"So I saw that hug with Natalie today" Brian commented as he sat beside Nick on the floor playing Nintendo.
"Your point being?" Nick said, still concentrating hard on the video game.
"Nothing, it's just I thought you two didn't have the touchy feely kind of relationship" Brian shrugged, causing Nick to turn to look at him.
"We're not radioactive Frick, we have to touch each other on occasion. It's a bit hard otherwise when you're sharing a house" Nick shot back at him with a roll of his eyes.
"Not in that way you idiot. I meant as in it was a bit beyond what your relationship involved, if you know, you two are just friends" Brian replied.
"Have you run into a wall recently? Cause you're not making any sense Bri" Nick said, as he watched his Mario Kart figure pull ahead of Brian's.
"Okay I give up on being subtle since your brain obviously doesn't have the capacity to get it" Brian retorted, giving up on the hints he was shooting at Nick. "Are you and Nat, well you know?"
"Stupid? No you are" Nick joked in his confusion. "What are you going on about?"
"Do you like Nat?" Brian finally said.
"Generally that's the idea when you're friends with someone" Nick responded.
"No smart-ass, more along the lines of more than friends" Brian remarked.
"I don't know I haven't thought about it. Nat's...well Nat. She's just there, we don't think like that" Nick shrugged.
"Are you sure about that?" Brian asked, having his suspicions aroused after observing the way Natalie acted around Nick and the way she reacted whenever he was mentioned.
"I think I'd get some kind of idea if it was otherwise. We live together remember."
"Yes, but you're not exactly the most perceptive person at times" Brian said dryly.
"You're crazy Bri, Nat and I are strictly friends. She doesn't want more than that" Nick argued.
"So you're suddenly an expert in everything Nat does?" Brian laughed.
"Did I say that? No, I'm just saying I think Nat thinks of me as her friend, cause that's just the way we act together" Nick said, a little defensively.
"Alright" Brian conceded. "Just remember to open your eyes once in awhile. You never know what you could be missing."
**************
Natalie was sitting in the middle of a lecture half paying attention to her professor and half daydreaming when she heard her cell phone ringing beside her. She quickly tried to fumble around in her bag for it and pulled it out, only to have the whole room look at her in annoyance.
"Yes, what?" Natalie said, through gritted teeth.
"What's wrong with you?" A voice laughed on the other end, bringing an instant smile to Natalie's face as she realised who it was.
"Nothing, what do you want Nick?" She whispered, turning away from the stares she was getting.
"Why are you whispering?" Nick asked with a laugh.
"Cause I am in the middle of a lecture right now and there are about a hundred people giving me dirty looks as we speak" Natalie continued to say softly.
"Cool, wish I was there to laugh at you."
"Bite..me..Nick" she said through a forced smile, catching the disapproving looks the professor was now giving her.
"There's my Nat, nobody handles insults like you do" Nick teased, bringing a content smile to Natalie's face when she heard Nick refer to her as 'my Nat'.
"Ha ha thanks alot, now is this important or can I hang up now?"
"Mmmm..well..let me think" Nick said slowly on the other end.
Natalie waited impatiently for his answer and quickly turned a crimson red when the lecturer reprimanded her loud and clear in front of the whole room. "I do remind everyone that I am not stopping for any social chat, and that you are here to learn, not gossip."
"Shit" Natalie cursed under her breath.
"Ooooh I heard that, I'm telling."
"As soon as I get home, I'm throwing all your clothes in the pool" she hissed through gritted teeth.
"Alright I'm being serious now, I do have something to ask you. It's important."
"Fine, hang on" Natalie wuickly stuffed her books in her bag, and squeezed past the row of people she was sitting with, quickly shying away from the disgusted looks she was getting. He owes me big time for this one . "Yeah what's so important Nick?"
"Oh yeah, I wanted to know if I left my sneakers there. You know the Nike ones."
"You didn't" Natalie said, becoming utterly annoyed.
"Didn't what?"
"Drag me out of class for your stupid shoes" she yelled into the phone, attracting the attention of a group of girls, who quickly sped up to get away from her.
"Alright, calm down" Nick was saying, causing Natalie to instantly imagine him motioning for her to quieten down.
"Okay I'm calm now. I'm going to beat you up as soon as you get home but I am calm" Natalie said slowly. "What shoes are you talking about?"
"The Nikes I always wear" Nick said matter-of-factly. Natalie cupped the phone and gave a small, stifled, exasperated yell before taking a few deep breaths. She put her ear back to the phone getting ready to talk to Nick. "What was that? It sounded like a cat got run over or something."
"That wasn't a cat. That was me..on the verge of a nervous breakdown" Natalie responded.
"Anyway" Nick said changing the subject. "About my shoes, you know the Nikes."
"That's like saying the sun shines Nick. You always wear Nikes. Can we be just a tad bit more specific."
"They're white and they've got some black on it, with the Nike logo" Nick described slowly.
Natalie had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but said she did anyway because it gave her the perfect excuse to snoop in his room without feeling guilty. "If you always wear them, what are they doing here anyway?"
"Cause I brought the other shoes I always wear." Natalie could almost imagine him saying d'uh.
"Makes sense why didn't I think of that" Natalie countered sarcastically.
"Cause I'm smart and you're not?"
"Highly unlikely, but I'll check it out for you anyway."
"Thanks Nat, you're the best. I'm beginning to miss you already."
"Uhh thanks Nick" Natalie said uncertainly, confused as to what Nick meant by what he'd said.
"No problem..uh listen I gotta go, take care okay?"
"Sure" Natalie grinned, unable to contain her excitement about Nick's sudden bout of concern. She clicked her phone off, and couldn't stop smiling regardless of the fact she had completely forgotten what she'd learnt that morning.
**************
Natalie looked over at Sarah in confusion as she debated whether to tell her about her feelings for Nick or not. Sarah had become a close friend over the few months she'd been living with Nick, and she had become a confidante, although Sarah was still oblivious to the fact that the guy Natalie had in mind was he very own best friend. Sarah looked up from her position on Natalie's floor where she was flipping through magazines, and saw Natalie had an intense look of concentration on her face.
"Don't strain your brain Nat" Sarah remarked with a laugh, startling Natalie out of her reverie.
"Sarah?" Natalie said decidedly with a serious looks on her face.
"Uh-huh" Sarah mumbled.
"Can you keep a secret?"
Sarah suddenly snapped her head up, and noticed the serious look Natalie had on her face. "Absolutely, cross my heart and hope to die."
"I've got something I need to tell you and I'm not sure how you'll take it."
Sarah got up and sat on the bed with Natalie. "I promise you that you can tell me anything at all. What? You're an alien from a different planet? You're really a guy?" Sarah joked with a smile, before adding something. "You're not a guy are you? Cause alien I can take but not a completely different sex."
"I'm a girl Sarah, trust me on that."
Sarah nodded in satisfaction. "Okay everything else I'm cool with."
Natalie took a deep breath, and looked at Sarah's expression of anticipation. "It's about your best friend...."
**************
Sarah's face changed from one of surprise, to understanding then to happiness. "Well I don't see what you see but I guess you can't help it."
"Was that a pep talk? Cause it sucked majorly" Natalie commented with a chuckle.
"No, I'm just a bit surprised. I was teasing NIck about being a total reject cause he hadn't been out on a date for months, but here you were pining away for him all along" Sarah said with a smile.
"I know it's stupid, and I was trying so hard to stop it but I couldn't."
"Why? If you've got feelings for him, go for it."
"I don't know" Natalie hesitated. "It's not that easy. We live together, we're friends, I'm afraid that everything will just get mucked up if I do anything about it."
"Sometimes, it's just worth taking risks Nat. Even if it is for that dim witted best friend of mine" Sarah said with a smile. "Are you willing to take the risk for him?"
Natalie sat back, unable to answer the question.
Chapter Thirteen
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