Weekend Excursion

By angellwings

Part Two: The Sleepover

They reached the room and Nate opened the door for her. She thanked him as she entered it and set her duffel down on the bed. "So, which side do you sleep on?"

Nate blinked at her for a moment and wondered if that was an actual question that came out of Ella's mouth.

"Nate? Do you have a side? Because if you're one of those take up the whole bed sleepers I might make you make you sleep in the bathtub. Just a warning," Ella said with a teasing smirk.

He forced a chuckled and shook his head. "The left. I sleep on the left. It's usually closer to the wall."

"Ah," Ella said with a nod. "You're one of those people who need to feel secure when they sleep so you stay close to a sturdy wall. Right?"

Nate's brow furrowed. "Never thought about it that way, but I guess so."

"I sleep on the right," Ella told him. "I'm a risk taker."

"I guess that means we complement each other pretty well then," Nate said with a soft smile.

Ella blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess so."

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Nate asked. "You're the birthday girl."

She shrugged. "I'm kinda tired. I thought maybe we could stay in and order room service?"

Nate nodded. "I'm okay with that. Feel like renting a movie on demand too?"

"Sure, just nothing too gory," Ella told him with a shudder. "I will never forgive Caitlyn for making me watch Saw."

"Neither will I," Nate said with a laugh. "You kept me up all night talking on the phone."

"You were in a different time zone three hours behind me," Ella pointed out. "You were fine. When we got off the phone it was only ten o'clock for you."

"You do know me right?" Nate asked with a grin. "That's my bed time."

Ella laughed and shook her head. "Right, I forgot you're an old man trapped in a rock star's body."

"I'm not an old man," Nate said defensively. "I could be young and impulsive if I wanted to be."

Ella grinned and then giggled at him. "Sure you could."

"What? I could."

"Nate, you know a lot of people our age go dancing and what is the one thing you refuse to do?" Ella asked knowingly.

"I don't refuse to do it because I can't do it," Nate said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I just don't normally enjoy going to clubs and having women grope me for hours on end."

"No? Most young men do from what I understand," Ella said teasingly.

"Okay, let me put it this way…I don't like strange women groping me. Better?"

Ella smirked and then suddenly doubled over laughing. "Oh God, you are such a liar." She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "Women groping you freaks you out in general. It doesn't matter how well you know them."

"That's not true," Nate said quickly as he smirked at her. "There's at least one person I wouldn't mind dancing with like that."

Ella's eyes widened. "There…is?"

"Yeah," Nate said as he stepped into Ella's personal space.

"And who might that be?"

He grinned and leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. "Isn't it obvious?" Ella gulped and held her breath as she waited on his answer. "Katy Perry," he said with a wink.

Ella blushed in embarrassment and blindly grabbed a pillow off the bed. She glared at him and smacked him across the face with the pillow as hard as she could. Nate lost his balance and fell backward onto the bed. "God, you are such a jerk!"

"What?" Nate asked knowingly. "Who did you think it was?"

"N—no one," Ella said quietly as her cheeks turned a bright crimson.

"You obviously thought it was someone we knew," Nate said with a smirk as he stood up from the bed.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If it makes you feel any better," Nate said with a grin. "Katy Perry reminds me a lot of you."

"Nate," Ella said with a sigh. "I think you mean I remind you a lot of Katy Perry."

"No, I meant it the way I said it," Nate told her. "Katy Perry reminds me of you."

"I'm not sure I understand what that means," Ella said as she blinked at him with a clueless expression.

"That means, as great as Katy Perry is, she's always going to be compared to you," Nate told her honestly. "In my book anyway."

Ella's face flushed and she smirked before she spoke again. "I thought you were talking about my love of confection shaped bras."

Nate froze and stared at her in shock for a moment. He didn't speak but Ella could see his cheeks turning red and watched him cast his eyes downward and refuse to look at her.

"Nate? You okay over there?" Ella asked curiously.

"Ye—" His voice cracked and he took a deep breath before he spoke again. "Yes. I'm okay."

"Did your voice just crack?" Ella asked with a small smile. "Why are you blushing?"

"I'm not blushing," He lied. "I'm just…warm."

Ella giggled and shook her head at him. "Well, you cool off while I take a shower and change clothes. And maybe when I come back you'll be able to look me in the eyes again without imagining me in a cupcake bra."

His head whipped upward and his eyes followed Ella's back as she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. There was no way he was going to survive this night while keeping his friendship with Ella intact. She was teasing him and he had to admit he was having fun teasing her a bit too. They'd never flirted this openly before and Nate didn't quite know what to think about it but he was enjoying it too much to stop. The water started and suddenly Ella poked her head out the door.

"Oh, Nate! Could you call the desk to come pick up my dress? I just remembered that I need to get it steamed."

"Sure," Nate said as he dared to meet her eyes again.

She smiled flirtatiously at him. "You recovered quicker than I thought you would."

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Where's the dress?"

"In the garment bag I carried on. I put it on the bed," Ella told him. "Try not to look too closely at it. I want it to be a surprise."

Nate quirked a brow at her. "You want a dress to be a surprise?"

"Girls like to impress and their favorite thing about impressing people is the look on their face when the outfit is seen for the first time. It's my birthday weekend, Nathaniel. Don't deprive me of that," Ella said with a wink.

"Fine, I won't look," Nate said with a sigh. "But my curiosity is killing me."

"Thank you, Nate," Ella said with a laugh as she shut the door and returned to her shower.

Nate picked up the garment bag and thoughtfully stared at the zipper. Should he open the bag or just call the front desk to pick up the whole garment bag itself? He picked up the phone and called to have someone come to the room to fetch the dress and after he hung up he decided to unzip the bag. What if there was more than one thing in that bag? Ella didn't say she wanted all of it steamed. Just the dress. So he should make sure that's all he gives them.

He slowly unzipped the bag and pulled out the hanger that held a long black gown covered in beads and sequins. In one glance it was hard for him to imagine what it would look like on Ella. But he could see the fabric on the chest was sheer mesh and the back was wide open with a clasp at the neck. He gulped and decided not to study it much closer. Looking at it now probably wouldn't do it justice anyway.

Thankfully, there was a knock at the door and Nate immediately answered and handed the maid at the door the long gown. Her eyes widened and she smiled appreciatively at the dress.

"We'll have it back in your room by the morning," She said with a nod as she turned and headed back toward the elevator.

Out of sight, out of mind. The bathroom door opened and Ella stepped out wrapped in a towel and suddenly Nate no longer cared about the dress. He blinked at her as she passed him to reach her duffle. She froze as she dug through her bag and pulled the towel tighter.

"Damn," she muttered. "I, um, well; I thought we'd be in separate rooms so…"

"So?" Nate asked as he looked up from her legs.

"My sleepwear isn't exactly…modest," She admitted with a blush.

Nate blushed too and cleared his throat. "Oh. Well—that's fine."

"No, it isn't," Ella said nervously.

"Would you like to borrow something of mine? I have an extra sweatshirt," Nate offered hesitantly. He'd never be able to wear that sweatshirt again. Every time he'd wear it he'd think of her and smell her.

Ella bit her bottom lip. "I'm not sure how much better that would be. Not to deflate your ego or anything but your sweatshirt wouldn't cover that much of me. You're not a very…stocky guy. It would probably be about the same difference as what I brought, right?"

"Um, well, hard to say. I don't know what you brought," Nate said as he scratched the back of his neck. But it had to cover her more than the towel did, he thought with a gulp.

"Right, well, we'll risk it," Ella said as she bit her bottom lip. "And then you can tell me if your sweatshirt would be less embarrassing."

She grabbed a couple of things and then turned and sprinted to the bathroom before he could protest. Nate sat down on his bed and turned on the television and tried not to think about what Ella considered immodest sleepwear. "Ella, what movie do you think we should watch?" Nate asked through the bathroom door.

"Um, I don't care. You pick," Ella replied.

She was taking an awfully long time to change clothes. He sighed and decided to change himself. He put on sweats and a thin t-shirt before flopping back down on the bed and flipping through the channels. He didn't want to purchase anything until Ella was around to start watching it.

The door opened and Ella walked passed him briskly. She sat down on her side of the bed and faced away from him but he could see her red face. She'd pulled her hair back into a pony tail and off of her shoulders. Her shoulders that he could actually see. There were only thin silk straps resting on them. She was wearing a silk tank top and shorts set and the tank top was just barely cropped. But it was enough to reveal the small of her back. He could see the smooth skin on the small of her back clear as day. He gulped and moved to sit beside of her.

"Hi," he said awkwardly.

"Hi," She as she stared down at her mostly bare legs.

"So, cute pajamas," Nate said with a small smirk. He elbowed her playfully. "I definitely like them better than my sweatshirt."

"If I'd have known we'd be this…close. I would have packed something more appropriate but—"

"Who says this isn't appropriate?" Nate asked with a grin. "I think it's pretty damn appropriate."

Ella smiled brightly and blushed again. "You just like staring at my legs."

"Definitely not a deterrent," Nate said with a chuckle. "You also look very cute in it and it's not so revealing. You could be wearing one of those teddy or baby doll things like those models in the Victoria Secret fashion show."

"And that would be torture for you?" Ella asked.

"Yes," Nate answered honestly. "But not the kind of torture you're thinking."

Ella giggled and smiled flirtatiously at him. "Good to know."

"Why?" Nate asked.

She shrugged and winked at him. "It might come in handy at some point. You never know."

Nate shared a smile with her for a moment before Ella reluctantly looked away from him and cleared her throat. "So, what's good on demand?"

"A couple of romantic comedies, a foreign film, and the new Will Ferrell movie," Nate said with a sigh. "Nothing very exciting."

"What's the foreign film?"

"It's called, Run Lola Run. I saw it once. It's pretty interesting," Nate told her. "It's about the same situation happening over and over with tiny little differences that end up majorly changing the ending."

"Huh," Ella said thoughtfully. "What if you could do that in life? Play out all the options and see all the endings. Then you could pick your favorite ending."

"That seems too safe," Nate told her. "I mean, I'm not a terribly adventurous guy but the decisions I make in life are pretty much the only risks I allow myself. If I knew all the outcomes I'd be much more obsessive compulsive and controlling than I am now."

Ella laughed at him. "I guess you're right about that. It's not life if you don't take risks I suppose. But there are some risks that I'd like to know the outcomes of before I take them," She gave him a flirtatious glance and licked her lips absent mindedly. "You know?"

Nate took a deep nervous breath and nodded as he tried not to stare at her lips. "Believe me, I know. So, are we watching Run, Lola, Run?"

"I don't know. Maybe a movie's not the way to go."

"Then what should we do?"

"Watch TV? Sit and talk? Order food?" Ella suggested. "Any of those are good options."

"Okay, we'll start with food. The usual?" Nate asked.

Ella quirked a brow at him. "What's my usual?"

He smirked at her. "Something you'd never admit to liking."

"And what would that be?" Ella asked curiously.

"Three cheese grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and a nice cold glass of milk," Nate told her with a knowing smile. "Followed almost immediately by half a pint of Ben and Jerry's Late Night Snack but only because Jimmy Fallon is on the carton. Am I right or am I right?"

"You would be right, but I'm not sure how you would know that," Ella said with a confused glance.

Nate shrugged. "I pay attention. That's all. So, what do you say? The usual or something different?"

Ella smiled slowly and nodded. "The usual."

"You may have to settle for Haagen Dazs, though. I think that's all this hotel has," Nate said with a wince.

Ella laughed and rolled her eyes before speaking up sarcastically. "I'll try not to complain too much. Promise."

An hour later, Nate and Ella were sitting opposite each other cross legged on the bed with empty plates and bowls surrounding them. The room was simultaneously filled with laughter and tension, and, Ella thought, it was probably her best birthday ever.

"Why aren't you this funny around everyone else?" Ella asked Nate as she nudged his foot with hers.

"Have you met my brothers? Somebody has to be the serious one or nothing would ever be accomplished," Nate told her honestly.

"Ah, well that might be true, but I'm sure no one mind your sense of humor whenever you and your brothers aren't working," Ella told him with a grin. "Give it a try sometime. I'm sure the result will astound you."

"I don't think many other people will find me very funny," Nate said with a nervous smile.

"Nate, you're extremely funny," Ella assured him. "Not stand up comedian funny but that's overrated anyway. A dry sense of humor is a little more unexpected and enjoyable. Whenever I manage to catch the jokes, that is. I'm more than just a little gullible so sometimes I don't quite read the context clues very well."

Nate grinned at her. "You're not that gullible. You really don't give yourself enough credit, Ells."

"Well, I don't think you have to carry the entire weight of the band on your shoulders," Ella told him honestly. "Did you ever think work might come easier for you three if you relaxed?"

"No, I can honestly tell you that thought never occurred to me," Nate said with a furrowed brow.

Ella shrugged. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try it for one day."

"I'll keep that in mind," Nate said with a nod.

"Good," Ella said with a smile. "Well, we've eaten and talked. Now what?"

"Now…what?"

"Well, what do we do for the rest of the evening?" Ella asked as she bit her bottom lip and looked at him expectantly.

He gulped and allowed his eyes to be drawn to her lips for a moment before he shook himself out of it and tried to think up an answer. "We could, um…"

"Yes?" Ella asked as she scooted closer to him. Her bare knee touched his leg and he tried not to flinch. Her outfit seemed revealing before but in this close proximity it seemed much more provocative.

"We could…go to sleep!" He said frantically. "Long day tomorrow and all."

Ella gave him a bored look and blinked at him. "Go to…sleep?!"

Her tone grew shrill and this time Nate really did flinch.

"After all of this you want to sleep?! We were flirting and talking and obviously checking each other out and we have been for nearly a year now. We're finally all alone, on my birthday, and you want to go to sleep?" Ella said with a glare as she stood up from the bed and walked toward the bathroom door. "Fine, Nate, you want to go to sleep? We'll go to sleep and pretend this whole day never happened. Is that what you want?"

"I—I don't know, Ella, but I certainly don't want you to be mad at me!" Nate said as he stood up urgently and walked toward her. She rolled her eyes and ducked into the bathroom before he could reach her. He reached for the door knob and found it locked. "Ella, come on, look don't be like this. I just don't want to rush things, you know?"

"Rush things?" Ella called to him through the door. "Rush things! Nathaniel, it's been a year – a year! If that's rushing it then I'd hate to know what you consider to be prompt."

"Please, don't be mad at me. I wanted this to be a nice weekend and it won't be if you spend all of it mad at me!" Nate said as he reached for the door knob again. The knob turned before he placed his hand on it and he instinctually backed away out of his fear of an angry Ella. She opened the door with one hand and glared at him as she held her toothbrush with the other.

"Oh, I'll get over it eventually. I guess I just need to sleep on it," She said snidely before she stepped back into the bathroom to wet her toothbrush and brush her teeth. He watched her savagely brush her teeth for a few moments before he sighed and glanced heavenward while praying for patience. He'd never been good at dealing with Ella when she was like this. Sad, heartbroken, hyper, stressed…all of those things he could handle, but angry and passive aggressive were never things he knew how to take from her.

She rinsed and then brushed past him angrily before slipping under the covers and turning her back to him.

"Ella—"

"Hush, Nate. You wanted to sleep, remember?" Ella said with a huff. "Could you get the light while you're up?"

Nate made a sound that resembled the mix of a groan and a growl before he closed his eyes and counted backwards from five. It didn't help. "You are impossible! Fine! I'll get the light. I'll turn out the light and we'll go to bed angry because that's always the smart decision!"

"Good! Then do it already!" Ella yelled as she sat up and glared at him.

He huffed and stomped over to the door and angrily slammed the switch into the off position. There was a moment of silence before the light came right back on. Nate stood in front of the switch and glared Ella while taking labored seething breaths. "How did one little comment turn into a full blown argument, Ella? I have no idea how we got here! We had a really great day and we learned a lot about each other so why do you have to let it end like this?"

"Because you're an idiot who's too chicken to just do something! I was practically begging you to make a move! There were signals everywhere!" Ella said as she threw the covers aside and stood up. "I mean I taunted you with an image of me in a cupcake bra, Nathaniel! What the hell did you think that was? When have I ever joked with you like that before? Clearly that was flirting!"

"That was one of your most obvious moves," Nate said as a teasing smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Shut up!" Ella yelled. "You don't get to smirk at me like that right now! I'm mad at you!"

"Would you still be mad at me if I took the initiative to change my mind and make a move?" Nate asked as he quirked a brow at her.

She froze and gulped nervously. "Depends on the move you make."

He smirked at her and took several steps closer. "What move would you like me to make?"

"I—I'm not sure," Ella said as her anger subsided and her nerves began to show through. "Whatever you're comfortable with, I suppose."

And just like that, Nate realized the roles had reversed. Ella was a nervous fidgety wreck and he was the calm one. He didn't really know what happened to cause the change, but seeing her angry at him for not taking the next step with her gave him a strange boost of confidence. And it looked like that confidence made Ella nervous. He reached out for her hand and Ella gulped and froze.

"You know what," Ella said nervously. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we should just go to bed."

He grinned at her. "Why the sudden change of heart, Ells?"

"Not a change of heart. I'm just…afraid," Ella admitted.

"You don't trust me?" Nate asked as he took her other hand and gave her a concerned glance.

"No, Nate, I don't trust myself," Ella said as took a shaky breath in.

Nate smirked and chuckled. "Oh, I see," he said as he slowly pulled her closer.

"It's just that it's a small room with one bed and we'll be sharing it and—and—"

"Yes?" Nate asked as his hands snaked around her waist.

"God, you're freaking hot, okay? I'm afraid that once I kiss you I won't be able to stop! Happy?"

Nate laughed and nodded. "Are you?"

Ella blushed and smiled slowly before slowly looping her arms around his neck. "Actually, yes. Very. It feels good to get that out in the open."

Nate brought a hand up and lightly brushed his knuckles against her cheek. Ella closed her eyes and leaned toward his hand just slightly. "You know what else needs to be out in the open?" Nate asked with a soft smile.

"Hmm?" Ella asked with a wistful smile and closed eyes.

"I am so in love with you. I have been for years now."

Her eyes opened immediately when Nate continued to softly caress her face with his knuckles. "What?"

"Ella, I've known for a long time now that there was no one else I could be happy with but you. No one else I could share my life and my heart with," Nate said honestly with a shaky voice and watery eyes. "There's only you, Ells. Only you."

Her eyes met his and she gasped as she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh, Nate. You—you love me?"

"More than any other woman I've ever known," Nate said with a deep breath and a nod.

Ella let out a teary laugh and brought both hands to cradle Nate's head. "I—I can't believe it. You can't. It's not possible."

"Why not?" Nate asked quietly. He closed his eyes as Ella had before and let himself enjoy her touch.

"Because I was convinced you and I would never feel the same thing at the same time. I've never been that lucky," Ella as she lifted one hand to his hair and brushed back one of his curls. Nate's hand encircled her wrist and then pulled her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. "I thought I cared more for you than you did for me and I didn't—"

"Ella," Nate said as he opened his eyes and looked into hers. He smiled gently before he continued, "Trust me, I do and I always will. When we were talking about hypothetical families earlier today I—I was imagining ours and I knew you were too. I could tell by your blush."

She bit her bottom lip and blushed again. "I've thought about it more than just today, Nate. I want a future with you more than I've ever wanted anything."

Nate chuckled and kissed her hand again. "And you'll have it. Trust me. I'm not going anywhere. Ever."

She sniffled and blinked back happy tears before she laughed and wrapped her arms around him eagerly. "I love you. I totally and completely love you."

Nate pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo. "Happy birthday, Ella."

And then he leaned toward her and covered her lips with his. Ella tightened her arms around his neck and eagerly pulled him closer as he deepened the kiss. He pulled back slightly to smile against her lips before holding her tighter and kissing her deeply once again. Her hands slipped up into his hair and Nate's hand accidentally drifted underneath Ella's silky camisole.

And that's when Nate remembered what Ella was wearing. He froze and hesitantly pulled his lips away from hers. "Okay, we have to stop."

Ella whined and twirled one of his curls around her finger. "Do we really?"

Nate's eyes drifted closed and he groaned at the feeling of her fingers in his hair. "No." His hand touched bare skin again and he winced. "Yes." He opened one eye and was greeted with a mischievous smirk from Ella, and that did it. That broke him. "No."

And then his lips were crashing down on hers once again. She laughed against his lips as they collapsed back onto the bed. They stretched out across the bed while they continued to kiss and Nate's hand landed on Ella's stomach. The silk camisole she was wearing was cropped and left about three inches of exposed skin. It was skin that Nate couldn't have avoided touching if he'd tried. His hand stayed there for several moments and caressed the soft skin on Ella's stomach. Ella whined against his mouth and rolled over on top of him. Her hands drifted behind his neck and one slipped under the collar of his t-shirt while the other tangled itself in his hair. He adjusted his hands to rest on the small of Ella's back underneath the camisole and slowly traced one hand up the length of her spine. She shuddered against him and he could feel how fast her heart was beating. It almost matched his own rapidly beating heart.

He really couldn't get over how well her lips fit against his and they weren't the only thing that seemed to be a perfect fit. All of her seemed to be molded to fit him. It was almost too good to be true. Ella slowly pulled her lips from his and rested her forehead against his cheek while she caught her breath.

"How have we never done this before?" She asked as she tried to slow her breathing and calm herself down.

Nate chuckled and kissed her temple before he answered. "I have no idea, but we were long overdue."

Nate wrapped his leg around Ella's and used it as leverage to roll her underneath him. She giggled and looked up at him with a flirtatious smirk. He propped himself up on his arms with one of either side of Ella and hovered over her. "So, how much further do we go tonight, Ells?" Nate asked with a curious grin. "It's all up to you. You're the birthday girl."

Ella's smirk grew into an evil smile. She bit her bottom lip and batted her eyelashes at him before she answered. "Do you think I would have brought this to wear if I didn't plan to put it to good use, Nathaniel?"

He groaned and then chuckled before giving her a knowing look. "I should have known you packed that on purpose. You little liar."

She giggled again and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "This little liar wanted you to finally make a move and it looks like…I got what I wanted. Didn't I?"

"Ella," Nate said as he glanced at her lovingly. "You always get what you want from me. You always have."

"I have not!" Ella said with a laugh.

"Yes, you have," Nate told her with a smile. "The minute you turn those big beautiful brown eyes on me I melt. Trust me on that one."

Ella blushed and pulled his face closer to hers before kissing him slowly and deeply. She pulled away from him and licked her lips hungrily. "Well, Nate, what I want right now…is you. Can I get that?"

Nate blushed and swallowed thickly. "You've already got me, Ella. You don't even need to ask."

"Good. Then kiss me, Nathaniel. And don't you dare stop," Ella said as she fisted his shirt in her hands and pulled him into another kiss.

The next morning Ella woke up snuggled into Nate's bare chest and she immediately smiled widely. Nate was holding her right hand against his chest and he had his other arm wrapped around her shoulders. She worked her left arm free and propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. He was still sound asleep and he looked as…satisfied as she felt. She blushed as she looked up and spotted her camisole on top of the lampshade on the nightstand.

This was definitely the best birthday she'd ever had. She angled his wrist so she could see his watch and her eyes widened. She only had two hours to get ready for the Calvin Klein show.

"How did we sleep so late?" Ella asked herself with a wince.

"Maybe because we stayed up so late," Nate said as he opened one eye and smirked at her.

She bit her bottom lip and ducked her head with a soft laugh. "I suppose we did."

"How long till we have to leave for the show?"

"Two hours," Ella said with a sigh. "We need to get ready—well, I need to get ready. You probably have another hour and a half before you have to start getting ready. Guys have it so easy. You have no idea."

"Does it really take you two hours to get ready?" Nate asked with a furrowed brow.

"You've never seen everything a girl has to do to look red carpet ready, have you?" Ella asked him with a quirked brow and an amused grin.

He chuckled. "Can't say that I have."

"Well," Ella said as she sat up and pulled the sheet closer to her. "You're gonna get your chance today." Ella attempted to slide out of the huge king size bed but Nate held her firmly in place. "Na-ate, I need to hop in the shower."

"I think you're forgetting something," Nate said with a pointed smirk.

"Like what?"

He feigned looking thoughtful before he answered. "At last count I believe it's been about eight hours since I kissed you."

"Oh really?" Ella asked with a grin. "Then what are you waiting for?"

He leaned toward her and slowly brought his lips to hers. He brought a hand up to her cheek and caressed her cheek as he deepened the kiss. Ella swiftly wrapped her arms around Nate's neck and pulled him on top of her as she sank back down into the bed.

Maybe she didn't need the whole two hours to get ready. She could waste a little more time.

Ella stepped back from the mirror to look over her outfit and smiled proudly at her reflection. She couldn't wait to see Nate's reaction. Her dress was long and slinky and had a draped boat neck with an open back. It was covered in sequins and beads and sparkled every time she moved even a fraction of an inch. It also had a high slit that made sure to show off her rather shapely legs. She'd worn black heels to match the dress and then completed the look with a neutral eye shadow and bright red matte lip color. Her hair fell across one shoulder in soft delicate waves and for once Ella felt like a star.

She'd always been responsible for making others feel glamorous but she rarely felt that way herself. She really adored how empowering it felt. She did one last check before she took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door.

Nate was facing the mirror on the adjacent wall, trying and failing to tie his black bow tie. He instinctively turned to face her when the door opened and froze. He gulped and licked his lips as he looked up and down the length of Ella's dress. He ran a hand through his hair and then took a deep breath. "You…you look…"

"Yes?" Ella asked with a soft smile.

"Gorgeous," Nate said as he looked her up and down one more time. "Are you sure you want to be seen with me?"

Ella laughed and shook her head. "I think I'm the one that should be asking that question," She said as she stepped into his space and looked him over as well. "You look amazing in that suit. You'll have all the models fighting each other for a piece of you. I expect to see hair pulling and sabotage on the runway."

"I don't know how impressed they'll be with a guy who can't manage to tie his own bow tie," Nate said as he ducked his head modestly and scratched behind his ear.

"Here," Ella said as she stepped into him even more and reached for the tie. "Let me. I'm an expert at these."

She bit her bottom lip as she brought her slender fingers up to his bow tie. He smiled warmly at her and watched her expression as she attempted to concentrate on the tie. He closed his eyes just for a moment to take in the closeness of her. She smelled like roses and -there was something else that smelled familiar too. Rain. She smelled like roses and rain. He loved it. He loved her. He could feel her body heat and the slight tension that came from standing barely a centimeter apart. All he had to do was just dip his chin ever so slightly and he'd be able to kiss her. There was something intoxicating about having Ella so close to him. It was heady and addictive and put all five of his senses into overdrive. Her hands gave one final tug to the bow tie and he opened his eyes just in time for her to run her hands over his shoulders and smooth out the wrinkles in his jacket.

"Thank you," He told her as his eyes locked on hers.

She smiled and leaned up on her tip toes very slightly so she could quickly press her lips to his. "You're welcome."

She turned to pick up her clutch off the bed and when she turned back around to face Nate his bow tie was undone again. Her brow furrowed as she gave him a questioning look.

"Whoops, guess I snagged it on something," Nate said with a smirk. "Would you mind tying it again?"

Ella smiled brightly and laughed. "Nate, did you untie it?"

"Now, why would I do that? Am I the type to cause unexpected delays, Ella Pador?" He asked with a teasing grin.

She laughed again and shook her head. "You're a mess. Fine, I will tie it again, but if it gets snagged on something again you'll have to figure out how to tie it yourself."

"Yes, ma'am," Nate said as she set her clutch down on the dresser behind him and then stepped into him again. He closed his eyes as her perfume hit him again and took in a deep breath. He then opened his eyes and decided to watch Ella as she worked. She fumbled with it a few times and cursed under breath before she seemed to square her shoulders and then glare at the offending clothing item.

"You are making it very hard for me to concentrate," Ella said honestly before she took a deep rallying breath and refocused on the tie in front of her. Nate chose not to answer her. He didn't want to ruin her focus. She was certainly cute when she was frustrated, though. The way her brow furrowed and creased and the way she pursed her lips and the stubborn look in her eye were all very attractive to him. He heard her sigh in relief as she finished and then felt her violently poke him in the chest.

He glanced at her almost fearfully but quickly realized she looked more amused than angry. "Do not untie that, Nate. I don't think I'd be able to tie it at all if I had to do it a third time. Not while you're standing there smelling so…spicy," Ella told him as she swallowed thickly. "It's distracting."

"You're pretty distracting yourself," Nate said as his hands found their way to her waist. He pulled her even closer and she smiled shyly at him. "I think the photographers will be more focused on you than me for once. You look…irresistible."

Ella blushed and lowered eyes to Nate's bow tie. "You're being way too nice. Once all those Hollywood starlets show up no one will even know I'm alive."

"I will," Nate whispered. "I wouldn't be able to ignore you if I tried."

She looked up at him and smiled modestly as she lightly bit her bottom lip. "Thank you, Nate."

"For what?" Nate asked as he brought a hand up to the curve of her neck and absently traced his thumb along her jaw line.

"For this weekend. For…everything. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present than yesterday and today," Ella said as she caught his gaze. Something warm and contended seemed to sparkle in her eyes for a moment before she slowly brought his forehead down to rest against hers. "This is probably the happiest I've ever been."

"Good," Nate said with a contented sigh as he closed his eyes and held her tighter. "That's what I was hoping for. I know your dad sometimes lets your birthday get lost in other things and I…I wanted to make sure that on your birthday of all days you felt as happy as…"

"As happy as what, Nate?" Ella asked when he stopped his sentence short.

"As happy as you make me," Nate finished as he smiled contentedly and opened his eyes in order to watch her reaction carefully. "I'm always happiest when you're with me, Ells, so I hoped…I hoped it would be the same for you."

"God, I love you," Ella said softly before she opened her eyes and beamed at him. "I really love you so much."

"You know everything's going to change when we get back home right?" Nate asked nervously. "We're never really going to be friends again."

"Nate, we will always be friends," Ella told him. "But I understand what you mean. From here on out things will be a lot deeper. From now on you get to be my best friend and know all of my secrets. I'm not afraid of that. Not even a little bit because if anyone is going to know all of my secrets…I want it to be you. I trust you and you make me feel…safe."

Nate smiled warmly at her before sighing in relief and kissing her forehead. "You already know all of my secrets," Nate confessed. "I could never bring myself to keep very much from you. I think you would have seen right through it if I had."

"Probably, you're a terrible liar," Ella said with a teasing smirk.

"Gee, thanks," Nate said with a chuckle. "Ready to make our first public appearance, Isabella?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, Nathaniel," Ella said as she laced her left hand through his and reached behind him with her right to grab her clutch. "Let's do this."

He slowly kissed her lips one more time before winking at her and leading her out into the hallway. Anything that changed tonight would change for the better. He had no doubts about that.