"Maybe I will, but I don't feel like eating so much," I answered, putting my bag on my chair to save the space.
"Shocker there," Riley teased, as she gave me one hell of a mischievous smile. "Oh, come on. The food's pretty expensive. Don't let it go to waste."
"I said I was going to try a quesadilla!" I said, raising my voice, as I laughed.
Before I could answer, Nathan, pulling me away from the rest of the group, circled my waist with his arms, as his hand rested on my hips.
"I'm hungry, and I can't get my food without Alex coming with me," he said, putting on a teasing smile, while those who were at the table started to smirk at us. With the noise growing louder, it couldn't be helped that a waiter went over to us to tell us to lower our voices. We shut up, but when he left, the talking began again. We couldn't be stopped.
Nathan and I headed over to the Japanese station of the buffet, and once we saw the food, our eyes widened. There was a whole selection of Japanese cuisine, different kinds of sushi, teriyaki, teppanyaki, tempura, tonkatsu-don, and a whole lot more.
"If only I wasn't a model," I said in a teasing tone of voice.
"There's a lot more of this," Nathan replied. "It's only the Japanese station. There's still Italian, Chinese, American, and Mexican."
"Don't forget the dessert table."
"Damn."
"You got that right. Damn."
* * *
I ended up eating a whole lot more than what I wanted. I had pasta, a quesadilla, half a burger, and a piece of tempura, and when I finished, I was completely stuffed. But I still had a very tiny space in my stomach that was empty, and that was going to be for the cheesecake. I wanted to stop, really, since I felt like I gained five pounds in just one sitting, but with everyone, except for Cindy and Mandy, not caring about what entered their mouth, I felt insecure. It was like I was starting not to like being too thin.
"Are you done?" Nathan asked, as he forked his steak, while his free hand landed on my lap.
"I'm going for the cheesecake."
"Oh, really?" He asked, sounding unsure.
"Yeah, why?"
"Because your cheeks look like they're going to pop."
I immediately placed my hands over my cheeks, as I started to touch and squeeze them. I felt scared and worried at the same time since what he said was something I never, ever wanted to happen. I may sound superficial and all, but I can't help it. I'm in the Fashion Industry, people! My insides were panicking, and I felt like leaving. I wanted to go back to my room. No. I wanted to go to the gym. I looked at Nathan, and saw him wear an anxious look.
"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, and he could hide the fact that he was worried.
"Am I really fat?" I said in return in a very low whisper.
I felt his grip on my lap tighten with what I said, and with that, I figured out he had just been teasing. But instead of laughing, or slapping his shoulder or his chest, I just smiled at him weakly.
"You took it seriously," he said. "I'm so, so sorry."
My smile remained, and I nodded, and told him it was okay, but he didn't believe me. He continued apologizing, his whisper growing louder now, and soon, everyone was asking what was going on.
"It's nothing. Nate's just being a bastard," I said, trying to laugh, and unfortunately, no one fell for what I said.
"Yeah, and I'm a princess," Riley said in a voice full of sarcasm.
"I think you're a princess," Anthony answered, and with that, I laughed, for real.
Everyone, in fact, started to laugh their asses off, while Anthony just smiled at everyone. Riley, ashamed at how corny her boyfriend was being, quickly covered her blushing cheeks.
"Hey girl," I said, trying to get Riley's attention. "Isn't that sweet?"
"If Ri's a princess then that means I'm a prince!" Nathan answered with such enthusiasm, as the laughter continued.
After a while, everyone calmed down, but still continued to look at Riley and Anthony with mischievous smirks. The couple, completely embarrassed, decided to leave us since both couldn't handle everyone's gazes being on them.
"We're out of here," Riley said, beginning to stand up. "Just call us if we're going for a swim already."
Riley and Anthony handed us their money, before they left the restaurant, and when they were gone, everyone started commenting on the two.
"Ri's such a doll!" Cindy squealed, complete with her dazzling and charming smile.
"Anthony's such a cutie!" I answered. "Who would say such cheesy words?"
Everyone agreed. Well, except for my boyfriend.
"Don't you find me cute too?" He asked, pouting.
I looked and then cocked an eyebrow up at him before I told him to 'get lost.' Not buying my serious façade, he kissed me on the lips in front of everyone. It was my turn to hide my reddening cheeks, but I wasn't going to leave. I had not gotten my cheesecake yet.
"Now am I cute or do you want me to call you a princess?" he asked, smiling like the purple cat in Alice in Wonderland.
I pushed his face away from mine, and looked away, but under the table, I got his hand, and let it rest on my knee. He started rubbing my lap, and I couldn't help but grin. The good thing was that no one noticed.
"Should we get the check now?" Cindy asked, only finishing her salad now, and quickly in unison, everyone disagreed.
"I still need to get my Pesto," Kendra spoke up, after she locked lips with Jackson.
Speaking of the two, I didn't see them at last night's party, but what I heard from Riley was they were cuddling, kissing, and canoodling the whole time, and it made me smile. Aside from Nathan and me, they were the only ones who didn't get into an argument. The shocker of yesterday was Riley and Anthony. Hands down. I couldn't imagine the two of them bickering at each other, and they had done just that last night. I'm not saying they will, but if ever they broke up, I can't imagine any other couple lasting together. That couple was like the epitome of a perfect relationship, but I consider mine with Nathan great as well, and the best I've ever had, even if we've just been together for two days. Hah.
"You guys eat so much," was Cindy's reply. "And still, you guys aren't packing junks in your trunks."
"We're special in that way," Blake said, putting on a playful smirk.
"Yeah-uh, in a mental way of course."
Blake looked at me, and told me to shut up, but me being me, I was so not going to do that.
"Why? Did I say anything wrong?" I asked, pretending I hadn't said anything.
He got his fork, and held it up in front of my face, before he said, "If Nathan wasn't your boyfriend, this," meaning the fork, "I’d stab your eyes with this."
I gave him a disgusted look, as I opened my mouth, and put on a gagging face. I told him he was sick, and in return, he said, "I know."
"Did you hear what he just said?" Nathan said, finishing the last of his lamb chops. "You should feel lucky I'm your boyfriend. You like have immunization from bullying, teasing, and all that sort of high school shit."
I gave him a weird look, before I started laughing a laugh full of fakeness. I ruffled his hair, and told him that he wasn't being funny, but everyone just had to disagree.
"Such perks for having a popular boyfriend," Mandy joked, the first I heard her speak today.
"Other girls would be lucky to have me, but why not you?" Nathan asked, and as usual, whenever he wanted to make me feel guilty, he pouted, puppy-dog eyes included.
I thought of a comeback, but when nothing came up, I decided to leave to be able to finally go and get my cake.
"I'm craving my cheesecake," was what I said before I left the table.
I headed over to the dessert area of the restaurant, and what greeted me was a slice of Heaven on Earth. There was a chocolate fondue fountain, tarts, cakes, ice cream, etc, and they were all pleading for me to finish them. It was too bad my stomach only had room for one slice of cake, and so, without any kind of suspense stopping me from happiness, I got a slice of b
lueberry cheesecake.
I went back to the table, and ate my dessert in peace. Yeah, right. They all started teasing Nathan and me. How can I savor my cheesecake? I just want to finish my cheesecake!
"Hey Lexy, why not feed Nathan?" Dylan said, as he winked at me discretely.
"My life isn't a porn show. If you want some action so badly, let me get you a set of DVD's for your birthday," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, as I finally, took a bite of my cake.
Everyone laughed, and Dylan, not giving up a fight, continued.
"Oh jolly. I can't wait!" He said, trying to put on an English accent. Like he could!
"You guys are boring," Cindy said. Was she trying to intimidate me? "You've never even made-out in front of us!"
I turned my attention to her, and sent her a look that asked if she was looking for a challenge. Surprisingly…or not, she nodded. And so, I tried to catch Nathan's attention by pinching his sides, and when I got it, I gave him a look. He nodded, immediately understanding.
In order to make Cindy happy, since I knew that her life was as boring as an empty cardboard box, I leaned in closer to Nathan, kissed him, and gave her what she wanted. I cupped his face, as he did mine, and when Cindy took out her camera to take a picture, we stopped. To our dismay, she was able to get a snapshot.
"Delete it!" I said, as I tried to reach for her Canon.
"Nuh-uh."
"Just give me it!"
"I said no."
This continued for a couple of minutes or so, and when she didn't follow, I decided to stop.
I'll be asking for that picture later.
* * *
After eating, which I must say was very heavenly, but unhealthy at the same time, the lot of us went back to our rooms to change into our swimsuits. I went inside the bathroom first, and changed into a green striped bikini. I stepped out, and searched my bag for my denim shorts, and when I found them, I put them on. I turned to Nate who was looking straight at me, and immediately, I felt a fuzzy feeling inside me. I was used to guys checking me out, but with Nathan, everything was different. With him, you'd never get used to or tired of anything. I kept my eyes on him, and furrowed my eyebrows.
"I didn't know I was a piece of meat," I said, a tiny hint of irony heard in my voice.
He stood up from the bed, went over to me, and ruffled my hair, which by the way, I had just fixed a few seconds ago. After his hand passed through my mop of hair, he gave me a cheeky grin, which made him look younger, like a kid, and suddenly, I felt like kissing him.
"Well, you're a lovely piece of meat, but I wouldn't want to eat you," he said, a small frown on his face. "All bones and no skin? Do you want me to become anorexic like you?"
Right after he said that, I laughed heartily, as I clutched my stomach tightly with my hands. This was what I totally loved about Nathan. He always surprised me at the most random times. It was either he did something that was awfully sweet or stupid, or he said something that made me want to cry because of laughter. I'm not only talking about the things that happened during the time we dated. That's still too short for me to be gushing about. I meant my friendship and relationship with him ever since I had arrived in Ridgeway. I slapped his face, very lightly of course, before I rested my hands on either side of my hips. What I did, he apparently didn't like, since according to him it didn't make him look masculine, and so, he decided to try and ignore me, for the second time today.
"Nate, hurry up," I said, trying to get him to change. "Everyone's going for a swim. I'll leave you if you don't ch-"
"Alright, alright," he said, as he got his board shorts from his duffel bag.
He smiled, and then winked at me, before he entered the restroom to change. After a few minutes, he exited the bathroom, shirtless of course, making me wants to just go and rip the flesh out of him. He was that sexy. Instinctively, I got one of the shirts that was lazily lying down on the bed, and threw it to him. He caught it effortlessly, and simply held on to it.
"I threw it," I told him. "Which means that you're supposed to wear it."
He turned his head to the side, giving me that immature look, before he blew a few strands of his hair away from his eyes. He then turned to me, and asked me if I could repeat what I said.
"Put that on."
"But I thought girls liked seeing abs?" He asked, turning on his boyish charms which never failed to amuse me and turn me on.
"Well I'm not like any other girl," I said, an air of mock-arrogance in my tone, and that made him grin.
He took my hands in his, and pulled me closer to him until our bodies touched and were against each other. I simply looked up to meet his eyes, and waited for him to say or do something. I clung closer, hugging him tighter with my arms around his waist, as each of his hands fell on either side of my shoulders. If we were at the mall, or some other public place, I would not be doing what I was doing at the moment, my first and foremost reason, the paparazzi. I was glad we were staying at a hotel since the manager and the rest of the staff watched after their guests very carefully, and they didn't allow those kinds of things. I could already imagine what kind of pictures they would be able to take, and articles they could write, if we showed some P.D.A. at the nearby park. My life would be more chaotic than it already was, but hey, where's the fun in complete serenity?
"You're right," he said as he leaned his head down to give me a small kiss on the skin very near my lips. "You're different. You're special, in a good way of course."
"Where did you get that pick-up line?" I asked, smiling from ear-to-ear, hugging him closer if possible.
"Do you really want me to give you the site?"
I pulled a little farther away from him, but my hands remained on his back. I furrowed my eyebrows together, and gave him an 'are-you-serious' look. He smiled at me before he landed his hand on my hair and messed it up. I pounded my fist lightly on his chest.
"Don't. Do. That." I said with a small pout, as I emphasized every single word that came out of my mouth.
As usual, he didn't get scared, and merely smiled at me before he lowered his head, as he leaned his forehead against mine. Our heads stayed together for a couple of seconds until I pulled away. I never expected Nathan to act all mushy with a girl, neither did I of myself. We were acting like a real couple. We were extremely affectionate to each other, and always wanted and enjoyed the other's presence. This wasn't me. This was a better me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to completely change myself. I did not want to look like a fool. But Nathan never made me look stupid, nor did he embarrass me in any sort of way. I was the one who usually humiliated him, even during the time when we were only friends. I needed to learn to trust him much better.
"But you look so cute when you're all mad," he said, a grin slowly starting to form.
"A knife up your ass won't be so cute. Don't you think?" I asked, as I wore an expression of mock-seriousness.
I saw him wince with what I had said, and immediately, he disentangled his arms from my body, as he waved his hands in front of me, and pretended that I was some sort of monster he need to get away from. I laughed, and at the same time, chased him, but he kept running away from me. We continued our childish antics for a few more minutes until my cell phone rang.
"Hello?" I asked, grabbing my phone immediately.
"What's taking you guys so long?" It was Riley. "Almost everyone's here down by the pool!"
"We'll be down in a second. Nathan was just being an ass."
"What the hell did I do?"
"You were acting like a kid," I answered.
"Alex!" Riley shouted, and for a moment there, I felt like I couldn't hear.
"What?" I asked, probably sounding like I was in a rush.
I sat on the bed, and crossed my legs, one over the other, and to annoy me more, Nathan walked over to me, as he disheveled my already ruffled hair. I swatted his hand away, and gave him one firm, steady look, and after that, he obeyed like a dog.
"We're all waiting," S
he said in a calmer voice. "You guys aren't having wild monkey sex, are you?"
I immediately erupted into laughter when she said that, and Nathan, who had no idea what was going on, looked at me like I was some psycho who needed to go to rehab. He asked me repeatedly if I was okay and what was happening, but when I couldn't answer him because I was too busy talking to his sister, he busied himself by watching a sports channel.
"Hell no," I said, still laughing. "I wish though."
"Oh, girl, you're damn sick."
"Yeah, you know it," I answered, and after that, Riley told me to go down one last time before she hung up.
The Heaven I Found In Hell Page 25
