden behind a facade of strength. Her heart wrestled with a complex blend of emotions, torn between her own desires and the genuine worry she held for Nathan.
As if driven by an unspoken curiosity, Jane couldn't contain herself any longer and impulsively broke the silence with a heartfelt question.
"Will you be joining us for my sister's engagement party?" Jane's words tumbled out, her voice carrying a mix of anticipation and worry.
Nathan met her gaze with an intensity that seemed to pierce through her soul. He considered her question carefully, his response carrying both sincerity and a hint of enigmatic allure. "If I receive an invitation… and if you will keep me company, so why not," he replied, the ambiguity in his words casting a veil of intrigue over the situation, leaving Jane's heart in a state of turbulent confusion.
Jane found herself lost in a cascade of thoughts, attempting to decipher the cryptic message behind Nathan's words. 'What does he imply by that? Me keeping him company? For what purpose?' she pondered inwardly, her mind a swirl of curiosity and intrigue.
A rush of emotions surged through her as she caught sight of Nathan's mischievous smile, which seemed to suggest he was playfully teasing her. Her heart quickened its pace, its rhythmic beats echoing the excitement coursing through her veins.
'Stop beating. I mean slow down!' Jane scolded her own heart.
Much to her astonishment, Nathan abruptly rose from his seat and gracefully closed the distance between them. Her heart raced even faster as he approached her.
'What is he up to?' Her curiosity was piqued as she wondered what had prompted this sudden change in his demeanor.
Little did she know, Nathan harbored a grudge stemming from what he had witnessed at the shooting range earlier in the day– the sweet interaction between Jane and Stephen. Deliberately, he made Jane wait for two excruciating hours, withholding the crucial DNA sample.
What Jane was unaware of was that Axel had already delivered the sample to Nathan well before she had even set foot in the Sparks Mansion. This delaying tactic was nothing more than a facade, artfully constructed to prolong her presence from his watchful eyes.
"What now?" Jane asked Nathan, her exasperation evident, as he suddenly took the seat next to her without warning.
Nathan responded with a sly smirk, his demeanor oddly casual as he remarked, "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Jane couldn't help but roll her eyes at his antics. "Well, you could have asked without going through the trouble of changing seats," she retorted, her irritation tinged with a hint of curiosity about the topic he wanted to talk about. His enigmatic behavior had a way of both frustrating and intriguing her simultaneously.
"Don't try to distract me with your sister's engagement," Nathan began, his tone firm and unwavering. "You haven't provided an answer to my question. Why exactly do you require Veronica's DNA, and for what purpose do you intend to use it?" As he spoke, he leaned in closer to her, his posture reflecting the intensity of his inquiry.
Nathan's actions betrayed a deliberate intent to minimize the distance between them, seemingly motivated by a desire for greater physical contact. He went so far as to extend his arm, draping it gently across the backrest of Jane's seat, his fingers lightly grazing Jane's shoulder.
As he leaned in closer to Jane, it became evident that his proximity was no mere coincidence. Instead, it suggested an underlying agenda, one that involved diminishing the personal space that separated them, fostering an undeniable intimacy that left Jane aware of the electrifying connection between them.
Badum! Badum! Badum!
Jane's mind went blank and her body froze. Her heartbeat was running wild. His nearness created a heavy tension in the air, making it increasingly difficult for Jane to evade his probing questions.
"Answer me, Jane," Nathan murmured softly, his breath warming the space between them as he leaned in closer, their faces inching toward each other. With his free hand, he gently lifted her chin, his touch tender yet insistent, as he sought to draw her into a deeper connection.
Unable to resist the magnetic pull between them, their gazes locked onto each other's lips as if their mouths held a secret language, whispering promises of the sweetness they had once savored and the desire to taste it once more.
In that charged moment, time seemed to stand still as their unspoken desire hung in the air, tantalizingly close yet maddeningly out of reach. Their shared longing and the unspoken invitation to rekindle the passion they had once known created an electric current that surged between them, igniting a fierce and undeniable craving that neither of them could deny.
Before they were even aware of their own actions, Nathan's lips moved with an instinctual urgency, descending towards Jane's as if drawn by an irresistible force. In that unguarded moment, their mouths met in a passionate collision, the sensation akin to two turbulent winds merging to create a fierce and electrifying harmony.
Their kiss held within it a potent mix of longing and nostalgia as if the past and present had converged in this single, magnetic point in time. It was a union that defied reason and rationality, a combustible fusion of desire and surrender that left them both breathless and intoxicated by the synchronic dance of their lips.
'Damn, I'm addicted to her lips.' Nathan didn't expect that he would initiate to kiss her.
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