Loving You Too Long

Hearing Nathan’s statement didn’t make Haisley happy; instead, it made her laugh out of anger. Yes, the girl laughed with a mocking expression right in front of Nathan.

“What kind of confession is this, Nath?” she snorted ungracefully. “Do you think after hearing your words, I’ll say thank you, rejoice, and then hug you with happiness?” she asked sarcastically. “I did have a crush on you, Nath. But I’m not a foolish girl who easily falls for crocodile tears!” Haisley yanked her hand away from Nathan’s grip and was about to walk away, but Nathan pulled her back.

“I’m not lying or bragging, Haisley,” the man said coldly.

Haisley lifted the corner of her mouth and looked at him sharply. “If you really don’t want this engagement, if you really don’t love her, why have you kept it by your side all this time? Why have you been so sweet to her all this time?

“You don’t treat me the same way. Compared to your kindness to her, you’ve been so mean and cruel to me. So, do you want me to believe you don’t love her? What kind of nonsense is that?

“If you really don’t love her, you could be mean to her like you’ve been to me all this time. If you don’t want this engagement to happen, you could refuse it because that’s who you are. But the reality?”

“The reality is not what you see, Haisley,” the man said wearily. “The reality is that I have to be kind to her even though I don’t want to. And the reality is that I can’t refuse this engagement even though I want to.”

Haisley laughed skeptically again. “Whatever, I don’t care about the reality because I’ve stopped trying to understand.” She replied, yanking her hand away from Nathan again and walking away.

Haisley walked quickly away from Nathan, but after a few steps, Nathan made her stop by standing tall in front of her.

Haisley tried to move to the other side of the road to avoid Nathan, but it seemed he intentionally blocked her way. Unexpectedly, he bent down and effortlessly lifted Haisley onto his shoulder, as if she were no heavier than a bag of rice.

“What are you doing, Nath? Are you crazy! Put me down!” Haisley shouted, hitting the man’s back with both hands as hard as she could. Her feet kicked the air, and even the sound of her fists hitting the man’s back sounded painful in her ears. But Nathan seemed unshaken. He continued carrying her away from the beach, past the sidewalk barrier, and walked towards the parking lot.

“Hellllp!!” Haisley yelled to anyone who saw her. “This guy kidnapped me!” she continued loudly.

Instead of helping her, people just stared with smiles on their faces, thinking it was some funny show. Assuming that what Haisley and Nathan were doing was a lover’s quarrel scene from a drama.

“Nathaniel Chayton! I swear I won’t forgive you if you do something bad to me!” Haisley scolded harshly. But instead of responding, Nathan lowered her right next to the jeep’s door, which Haisley was sure was a rental.

“Get in!” Nathan ordered firmly.

Haisley looked up at the man. She flatly refused the command of the man standing in front of her. Haisley intended to stomp on the man’s foot with all her might, having prepared to lift her right foot and gather her strength there. But instead of successfully stepping on Nathan’s foot, Haisley ended up stomping the asphalt very hard, causing her foot to twist, making her groan in pain and tears streaming down her face.

“What are you doing?” Nathan asked with a panic he didn’t hide. He bent down to Haisley’s foot to check its condition.

“Arrghh… it hurts!” Haisley whimpered. Annoyed, in pain, and embarrassed, the girl felt all these emotions simultaneously. “You shouldn’t have dodged when I was about to stomp on your foot!” she scolded harshly and groaned again as she felt the throbbing pain in her foot.

Nathan seemed to suppress a smile, but instead of mocking, he opened the car door and effortlessly lifted Haisley into it.

“I told you to get in. It’s your fault for intending to hurt me, so you got a taste of your own medicine,” he commented in his flat tone.

Haisley resisted. She tried to get out of Nathan’s rented car, but Nathan held her knee with his abdomen.

“Where do you think you’re going? Back to Dean and Gilbert? Do you think I’ll allow that?” he asked.

“This is kidnapping, Nathan!” Haisley scolded harshly.

Nathan shrugged indifferently. “I’ve done worse than this, if you must know,” he said. With both hands, Nathan moved Haisley’s knee so that she now faced forward. Nathan also deliberately fastened the seatbelt, locking the girl’s body before smoothly closing the car door.

Quickly, Nathan ran to the driver’s seat, not wanting Haisley to beat him in releasing the seatbelt and escaping.

Sure enough, when he entered, Haisley had managed to release her seatbelt and was about to open the door. Unfortunately, Nathan’s hands moved faster, so he could lock the door and reattach the seatbelt to the girl’s petite body.

Nathan drove them to another area away from the hotel and Haisley’s residence. The increasing throbbing in Haisley’s foot made her unable to resist any longer. She could only lean her body against the back of the seat while occasionally hissing in pain.

Nathan brought their car to a villa area. Haisley widened her eyes instantly and looked at Nathan in disbelief. “What are you going to do here?” she asked fearfully. Nathan just glanced at her without giving an answer.

The man then got out of the car and walked back towards where Haisley was sitting. Unlike when he got in earlier, this time Haisley stayed inside the car, gripping the seatbelt tighter and refusing to get out.

“I don’t know what’s on your mind, Nath. But I don’t want to go inside with you. Take me back to my apartment!” She commanded fearfully.

Who wouldn’t be afraid, knowing what Nathan could do to her when she was unconscious, and now, conscious, Haisley was afraid Nathan would do something even worse. Physically and mentally hurt her.

Not one to be outdone, Nathan quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and then lifted Haisley off the car in a bridal style, not like a bag of rice as he did before. Strangely, it felt gentler than before.

“You can’t escape from me, Haisley,” Nathan whispered with his cold face, making Haisley even more frightened. They entered the villa. Without letting Haisley down, Nathan booked a one-bedroom apartment for them for a week.

One week? Haisley widened her eyes, looking at Nathan with an unbelieving gaze. What was this man planning?

The villa receptionist asked about their luggage, but Nathan just shook his head. He asked to be taken to the room as soon as possible and to arrange for a massage therapist because Haisley’s sprained ankle was starting to show a bluish tint.

The villa Nathan rented consisted of a one-bedroom unit, a kitchen, a living room, and a private swimming pool. Nathan seated Haisley on a large L-shaped sofa slowly before walking to the open kitchen and opening the fridge.

“At least this will alleviate the pain until the massage therapist arrives.” He returned with a bowl of ice and a small towel he brought from the bathroom.

Haisley groaned as she felt the cold ice touching her skin. She looked at Nathan with irritation, but he seemed indifferent to her annoyance.

“Why are we here, Nath? What do you really want from me?” Haisley asked with a softer voice than before.

“I’m just trying to keep you away from Dean and the other men you were talking about earlier,” the man replied flatly, slowly moving the towel, causing Haisley to hiss in pain.

“Yes, but for what? What’s the point? Why do you have to do this?”

“I told you I don’t want you and Dean to get engaged.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“But what right do you have to decide if I want to get engaged or be in a relationship with anyone? Remember, Nath, out there is Loretta. She might be looking for you right now. We should go back and meet them.”

Nathan looked at her coldly and shook his head firmly. “No. I won’t go back there, especially not with you. Not until you listen to all my explanations.”

“What explanations? I don’t need your explanations. All I know is that you and Loretta will get engaged here, soon. And after that, you will get married. So stop doing foolish things, Nath.”

“I won’t get engaged to her. I don’t care anymore about any risks I have to face in the future. I’d rather go to jail than let you go with Dean.”

Risks? Jail? What is this man really saying? Haisley wondered in her heart. But just before she could voice her question, their doorbell rang.