This time Paige laughed.
"Well thank you. I am not the type of girl who just goes around sniffing every man she meets."
She saw his smile disappear and realized she'd said the wrong thing. She was surprised to realize it actually upset her to know that her words had likely hurt him, even if only in a small way.
"I mean...I...sorry."
Nathan stepped back, melting a bit more into the shadows, his face now completely obscured in darkness.
"Don't be. I guess to you I do seem like a stranger, don't I?"
"Afraid so."
They both watched the lights of an approaching plane. The plane had long since landed and another had taken off when Paige broke the silence.
"It is just very unnerving. It is not fair. You seem to...No, you definitely do know some, and let me stress some, things about me and yet I know nothing about you. Except that you think I am somehow your wife."
He emerged from the shadows, pulling a chair up behind him. He sat down and looked over at her.
"Fair enough. What would you like to know?"
She opened her mouth and then closed it again, saying nothing. She turned from him and then pulled one of her own chairs toward the railing between them and sat down.
"I am not sure I even know where to begin. Why don't you pick something."
He knew where he would like to start, but also knew how she felt about the subject.
"Okay," he said, a smile appearing on his lips. "I was born at seven thirty-one on a cold October morning. October thirteenth to be exact. I don't know what day of the week it was, but I know it wasn't a friday."
He was rewarded with the smile he'd hoped for. A smile he'd missed for far too long.
Doing his best to keep the details to a minimum, not for times sake, but for the simple fact that he knew it was a less than interesting tale, he recounted much of his childhood. He'd been a popular kid in his neighborhood and at school, not the most popular, but well liked by most.
Paige remained silent, taking it all in and understanding those things he did not say. He'd been called a friend by many but had been known well by very few, if any. Likewise, his parents had no doubt loved him, but not understood him. How many parents ever really understood their children? How many people really even understand themselves for that matter.
When he saw she was genuinely interested in what he was saying, he began to elaborate. Sharing little memories that were both touching and amusing. His attempt to teach himself to drive when he'd only been fourteen, which had resulted in major reconstruction to the garage. The loss during the final game of the season when he'd fumbled the ball on the one-yard line.
He recounted each story with passion. Yes, he hated that he'd fumbled, especially since it looked like his team was actually going to break their three year losing streak. No one had given him any real grief over the loss, in fact most people joked about it, saying if he'd scored then he would have ruined the season. Who wants to be one-and-nine when you can have a perfect oh-and-ten? The garage had been another story entirely. He couldn't say his father wasn't mad as hell and that his mother hadn't been hysterical, but he said that since then he'd never forgotten to raise the garage door.
Somewhere near the time of recounting his high school graduation, he looked up and noticed that Paige's eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling in rhythmic peace. There was a slight smile on her lips and it warmed Nathan. He looked at his watch, almost four-thirty.
Nathan stood and climbed over the railing. As gently as he could, praying he wouldn't wake her, he scooped Paige from the chair. He was relieved to see she didn't so much as blink an eye. Her weight was familiar in his arms and he wasn't sure if that made him want to laugh or cry.
He carried her into her room, laying her gently on the bed. He pulled the sheets up over her. He stood there for a moment, looking down at her, studying the features he knew so well. He swept a lock of hair back off her cheek. He longed to lean down, to kiss her, to lie next to her.
"I love you, Paige."
He waited in silence, hoping to hear the words he'd heard her murmur hundreds of times in her sleep.
In the end, the silence remained. He kissed two fingers on his right hand and then gently touched them to her lips, before turning off the lights and slipping out to the balcony and back to his own room.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
She picked up another slice of toast and chewed off the corner before drinking the last of her orange juice. She placed the empty glass on the table and dropped the rest of the toast back onto her plate.
"I know I was not a twin."
Nathan's eyes remained locked on the plate for a moment before he turned his attention to her and said, "What?"
"I said, I know I wasn't a twin."