"Nath! Are you here yet? It's almost the appointment time?!" Alexandra's impatient voice rang through the phone like thunder. It sounded as if she might chew Nathaniel up if he were to be late by even just a minute.
"I am! You're so demanding! Who asked you to set up a blind date in an underdeveloped village? Aren't there enough fancy restaurants in the city?!" Nathan grumbled as he focused on driving his Jeep Wrangler in the uneven dusty road.
His mood worsened at every bump.
Alexandra, his elder sister was a stuffy woman. She didn't believe in love thus, she turned to blind dates which were arranged by their aunts. She could've just married one of those blind dates she'd met so far. But, she didn't want to marry just anyone either. When asked why she keeps on rejecting all those guys, she'd say, "You think marriage is a child's play. Your life styles and personality must align well with your other half for you to live the rest of your life with them." Nathan didn't understand. Isn't that what love is? And she said she doesn't believe in love.
This was her 21st blind date.
For every blind date,she'd calculate the guy's value by his behaviour and at the same time, she'd ask Nathan to do a background check on the guy right on the spot before firmly rejecting them. If Nathan had a choice, he wouldn't bother with this stuffy woman's unreasonable conditions either and if possible, he'd even marry her off to some rich dude and be done with it.
But, Alexandra 'asking' Nathaniel is just an understatement. It was basically a threat. 'Do it or sleep on the streets!'
After his parents passed away, she's the big sister after all, she became the head of the family. If she says to sleep on road,even his PA and bodyguard would obey her. He's not an exception.
So, Nathan had been abiding by her requests and conditions so far. However, even for him who'd obey Alex like he would a god, setting up a blind date in the most rural and underdeveloped village at the last minute was too much to handle.
That vile woman!!!
He'd especially selected the Jeep Wrangler in an attempt to arrive faster but, even the Jeep wrangler moved slower than he expected on that damn countryside road.
With Alex still urging him nonstop, f*ck, Nathan gritted his teeth as he forcefully accelerated the vehicle.
But, God just wasn't on Nathan's side this day.
Instead of accelerating, Nathan never would've expected it to just go off and stop moving. Nathan's mood at the time was a big 'f*ck'.
"Why are you silent?! Have you arrived?" Alex continued to urge on the phone.
Nathan inhaled and exhaled a few times to calm his aggravating mood. "Not yet. Wait for me a few more minutes. It's not like I can teleport there." He said calmly before hanging up in lightning speed.
He got out of the Jeep in a hurry to check the engine but, he was not an expert in car mechanics. He couldn't find the problem. Like a headless chicken, he could only try to start it again a few times before getting more frustrated.
There was not even single vehicle passing by in the road that Nathan couldn't even get a lift. He waited and waited for about 10 minutes while ignoring four of Alex's calls. He knew he was dead meat if he were to take the call.
When he couldn't take it anymore, he just opted to walking with his laptop bag.
There was a lake right next to the road with weeds higher than him surrounding it, a mixture of blue and green, a beautiful sight. Pure breeze with no pollution and a serene and peaceful environment where he could hear the sound of even the smallest ripple on the lake, a village is indeed more beautiful than a city. Despite his foul mood, Nathan couldn't help but admire the view as he walked.
He took a mental note to come back here again one day and started walking faster. He couldn't arrive on time with the situation at hand but, he still could make before the blind date could end.
However, even if he had the determination as high as that of the Everest mountain, he grew up in the city after all. Although he had a fit and strong body due to all the working out, walking under the scorching sun in the middle of the summer was new to him.
After walking for barely more than 5 minutes, Nathan felt like just crouching down on the dusty road. He couldn't walk anymore. A world map had already on his back shirt because of all the sweating. The cool breeze from the lake barely satisfied his parched body.
Just when he was about to give up on this adventure and walk back to his Jeep Wrangler to sit under the cool AC,
"You want a ride?" A deep, firm male voice came from behind.
To Nathan who had almost given up and decided to sleep in a hotel for the night, the question was like flowing honey. He was overjoyed as he turned around.
A young man who didn't fit in with this village scenery at all stood infront of him with a gentle smile on his pale pink lips.
Even with more than a metre of distance between them, Nathan could tell that this guy was a few centimetres taller than him. The bright sunlight lightened the colour of his brown, short sleeve shirt. May be because he was feeling hot under the summer weather, he had a few buttons undone, revealing a bit of chest muscles, glistening with sweat.
Compared to Nathan's tan skin Complexion, this man's skin was too pale like that of a white jade. His butter coloured pants hung loosely on his lips.
His handsome facial features aligned well with his perfectly built body.
The only things which made him slightly mingled with the village background was his old, worn-out bicycle and the still intact straw hat on his head.
Seeing Nathan looking at him in a daze, "Would you like a ride?" The man cautiously asked again and finally received a slight nod from the dazed guy.