Unforgettable

Part 35

Natalie

"We're not late, are we? The girls will literally kill me if we're late."

"Nat, we've still got at least 5 minutes before we have to leave."

I rifle through my side of the closet, pulling out a jacket and throwing it over my shoulders. I pull my black boots over my thick woollen socks, picking up my bag before trudging out of Casey's bedroom. I flick my hair over my shoulder, lifting my gaze to see him already staring straight at me.

"You look pretty." he says, leaning against the kitchen island as his eyes rake over me. I snort, rolling my eyes as I pick my phone up from the bench.

"You dork." I grab his hand, attempting to tug him closer to the door. He swoops down, pressing a quick kiss to the side of my head as he grabs his keys off of the counter. I open the door, leading us down the well-lit hallway. We reach the elevator, and I reach forward to press the 'down' button. My hand falls back into Casey's as we wait, the elevators sensory whirring running through my ears. The doors ding open, falling away into it's sides until we can weasel our way into the small box. The staticky sound takes over again once the doors close, quickly taking us down to the ground floor. Casey grips my hand tightly as we exit the contraption, his limp still a little noticeable. He stopped using his crutches last week, bringing it to around 10 weeks since the accident. He's recovered remarkably well by the doctors standards, although he still feels unsteady sometimes when walking on uneven or new, unfamiliar surfaces. It's probably a bit of a confidence thing that's holding him back, but regardless, I'm happy to lend a hand whenever I'm needed, literally.

The keys jingle as Casey spins them around his finger, the car beeping a second later as he presses unlock. We both walk around to the passenger side of the car, and I watch as he opens my door, despite the overexaggerated eye roll I throw him. He smiles broadly, closing the door after me before walking back around to the drivers door. He opens it, sitting on the seat first before swinging his legs onto the floor. 

"Hey, can you put where we're going into the GPS for me please." he says, fiddling with the mirror and the seat since I drove in his car more recently. I reach forward to the square GPS screen, punching in the destination Persephone sent to me. It's her birthday today, so she invited the girls and I to a teppanyaki dinner, clingy boyfriends in tow. I lean back in my seat, placing my bag on the ground and clipping in my seatbelt. My eyes float to Casey's side profile as he sets his hands on the wheel, his veins painted a dark blue. He turns to me, a crooked smile sitting on his lips as he catches me staring.

"You ready?" I nod as he sets the car into reverse, his arms slinging across the back of my seat loosely. He looks over his shoulder before stepping on the pedal, the car launching backwards. Once he's reversed out of the car spot, his right hand falls to lay on my knee, his body heat easily spreading through the thinness of my jeans. I lay my hand over his, lacing our fingers together as he steps on the accelerator. 

"Have you heard when your mom's moving into her place?" I ask suddenly, remembering our phone call from a few days ago. After telling us she wanted to get a divorce, on Valentine's day no less, Mandy wasted no time in getting the ball rolling. Last week she bought a house an hour out of Boston, a small little cottage perfect for her and Barney. She's preparing to file for divorce, although apparently they can be lengthy if matters can't be easily settled. And, with Mr Lloyd out of town for weeks at a time, it's looking like it could take a while for the divorce to be finalized. 

"Yeah, she texted me last night, I think she said 2 months or something? I mean, she still has to pack up and sell the house in New York, so, the longer the better I guess." I nod, skimming my index finger along the curve of his palm.