Chapter 17 Are We Close Now?
Natalie knew Luke was a stubborn and arrogant person during the month he was hospitalized.
When normal people met him, it was like trees meeting flames, so almost everyone would flinch.
But he was handsome. His lips were healthily red, his facial features were well-defined, and his eyebrows were thick and dashing.
And he was tilting his head to look at her. In the warm and dim light, Natalie could see his chiseled jawline and pretty eyes.
He said, "What did you just call him just now?"
Natalie's face was burning, and she was not sure if it was because of the hot spring, and her brain was gradually getting oxygen-starved.
"We're not that close." Natalie turned her face away and looked at the lively hot spring downstairs.
She was telling the truth.
She had not met Kingsley before, but he was older than her and very nice, so she could casually call him by his name.
But Luke...
Natalie was afraid that calling him by his first name would be too intimate.
She grew up under somebody else's thumb, so she was more sensible than her peers. Moreover, she had just ended a relationship. She knew clearly that Forrest was just a shallow pond, so she still could struggle out.
But Luke was different.
He was a deep and unpredictable sea, so she could never let herself sink in it.
Natalie had deliberately drawn a line in her heart, trying to keep a safe distance from him.
She knew her situation would be very dangerous if they got one step closer.
Luke snorted, and the sound pulled her drifting thoughts back in an instant.
"You're indeed ungrateful." Luke leaned back.
His tone sounded dissatisfied and depressed, which was similar to that when he blamed her in his ward last time.
Natalie's heart skipped a beat.
After Luke stopped talking, Natalie looked at him quietly, suspecting that her words were too harsh. After all, she owed him a lot.
She felt a prick of conscience, so she hesitated for a moment and then said awkwardly, "I'll treat you some other day."
Luke glanced at her but didn't rebuke her anymore.
"Why don't you go down to take the bath?" he asked casually.
"There are too many people..." Natalie was still stuck in her guilty conscience, so she said absent-mindedly, "I don't want to go."
Suddenly, her phone in the transparent moisture-proof bag that hung on her wrist lit up.
Natalie lowered her head and took it out to read the message.
Mia asked, "What are you doing now? Hurry up and come back. I asked so many handsome men out for you. How can you hide away like this? Have you met any other cute guy?"
Natalie replied, "I just want to have a walk around here."
Mia reproached, "The men I asked out must be better than the normal guys! Nata, you're too gullible! Don't be deceived by the men outside!"
Natalie's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously glanced at Luke beside her.
He was still sitting cross-legged, looking arrogant. Natalie didn't think she would be deceived by him because she would hit him hard if she could.
She lowered her head and replied honestly, "They are too enthusiastic, and I am shy."
Mia was surprised and wrote, " Modern women must not be so shy! You must change!"
Natalie wanted to refute, but before she could send out her message, Mia's message arrived, saying, "You should be more confident. You are both pure and sexy like a little fairy!"
Natalie replied, "Don't you think six men are too many?
Mia said, "Not at all! I hope I can date six men at the same time."
Natalie couldn't help but tease, "You're too lustful!"
Mia retracted her last message and said innocently, "Since you can handle Luke, I believe dealing with six men at the same time is just a piece of cake for you. He is more attractive than sixty men together! Be brave! You're a woman who's seen the world!"
Natalie was speechless.
Mia didn't notice that Natalie was acting weirdly, so she urged, "These handsome men are preparing a firework show for you! Hurry back! I will get angry if you don't come back within five minutes, And I will not forgive you unless you manage to hook up with Luke and lose interest in all the other handsome men."
Natalie felt suffocated on the spot.
Although she did not hook up with Luke, she was sitting beside him, so she somehow felt guilty. She put the phone back into the moisture-proof bag, got up, and wanted to say goodbye to him. But she abruptly swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue because she remembered he didn't want her to call him Mr. Bennington.
Therefore, she was at a loss, not knowing how to call him.
After thinking for two seconds, she decided to say directly, "I have to go now."
Luke slumped in the chair and said with a sleepy expression, "Bye."
Hearing his response, Natalie sensed he was a little angry.
Maybe it was more appropriate to say that he was a little upset.
Natalie clenched her grip on the bath towel and then took two steps forward gently, but then, she hesitated, stopped her steps, and turned around.
"Happy New Year!" She said in a soft voice and went downstairs without waiting for him to respond.
-
The hotel's garden was full of people who had come to celebrate New Year's Eve, and they all looked happy.
All the people were counting down from ten in tacit understanding.
When it was zero o'clock, everyone shouted toward the sky in unison, "Happy New Year!"
At that moment, fireworks were set off one by one along with loud bangs, illuminated the snowy night, and then scattered like a rain of stars.
The firework show was beautiful, and each firework was saying goodbye to the troubles of the past year.
Mia ignited her hand-held firework, waved it at Natalie excitedly, and cheered, "Happy New Year, Nata! You're the best!"
Those handsome men also said Happy New Year to her.
Kingsley smiled, "Nata, may you live happily every day."
...
Natalie also laughed happily in this atmosphere.
She wrapped herself in her coat tightly, the scarf covered half of her face, and she was wearing a fluffy hat, so only her pretty eyes were revealed.
When she laughed, her eyes curved like two crescent moons.
She saw warm scenes before her mother died, so her eyes suddenly misted.
To be honest, each of these handsome men was very good, but Natalie did not have that kind of feeling for any of them. She had no family, so she was starving for family affection and enjoyed being cared about by so many "brothers".
She had never had this kind of feeling in the Harts.
But she knew that no matter how warm it was now, it was temporary. They did not belong to her, and no one could stay with her forever.
When she had a hint of depression, she vaguely heard someone playing the piano amid the sound of fireworks.
She raised her head, looking for the source of the music.
But the noises of the crowd and the sounds of fireworks were too loud, so it was hard for her to hear the gentle melody.
Everyone was unrestrained tonight.
After the firework show was over, they gathered in a private room to play board role-playing games. Natalie did not know how to play, so after staying there for a while, she said she wanted to go back to her room because she was sleepy.
The people in the room next door were having a party, and the door was half-open. When Natalie passed by, she glanced inside and saw Mark and Charlie sitting on the sofa.
She couldn't help but pause her steps.
There were a lot of people in that room. Some were drinking, and some were singing. But she did not see Luke.
Maybe he was in the restroom.
Of course, she wouldn't go inside to say hello, so she left.
Seeing other people all being so happy, Natalie couldn't help wondering why Luke had been angry with her just now.
Was it because she refused to call him by his name? Or was it because she repeatedly said they were not close?
What a petty man!
Luke! Luke! Luke!
Natalie gritted her teeth and kept repeating his name in her mind as if she were practicing.
It was past 2 am when she passed by the glasshouse.
But she was not sleepy, and she involuntarily walked up. When she came back to her senses, she reached the second floor.
The piano room was empty, but the lid of the piano was open.
Who had played it just now?
Natalie sat down in front of it, put her fingers on the black and white keys, and then carefully touched its smooth body.
When she was five years old and lived in Athana, her so-called father had a piano at home, and she wanted to learn the piano since then.
But her half-sister had not allowed her to touch it.
No one in that family liked her. Even though she was so young back then, they hated her very much because of her mother.
Natalie was grateful to leave that place, so her gratitude for the Harts was genuine.
But now...
When she was lost in thought, she heard a voice approaching the second floor.
"If you are angry with me, don't call me so frequently. You can save your energy, and I'll get quietness, okay?"
The Athana accent was languid and sarcastic.
Natalie's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately glanced at the corridor.
"Yes, I've made up my mind about the acquisition of Alcomara No.2 Hospital."
"Madam Livingston, you can go if you want to take care of someone else's son, but why must I go? If I accidentally hurt Noah again, things would be troublesome for you, right?"
"Didn't you know I am bastard before?"
"Come on! If you leave me alone, you can live longer..."
Suddenly, Luke appeared at the door with his head down.
He was wearing a black shirt and black leather shoes, and he was very tall. He was holding his phone to his ear with one hand, and the other hand was in his trouser pocket.
Standing there, he seemed colder than the snowy night.
As soon as their eyes met, Luke stopped speaking. He was stunned for a moment because he did not expect her to be there. After he hung up the phone, he put his hand down and approached her slowly.
Natalie was a little embarrassed.
A few hours ago, they parted on bad terms... Although she wasn't sure if he was still angry with her, she felt uneasy because she knew he had a bad temper.
Natalie silently watched him approaching, considering what to say.
"You..." She still had no idea what to say in the end.
Luke stood beside the piano, looked down at her, and said with a smile, "Do you know how to play the piano? Why did you take my seat?"
She did not try to think about what he meant. Seeing him so relaxed, she knew he was not angry with her, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
When she was about to answer, Luke bent his long legs and sat down beside her.
It was a two-person bench, so it was more than enough for them to sit together, but Natalie hurriedly moved to the left to make more room for him.
Otherwise, it would be too close for her.
Luke probably smoked a cigarette just now because she could smell tobacco from him. And he had brought coldness into the room because there was snow on his clothes.
Natalie tilted her head and asked, "Aren't you cold?" His shirt was too thin despite that the heater inside had been turned on.
Luke didn't answer but stretched out his hand that was holding his phone in front of her.
After having a closer look, she found that not only his face but also his hands were good-looking because his fingers were slender and pink.
Natalie hid her face in the scarf, and after a while, she slowly stuck out a finger, lightly poked the back of his hand, and then retracted it.
Her heart throbbed violently when she thought about the touch just now.
His hand was cold, so she thought he should feel cold now.
She was wearing warm clothes, so she wanted to give her scarf to him. When she raised her hands to take it off, she heard Luke's restrained laugh.
He complained and smiled, "What are you doing?" And then he jerked his chin to the phone and said, "I just want you to help me hold the phone."
Hearing this, Natalie blushed.
She abruptly took the black phone over, lowered her head, and kept silent, deciding not to give him the scarf.
Luke's smile became bigger, and the anger because of the call a few minutes ago had completely disappeared.
Today was New Year's Day, so he decided not to play tricks on her.
He put his hands on the keys and tried two notes without hesitation. After a few noises, the notes gradually merged and flowed into a melody under his fingers.
Natalie lowered her head like an ostrich, and when she heard the music, she raised her head in surprise and looked at his fingers that were moving on the keys with ease.
This tune sounded familiar.
One day, after she got off work, she heard it as she passed by a store selling music boxes.
It was also the melody she heard during the firework show tonight.
Natalie was completely absorbed in the music, and she imagined a very elegant scene in her mind.
A gentleman was stretching out his hand to invite a princess to dance with him.
Out of the glass window, the night was dark as the bottom of the sea, and large snowflakes were falling heavily.
Natalie felt peaceful now.
She now thought that even a hot-tempered person could be gentle.
She did not know the name of the song was What Falling in Love Feels Like until a long time later. When she recalled this night a long time later, she still remembered the picture when he played the piano for her in the orange light.
When he took his fingers away from the keys, the last note ended.
Natalie was carried away just now, so she looked at him in amazement and said with excitement in her bright eyes, "Luke, you can play the piano!"
She felt it was so incredible that she blurted it out without weighing her words.
When she beamed with joy, she looked as sweet as candy, and he felt as if the air were filled with warm sweetness.
Luke kept silent for a moment after seeing her smile, and then he also smiled.
She finally called his first name, and it gave him a special feeling.
The admiration in her tone made him feel itchy as if a kitten's pink claw had scratched at his heart.
After a while, Natalie realized there had been something wrong with her words, so she sat still and almost forgot to breathe.
Later, she sat up and commented calmly, "You played the piano very well!"
"Really?" Luke deliberately asked.
Natalie nodded solemnly, "Really!"
"If so…" he drawled in a lazy voice, causing Natalie to look at him.
He turned his body to her, put his arm on the piano, and leaned against it lazily, looking relaxed and elegant.
He asked slowly, "Are we close now?"
His demeanor made him look like an aristocratic young man in the early 20th century who had played the field for a long time.
When Natalie heard his words, she also heard her heartbeat.
"Ye… yes," she stammered and lowered her head.
Luke smiled and said casually, "I have a private hot spring in my room."
Natalie blinked her eyes in confusion
"You said you don't want to go to the public hot spring because there are too many people, right?" He said, "Do you want to go to my room?"