The Outside Lines (boyxboy) - Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Nathan's POV
I woke up the next morning to the credits of the movie rolling. It appeared to be looping. That was something my dvd player did for whatever odd reason.
I slid my legs out of bed one after the other, standing up to stretch my tightened muscles.
The old relaxing seventies credits music coming from the TV added to the already peaceful Sunday morning. The bright sun peeking into my room unveiling the dust particles partially painted the furniture in my room. I could feel the sun's warmth at my legs as my body was partially stood in the light. The sound of my bare feet connecting with the floor echoed across the small room as I trudged to shut off the television.
I pulled my closet door open, revealing the many outfits I had the leisure of choosing for my day out. I picked a gray t-shirt that hugged my torso, a pair of slim black jeans, and the sturdy brown boots. I took a nice, steamy shower in the dimly lit bathroom before slipping in to my clothes.
I grabbed sliced bread before heading out to greet my new car. I probably shouldn't be driving it before registering it in my name but whatever, could I really resist? Seeing it just sitting in the driveway got my heart racing. Does this actually belong to me?
(Play the song)
I popped the door open, sat inside and listened to the radio while waiting for Taylor to text me back.
"Oh, sorry! I hand't noticed my phone went off." She finally texted back.
"We're meeting at Alli's Breakfast. It's just a few blocks down from Fashion Fitters. It should be fairly easy to spot." She informed. I think I remembered where that is.
"Alright, be there in 20 minutes." I notified, slipping my old damaged phone back in to my pocket.
I powered on the engine and pulled out of the apartment parking. Driving around the neighborhood I'm so used to only ever jogging in was a strange feeling. On my way to Windir I was jamming out to the radio. I say jamming, but it was more so minuscule head bops and silent humming.
The ever so familiar town panned into view, tightening that exciting feeling knotted in my gut. Being in a town I've only ever visited once, in a my own car with a license while dressed up in brand new clothes made me realize how out of my element I was. It all felt so unreal, and I couldn't be anymore over the moon than I already was.
Buildings both familiar an not passed by as I drove through the busy streets. Fashion Fitters was just up ahead, so I only had a little more to go.
"Alli's Breakfast" I read aloud, pulling into the sparsely packed parking lot. My "observant" eyes spotted Taylor's car parked just off to the side, near the right window of the cozy looking restaurant. The exterior looked very clean and well managed.
I parked my car on the left side of the driveway, as there was more space to navigate. I shut off the engine, checked my hair in the rare view mirror one final time then exited the vehicle, stepping out into the now fully risen sun. Its intense beams shining down almost blinded me, prompting me to cover my face with my hands. The very moment the sun made an effort to bore through my skin I remembered I had mom's sunscreen in my backpack sat in the passenger seat. I returned the upper half of my frame to the car, rummaging through my stuff. While doing so I noticed an a large pair of sunglasses sat in the corner of the car floor. It appears the gods haven't forsaken me yet.
I lathered my arms and face in a small layer of the sun lotion. The large pair of sunglasses sat perfectly on my head, finishing my defense against the bright yellow orb attacking from above.
I locked my car and headed for the entrance of the yellow building. The keys rattled as I stuffed them away in my pocket.
"There you are." I heard Taylor's voice call out from across the parking lot.
"Hey guys." I greeted Taylor, and the adorable jewel that stood beside her. Noah was dressed up in a sky blue tank top and a pair of white sport shorts. I wanted nothing more than to run a hand through the bright locks of hair sat atop his head.
"Look at you, all dressed up and cool." I couldn't tell whether Taylor was teasing me or if it was a genuine compliment. Knowing her probably somewhere in the middle, which I'm fine with.
"Are we heading in?" I pointed to the building, my stomach peaking my patience.
"Sure." She confirmed. Noah was leading the charge, but I paced ahead of them, holding the door. He offered a small glance while Taylor showed a smile of gratitude.
We took the four seater booth, it being closest to the door and a good view to go along with it. I sat on the right most
"What are you guys having?" Taylor asked, her eyes scouring through the menu.
"The sausage pasta looks good." I noted, the dish piquing my interest.
"Oh right, I forgot you like sausage." Taylor followed up nonchalantly, but a knowing smile tearing at her lips.
C'mon,Taylor, not in front of Noah.
I cleared my throat a little. "I think I'll have some fries and a burger to accompany that."
"I'm not hungry." Noah stated. "It totally slipped my mind that we were going out to eat breakfast today and I ended up having a ton of Nan's porridge." He explained patting his flat stomach.
"You're a fool." Taylor teased. His lips formed into an adorable pout as his eyes slowly shifted to hers.
"Any drinks?" Taylor asked.
"Ermm, surprise me." Noah told her, setting his fingers at the edge of the wooden table.
"You just said you weren't hungry, like two seconds ago." She narrowed her eyes at the innocent creature sat beside her.
"Drinks aren't food." He argued.
"What...ever." She sighed.
"Random drinks sound like a fun idea." I praised, opting in.
"Well alright." She raised a questioning brow.
The waiter came over to take our orders.
"One sausage pasta, medium fries, and pancakes with eggs and bacon." Taylor listed off.
"Any drinks?" The male waiter asked.
"Right..." She thought to herself for a moment. "One large pepsi for this gentleman." She gestured to me. "One medium cherry cola for me." She rested her hand against her chest. "And a small apple juice for the child here." Her arm wrapped around Noah's neck.
"What the heck!" He scowled at her. I couldn't hold back my chuckle, and I could see a smile eating at the waiter's lips as well.
-
Taylor and Noah did their usual antics while we waited for our food to be delivered. She would tease him, receiving a punch to the shoulder moments later, them becoming stronger each time. She certainly got a kick out of his reactions, I mean, she was laid curled up against the window bellowing in laughter.
Noah's POV
Taylor and I went on a short stroll while we waited for Nathan to show up. I wanted to go in and eat but Taylor insisted that we wait. We returned to the driveway spotting Nathan exiting his car. It felt I'd seen it somewhere before, I just couldn't place my finger on it.
Suddenly I was holding my breath as Nathan turned around. The gray shirt that perfectly hugged and displayed his muscles, the pants accentuating his lower half, the black sunglasses he wore on his face. It definitely made my heart skip a beat. The world suddenly felt like it had gone into slow motion as he walked over to our side. I swear I even saw a bike rider off in the distance distracted by Nathan's glow. Luckily he was wearing a helmet when he crashed head first into a sign post.
-
The waiter returned with the food. I watched as their hands started picking through the contents. The smells radiating from the plates almost had a waterfall pouring from my mouth.
"That looks so delicious. I'm kinda regretting not ordering anything." I admitted, lowering my head down on the table.
"You can have my fries." Nathan offered charmingly as he set the cup packed with salty goodness in front of me. I sat up a little uncertain at his offer.
He noticed. "Go for it man, I already have a ton to eat." He gestured to the burger and pasta laid before him.
"Alright then, thank you." A shy smile caught my expression.
"With the way you were eating last time I we hung out, that right there isn't going to do squat for that massive stomach of yours." Taylor teased Nathan.
"This is only breakfast. If I get hungry again we can always just get lunch." Nathan replied, almost smirking. The way his faint dimples rose with his smile killed me with charm.
"True." She simply shrugged.
"Those sunglasses, they look familiar. Where'd you buy em?" Taylor made conversation as she ate her burger.
"I found them in your dad's car." He answered, wiping his lips with a napkin. That's where I recognized Nathan's car from. It was Jerold's old one!
"That's where I left them!" Taylor's noted in surprise.
"I was wondering who they belonged to. They certainly didn't strike me as something your dad would wear." Nathan had a chuckle. He then proceeded to pick the sunglasses up from off the table and slid them onto Taylor's face. She laughed, and sarcastically struck a pose.
"They look good on you." Nathan complimented, propping his head up on an elbow while watching her silliness in amusement.
She removed the large glasses from her face and this time they were slipped onto Nathan's.
"They definitely look better on you." Her tone was serious. "Keep em!"
"You sure?" Nathan questioned as he removed them from his face.
"I'm sure." She responded simply before going back to her meal.
I couldn't help but get jealous of how close they'd become. I didn't want Taylor to be stolen from me. On impulse I felt like it was my turn to get her attention.
"Watch this." I said, standing from the red seat. I grabbed a greasy fry from the cup I'd been eating from and tossed it nearly ceiling high. I did my best to line my mouth up with the now falling fry but the softness of the seat below my feet made it feel like I was standing on an inflatable ball.
I lost my balance, my hands hurrying back onto the table for stability as I fell. My desperate attempt to steady myself caused me to knock my glass of apple juice onto the floor. The loud shatter drew the attention of ever soul in the room.
If I wasn't already red from embarrassment the sight of Taylor and Nathan doing their best to hold in their laughs sent me beyond tomato red. I'm used to doing embarrassing crap like this, but for some reason it only really bothered me when Nathan was around.
"Nice going." Taylor's laugh finally broke free.
"Whatever." I scowled before hopping off the seat to clean up my mess. I bent down and picked the shards of glass off the floor one by one and placed them into a napkin.
"Hey uh, I don't think you should handle those with your bare hand." Nathan voiced his concern.
"It's fine, I've done t-"
"Ouch!" I winced in pain, one of the glass pieces slicing my hand.
Is the world trying its best to humiliate me?
Red liquid began pouring from the cut, drops falling onto the tiled floor.
"Shoot." Nathan sighed. Before I knew it he was already at my side, inspecting the slice on my pale finger.
"Come on, follow me." He nudged his head to the door. I didn't really have much of a choice since his hand already had a grasp on my wrist... It was very gentle though. He guided me out the door and through the driveway, Taylor following close behind.
My gaze landed on Nathan as he looked back and forth.
"Ah there." He nudged his head to a water facet placed against the building. He guided my hand under it, helping me like I was some sort of child. It was pretty embarrassing, but that wasn't the only reason I was lit up red like a Christmas lights. He was so close I could feel his body heat parading against my skin. Not only that, but oh my god did he smell good. The faint sweet smell mixed with his own natural scent lingering on his clothes, I wanted nothing more than to bury my nose in it.
"I've got some band-aids in the car, hold on." The tall figure finally released my arm, walking over to his car. I noticed Taylor smirking at me when she caught me staring at his butt. It was unintentional, I swear it! It was just hard to ignore with the way it moved. The intense stares Taylor and I traded spoke an entire conversation. I would've punched her again but I didn't want to draw Nathan's attention.
I met Nathan half way as he returned with the band-aids.
"Here." His husky quiet voice teased my ears as he braced my finger. He gently wrapped one on and smiled at me. I was suddenly having trouble breathing.
Must be the pollen.
In fall, how odd.
"Alright, I'm gonna go back and pay for our food." Taylor informed us, pointing towards the door.
"Here, let me pitch in." Nathan joined her handing over a ten, his large presence disappearing from my side.
"You sure?" Taylor raised a brow. He nodded with a smile.
I followed along behind the two. When we got inside I saw one of the workers cleaning up my mess.
"Sorry about that." I apologized, guilt dominating my tone.
"Don't worry about it, this happens often." The guy assured.
"Where'd my pasta go?" The concern written on Nathan's face was almost comical when he noticed our empty table.
"Dang, sorry. We thought you'd finished and left without paying." The guy said, looking up at Nathan from the floor.
"We've got the money right here." Taylor waved it back and forth. I could tell the guy felt bad.
"I'll tell the guys behind the counter we made a mistake. You can get anything from the desert menu free of charge as compensation." He informed. I guess it was their priority to keep on good terms with their customers.
"I'm done eating." Taylor said. "I'm sure this guy could use it though." Her hand connected with Nathan's back.
He glanced at her and flashed a smile.
Taylor sat in one of the stalls on her phone while Nathan and I went up to the front to order. I trailed closely behind the towering frame.
"What can I get for you?" The peppy dark skinned and dark haired woman behind the large counter asked.
"I'll have... a slice of the emperor cake." Nathan went for the biggest single piece of desert on the menu.
The girl's attention snapped to me.
"The ice cream sandwich please." I requested. She nodded and went over to one of the freezers to get the ice cream sandwich, while a lighter skinned guy with messy hair cut a slice of the cake on display under the counter.
"To go?" The guy asked.
"Yes please." Nathan confirmed. The slice of cake was impressively wrapped in a matter of seconds. Nathan's triceps jumped out as he reached for the deserts. I couldn't help but stare. It would be a crime for works of art like that to go unnoticed.
A brand named ice cream sandwich obscuring my view snapped me out of my dazed admiration. Nathan was waving it in front of me, catching me off guard.
"Oh um, thanks." I said, almost feeling like a turtle retreating into it's shell.
"No prob." He just shot his charming smile at me.
"We apologize for any inconveniences." The woman said with a ever so slight bow as we left to regroup with Taylor.