Chapter 58 I Will Not Stop
The wind was roaring in Alcomara, and the storm sounded as if it could overturn the roofs, so every household was fighting against the typhoon.
But Athana was calm tonight.
It was Duke who picked up Natalie at the airport. She guessed he was living nearby because he arrived very soon in a pink sports car. He greeted her warmly, enthusiastically helped her put her luggage in the trunk, and said, "Natalie, get in the car! I will drive you to Luke's home."
Natalie sat in the passenger seat properly and said, "Thank you for coming."
"You're welcome." After Duke drove the car out of the airport, he ventured, "Natalie, are you staying in Athana or..."
Natalie knew what he wanted to know.
Since Luke began to date her, he traveled back and forth from Athana to Alcomara first, and then he tried his best to make time to go to Wolsher no matter how busy he was during the past three years, so the people who were close to him all knew what was going on.
In the beginning, they could not understand why they had to maintain this long-distance relationship, and later, they all persuaded him to give up.
No one else in their circle believed in true love, but now, they realized that Luke was really in love with her.
Natalie smiled, "I'll start working at Athana No.1 Hospital soon, and I might trouble you in the future."
The meaning of her words was noticeably clear. Duke immediately beamed with joy because she could accompany Luke here, and then he said cheerfully, "I'm at your service!"
To be honest, Natalie did not have a good impression of Luke's friends before, especially Duke. He was wearing a gray-pink suit, a big gold chain, and diamonds all over his body. She knew he was a rich playboy at a glance.
But this bias automatically disappeared. They were Luke's friends, so she was more tolerant toward them. Moreover, after getting along with them for a while, she found they were all very loyal to friends.
On the radio, the host was articulately saying, "According to the forecast of the National Meteorological Center, No. 19 super typhoon 'Carson' will land on Alcomara at 8 p.m. and will have a strong impact on our city..."
Hearing this, Natalie couldn't help being distracted. The door and windows of her apartment were solid, but the sound of the wind hitting the windows would be very loud, so she was afraid Luke could not sleep well.
"Have you ever heard of the defector of the Bennington Group?" Duke suddenly asked as he was looking straight ahead.
Natalie came back to her senses and replied, "Yes, I have."
Duke told her that the defector was an elder of Luke's family. Three years ago, he had suggested that Luke should marry the young lady of the Crosley family. If Luke had agreed, there would not have been infighting at all.
Natalie was shocked and kept silent.
"Don't be angry!" Duke suddenly realized he had mentioned a sensitive topic, so he added, "I mean, Luke likes you."
The past was past, and Natalie was not a petty person, so she just smiled and said she didn't mind it.
"Natalie, I want to tell you a secret."
"Please go ahead"
Duke said seriously, " Luke has been so busy these days that he did not have time to meet you in Wolsher because his father was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The old guys in the company are looking forward to his father's downfall. So, Luke has kept his illness confidential. After his father secretly had a craniotomy, she has been hospitalized, so Luke has to stabilize the company all by himself and could not leave."
Natalie was stunned to hear it because she did not know about the matter at all. He must have suffered a lot...
"He didn't tell me..." Natalie muttered to herself, and her eyes were slightly out of focus. After a while, she suppressed her emotions and asked with a smile, "Why did you tell me? Aren't you afraid he will blame you?"
Duke grinned, "I don't think it is right for him to hide it from you."
Out the car window, the CBD of this city was blazing with light and had many high-rise buildings, showing the magnificence of the capital city. Natalie had disliked this city in the past, so she had never appreciated it carefully.
Now it seemed as long as Luke was here, the city would look more beautiful.
She decided to stay wherever he was and accompany him forever.
The car arrived at Athana.
Natalie looked out of the window inadvertently, lost in thought.
After a while, Duke drove the car into an alley and stopped at the entrance of the quadrangle courtyard, saying, "Here we are, Natalie."
Natalie came back to her senses and got out of the car.
The alley was quiet and empty. This place was private, and no idlers dared to step in, so it was cut off from the noises outside
With time, this alley had been continuously renovated, but its appearance did not change much.
Natalie didn't recognize it at first sight because she was too young back then, but she had an intense sense of familiarity and felt that she was there before.
The gate of this quadrangle courtyard was very big, and green vines were spreading out of the eaves. The night was dark, and the wall lamp under the eaves was emitting an orange light.
There was intricate stonework outside the gate and beside the stairs
An old black bicycle was leaning against the stone wall. It was exposed to the wind and rain outside for a long time, so it was rusty and could not be used anymore.
When Natalie saw the intricate stonework and the bicycle, her heart skipped a beat.
The chilly wind blew through the hall like ice blades scraping her face, and she suddenly recalled the distant memories of that chilly night.
She lost her way home when she was five years old. She sat on the stair of a quadrangle courtyard and cried back then, and her nose turned red because of the cold.
Later, a boy appeared on his bicycle. He took off his school uniform jacket, gave it to her, and sat next to her. His face was bathed in the light, and he looked like a ruffian because he was smoking a cigarette. He said to her, "I will accompany you to wait. Don't cry, okay?"
The image in her memory gradually overlapped with the current scene.
Natalie's heart suddenly began to throb violently, and she asked in shock, "Is this Luke's quadrangle courtyard?"
"Yes, he lived here alone since he was a child." Duke pulled her suitcase over, looked up at the door, and sighed, "This quadrangle courtyard has a long history, and now, it's worth billions of dollars. Don't worry, the interior has been re-decorated, and the furniture is intelligent. It will be more comfortable to live here than in a villa!" He then laughed.
Natalie did not hear the second half of his words at all. The old iron sheet of the bicycle was clanging with the wind. The sentence "He lived here alone since he was a child" was resounding in her mind.
Natalie suddenly asked, "Is his middle school in Athana?"
Duke laughed and nodded, saying, "Luke used to lead us to fight against other kids every day."
As soon as he finished speaking, he abruptly shut his mouth up.
Natalie took a few deep breaths and asked, "Flowery Alley? This is Flowery Alley?"
After hearing Duke's affirmative answer, Natalie blankly stared at the place in disbelief, feeling as if there was a lump in her throat. She stood still and did not know what to do at all.
"It's cold outside. Let's go in. If you catch a cold, Luke will beat me," Duke joked.
Natalie ignored his words, breathed heavily uncontrollably, abruptly lowered her head, and took her phone out of her bag.
They always had a tacit understanding. When Natalie was about to dial Luke's number, the latter called her.
"Luke!"
"Natalie!"
As soon as the phone was picked up, they called each other's names at the same time as if they both had very urgent matters to talk about.
"I have something to tell you," Natalie said first.
Luke knew She arrived in the quadrangle courtyard. He kept silent for a while and then said softly, "Me too."
When the words came to the tip of her tongue, her tears welled up. She wanted to ask about the matter very much before receiving his call, but after she picked up the phone and heard his voice, she suddenly calmed down.
They were meant to be, so she was not in a hurry.
After Natalie blinked, the tears in her eyes wet her eyelashes. She slowly said in a soft voice, "Three years ago, you said important things should not be talked about on the phone... Let's talk face to face when you come back, OK?"
"Okay," Luke said in a hoarse voice, "Let's talk face to face."
Both of them were restraining emotions. After too many years, they both kept a secret for a long time. Hearing each other's breaths on the phone, they were eagerly but patiently waiting for their reunion.
Natalie lowered her voice and said, "The blanket in the wardrobe is new, but it is a little thin. Turn on the air conditioner when you sleep. Don't catch a cold."
"OK! I will," he said.
Natalie knew when he opened the wardrobe to look for the blanket, he would see the school uniform... Natalie was crying with a clear smile on her lips.
After Duke led Natalie into the quadrangle courtyard and ordered some food for her, he immediately left to avoid suspicions.
Before leaving, he told Natalie this quadrangle courtyard was safe because it was Luke's place. As long as she stayed in the alley, no one would dare to hurt her.
Natalie knew she would lose sleep tonight, so after dinner, she wandered the yard in her thick pajamas to see the place Luke used to live.
This quadrangle courtyard occupied a very large area, and she estimated it was thousands of square meters. It had many rooms, and the spacious yard had many flowers and other plants. On the ground floor, there was a fitness room, a family cinema room, a chess room, a billiard bar, and a wine cellar. There were all kinds of entertainment here.
He must have been a naughty child.
When Natalie was walking around slowly, she couldn't help smiling. But after a second thought, she realized he had been too young to live alone in such a big quadrangle courtyard, so he might have been unable to fall asleep then...
Natalie lowered her eyes quietly. Luke once said that he began to smoke when he had been young. Maybe it started when he moved here.
When he came back, she would forbid him from smoking... Making the decision, Natalie walked out of the ground floor and went back to the bedroom.
The next afternoon, the news reported that the typhoon was gone and that the flights departing from Alcomara Airport were back to normal.
As soon as Natalie saw the news On TV, she got a message from Luke, saying that he would arrive in Athana in three hours
Finally, she would reunite with him, so she couldn't sit still more. She walked back and forth in the courtyard, counting the time by seconds.
Three years had passed, but she thought the last three hours were more torturous.
It was getting dark at about five o'clock, and she thought he would get back soon, so she walked out of the quadrangle courtyard and waited at the door.
Seeing the stonework, she couldn't help recalling how she had cried at that time, and when she looked at the old bicycle, she started to calculate the time had found more than 10 years had passed...
A peddler was hawking at the entrance of the alley, trying to sell some local snacks.
Natalie decided to go out to buy some. She was not hungry but waiting made her feel very anxious, so she wanted to use the snacks to kill time.
Walking out of the alley, she bought some snacks.
After thanking the peddler, she took a bite and turned back.
When she was on her way back, several hooligans suddenly blocked her way.
The leader whistled at her and said with an evil leer, "You look pretty. Let's go to my home to have some fun."
Hearing his words, the other hooligans burst into laughter.
Natalie frowned and stepped back. Suddenly, a palm-sized stone flew over out of nowhere and hit the leader's head. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
"Didn't you see which courtyard she came out from?"
Luke's voice sounded low and fierce, giving people a sense of pressure.
Natalie was stunned and then looked back in surprise.
Luke walked over with his hands in his trouser pockets, and his dark eyes were filled with coldness when he stared at the group of hooligans.
The man on the ground covered his head which was bleeding. He was cursing just now, but when he saw Luke, he became so frightened that he lost his voice.
Everyone here knew that Flowery Alley was Luke's territory and that they were not allowed to go in or hurt the people inside.
The hooligans pleaded for mercy, saying, "Luke, forgive us! we don't know she is your woman. We won't do it anymore..." After Luke asked them to piss off, they immediately helped their leader up and fled.
Luke looked back at Natalie and found that she was looking straight at him with her watery eyes as if she were about to cry.
"Are you still scared?" Luke reached out and hugged her into his arms. Because she was holding the snacks, he couldn't hug her tightly, and there was a gap between them. Natalie shook her head, raised her eyes, and said in a nasal voice with a smile, "I planned to tell them I am your girlfriend to scare them away just now."
Luke was amused by her words.
But she suddenly burst into tears. She was holding back her tears since last night. When he appeared, she finally could cry.
When Natalie lowered her head, her tears dripped down on her blouse. She knew that it was a good thing to reunite with him and that she shouldn't cry, so she hurriedly wiped her tears off with the back of her hand.
Seeing her crying, Luke stopped smiling. He held her face with both hands, gently wiped the tears in the corners of her eyes with his fingertips, and said, "Did anyone bully you when I was away? Who is it?"
"No..."
Natalie was still crying, and after a while, she adjusted her breath, grabbed one of his fingers tightly, raised her eyes, and asked, "Luke, was it you? "
Her watery eyes were full of expectations, and her words were incoherent because she was eager to know the answer.
Luke understood what she was asking, so he pressed her face against his chest and whispered in her ear, "I saw my school uniform in your wardrobe."
It was him...
If Natalie must describe her current emotion, she would say she was ecstatic.
She blinked, and the teardrops slid down. After she blinked again, her tears drenched his shirt.
"What's wrong? Why are you more prone to cry after you grow up?" Luke pressed his lips to her ear to tease her while chuckling.
But Natalie still could not stop sobbing.
She didn't even know why she was crying. Maybe she just felt sorry for having separated from him so long.
Why hadn't anyone invented a tool to predict the future? She once thought she lost everything because she grew up under somebody else's thumb and had an unsuccessful relationship with her first boyfriend.
If she knew he would care about her so much in the future, she wouldn't have left this city back then. If so, they would not have been separated for so long or unable to recognize each other.
"Don't cry." Luke patted her back and coaxed softly, "It's all my fault. I should have recognized you earlier."
When the snacks fell to the ground, Natalie wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed her face against his chest while whimpering.
After crying for a long time, she gradually calmed down, but she was still sobbing in a faint voice.
Luke approached her face and said, "Let's go back first, OK?"
Only then did Natalie realize that they were still standing at the crowded entrance of the alley where many people were watching the fun... She bit her lower lip and nodded embarrassedly.
Luke took her hand and led her into the quadrangle courtyard. As soon as the door was closed, they seemed to have been cut off from the hustle and bustle of the world outside.
When he met the little girl back then, he did not expect he would personally lead her in after more than ten years.
She was also crying this time, and her nose turned red. The small red mole on her nose looked extremely cute. And he thought she now looked as adorable as when she was a child.
It turned out that the long separation after she went to Wolsher was not their longest separation, but today was their real reunion.
Natalie was immersed in the wonder of fate. As soon as she stepped into the yard, she was pulled into his arm, and her nose was instantly filled with his scent.
"Finally, there are only two of us, baby," Luke said in a hoarse voice, held her waist firmly with one hand, and thrust the other hand into her hair.
Natalie felt his racing heartbeat and realized that he was about to lose control...
When she looked up, he pressed his hot lips against hers violently.
The calmness at the entrance of the alley was his pretense, and he had been crazily eager to get her since last night.
Her lips were genuinely hot and wet. Luke pinned her chin with one hand and lifted her face to deepen the passionate kiss.
Natalie was gradually lack of oxygen, and physiological tears were oozing from the ends of her eyes.
The exquisite decorations on the eaves and pillars in the yard were distorted in her watery and blurry eyes.
Natalie squinted her eyes when feeling he was trying to take off her underwear. Her heart skipped a beat, and she pushed him and said, "We're still outside..."
Luke's lips fell to her earlobe, and he said in a muffled voice, "I know."
Natalie tried to stop him but failed. Red marks appeared on her ears and neck after he sucked them. She felt weak in her legs, so she softly clung to his shoulders, and Luke leaned over to kiss her again. Suddenly, he picked her up, walked quickly down the long hallway of the quadrangle courtyard, went through several doors, and got into his bedroom.
When Natalie was put on the bed, she came back to her senses. When he tore off his shirt and pressed himself against her, she poked his chest with one finger. She felt Luke's body temperature was always high just like his affection for her.
Because she cried hard just now, her voice sounded very soft as if she were flirting with him. She said, "I haven't taken a shower yet..."
"You can take a shower later." Luke squeezed her finger, pulled her hand to his lower back, and bowed his head to kiss her.
All of Natalie's feelings were controlled by his lips, and they could hear each other's breaths clearly in the silent room.
"I won't stop this time," Luke whispered in her ear in a hoarse voice and dived his hand into her thin lace bra.
Natalie hugged him tightly and tried to deal with the fear. She raised her chin, held her breath, and whispered sweetly, "It's okay, Luke. We will do it this time."
It was getting dark outside. After gently soothing her, Luke couldn't hold his sexual urge back any longer. He whispered in her ear and asked her to open her legs up.
Natalie bit her lower lip tightly without saying a single word.
Everything seemed to happen by chance, but all the things turned out to be inevitable in the end.
It was fate that brought them together.