FIVE

VERA'S POV

    I looked at Nathan's polo on the bed. I liked wearing it, but I couldn't wear it home. So, I searched around for my dress. Where had I dropped it when I …

    Heat rose in my cheeks as I remembered I hadn't removed my clothes by myself. It would be the lecherous son of a bitch that drugged my drinks.

    What would I wear home now?

    Right at that moment, the door opened and Nathan walked in, or tried to anyway. But he froze when he saw me naked, apologized and walked out coolly.

    In that split second where he realized I was naked, my mind kept screaming at me to jump at him and see his reaction. Perhaps….just perhaps, he would forget... But I couldn't gather my courage for it.

   I sighed when the door closed after him.

    That would have been the most stupid decision of the year, and I've made very stupid decisions, like kissing Nathan. He probably has girls throwing themselves at him all the time, clothed or otherwise, and would be no stranger to it. I would just humiliate myself.

    But then, I wasn't those girls, was I? I was different, wasn't I? He has got to be curious. But then, I realized he probably saw me naked when he rescued me from the lecherous son of a bitch, so nothing to be curious about either.

    I sighed. "Yeah. A big time stupid decision," I muttered to myself. As I turned back to the wardrobe, I remembered I didn't know where my clothes were. But Nathan would.

    So I put on one of his shirts that reached well below my knees and walked out to find him. He was in the sitting room, with the mess from the party all around him. He was holding his head in his hands and appeared to be in deep thoughts, probably about the missing products.

    Once again, I wondered what those were, but now was not the time to ask him.

    "Nate," I called.

     He looked up gently and his face immediately brightened when he saw me.

   "You've not dressed up," he commented, noting the clothes I was wearing.

   I shook my head, and couldn't quite stop the red from rising up my neck.

    "I can't find it. Do you happen to know where 'he'..." I emphasized it so he knew what I was talking about, "...took it off me?"

    He smiled knowingly, but didn't mention it. Thankfully.

    "I will find it some other time. You can wear mine now, you will be in a car after all," he told me.

      I wanted to remind him that he won't drive his car right into my apartment which was on the tenth floor of the apartment building, but he looked tired and I didn't want to add to his plate. So I just nodded and walked to the door.

    "Let's go then," I told him.

    He didn't follow. When I looked back, there was a smile on his lips and amusement in his eyes.

    "In that?" he asked. "God! You can be so naive sometimes, Vee. What do you think your neighbors would think?"

     I shrugged. He liked calling me naive, and maybe I was. Because I didn't see what was wrong with this. I could have gone down in my oversized polo to go pick something from FedEx, for all they knew.

    "Go put on some jean trousers. You might find one from one of the girls from last night if you look in the bathroom," he told me.

    Wondering why someone would leave their clothes in his house, I walked to the bathroom and was surprised to find not one, but three different jean trousers with two mismatched tops.

    Well, I guess I should have wondered why five people would leave their clothes, because these appeared to be from five different people.

    I put on one of the jeans that fitted me slightly, then put on less revealing of the tops. I didn't want Nathan scowling at me again.

    I walked out of the bathroom, feeling a bit more decent in borrowed clothes. Nathan glanced up and nodded approvingly.

    "Better. Now, let's get you home," he said, standing up and gesturing for me to follow him. As we headed towards the door, I couldn't help but feel a mix of embarrassment and gratitude.

    The drive back to my apartment was mostly quiet. Nathan seemed lost in his thoughts, occasionally stealing glances at me. I, on the other hand, stared out of the window, trying to process the events of the night.

    And wondering what he was worrying about. I knew him well enough to know that if he couldn't keep his eyes off me, he was worrying about me.

    When we arrived at my building, Nathan insisted on walking me to the door. As we stood in front of it, he looked down at me with a soft smile.

    "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

    I nodded, appreciating his kindness. "Yeah, I'll manage. Thanks for everything, Nathan."

    He didn't look convinced. "Sure? That drug from the dog, has it…"

    I rolled my eyes and punched him gently in his arms. He was in full big brother mode now. "That was ages ago, bro," I cut him off.

    He gave a slight nod, then hesitated for a moment. "Vera, about earlier, when I saw you..."

    Oh Gosh! Why must he mention it now? Without waiting for him to finish, I walked into the room and slammed the door on his face, then slid down the other side to sit on the floor.

   Great! Just great!

    "Way to go, Vera," I muttered. Now, I would have to apologize to him later, and possibly mention it again.

    Isn't that great?

    When I heard his footsteps walking away, I finally stood up and walked to my bedroom to remove the borrowed clothes. I would think of what to do with them later.

    I had just gone to the kitchen to find what to have for lunch when my phone rang.

    "Sorry, Vee. I couldn't call you earlier," Rachel's voice came over the phone when I picked it. She sounded breathless. "You know how physics class is. And then Mr. Ben got it into his head to get us ready for the Olympics during PE and…where the hell are you?"

    My jaw fell open. Gosh! I had forgotten today was school day!