Chapter 59 Take Me Home
It was quiet at night. The curtains in the bedroom were half-open, and the moon glistened tenderly on the window. A hint of sweetness was suffused in the air.
Luke reached for the remote on the bedside table and turned on the wall lamp. The room was illuminated by dim warm orange light.
The bedroom was so quiet that he could even hear her breathing clearly. Luke gently got out of bed and went to the bathroom. After the sound of the water stopped, he brought back a hot towel and wiped her face, though she was asleep in the bed.
Her wet eyelashes were drooping on her eyelids. She was shaking and sobbing with pain in his arms not long ago, but she said gently that it was okay.
Luke sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her beautiful face.
Suddenly he thought that he shouldn't have handed it over to the police.
He wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips, leaned down, and lightly kissed the tip of her nose.
When Natalie's forehead suddenly felt something warm, her eyelashes fluttered, and she woke up slowly. But she was too sleepy to open her eyes. She reached for the fingertips on her cheek, pulled them to her lips, and kissed them.
Luke smiled and said in a low voice, "Have more sleep? Or get up and eat something first?"
She didn't have dinner and didn't fall asleep until 00:00.
Natalie shook her head. She said she was sweating, and wanted to take a bath. She softly complained, "It's uncomfortable..."
"Come, let me help you." Luke wrapped his arms around her back. After she sleepily put her arms around his neck, he gently picked her up and went into the bathroom.
That night, he treated her like a treasure. After bathing her, he dried her wet hair with a hairdryer.
Natalie sat in front of the mirror with her hands resting on the sink and the warm wind blowing above her head.
When she raised her eyes, she met his gaze and smiled lightly.
When her hair was almost dry, Luke turned off the hairdryer, and the bathroom fell silent.
Putting the hairdryer aside, Luke hugged her from behind, lowered his head to kiss her cheek, and whispered, "Why are you looking at me like that? Didn't you have enough?"
She felt his warm breath in her ear and blushed. She glared at him in the mirror, and complained softly, "I can't do it today."
He deliberately asked, "Why not?"
"I'm so tired... because of you." She was too tired to walk to the bathroom herself and he knew that.
Luke was amused. With contentment in his smile, he comforted her softly, "Oh, I'm sorry."
Seeing her shy and angry eyes in the mirror, Luke smiled deeply and rubbed her face for a while. Then he lifted her chin and gently turned her face to him.
He bowed his head to kiss her. The scent of body bath and shampoo was very tempting. After having sex, such a simple kiss made them both blush.
The moment Natalie's lips left him briefly, she grabbed the collar of his nightgown and looked at him with half-closed eyes, "... Why did you have that thing on your nightstand?"
When he opened the drawer halfway, took off the box cover, and put it on in front of her, Natalie was ashamed and surprised.
Luke buried his face in her neck, and smiled softly, "Well, my girlfriend was coming back. I had to prepare it first, just in case."
It wasn't long-planned.
Natalie bit her lips and wanted to say something when he kissed her.
His lips felt so warm and Natalie closed her eyes instinctively.
She was still pinching his collar, but unknowingly loosened most of it. She thought vaguely that they could finally make out as much as they wanted tonight while it was inevitably mixed with the sadness of impending separation every time they were intimate in the past.
She didn't want to call those three years separation.
They were just becoming better versions of themselves.
Luke not only had this quadrangle courtyard in Athana, but also many expensive villas in other places with better locations and facilities.
But Natalie still wanted to live here.
Flowery Alley was the first place where she had ever felt warm in Athana.
On October 14 twenty-two years ago, the wind in Athana was so cold that night, but that blue and white school uniform was warm.
What was more, she had been living here since childhood and she liked it.
The traitors of Bennington Group had been brought to justice. The company had taken this opportunity to clean up a group of ill-intentioned management members, and it became increasingly stable. Three years ago, Luke's father was doing it successfully, and he was recovering very well now. With him around, the Bennington Group was finally no longer walking on thin ice every day, and Luke didn't have to have a tight schedule like before.
Luke was free these days, and he and Natalie visited all the nearby streets.
Natalie had never walked around the streets of Athana so freely, not even in her eight years of medical school.
She found everything fresh and interesting.
This was Athana where street food was more authentic than anywhere else. Natalie had a great time.
Luke liked her smile when she enjoyed herself so much.
He occasionally took a puff on the cigarette and suddenly kissed her.
After each kiss like this, Luke would be glared at by her for a long time.
He lowered his head and got closer to her face.
He smiled playfully, "Why are you so mad at me?"
Natalie glared at him and said nothing.
Luke asked lazily, "In the future, will you be so mad at our children too?"
Natalie blushed when she heard this.
Why did he suddenly talk about their future children?
"You... don't smoke anymore." Natalie blushed and changed the subject.
It was very difficult for a heavy smoker to quit.
Luke didn't hesitate for a second, and said with a smile, "Well, I'll quit if you want me to."
He agreed so readily that Natalie blinked in surprise.
Luke took out the cigarette case from his trouser pocket and put it in the palm of her hand.
"I'll use the money to buy you more food, OK?"
Natalie felt warm inside. Holding the cigarette case in her hand, she whispered, "There's no need for you to quit so suddenly and completely... I'll allow you to smoke three cigarettes a week, and then slowly reduce it."
"Well, it's up to you how much I will smoke or whether I will smoke or not." Luke hugged her waist and sniffed her hair.
He promised to only listen to her words.
A few days later, Natalie received an offer from Athana No.1 Hospital.
With the recommendation letter from Professor Mateo and the advanced study certificate and a research award from the Wolsher Medical Life Research Institute, Natalie could skip the internship assessment period and directly take up the post.
And next time, she could also take the deputy senior professional title exam.
After working at Athana No.1 Hospital for a few days, Natalie deeply realized that what Mr. Atkinson said before was right. Fortunately, she had chosen further education back then.
Athana No.1 Hospital's first-class medical-level clinical experience was beyond the reach of Alcomara's hospitals. Here, Natalie benefited a lot from the effective coordination and communication between the teams in just a few days.
Resident doctors often worked shifts day and night. Since Natalie had obtained her intermediate title, she worked most during the day and only worked night shifts occasionally at Athana No.1 Hospital.
The headquarters of Bennington Group was not far from Athana No.1 Hospital. Luke picked Natalie up from work on time every day. When he was free, he also drove to the hospital to have lunch with her.
During the period, they were taken pictures and made to the trending topics several times. There were various entries such as "Luke living with his girlfriend", "Luke is suspected of secret marriage" and so on.
Many of their fans were so happy and hoped they would get married soon.
...
Luke promised to quit smoking, but it was not that easy. At first, he was having a hard time every day.
Later, he thought of a way out. Whenever he felt like smoking, he would pull his girlfriend into his arms and kiss her deeply until his addiction was suppressed.
Natalie gasped for breath at the end of his lap, and her lips were red from sucking. One day, he bit her so hard that she leaned in his arms and cried with her slightly swollen mouth, "Luke! You can't kiss so hard anymore. I have to work tomorrow!"
Why did he look so miserable?
He refused, rubbed against her neck, and sighed pitifully, "I can't smoke, and I won't even kiss you anymore?"
Natalie couldn't help but soften up every time.
The consequence of being soft-hearted was being pressed to kneel on the edge of the bed, with her nightgown up to the waist.
Her lace underwear was thrown by the pillow. Luke pressed her from behind, and whispered baby in a hoarse voice, asking if she could bend down a little more.
Natalie was turned on. Her throat was burning and she couldn't speak. She could only bite her lips and bury her face in the bedding.
On October 14th, Natalie worked at the hospital until 5:30 pm.
Luke came early that day. Before 5:30 pm, he drove to the downstairs of Athana No.1 Hospital, and called her, but didn't get through. He thought she was still busy working, so he drove into the parking lot and went to her office.
Natalie was still in the outpatient room at the time. When Luke arrived, all three of her colleagues were in the office, and only Natalie's desk was empty.
The office was filled with young female doctors. When they saw Luke, they were all shocked.
Luke was wearing a casual jacket, and his black silk shirt inside was a good fit, vaguely showing his abs.
Standing in front of Natalie's desk, he looked around slowly. His chin line was tight and neat.
The hearts of Natalie's female colleagues stopped, and they couldn't help thinking that Luke was as handsome as rumored.
As for his temper... they had also heard of it.
They all held their breath and no one dared to speak. One of the doctors was closest to him, and she had no choice but to say, "... Mr. Bennington?"
Luke glanced over at the sound.
When he looked at her, the female colleague immediately regretted meddling with others' business. She swallowed and began to be afraid.
However, after three seconds, he just pointed to Natalie's desk and asked calmly, "Where's Dr. Moore?"
The female colleague was stunned for a moment and quickly replied, "Dr. Moore is still in the outpatient clinic. There may be many people today... It should be over soon."
"Oh." Luke folded his arms lazily and leaned against Natalie's desk as if preparing to wait there.
The people in the office were surprisingly kind, not as hostile as he expected at all.
They heard about Luke and Natalie's relationship online. But since the involved parties had not made it public, they didn't have the guts to speak.
Someone asked tentatively, "Mr. Bennington, are you here... to see Dr. Moore as a patient?"
"No." Luke turned his face away, and his eyes fell on the desk. Her desk was quite empty, and only the folders were neatly stacked in the corner.
He was thinking about whether he should buy her some plants, a pen, or something.
Luke flipped through some pages at random and said slowly, "I'm dating her."
Immediately, there were bursts of gasps in the office.
After a moment, Natalie went back to the office.
When she saw Luke, she was startled. She ran over, lowered her voice, and asked, "Why did you come here?"
"I'm waiting for you to get off work." Luke smiled and said bluntly.
Noticing the curious gazes of her colleagues, Natalie hurriedly dragged him out, and said in the corridor, "I have to go to the director's office."
Luke raised his eyebrows and nodded, "Well then."
He tried to hold her hand.
Natalie brushed his hand off and protested, "Luke."
"What?" He turned around.
His eyes were so innocent. Natalie stared at him and couldn't lose her temper. In the end, she snorted softly and muttered, "Don't be so clingy."
Luke obediently said, "Oh, then I'll wait for you in the car?"
Natalie nodded immediately and hurried away.
Luke looked around quickly, lowered his head, and kissed her on the lips very naturally.
Regardless of her panic reaction, he turned around as if nothing had happened.
Then he heard her whispering his name angrily behind him. Perhaps she was stomping her feet in anger.
Luke smiled wickedly and left calmly.
Nearly twenty minutes later, Natalie got in the car and sat in the passenger seat.
She lowered her head to fasten her seatbelt and said, "Let's go."
Luke didn't start the car, but turned his face sideways and watched her carefully.
She had taken off her white coat. Now she was wearing a white v-neck knitted dress. The slim fit outlined her slender waist, and she was wearing a pair of short boots.
Her long hair was still black, tucked behind her ears, but the ends of her hair were slightly curled. She was wearing the pink diamond earrings that he had given her.
She forgot to take off her glasses.
She looked more mature than when he first met her in Alcomara years ago, but her sweetness hadn't changed.
Natalie took off her glasses. Seeing that he didn't move, she asked strangely, "Why don't you start the car?"
He didn't speak, just curled his lips, and leaned over to kiss her.
She was full of vigilance, "What are you doing?"
Natalie couldn't help but stare at him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Luke rested his arm on her seat, "Want to have some fun in the car?"
He was flirting with her again.
Natalie slapped him on the arm, but still said honestly, "I think you look so handsome with glasses."
"Really?" He laughed.
"Yes."
"Do you love me so much?" Luke curled his lips and rubbed his chin with his fingertips, "Then I'll give you a small birthday present."
Natalie blinked, "Today is not my birthday."
She told him that her birthday was the anniversary of her grandfather's death, so she never celebrated it.
"From now on, every October 14th, I will celebrate your birthday with you."
Luke leaned over and took a plastic-covered certificate from the back seat. He turned around and handed it to her. He said with a smile, "I'm your boyfriend after all."
Natalie looked down.
It was an official asteroid naming certificate.
The constellation celestial body coordinate number was detailed on the surface. The constellation was Libra, and the registration date was today.
Luke Bennington was the name of the asteroid.
"The star is yours now," He said softly.
Natalie looked at every word of the certificate, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
She didn't need to look up at the night sky again to make a wish because the star was already in her hands.
"It's mine." Luke smiled, looking at the other.
Natalie looked up and saw that it was written in the other certificate that with the approval of the official association, the asteroid was officially named Nata.
According to the coordinates, the two stars were very close together.
The constellations were the same, "You are my destiny in the galaxy."
It was destiny. They were growing up together and learning how to love each other.
He was always able to make her cry... Natalie nearly burst into tears. It was the first time she had ever celebrated her birthday since she grew up. Moreover, she was celebrating it with the man she loved. She finally burst into tears and her tears fell on the cover of the certificate.
Luke watched her quietly with a smile and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingers.
He leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
Natalie's heart was so soft at that time. She raised her head to kiss him back and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
A girl's initiative was most tempting.
Luke took off his glasses with one hand, threw them away in the back seat, and lowered his head again to kiss her lips.
Back at Flowery Alley, the sun went down and it was dark.
Luke held Natalie's hand and they walked slowly.
He was smoking. Natalie saw that he didn't smoke for a week, so she gave him a cigarette.
At the entrance of the alley, several children were laughing and playing with hand-held fireworks.
"Luke, I want to play too." Natalie looked up and her eyes lit up.
Luke laughed, "Go home and wait. I'll buy it for you."
Natalie did not wait in the quadrangle courtyard but sat on the stone pier in front of the gate.
She was surrounded by things from her memory.
Natalie quietly tried to remember, what was the first thing she said to him that year?
It seemed that he was smoking a cigarette and getting off the bicycle with a frown, asking, "Whose is this girl?"
Why was she so mean?
Natalie chuckled.
"Who is this girl sitting at the door?" She suddenly heard his voice.
Natalie looked up at him. Luke approached her, squatted in front of her, and gave her the hand-held fireworks with a smile.
He used his cigarette to light the fireworks.
It was so beautiful.
In the dazzling light in front of her eyes, Natalie squinted and smiled happily.
Luke smiled because of her smile.
Twenty-two years ago, they didn't expect that they would be here today.
They were meant to be together. What a wonderful world!
Natalie opened her arms and looked at him with a sweet smile, "Luke, take me home."