Celine woke up still wrapped in Nathan's arms, the weight of his arm holding her like she was something precious. Morning light filtered softly through the big cabin windows, dusting his skin with gold. She turned toward him slowly, her cheek brushing his chest. He was still asleep, breathing lightly, lashes resting on his cheeks, jawline perfect even at rest.
She stared.
She traced the air above him with her eyes first — the curve of his lips, the slope of his nose, the way one stray piece of hair fell over his forehead — then finally she lifted her hand and brushed it away gently. She traced a finger along his temple, following the hard line of his jaw.
He smelled warm. Clean. Safe.
She buried her face against him and inhaled quietly.
Nathan stirred, half-asleep, and instinctively tightened his hold around her, pulling her closer like she belonged there.
She smiled into his chest.
The morning passed quietly. At some point, they drifted back to sleep, tangled together, until the sun was already high in the sky. By the time they finally stirred again, it was already afternoon.
Nathan stretched first, then Celine.
He brushed a hand over her cheek.
"Water or tea?" he asked, voice still raspy with sleep.
"Tea…" she whispered.
Nathan got up slowly, brushing her hair off her face one more time before heading to the kitchen. The cabin was silent except for the soft clinks of him preparing her tea.
"Why don't you shower while I warm this up?" he suggested.
Celine nodded and headed toward the bathroom — but the moment she stepped in and spotted a bug near the shower drain, she let out a piercing scream, stumbling back out into the hallway.
Nathan rushed over immediately.
"What happened?!"
Celine hid behind him and pointed into the shower.
"There's a bug! A big one!"
Nathan sighed — partly amused, partly grossed out — and went inside. He killed it, then even showed her the tissue proof.
"It's gone," he said.
Before they could laugh about it, a loud knock pounded on the door.
They both froze.
Celine completely forgot she was in her underwear — tank top crumpled, hair a mess, no pants in sight — and followed Nathan to the door anyway.
He opened it.
Sadie stood there with a few others from the group, breathless and cheerful — until she registered what she was looking at.
"Oh thank God, you're here! You weren't answering your phone and some of our friends wanted to say go—"
She stopped.
Her eyes drifted to Nathan…
Then to Celine, half-hidden behind him, in nothing but her underwear.
Everyone saw it.
Including Dean.
He had come with the group out of curiosity — wanting to see their sleeping arrangements, wanting to see if he was right, wanting confirmation of the worst.
He got it.
His face fell.
Shock turning into devastation, then into something darker.
He swallowed hard and walked away immediately.
Sadie whispered, "Oh… my God."
Nathan realized at the same moment Celine did.
He yanked off his tank top and wrapped it around her, covering her entire front.
Celine's face turned bright red, and she ducked fully behind him, mortified.
"We, uh—definitely bad timing," Nathan said, trying to cover the entire doorway with his body. "We'll say our goodbyes from here. Bye!"
He shut the door immediately.
Silence.
Celine hid her face in his shirt, dying inside.
Nathan turned around, trying to remain neutral, but the moment he caught a full view of her — messy hair, flushed cheeks, wrapped in his shirt — he nearly combusted.
"You should go shower," he said, voice strained.
Celine nodded and ran to her room, hugging his shirt like armor.
Nathan let out a long breath, fanned himself with his hand, then muttered under his breath, "And they even got to see her like that… fuck."
He dropped his head into his palm, trying to regulate his breathing.
After she showered, she came out looking fresh and embarrassed. Nathan didn't mention the incident. Instead, he handed her the tea he brewed.
Then he excused himself to shower.
While he was gone, Celine made them a quick breakfast — a sandwich and fruits — because she promised she'd cook for him today. Nathan was surprised when he came out and saw it.
"You didn't forget," he said gently, sitting down.
She smiled shyly.
He took a bite.
"This is really good, Celine. Thank you."
Her face brightened.
She poured him a glass of fresh orange juice and handed it to him. He drank it all, and her heart melted a little more.
"What do you want to do today?" she asked.
Nathan had it planned already.
"Let's check out the butterfly sanctuary, try the cheese tasting, then go down to the creek."
On their way out, they ran into Sadie and Toby. Sadie held Celine's hands and whispered, "Dean already went home. Business stuff. So you can breathe."
Celine exhaled a sigh of relief she didn't know she'd been holding.
At the butterfly sanctuary, Nathan tried to catch butterflies for her — failing miserably — and every attempt made her laugh. When a butterfly landed on Celine's finger, Nathan quietly took a photo.
Later, he looked at it.
She looked soft.
Sweet.
Unbelievable.
He didn't say anything, just smiled to himself.
The cheese-and-wine tasting was cozy and warm. Celine found herself sharing little bites with Nathan, laughing at each other's reactions. She never thought she could feel this light — this free — ever again.
With Nathan, she didn't feel like she was running away.
She felt like she was running toward something.
At the creek, Nathan jumped in first, water splashing.
"Come on!"
"No!" she squealed.
"Trust me."
Those two words were all she needed.
She jumped.
Their laughter echoed across the water, bouncing off rocks and trees. Nathan threw water at her. She chased him. They clung to each other in the water, laughing until they couldn't breathe.
And in that moment — with sunlight dancing on ripples, with Nathan's arms around her, with her heart beating fast for all the right reasons — she realized it completely:
Dean wasn't just gone.
He was erased.
Nathan now lived in the space where Dean used to be.
And it felt exactly right.
As night fell, Nathan took her for a walk under the stars. Fireflies glimmered around them like floating lanterns. The air was cool, and the forest hummed softly.
Nathan stopped in a clearing and sat with her. Celine leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling his warmth.
His voice was quiet but sure.
"You know," he said, "I've never felt this at peace. Or this happy. So don't apologize for bringing me into your life. For the first time… I feel like I have a purpose. And it's you. Seeing you happy."
Celine's breath caught. Tears pooled instantly in her eyes.
Nathan looked at her and wiped them gently.
"You're crying again," he teased softly. "You're always crying. But you're the prettiest crybaby I've ever met."
She cried harder, hiccuping.
"It's tears of joy…"
He chuckled, pinching her cheek.
She tightened her hold on his arm, pressing her chest against him — intentional or not, it made him stiffen.
And then, before she could tease him again, Nathan gently pushed her down onto the soft grass, hovering over her.
"You're really testing my self-control, Missy," he murmured, voice low.
Celine smiled up at him — calm, sure, glowing.
Nathan leaned down and kissed her under the stars. Slow. Soft. Then deeper. His hands braced on either side of her, her fingers threading into his hair.
The fireflies glowed around them.
The world disappeared.
That night, he didn't have to do anything more.
Her heart — finally, fully — belonged to him.