His Old Friend

~~~CAT'S POV~~~

It has been weeks since I had that sudden and unexpected trip to my Mom's grave. Nate found me and took me away. I passed out in his car and when I woke up I was in his bed, at his house! Aenid and Faye were watching over me and I could hear them whispering beside me. Those two girls were the sweetest, I swear.

Mr. and Mrs. Vann was there as well and kept on apologizing to me and chastising Nate in front of me.

Grace came to visit me telling me how worried she was. And I am telling you, that girl can be so confusing. One moment she was angry at Nate for making me feel that way and the other moment she was defending him telling me how good he is for me.

I spent another night at Nate's house because Nate and the girls insisted. Telling me that they need to make sure that I am fine. I swear those three will be the death of me. They were always conspiring together against me but it was always for my own good. Never to harm me.

The next day, I refused to stay at Nate's house, afraid that I was already imposing too much. Though they were positive that they would love it if I stayed. Aenid and Faye even ask me to move in with them which I refused politely. There is no way I would move in with Nate though the idea is quite enticing. I've been sleeping in the same bed with Nate and I am afraid that I am slowly getting used to it, addicted even more.

I just promised them that I would stay a couple of hours with them after school and the office or maybe, Aenid and Faye could have a sleepover at my apartment which Nate finds a bit unfair because it means he will be left out.

These past weeks Nate was being good to me. If he was so considerate before, he was impossibly ever so considerate this time. He always shows how important I am to him and his daughters. He always proves that I will not be a burden to him and his daughters by showing how they need me instead of the other way around. He never lets me lean too much on him and sometimes he was the one leaning on me.

He made me feel his love in every possible way.

The rumor about me being his mistress had subsided and was replaced by me being his girlfriend. He made sure that it was so obvious. Though he is not showing too much of a public display of affection, he keeps me close to him always. He always holds my hand when we are walking and from time to time he would kiss my forehead anywhere especially if we are separating ways.

Whenever we are alone in his or my office, we would always kiss. And I am telling you, he does that a lot. He already told me how much he loves kissing me and he proves it to me by kissing me whenever he gets a chance. That thought still makes me blush.

He keeps checking on me from time to time making sure that I am not in pain and comfortable. Sometimes I will still have the normal waxing and waning of my symptoms but that is always unpredictable. He picks me up at my apartment, we take the kids to school, eat lunch together, and pick up the kids to school. Sometimes, he would take us to dinner out or to my apartment which always ends with the girls having a sleepover.

Mr. and Mrs. Vann was very supportive of our relationship. I still cannot believe that they have been rooting for me to be Nate's girlfriend for years. They planned this all along.

Alvin also found out about my relationship with Nate. At first, I felt a little guilty. He was hurt, I could see the pain in his eyes when I broke the news to him. But at the end of the day, he wished me to be happy. I know that Nate is in constant contact with him talking about how to manage my illness and I am grateful for that to the two of them.

I still haven't told Nate that I love him. I am sure he knows I feel something for him but he always thought that it was not as much as he felt for me. But he was wrong. How I feel for him is so strong that I am blindly loving him despite my worries. I love him more than life itself. He and his daughters were the meaning of life to me.

If before, to me life means working and surviving every day through pain, now it is different. Nate gives a new meaning to life and it was him.

If before, to me love means loving myself now it means loving him and Aenid and Faye.

My thoughts were distracted by the knock on my door and before I could respond, the door opened to reveal the most gorgeous woman that has ever walked in that door. I stood up and greeted her with a smile.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you," I said.

She smiled at me and she became even more gorgeous in my eyes. I suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Hi, I am here to see Nate," She said and a red alarm suddenly blazed at the back of my mind for some reason.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. But you do not have an appointment." I said checking out my notebook and making sure that I did not miss any of Nate's appointments.

The woman flipped her hand in the air. "Oh, I do not need an appointment to see him. And tell you what? He would be delighted to see me." She said enthusiastically then she sent me a wink before she struts her way towards Nate's office.

Something in my gut tells me that I should not like her presence but I ignore it and do my job instead. I followed her and tried to stop her but I was too late.

She already barged inside Nate's office and I just stood there behind her to watch their interaction.

"Dear, you are always such a workaholic," She said, and when Nate raises his head to look up at the intruder his face immediately brightens. The woman was right, Nate would be delighted to see her.

"Sylvia!" Nate cried, obviously excited and happy to see the woman. He walks around his desk and in a blink of an eye, he already has her in his arms as if I am not standing there. They both laugh then the woman kisses Nate's cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell me you are coming?" Nate asked, his voice still ecstatic.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," The woman said coyly as she wrapped her arms around Nate's neck.

Jealousy started to crawl under my skin fast and hard. I do not want anyone touching my man. But this woman is impossibly close to him. It is as if there is a connection between the two of them that I cannot even match.

There is something about the woman that exudes authority and grace. Nate doesn't even seem to mind or notice that I was there because of the strong presence of the woman. Then I noticed how the two looked good together.

The woman Nate called Sylvia is tall, taller than me. She looks like a supermodel with her face, body, and the way she carries herself. But she doesn't seem like a supermodel, she looks like the CEO of some company with her business suit and heels. She is in the same status as Nate.

I look down at myself and compare it. There is no way I could be compared to Sylvia.

The two started to catch up with each other making me feel like a third wheel. I feel constricted in this place. Something is gripping my neck and chest tightly and I need to breathe. I feel nauseated.

I lowered my head and took a step back before I turned my body.

I hadn't fully turned around when I heard Nate call me.

"Love," He called me the way he always used to. With love and adoration.

I turn around and look at them. I saw the slight confusion on Sylvia's face.

"Her name is Love?" She asked with amusement.

Nate laughed, he never laughs that kind of laugh around anyone making me think that Sylvia is not just anyone. He walked towards me until he was standing beside me then he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to his body.

"No, her name is Catherine. She is my assistant and at the same time, my girlfriend. Love this is Sylvia, she is my childhood friend together with Eric. She works in a company overseas and has been living there for almost her entire life." Nate explains and I am glad that he did. For a moment there I felt like I was an outsider until he called me.

Him introducing me as his girlfriend gives me butterflies in my stomach. With his arms around me, I felt secure. And as if it wasn't enough, he leaned closer to me and whispered. "You have nothing to worry about, love. I love you."

I suddenly blush and I knew that Sylvia noticed it.

I saw her tilt her head and there was some kind of recognition on her face.

"Catherine, the assistant." She said in confirmation but she did not wait for a response. "Is she the same Catherine that Eric has been bragging about being his soon-to-be bride?"

Nate scoffed and leaned closer to kiss me on my temple. I told you he doesn't mind showing his affections. "He can dream but that is not going to happen. Catherine will be my bride, not his." I turned even redder. He was always openly talking about us being married and internally I am excited.

Sylvia crosses her arms in front of her chest. "I am sure he is going to flip once he finds out." She said with worry.

"Believe me, he did," Nate said and he was right. Eric was mad as a bull when he found out that Nate and I were in a relationship. He didn't talk to Nate for a week and whenever Nate wants to tell him something that concerns business Eric will only respond to it when it was me who sent him the message.

Seriously, that week, those two were like kids.

I accidentally glanced at the wall clock and noticed what time it was. I leaned closer to Nate's ears and had to tip my toe to reach him. "It's time to pick up the kids," Whenever I say 'the kids' I always feel like they are mine.

Nate looked down at his wristwatch, "You are right." He said then he looked at Sylvia. "We are going to pick up the kids from school. Do you want to come? We can have dinner after that so that we can catch up. You will also get to know Catherine more." Nate said.

"Okay, that would be great," Sylvia said then we all left.

Throughout the day, Nate made sure that I had nothing to worry about. And I am falling in love with him deeper and deeper.