★RAINE★
I shook my head at the exchange going on. Hailey could be bold sometimes, and I could bet my left hand that she didn't mean a single thing she was saying—she just wanted to get a reaction from him.
"And as I said, I don't need you to help me cool off. I cool off just fine," Lucas said, lifting his glass of orange juice and taking a drink.
Hailey was about to speak when I cut in. "Hailey, can you stop?" I chuckled. She was beginning to make the man feel awkward.
"Ugh." She rolled her eyes, though her sly smirk stayed on her face. "I was beginning to enjoy this." She laughed at the end, and her eyes went back to Lucas. He, in turn, stared at her. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before Lucas looked down at his plate. At this point, I wasn't sure if Hailey was still doing this for 'fun' or if she actually wanted to cool off with Lucas. That particularly wasn't my business.
My business was wondering where Nathaniel was, or why he hadn't even called to make sure I had gotten to his house safely.
Hailey and Lucas were still bantering—although she was doing more of the talking—meanwhile, my mind wasn't even with them. For the betterment of my mental health, I knew I shouldn't let Nathaniel invade my mind or, worse, have me worrying. This marriage is all a transaction, a business. Favour for favour. Feelings were not supposed to be in the mix.
So why was I waiting for him to call Lucas or me? Why was I waiting to hear the gate slide open? I internally groaned, shaking my thoughts away from the handsome CEO and back to the wonderful meal Amanda made. I knew then for sure that feeding wasn't going to be an issue.
Half an hour later, after we were done with lunch and Hailey escorted me to my beautifully designed and decorated room to help me unpack my belongings—with the help of Amanda too—she and Lucas finally left, and I was alone in the room. I sighed. Picking up my phone, I clicked on the call app, and my hand hovered over Nathaniel's contact. He was the second most recent call after Hailey. I hadn't called him since the day he sent the contract, nor had he called me either.
After a few tough moments of considering whether I should call him or not, I let the maybe-not-so-reasonable part of me call him. After a few rings, it directed to voicemail. My heart deflated; I didn't want to believe I was on the verge of tears. After a minute, I heard the usual ringtone of Britney Spears' "Get Back." My heart picked up when I saw NATHANIEL on the screen. I took in a deep breath and released it before answering.
"Raine." He called out, his voice even deeper and growlier from the cell.
"Nathaniel," I breathed out. "I…" What did I call him for again? "I have arrived at your home." I cringed. Was I even supposed to call him at all? Where was my ego?
Oh right—I had none.
"I know."
I furrowed my brows in a frown. "You did?"
"Yes. Lucas told me."
A scoff almost tore from my lips. The audacity of this man. He knew I had arrived and didn't even bother to call me until I did first?
"That is strange… why you decided not to call me to at least be certain from my end." I wondered where the courage to say that had come from. I wasn't usually this bold. Maybe Hailey was seriously beginning to rub off on me and I… liked it.
Nathaniel became silent long enough that I had to check if the call was still connected. "Do you like your room?"
Oh, so he was changing the topic now?
"I like it," I muttered. "It's beautiful. Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. You're my wife anyway."
My stomach did that dip thing I didn't have a name for.
"Oh. So… are you going to return today?" I asked, my heart thumping as I awaited his response.
"No."
I didn't want to believe my mood died at that single word. "There's a lot of work over here, so I'll be working late night."
I blinked rapidly, then sighed. "Oh, that is fine. So I will see you tomorrow?"
"Yes." I heard a few shuffling sounds behind the call before it turned quiet again. "You will see me tomorrow, Raine."
"Oh. That is okay." I shrugged because what else could I tell him? We weren't married yet, nor were we married because of love. I had no right to tell him when or not to return home. "Good… night."
"It's still evening, Raine." I could hear the snicker in his voice. "Expecting me not to call you later on?"
"I don't know…" I sighed. "I mean, you didn't call me today either until I did, so it's safe to say I'm not really expecting your call."
Nathaniel chuckled. As in, chuckled properly—not a mock or a scoff. "I'll call you later, if you have not already slept, that is."
My chest squeezed as my neck heated up. He wanted to call me again? "Oh… I'll be waiting then." I cringed, not sure that was what I was supposed to say. We weren't lovers.
"Mm."
After a few heartbeats, I ended the call, realizing we were done speaking. I laid back on the bed, my head spinning around our conversation. It made me wonder if our relationship was going to be sexual.
I hadn't seen anything like that in the contract. The contract wasn't even lengthy—just a few words here and there. That was something I'd have to ask him personally though. For now, I guess I shall not think about it.