Amidst Chaos

"Are you serious?" I could hear the loud screaming of my best friend through the phone. It was so loud that I had to pull my phone away from my ears.

"Yes, Nate," I laughed at his excitement. I was thrilled too. I mean who would have thought that I would get the job as a kindergarten teacher, in Seattle, of all places I applied. I always loved teaching and this was my first job offer. I couldn't turn it down just because my best friend was living there for obvious reasons.

"This is going to be so fucking cool, dude. We are going to be roommates," he rushed and my eyes went wide at his statement.

What. The. Hell.

"Woah! Hold on, roommates? What happened to your previous roommate?" I asked, letting out a nervous chuckle. I was already skeptical about moving to Seattle because I had to face him and now he was going on about us being roommates.

I wasn't ready for it.

"He move out like a month ago and I'm living all alone now. It would be perfect, Becca," he spoke in a convincing tone which he probably didn't have to use because I was already swooning over the way my name rolled off his tongue.

Damn!

"Ummm...I don't think so," I breathed out, biting my lip and praying to God he would let it go. It was hard enough during high school and college. I don't think I can go through it again.

The problem was, I was always the best friend and never the girlfriend. At one point, I came to the conclusion that he didn't see me as a girl at all. I was more like his guy friends but I didn't want him to see me that way.

"No more questions. You are staying with me and that's final, I missed you so much, Becca. It has been almost a year since college," he stated, breaking my chain of thoughts.

"Alright, we will talk about it later. I'll be flying in this weekend."

"Good, that gives me a lot of time to convince you." I rolled my eyes with a small smile on my face.

"Alright, I'll talk to later."

"Bye, love you Becs," he said as usual and cut the call.

"I love you too," I whispered to the blank screen of my phone and groaned in frustration.

That's me, Rebecca Thompson, hopeless in love with my best friend, Nate since high school. I thought I was over him by now but I was so fucking wrong. Just the sound of his deep sexy voice, made me go nuts, bringing back unwanted memories. Pushing away my thoughts, I pulled my long chestnut brown hair in a ponytail and made my way downstairs to eat.

"Did you inform Nate?" My mom started as soon as I sat down to eat. Yup, I was still living with my mom. It was just me and her. My dad passed away when I was two years old due to cancer. I hardly remembered him.

"Yes mom," I mumbled as I filled my plate with some eggs and bacon.

"Well, I'm glad you have someone to help you out and settle in. Moving to a new city can be pretty scary, baby." She spoke, adorning a concerned look on her face. She was almost my height with the same chestnut brown hair and brown eyes while I had blue eyes, the one thing I physically inherited from my dad. She was working as a senior consultant in an MNC company and only I know how much she struggled to get to that position.

"I know mom but I'm not a kid anymore, Nate will help me and in fact he suggested that I stay with him," I blurted out, making her raise her eyebrows.

"Someone is finally noticing my baby girl," she said in a sly tone, making me roll my eyes. She knew all about my silly crush on him since high school.

"He never sees me in that way mom and I don't think it's going to be any different now," I muttered in annoyance, poking my eggs with the fork.

"I honestly don't know what you see in him. He is good looking though, I'll give you that." She winked at me, taking her plates to the sink.

"MOM!" I exclaimed as my cheeks burned. Sometimes I forget that she is my mom. She was more like the girl best friend I never had.

"What? It's true. I would have already tapped that ass if I were you," she joked, making me laugh at her response, "Trust me, he is a fool to not notice a girl like you. I hope something interesting happens in Seattle,"

"He could already have a girlfriend for all I know," I spoke with my mouth full of food.

"Let's hope he doesn't have one and if he does, you better show him what he is missing out," she shouted from the kitchen and I stood up, taking my plate to the sink.

"Yeah whatever, you should find someone soon instead of advising me,"

"Not this again," she groaned, throwing back her head.

"Yes again, you need someone to take care of you when I'm not here mom and I know you aren't dating because of me. I'm telling you for the millionth time, I'm fine with it," I hugged her from behind and felt her shoulders relax.

"Alright, I'll think about it," she said softly, making me smile. She always worked so damn hard for us and it was about time she took a break.

"That's much better, I'm gonna go pack now." I kissed her cheeks and ran upstairs to my room.

I started packing all my things and made sure I wasn't missing anything. I didn't have many people to say goodbye to as Nate was my only friend. After graduation, he moved to Seattle since he got a job offer as a game designer. He was into gaming and stuff. I thought it was for the best when he moved far away from me.

Funny, how life threw me in his direction again!

All these years, he always had a girlfriend or a fling. I never got a chance to tell him how I felt. Maybe this job was a sign after all, maybe we were meant to be and this was our perfect timing. My mind started to do its own thing, imagining crazy scenarios. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing those smoldering sexy eyes again and possibly living with him.

Man, how much I wanted things to be different this time!

"Finally done!" I sighed with satisfaction, zipping my luggage, and fell on the bed.

Seattle, here I come!

I dragged my luggage through the Seattle airport, searching for a pair of familiar grey eyes. My eyes scanned through the crowd and I finally gave up. I took my phone from my pocket and just when I was about to call Nate, I felt a pair of arms around my waist lifting me from the ground. I caught a whiff of strong aftershave that I could never forget even if I wanted to and already knew who it was.

"Jeez, Nate. Put me down," I laughed while he placed me on the ground. I turned around and my breath hitched. Face time didn't do justice to his face. He looked even more handsome than I remembered with his jet black hair pushed back and I could see a glimpse of his tan chest through his button-down shirt. He grinned widely, making his grey eyes twinkle. I smiled back at him and roamed my eyes all over his body, capturing every bit of his sexiness.

"Wow....look at you," he looked at me up and down, raising his eyebrows. I was surprised by his reaction. I was just wearing a plain t-shirt and a skinny fit jeans which was nowhere near fancy. Although I did secretly enjoy his eyes on my body.

"Come on, I'm starving." I smacked his head and dragged him by his arms.

"We could stop by at a diner or something on the way to the apartment," he spoke as he carried my luggage and we made our way towards his car.

"You still don't cook?" I asked in a surprised tone.

"Why do you think I asked you to be my roommate?" he winked at me and loaded my luggage in the hood of his car.

"Asshole," I kicked his legs and entered his car. Damn, he must be paid well to have a cool ass car like this. I ran my fingers against the leather seats, loving the feel of it.

"Can I drive?" I asked with a huge smile on my face.

"No fucking way," he scoffed and started the car. I pouted and folded my arms in front of my chest, sinking back in my seat.

"Did you check how far the school is from your place?" I asked, turning my head to his side.

"Yeah, it's about a 10 minutes drive. I could drop you off on my way to work," he replied, focusing on the road.

"That's great,"

"Man, I missed you so much, dude," he flashed me a huge grin, making my heart skip a beat and cringe at the same time.

There was that word again 'Dude'.

"I missed you too," I whispered and looked outside the window.

"So what's new?"

"New?"

"Anything interesting? Did you find someone you like at least now?"

"Nah, I told you I'm not interested." I lied and tried to brush it off.

"You have been giving me that reply since high school," he teased, making me roll my eyes.

"I can't just date anybody, Nate. Now, enough about me, what about you? Who is the flavor of the month?" I tried to sound cheerful but I was praying internally, hoping there wasn't anyone.

"I'm just too busy with work and stuff. All that was over with college. Good old times!" he sighed dreamily and I mentally gagged, thinking about all those slutty girls he slept with.

"You are such a man whore," I grimaced while he just laughed and pulled over at a small diner.

We ate while catching up like long lost friends and I realized that nothing had changed between us. He still made me go all crazy and I loved spending time with him.

If only he could see me as more than a friend.

We reached his apartment soon. It looked so messy but was pretty spacious with two bedrooms and a kitchen that looked empty. The living room had a couch and a flat-screen TV. I noticed that he made no effort to make the place feel like home.

"Damn, why does it look so lifeless in here?" I asked as he walked past me with my luggage and went inside the bedroom on the left to place my luggage.

"You know me, I'm just too lazy to decorate and do shit like that. So that's the kitchen and the bathroom is over there. We got to share it and this is the living room. Welcome home, roommate," he gestured towards the whole apartment and beamed proudly.

"Do you even do grocery shopping?" I asked with a frown on my face.

"I used to but after my roommate left, I've been living on take out food," he grinned sheepishly.

God, he was such a lazy ass.

"I'm gonna freshen up and get some rest, you better help me later to organize and clean up everything."

"Yes ma'am," he saluted and sank on the couch, turning on the TV. I made my way towards my room and decided to take a nice hot shower to calm my nerves.

"Cute PJ's, Thompson" I heard Nate's sarcastic comment from the couch as I came out of the bathroom.

"Shut up," I shouted as I walked towards my room. I looked down at my PJs which was childish. Maybe he still looked at me as a kid and not as a woman. I wanted him to think that I was hot and sexy. I groaned at how desperate I was being. Why do I even like that jerk? I started to unpack and arrange my things in my room. Once everything was set and I was satisfied with the way my room looked, I jumped on the bed and decided to take a nap.

I woke up to the loud ringing of my phone and turned it over to see the caller ID with one eye open. It was my mom.

Shit, I forgot to call her.

"Hey, mom," I said in a sleepy voice, waiting for her to chew my ears off.

"I knew you would forget to call me when you see Nate. Where are you, baby? Are you all settled in? I was worried sick,"

"I'm fine mom. I'm at Nate's place and yes, I'm all settled in. I was so tired and forgot to call you, sorry," I rushed out, sitting on my bed, wide awake now.

"That's okay. I miss you already," she said in a sad tone and my heart ached. I missed her too. She tried to be so strong till I left. I knew she was about to break down sooner or later.

"I miss you too, mom but we could face time and I'm gonna visit you whenever I can," I swallowed hard and tried to keep my tears at bay.

"I know, baby. I just want you to know that your dad also would have been so proud of you,"

"Yeah, I know, mom." I smiled, pushing the hair back from my face. I've never stayed away from my mom and this was a huge transition for both of us. We spoke for a while about Nate and the apartment before I cut the call and convinced here for the millionth time that I was going to be fine.

"You are finally awake," I found Nate, pacing around in the kitchen, shirtless. I could see his back muscles flexing as he was unpacking the groceries, making me drool instantly.

Holy fuck!

"What time is it?" I asked, trying to divert my eyes from his perfectly toned chest. Why was he roaming around shirtless?

Oh wait, he lived here too.

"It's almost seven. You were out like a light and I didn't want to disturb you so I went for a grocery run. I even tried to tidy up the place a bit," he scratched the back of his head, looking so fucking cute. I took a look around and couldn't help but smile that he put some effort for me.

"Looks much better than before," I stated as I walked inside the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

"Now it's your turn, missy. Make us dinner," he threw a pack of cheese at me which I caught swiftly.

"And here I thought you actually missed me," I faked a hurt tone and got to work. He laughed out loud, placing the last item in the cupboard. I stole a glance at his biceps and quickly diverted my eyes before he could catch me staring. Halfway through cooking, I felt him behind me and I almost stopped breathing. My heart started to race as I felt his bare chest pressing against my back.

Oh god, what was he doing?

"I want Mac and cheese," he held my waist lightly and spoke from behind, making me shiver as his hot breath against my neck sent tingles down my spine. For him, it must have been a harmless friendly gesture but my skin was burning from his touch.

"Uhhh..sure," I cleared my throat and tried to hide the blush on my face with my hair.

"Great," he kissed my cheeks and walked away. What the hell? Should I be used to this shirtless pacing around and friendly kisses on the cheek? I don't think my poor heart can take it. It wasn't even a day but I was sure of one thing.

I was royally screwed!

"Nate, I swear I'm gonna kill you when you come out. I'm going to be late on my first day," I kept pacing outside the bathroom as he was taking forever to come out.

"Relax, baby girl. I'm the one who is going to drop you," came his reply, making me roll my eyes.

Baby girl? Okay, that's a new nickname!

"Quit it and come out before I break this door," I yelled in frustration.

"You know I'll open the door if you don't mind seeing me naked," he yelled back, making my eyes go wide. Woah! Naked? I shook my head, trying not to picture him naked.

"Eww, come out please!" The door burst open suddenly, revealing his wet torso. He just had a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair was wet from the shower. Oh, fuck me already. I licked my lips unknowingly and flicked my eyes to meet his gaze. He had a huge smirk plastered on his face and came closer towards me.

"From the way you look at me, I don't think you wanted to say 'Eww', Becca," he said in a deep raspy voice and brushed past my shoulders. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Okay, he never acts like this around me. What was he trying to do? Maybe he was just teasing me. I didn't try to read much into it and went to take a bath as I was running late.

I quickly wore a blue dress that reached till my knees and brushed my hair to get out the knots. I applied minimal make-up to keep it natural and looked at myself in the mirror. Once I was satisfied with the way I looked, I grabbed my things and headed out to find him all dressed for work. He looked so sophisticated and formal.

Damn, what happened to the carefree playboy look?

"Don't," he muttered, eating his cereal as I tried so hard to hide my smile. I've never seen him in formals and this was something new.

"You do clean up good, Wilson," I teased him, grabbing a bowl for myself and started to eat.

"I wish I could say the same," he stuck out his tongue in a playful manner while I just rolled my eyes. He kept going through his phone and I ate silently, stealing glances at him now and then. We soon left the house and were on our way.

"Alright, good luck, Becca. Go get em," he pulled me in for a hug and I hugged him back tightly, enjoying the warmth of his arms. I noticed that he hugged me a bit longer than usual and finally let go of me.

"Bye, Nate." I smiled and was about to get down but he held my hand, stopping me. I felt jolts of pleasure running through my body. I turned around slowly to find his gaze on me.

"Uhh...I was kidding earlier. You do look great," he gave me a small smile which made my heart leap from my chest and I tried to fight the blush that was threatening to creep on my face.

"Tell me something I don't know," I flipped my hair, trying to act cool. He chuckled, tousling my hair.

"You know how much I hate when you do that, Nate," I frowned, trying to fix my hair.

"And you know how much I love annoying you," he winked at me. I shook my head with a small smile and got out of his car. I watched him drive away and felt optimistic about us for the first time in forever. Maybe I should make the move first.

Yeah right, if only I was brave enough for that!

I walked inside the school building, wearing a huge smile on my face. I couldn't wait to start teaching the little kids. Once the principal explained to me all the basics and the system. I made my way towards the classroom. Once I entered, I found a bunch of bright little faces, looking at me eagerly.

"Hello everyone, I'm your new teacher and you call me Ms. Thompson or Becca," I gave them a friendly smile but they looked at me like I was an alien.

Okay, not the worse reaction.

I started to talk friendlier so that they wouldn't be intimidated and after an hour or so I could see some smiles.

Gosh, these kids were so darn cute.

"So our first lesson today is going to be drawing," I explained and started to write on the board when I heard few murmurs behind me. I turned around to find everyone looking at the door and turned to my side to see a little girl, standing near the door, wearing a small backpack, looking frightened. She looked to her side and tried to call someone. I went closer and bent to her level.

"Hello," I smiled so that she wouldn't be scared of me.

"Hi," she said in a cute voice, making my heart melt in an instant. She was so damn cute.

"I'm so sorry that she is late on her first day, we were searching for her favorite socks and ran out of time," I heard a deep voice from above me and looked up to find a guy around my age with messy brown hair that looked so sexy and he was wearing a fitted white t-shirt and cargo pants. I quickly stood up and meet his gaze which was a beautiful shade of blue. He had high cheekbones, full plump lips and a hint of a beard. I realized that I was staring at him for a long time and looked down at the kid.

"It's okay, are you her brother?" I asked with a small smile.

"Oh no, I am her dad," he chuckled and my eyes went wide.

"Wow," I blurted out loud while he had an amusing look on his face, "Umm... I mean.. I'll take care of her, she will be fine," I rushed out, giving an awkward smile. He looked like he was trying to control his smile.

Oh god, kill me!

"Thank you so much and she won't be late again, Ms--"

"Thompson, Rebbeca Thompson,"

"Xavier Philips," he smiled, extending his hands and I shook it. He had a firm grip and I quickly pulled back my hand as if it burnt.

"Nice to meet you," I tucked my hair behind my ears, nervously as he kept staring at me. I held out my hand for the little girl and she looked up at her dad. He bent down and spoke something to her in a hushed tone.

"Be a good girl, Hannah," he hugged her and kissed her chubby cheeks. My heart warmed at the sight in front of me and he finally stood up.

"See you around, Ms. Thompson," he flashed me a sexy smirk, before walking away and I let out a huge sigh.

Well, he was one hot daddy!

Fuck, I should definitely get laid. I pushed back my inappropriate thoughts and bent down to find the little girl staring at me with her doe eyes.

"So Hannah, that's a beautiful name, Why don't you find a seat and we can start drawing?" I grinned and her face light up. She nodded eagerly and ran to find a seat. I couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was and continued my class. The rest of the day went by quickly and I had a great time with the kids.

Not bad for a first day!

Once the classes were over, I decided to take a cab since Nate would get out of work only around 6 pm. While waiting for the cab, I noticed a truck pull over and Xavier got out of it. Hannah rushed towards him and he swooped her into a huge hug. I smiled at how happy they looked and felt my heart ache with sadness. I never knew what it was like, to have a father. Xavier seemed to be a really good dad and I was happy that Hannah had him. I blinked back my tears and walked towards the entrance before they could see me. The cab finally pulled over and I got in.

On my way back home, I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever have a relationship with Nate and maybe one day have kids with him. I know it seemed far fetched but I wanted those things with him. I know it may sound stupid but I wanted the fairytale romance. Fuck, I was a 23 year old, virgin who hasn't been in a single relationship because I was waiting for my best friend to notice me. I realized how pathetic I was and wiped my tears away angrily.

God, when will I get my 'happily ever after'!