Demons From the Past novel Chapter 17

"The wound is the place where the Light enters you." - Rumi

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|Verena|

Someone was shaking me awake. I opened my eyes slowly, my mind still groggy from sleep. It took me a moment to comprehend my surroundings. I was still seated in Nate's pickup truck, only now we weren't moving.

"We're here." I heard Nate's voice say gently.

I realized that we were actually parked in the driveway of a house. I'd slept through most of the journey.

I checked my reflection in the review mirror and cringed.

So much for making a good first impression on his mom.

I desperately ran my fingers through the tangles in my hair, hoping to tame it down.

As if he sensed my distress, I felt Nate's fingers curl around my hand. He pulled my hand away from my hair.

"You look fine. Don't worry, my mom's great." He reassured as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze before getting out of the truck.

I did the same, which wasn't a very smart move on my part, considering that I'd been sitting in the same position since the past three hours. As soon as I stepped out I felt a wave of dizziness hit me, my legs were completely numb, threatening to give out any second.

I felt my panic ease when I felt Nate's arms wrap around my waist as he steadied me.

"Easy there, not so fast. Your legs are still asleep." He murmured, I could feel his breath tickling my cheek. His body was pressed against mine.

It felt so right.

An involuntary sigh escaped my lips.

His grip on my waist tightened as he pulled me closer against himself.

I felt my breath hitch as I looked up to meet his gaze. He was looking at me with such intensity and raw emotion that it made my heart flutter. He began to lean in and I felt my eyes close on their own accord, my breath coming out in short pants.

I could feel his warm breath teasing my lips.

Yes.

Please.

Please do it.

I didn't know what I'm begging him for.

But oh my God I can't handle this.

Suddenly, I felt his grip loosen from around my waist.

"You think you're okay now?" He murmured.

He let go of me and stepped away, not even waiting for me to respond.

What just happened?

I looked up at him, trying to gauge his expression for some answers. I noticed how uneven his breaths were. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were trained on the ground.

Did I do something wrong?

"Let's go, my mom's expecting us." He spoke up finally. His tone was cooler than before.

He didn't turn to look me as he started walking in the direction of the house. I was surprised when I felt a stab of hurt pierce through my chest at his actions.

I had to run to catch up to him. He didn't look at me as he rang the doorbell but I got a glimpse at his expression. I felt the breath leave my lungs.

Regret.

It was written clearly all over his face.

He regretted bringing me here to with him to meet his mother.

My chest felt incredibly heavy and I had a sudden urge to run back to his truck and cry.

But before I could consider doing such a thing the sound of the door opening got my attention.

"Nate!" The beautiful woman standing behind the door exclaimed softly, "How nice of you to come." I recognized her immediately from the old picture of Nate and his parents I'd seen that day.

"Hey, mom." Nate's response was curt. I noticed that his hands were shoved into his pocket and his gaze was trained on the ground.

There was no missing the tension between them.

"And who might this lovely young lady be?" She asked not bothering to hide the surprise in her voice.

I glared at Nate accusingly. He'd told me that his mother knew that I was coming.

"This is Verena. She's a friend of mine." Nate mumbled.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Cohen. I hope you don't mind me coming with him." I said apologetically.

Her face broke into a warm smile, "Please call me Julia and don't be silly, of course I don't mind! I'm just surprised, when Nate told me he'd be bringing a friend I just assumed he was talking about Marcus. He's never brought home a girl before."

My eyes widened in surprise at her statement. I turned to look at Nate. I had to bite my lip to refrain from smiling when I saw the blush creeping up his neck. The thought suddenly occurred to me,

Nate Cohen is actually embarrassed!

The fact that I was the only girl he'd ever bought to his house made my insides feel warm. I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face, my distress from earlier completely forgotten.

"You have a lovely home." I told Nate's mother sincerely, she gave me a warm smile in response.

I noticed that Neither Nate nor his mother were really talking to each other, there seemed to be some sort of awkward tension between them. Nate was trying to avoid any eye contact.

That's strange.

Suddenly, I was reminded of something Nate had told me a while back when he'd told me about his past.

Did he and his mother really not have a good relationship?

"Please come in." Julie said stepping aside to allow us inside.

The house was spacious but at the same moment it felt warm too.

This wasn't a house, it was a home.