Chapter 205: I’m not short
Nat looked at her for a long moment, reading the quiet tension underlying her cool mask. He didn’t push for answers she clearly wasn’t ready to drop in a damp alleyway. Instead, a lazy, dark smirk returned to his lips.
"Consider it done, sweetheart," Nat drawled, stepping beside her as they walked toward the waiting SUV. "I’ll be there even before the crack of dawn and I’ll make sure Xavier, Alexander, and Samuel are all sitting around that dining table before your morning tea gets cold."
"Just don’t overdo it," she whispered, her tone dry, though a faint breath of amusement escaped her.
Nat chuckled deeply, a low, resonant rumble that vibrated through the quiet alley.
Once they stepped into the vehicle, he reached toward her, leaning his massive body into the cramped space of the cabin. April looked him dead in the eye, refusing to shrink back. He didn’t say a word, even as their faces nearly brushed, his warm breath fanning against her cheek.
Instead of going in for something reckless, his hand reached past her hip, catching the latch of her seatbelt and sliding it smoothly into place with that insufferable, effortless grin on his lips.
"Safety first, sweetheart," he murmured.
For a fleeting second, the suffocating weight of the system’s red warning text, the accelerated timeline, and the impending 22-day countdown completely vanished from her mind.
Something tight and unfamiliar coiled in her chest. Controlling her expression with practiced precision, April simply gripped the canvas strap of the seatbelt, turning her head away to stare out the tinted window without giving him a single word.
Nat grinned regardless, thoroughly unbothered by her silent brush-off. He reached up, sliding off his dark shades so his sharp eyes could see clearly as he started the engine and drove into the crisp night air.
As the SUV smoothly navigated the quiet, city streets around 10:40 PM, April’s eyes caught the bright neon glow of a late-night convenience store humming on a corner.
"Stop the car," April murmured, her gaze tracking the brightly lit glass doors. "I want a snack."
Nat glanced at her from the driver’s seat, a brow raised in amusement. "A snack? Don’t you have a whole supermarket tucked away in that secret space of yours?"
"Why touch my reserves when I can just buy fresh ones off the shelf?" April replied cleanly, unbuckling her belt.
Nat let out a dark chuckle, pulling the heavy SUV to the curb. "Night shopping? At nearly eleven PM?"
April turned her head toward him, her dark brown eyes gleaming with a subtle, unyielding spark. "It’s fun."
He listened to this and nearly laughed, keeping it as a low vibrating chuckle in his chest.
"Whatever you want, sweetheart,"
By 10:49 PM, the two of them were strolling down the narrow, brightly lit aisles of the convenience store.
Their coats hung loosely over their arms in the warm interior. Nat towered over her from behind like an affectionate, ridiculously dangerous bodyguard—his broad frame casually blocking out the aisle, his eyes casually scanning every corner of the shop while April slowly skimmed through the snack racks.
Picking up a box of imported chocolate biscuits and a pack of savory chips, April felt a quiet, temporary peace settling over her.
"You like that one?" Nat asked, leaning his head in slightly to see what she was looking at.
When April gave a subtle nod, his eyes flicked up to the top shelf, spotting a different flavor of the same brand. "Do you want that one as well?"
April looked up to see it was Banana flavoured. How could she say no to bananas?
"Yes," April murmured.
She reached her hand up toward the high display, but even on tiptoes, the box was just out of her fingers’ reach. Before she could stretch further, Nat moved right behind her.
His broad frame effortlessly enveloped hers, his warm chest pressing lightly against her back as his long arm reached overhead. He plucked the box off the shelf with zero effort, holding it in front of her.
"They should really put these things at normal heights," Nat drawled playfully, his deep voice vibrating right against her spine. "What are they supposed to do if short customers want them?"
April turned her head sideways, her dark eyes narrowing. "I’m not short."
Nat let out a quiet, muffled cackle, his chest heaving as if trying—and failing—to suppress his amusement. "I never said you were, sweetheart."
April furrowed her brows slightly, her tone dropping into a stubborn, sharp register. "I’m not short."
That did it. Nat couldn’t hold it back anymore—his laughter broke free, rich and booming through the quiet convenience store, instantly drawing the startled glances of two late-night shoppers a few aisles over.
Thoroughly unbothered by the stares, Nat grinned down at her. He leaned his head low, bringing his face right into hers until his forehead pressed gently against hers—more like he was oppressing her with his height and status—his eyes locking onto hers with a warm, mischievous glint.
"If it makes you feel better..." Nat murmured, his deep voice dripping with playful fondness, "...you’re taller than most women your age. Okay?"
Of course, it didn’t make her feel better at all.
April gave him an icy, unblinking glare, though she didn’t pull her head away from his forehead. "Hand over the biscuits, Nat."
"As you command, your highness," Nat drawled softly, handing over the box with an insufferable, satisfied smirk as he finally pulled back.
They finished up at the counter, with Nat tossing a stack of bills down before the cashier could even scan the total, and headed back out into the cool night air.
Back inside the SUV, Nat smoothly navigated the quiet, winding mountain roads back to the estate. The drive was peaceful, the hum of the engine bridging the silence as April quietly held her snacks instead of keeping them in her spatial dimension.
The moment the SUV pulled up to the main entrance of the Reed estate, the grand front glass doors opened. Xavier stepped out onto the marble porch, his tall, imposing silhouette cut against the warm interior lights. As always, he was waiting for her return.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," Nat purred smoothly from the driver’s seat, his eyes gleaming in the dark cabin.
"Goodnight," April replied flatly, closing the car door with a firm clack before he could drop another flirtatious line.
She walked up the wide stone steps, her dark eyes locking onto Xavier as he stood waiting near the entrance. "You’re as zealous as ever."
"Well, I can only be at ease when I see you return with my own eyes," Xavier said smoothly, his deep voice carrying a quiet, protective weight as he held the door for her. "I can’t have what happened the previous night repeat itself."
"Nothing happened today," April noted dryly as they stepped into the grand foyer. "I don’t think I’ll be finding any twin sister again,"
Xavier chuckled lightly.