PEEK

I get back home and see that my couch was inhabited. I sit on the couch and I realized how lively Nathaniel made the apartment feel.

I've been living on my own since I was sixteen, so I got used to being alone. I said I didn't like having him here and that he was a pain in the neck, but he kept me company and now the apartment felt empty.

I lay down after taking out my songbook. With my pencil, I finish the song I was working on at my old place. Having it finished made me feel accomplished. I eventually fell asleep on the couch.

In the morning Nathaniel was sitting at my feet. I sit up instantly.

"You're back? Damn and I thought I finally got rid of you." He twitched and crossed his arms.

"I'm not leaving anytime soon."

"What a blessing."

"Thank you, I'm am a delicacy." I laugh, Nathaniel looks at me raising his one eyebrow, questioning me.

"There's nothing delicate about you, you're a freeloader who makes other people's lives miserable." Nathaniel scoffs and stands up. I watch him walk to my kitchen.

"How dare you, at least I have talent, you lack basic life skills let alone entertainment." He said leaning up against the kitchen counter.

"I have more talent and more potential than you ever have," I said staring at him piercingly.

"Please I've heard you sing, you have nothing, you're going nowhere in life." At that moment I felt guilty, but it wasn't mine. This was the first time I felt emotion from Nathaniel, I was surprised that he was guilty, he regretted his words as soon as he said them. "Hey, I'm sorry that I went too far."

"Yeah you did, but it doesn't bother me," I say reassuring him. "What are you doing?" I ask as I watch him take out a pan.

"Making breakfast, you can't cook anything it's one of the many basic skills you lack." He laughs. I sit at the kitchen bar. With the perfect view of Nathaniel cooking.

"Why do you work? Aren't you rich?"

"I am, I'm rich because of my fame and my family but I don't like doing nothing."

"You don't show it here," I say sarcastically. Nathaniel turns around and points the spatula at me. "I like messing with you more than I dislike doing nothing." He said laughing at himself. I was still a little ticked about the insults, but I didn't want to start another one so I kept my mouth shut.

I smell the food and he's making eggs, bacon, and french toast. I lick my lips hungry for the meal. Nathaniel looks at me curiously. "Is your hair natural?" He asks.

"Yeah, It's platinum blonde, my eyebrows are natural too."

"You mean, you have natural platinum blonde hair but your eyebrows are dark brown?" I nod my head pinching my lips together. Nathaniel scrambles the eggs and I wondered how he knew that I liked them scrambled.

He finished cooking and surprisingly, I didn't get bored watching him cook. He hands me the meal and it was placed nicely on the plate. I take a bite of the bacon and all the juices and flavors to explode in my mouth. I take a bite of the scrambled eggs and the flavors complement those of the bacon. It was so satisfying, but something was missing. I take a bite of the french toast and all the flavors from the bacon and eggs, harmonized.

I finished my plate, and I felt a little embarrassed. I look at Nathaniel, and he was smiling. I gulp. "Thank you for the meal, it was amazing. You know if you cook for me like this you can stay here as long as you want."

His playful smile gets bigger and wrinkles from under his eyes. Seeing him smiling like this, I didn't want him to stop. "Flattering offer, but I don't want to stay in this dump for another night, especially if it's occupied by a twit."

"You know, you'd be more popular than Kenric if you were nice." Nathaniel's playful smile disappeared. He took the last bite of his food and grabbed my plate. He started doing dishes.

"Oh did I touch a nerve?" Nathaniel looks at me and drys his hands off.

He leans up against the counter facing me and leans in. He grabs my face and squeezes my cheeks "I hate being compared to others, especially Kenric." He rolled his eyes. He took his hand back, and I touch where Nathaniel pinched.

"Sorry, your highness." I roll my eyes back. He looks at me confused. "Your highness?" He said with a question.

"Cause you're a royal pain in the ass, Jax. Sorry that the truth hurts." Nathaniel smirks and I want to keep it there. But my curiosity got the best of me. "It sounds like you don't like Kenric. Why?"

"I don't dislike him, but he isn't my favorite person. Kenric and I have always been rivals for the lead singer spot. I'm the songwriter and I founded MNKS, but Kenric always and still wants to be lead singer he says he has more emotion or whatever." He explains. I bite my lip and Nathaniel looks at me knowing.

"I know that look, spill it, Mack." I give him the stink eye for calling me, Mack.

"You lack emotion in your voice, emotions are a big part of the music. I think it's cause you lack something." He was confused, back then I would be too.

"Okay, has Kenric went through something that scars him, or has an impact on his life?" Nathaniel nods and I continue. "Well, then he probably channels his emotions and lets them go by singing."

Nathaniel pinches his chin and he looks at me, stuck. "I don't have anything like that." I smile at him and shake my head.

"I'm going for a shower, I'll help you when I get out."

"Okay, make sure you scrub well, you smell like a donkey's ass!" I show him my middle finger while I walked away from Nathaniel laughing hysterically.

I get to the bathroom and take off my clothes. I was fully naked when the door opened. "Hey before you get... undressed... sorry." He closes the door and a sudden wave of embarrassment hits me in the face. It didn't bother me for another man to see me naked, but why was he so embarrassed?