Rejected: A love story-Chapter 47: Becoming a woman

He went quiet for a second, his thumb rubbing small circles into my hip. "When I couldn’t find you tonight... I realized I don’t care about the family or the optics as much as I care about you being safe. You’re the only part of this life that feels real to me right now." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

​I looked up at him, his eyes weren’t guarded or cold; they were open and filled with a quiet, aching sort of love that hurt to look at. In the stillness of his room, we were just two people trying to hold onto each other while the world outside tried to pull us apart.

The sunlight was streaming through the heavy velvet curtains, casting long, golden bars across the dark wood of the floor. I blinked, my head heavy with the kind of deep sleep I hadn’t had in weeks. For a second, I didn’t recognize the ceiling—until the scent of expensive sandalwood and the sheer size of the bed hit me.

​Memories of the night came rushing back in a blur of intensity. I went to sit up, but a sharp, dull ache between my thighs made me hiss and sink back into the pillows. My body felt heavy, used, and tender in a way that was entirely new. The sound of a door opening made me freeze.

​Nathan stepped out of the bathroom, he was wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung black shorts, his hair messy, a few stray droplets of water clinging to the defined muscles of his chest. I’d seen him last night, obviously, but in the harsh clarity of the morning sun, he was breathtaking. He looked more like something carved by God himself. Wait....

​I realized I was staring and quickly looked away, my face heating up, I tried to pull the duvet higher around my chest, suddenly feeling incredibly shy.

​Nathan saw what I did and a slow, playful smirk tugged at his lips. "Back for more, or are you just admiring the view?" he teased, his voice more dreamy than ever.

​"I—I was just waking up," I stammered.

​He laughed softly and walked over. Even with the ache in my legs, I couldn’t help but notice how gracefully he moved. He squatted down beside the bed—even at that height, he was tall enough to look me right in the eye. He reached out, gently taking my hand from where I was clutching the duvet, and pressed a lingering, tender kiss to my knuckles.

​"Good morning, cupcake," he murmured, his eyes searching mine with a softness that made my heart do a slow roll.

​"Good morning," I whispered, finally finding the courage to look at him.

​"I noticed you moving in your sleep, so I started the water for you," he said, nodding toward the bathroom. "It’s a warm bath—oils, salts, the whole thing. It’ll help with the... soreness." He winked, his thumb tracing the back of my hand

I felt the heat climb all the way to my hairline as I realized I was naked under the sheets and the sun was already high. My eyes darted to the clock. "Oh no—I have class! Nathan, I’m going to be so late."

​I tried to scramble out of bed, but that sharp ache in my hips flared up again, making me wince and clutch the silk duvet to my chest. Nathan watched me, a soft, knowing smile playing on his lips.

​"Take it easy," he said, his voice a low, morning rumble. "The bath is already ready for you. It’ll help."

​"Don’t look!" I squeaked, my face flaming. I scrambled to gather the heavy duvet, wrapping it around myself like a giant, clumsy cocoon. I hopped out of bed, clutching the fabric tight so nothing would slip, and did a half-run, half-waddle toward the bathroom.

​Nathan let out a light, genuine laugh at my panicked shyness.

"Fiona, I think we’re a little past ’don’t look,’" he teased, but he stayed where he was, letting me have my escape.

[Switch Pov-- Narrator]

​As the bathroom door clicked shut behind her, Nathan’s smile lingered for a moment before he turned back to the bed. He reached down to pull the sheets straight, but his hand stopped mid-air. He stared at the bloodstain, the reality of it hitting him with a force he hadn’t expected. He knew it was her first time, but seeing the physical proof of her innocence—the gift she had given him in the middle of all the chaos of his life—made a knot of fierce, protective emotion tighten in his chest.

​He sat on the edge of the mattress, his head dropping into his hands. He had spent his whole life dealing with pressure, coldness, loneliness, but this? This was raw. She had completely unvoiced her trust in him last night, and looking at that small mark on the bed, Nathan realized he would burn the Keith empire to the ground before he let anyone—hurt her now.

[Back to Fiona’s Pov]

By the time I finally emerged from the steaming bath, the soreness had faded to a dull, manageable hum. I crept back into the bedroom, half-expecting Nathan to be there, but the room was empty. My clothes from the night before had been neatly folded on a chair, I dashed across the hall to my own room, with a racing heart, and ducked inside.

​Nathan had clearly been there. The air smelled faintly of his soap, and the shower was still wet. He’d given me my space, opting to use my bathroom to get ready while I used his. I quickly put on some new clothes, my fingers trembling slightly as I buttoned the shirt. Every time I caught my reflection in the mirror, I saw a version of myself that looked... different. I was a woman now.

​I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs, trying to look as "normal" as possible.

​The dining room was already a filled, everyone was there, well except Hannah; She had flew back to continue school. Gabriel was at the head of the table, while Natasha moved a piece of dry toast around her plate with a look of pure disdain. Nathan was already there, fully dressed in a crisp charcoal suit, Did he have clothes that weren’t black? He was sipping coffee, his face a perfect, unreadable mask—until his eyes met mine. For a split second, that same heat from the bedroom flared in his gaze.

​"Good morning, Fiona," Gabriel rumbled still eating, not even looking up. "I trust you slept well? You were certainly quiet enough when you finally decided to return home last night."

​I froze, my hand tightening on my bag strap. "Yes, sir. I’m sorry again for the time."

​"Sit down and eat," Natasha said, I could sense the fakeness in her voice.

"You wouldn’t want to pass out in the middle of your exams. Though, I suppose with the ’distractions’ you’ve had lately, school is the last thing on your mind."

​Suddenly, a pair of small arms wrapped around my waist, nearly knocking the wind out of me.

​"Fiona! You’re awake!" Leo cried, looking up at me with wide, hopeful eyes. He was already in his school blazer, though his tie was hilariously crooked. "Daddy said you were tired because you were studying really, really hard. Did you finish the whole book?"

​I looked at Nathan, he didn’t blink, just took another sip of his coffee, though the corner of his mouth quirked up.

​"I... I finished enough of it, Leo," I said, reaching down to ruffle his hair, my heart softening.

​"Good," Leo beamed. "Because Daddy said if you get an A, we can all go to the zoo this weekend.

Nathan set his coffee cup down. "That’s enough Leo"

He stood up, smoothing his suit jacket, and looked directly at me. "Go eat". The boy smiled at him before rushing to his mom.

​"Are you ready, Fiona? We should head out if you’re going to be on time."

​Natasha’s fork hit her plate. "Nathan, don’t be ridiculous. You’re heading into the city for the board meeting. It makes no sense for you to go out of your way. Take Leo instead; his driver called out with the flu this morning."

​Gabriel nodded in agreement, looking over his spectacles. "She’s right. It’s more efficient. The driver can take another car and drop Fiona off"

​Nathan didn’t even look at his father, and his voice was cold as ice. "Leo has a backup driver on call who will be here in five minutes. As for me? I’m not a school bus driver, Natasha. I’m taking Fiona."

Caleb let out a soft laugh and his mom gave me a stern look.

"Honey, let the love birds be. Let them have their alone time, they’ve clearly missed each other". I didn’t even try to look at Nathan but I knew he was staring at me.

​ He wrapped a hand firmly around my arm, pulling me toward the exit—and leading me out to the driveway where his car was parked.

​Once we were shielded by the tinted glass, the "corporate" Nathan vanished. He didn’t start the engine immediately. Instead, he reached into the back seat and pulled out a small, insulated meal bag and a bottle of water.

​He opened the glove box and took out a small packet of pain relief.

​"Eat this," he said softly, handing me a warm breakfast wrap and the pills. "I know you’re hurting. I don’t want you sitting through a three-hour lecture on an empty stomach and in pain."

​I looked at the food, then at him.

​"Thank you, Nathan," I whispered, my voice a little shaky as I took the pills.

​"Don’t thank me," he said, finally shifting the car into gear. His eyes softened as he glanced at me one last time before pulling onto the main road. "I told you—from now on, you run to me. I take care of my own."

He drove in silence for a moment, his hand resting on the gear shift, occasionally glancing over at me to make sure I was actually eating. I still felt a little nervous but the warmth of the food and the medicine starting to work helped settle me.

​"You’re very quiet," he said.

​"Just thinking about Natasha’s face," I admitted, taking a sip of the water. "She looked like she wanted to scream when you said you weren’t a school bus driver."

​Nathan’s lips curved into a dark, satisfied smirk. "She needs to learn that her ’suggestions’ don’t work with me. Especially when it comes to you."

​As we pulled up to the gates of the school, the usual crowd of students was milling about. Nathan didn’t pull into the quick drop-off lane. Instead, he steered the car toward a more secluded spot near the entrance, killing the engine.

​"Fiona," he said, turning in his seat to face me. He leaned in, his forehead resting against mine for just a second, a brief moment of intimacy. "I’ll be the one picking you up this afternoon."

​ "You don’t have to, don’t you have to work?." Of course I wanted him to!

"I want to pick you up personally, work isn’t as important as you are".

​I looked at our close-up faces swallowing hard.

Before I could step out he grabbed my wrist.

"Hold on cupcake". He stepped out and opened the door.

"And Fiona? If the pain gets worse, you call me. I don’t care if I’m in the middle of a meeting. I’m one call away."