Monday, September 19, 2022

It's not long before the delivery guy from the rental car agency is knocking on the door. Harry lunges from his seat to arrive at the door before Nataley, and she's left drying her hands on a kitchen towel as her boyfriend twists the knob and opens the door. First the delivery person holds out the rental agreement onto which Harry scrawls his signature quickly before Nataley can insist on paying; the keys are the remaining part of the exchange.

"Harry," she whines, persevering in this fight that she knows she'll lose. "It's my car. I thought we agreed on finances just the other night." She huffs, folding her arms for good measure.

"Don't worry, love." He bops her on the nose. "You'll buy the new car. I'm just paying for the rental."

"Do not patronize me, Harry." Frustrated, she pivots to put the towel back on the counter and grab her bags to go to work. Startled, she pauses with her eyes on Cindy. Planting her face in her hand, Nataley sighs. How had she forgotten the bodyguard was privy to this private moment? Shit. Nat makes eye contact with the woman and sees the censure there.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" Harry asks, and Nataley almost screams her agreement when it occurs to her that he's talking to Cindy.

"Yep. What basic thing did you not do?" The woman clucks her tongue, watching the truth dawn on the musician.

Closing his eyes, Harry shakes his head side to side. "Ask who was at the door and check through the spyhole."

"Exactly." Grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, Cindy strides towards the door. "On the way home tonight, we need to stop off at the hardware store and buy a better lock for this place too. Do you have tools?"

Pride fills Nataley. "Yes! I have my own toolbox of at-home essentials in addition to my work toolbelt. And changing the lock makes sense. I meant to do it a couple of years ago, but then..." her eyes drift to Harry, "...I didn't." Of course she hadn't. He had convinced her to move in with him at Jeffrey's house, and then... Well, things happened. Brushing off the memories, Nataley gathered her items and followed the bodyguard outside. No one would say she wasn't a learner, though. As she walks, Nataley's eyes move all around the complex, looking for anything out of the norm.

Arriving at the rental vehicle, her eyes take in the sleek lines and size. "Harry! It's like a tank. I'll never be able to find a place to park it."

Her boyfriend giggles. "I think you'll be fine, you dork. It's higher from the ground and longer, but it's not that much wider."

"Whatever," she sighs, resigned. "Where's the key?"

He dangles a keychain that holds some weird object on the end. "Right here, love. Watch." He gestures with his head for her to join him at the driver's door. Holding the gadget by the car, he whispers, "Put your hand on the handle."

When she does, the door beeps and she hears the locks disengage. "That's like yours, isn't it?"

"Yep. Get in, and let's adjust the seat and mirrors for you."

Cindy patiently stands to the side, observing them. Occasionally her eyes survey the parking lot and the various doors of the neighbors.

Nataley lifts her leg and slides into the high seat. It's so soft! Wiggling her ass to get comfortable, she startles when Harry presses a button on the side and the seat moves forward. "Put your foot out like you're stepping on the gas."

Following his direction, she holds up her hand to halt him. "Hang on. Which button is it? Cause I'm going to need to know how to adjust it myself after you drive it."

"Nope."

"What do you mean 'nope'? Why can't I learn to do it?"

"Oh, you can, but it has memory so you can have a preset setting, and I can have one too."

"Holy shit. What a luxury!" Together, she and Harry make the changes to the seat, steering wheel, and mirrors before Harry uses the preset button to save the settings.

"You're number one," he comments.

"You bet your sweet ass I am," she laughs. Cindy clamors into the backseat while the musician moves around the vehicle to the front passenger seat.

"Give me your phone," Harry demands, holding out his hand.

"My phone?"

"Yeah. I want to connect it to the car. You thought your phone was smart before? Just wait until you see what it can do!"

Pressing the start button on the dash, Nat is disappointed when the car won't start. "H? It's broken."

That left dimple reveals his amusement even though he doesn't laugh at her. "Put your foot on the brake and press the button again."

Oh. Duh. Her second attempt turns on the radio and the dash, but she can't hear the engine. "H? Why hasn't the engine started?"

"Love, it's a hybrid so it doesn't make sound."

"A hybrid? So it will save gas?"

"Yep."

"Shit. You don't even have a hybrid. They're expensive."

"It's actually really smart, Nat," Cindy inserts, "You won't have to stop at gas stations very often which is safer for you. You'll be able to choose when it's safe to fill the tank."

"That's brilliant, Cindy! I just meant that it feels extravagant after my old Corolla."

"Ah, yes. I could see that."

Carefully, Nat backs out of the space, and the car makes a sound like a church choir. "What's that?" Bewildered, she scrunches her nose.

"Because the engine is so quiet, they had to add noise so people would know you were backing up. Look at the camera to make sure there's nothing behind you."

Shit. There's a camera? Nataley feels overwhelmed at all of the bells and whistles. But damn, it drives smoothly, and when Harry uses her phone to play music, she's blown away by how amazing the sound system is. Fuck.

As she drives, she watches all around -- more out of fear of wrecking the gorgeous piece of machinery than out of worry they are being followed. Her hypervigilance is worth the stress when Cindy praises her as they pull up to the guard booth at Studio City.

"Nice job, Nat. You stayed attentive the entire drive."

"Thanks." Rolling down her window, Nataley offers her ID badge to the guard. "I've got two guests."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm going to need their IDs too. New rules."

"Oh." Nat waits as Harry and Cindy dig out their driver's licenses.

"Yes. Seems a stalker got past security last week, and the higher-ups want us to tighten up to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"I suppose that's good," Nataley gulps, both relieved at the new expectation while simultaneously embarrassed since she's the victim to which he's referring.

"It's a pain in the ass is what it is. I hope this person we're protecting is worth the hassle." Gruffly he snatches the laminated cards from her hand, copying them before passing them back through the window.

The hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach sours her tongue until Harry rests his hand on her thigh. Biting her lip, she refuses to let the man's rude comments get to her. Pulling forward, she heads towards her usual parking spot before remembering Cindy's advice. Swerving, she chooses a different place in which to maneuver. The fact that the parking spot seems larger and has no car on one side has nothing to do with the change in location. Nope. Nothing at all.

After she exits the car, she hands the key fob to Harry at the rear. "You think you're so smart, don't you?" She accuses him. His smirk verifies her assumption. "Maybe I won't fall in love with it."

"Mhm. Possible of course," Harry comments. "You can also try out a Toyota RAV-4. It's smaller, but the hybrid has several of the same features. Not the fanciest ones, but the safety ones anyway. And it's cheaper." He wraps his arm around her back as he escorts her into the studio, holding the door for both Nat and Cindy. "For the record, I hate that I had to propose keeping our finances separate. It's not a good way to start a marriage."

Nataley's heart leaps in her chest at the word 'marriage'. "Wait. Why did you suggest it then? And why do you think it's a bad idea? And why didn't you say this before?"

Harry glances at her sideways, using his arm behind her back to steer her in the direction of the locker room. "Love, can we talk about this later?" He gestures with his head in Cindy's direction.

"Oh, don't mind me. If you need some privacy, I can step outside in the hallway."

But Nataley recognizes the clear reasons for waiting until later for the conversation. "Tonight," she promises. Or threatens. Even she's not sure which. Although she really would like to understand his point of view. So she makes a mental note to raise the subject again after Noah is in bed and asleep.

"Deal." He glances around the space, and she follows suit. Seeing no one, she's unsurprised when he rests his forearm on the locker to the right of her head as he leans in to plant a kiss on her lips. It feels a bit like high school, and she slides her hands on either side of his tiny waist, squeezing gently as he slips just the tip of his tongue between her lips. Fuck. She wants more. Always. He's her addiction. Disappointment floods her when he pulls away, and she's pleased to note that Cindy has moved to stand in the doorway facing outwards. Another sign that she is the right bodyguard for the job.

"See you later at rehearsals. Jeffrey and Molly are coming by to talk merch, and I'm meeting Tom for lunch to write some music."

Confused, Nataley moves one hand to her side while the other remains resting on his hip. "New music?"

"Love, do you think there's only set times when I write music? It's my job, you know. So I write pretty much all the time."

"I guess I knew that intellectually. Don't know why it surprises me." Reaching up with the hand that had just moments before been at her side, she caresses his cheek. "I love you."

"Good." He raises one side of his mouth so that the dimple is displayed. "See you later."

With that, he excuses himself as he passes Cindy, nodding to the bodyguard once in a statement of appreciation, before he disappears to the writers' room to work on the night's show. True to the new experimental format, Ben only booked two guests for the night. One is Lil Nas X as the musical guest while the other is Anthony Mackie. Should be a great show, and Nat knows that Harry will ask amazing questions.

"Thanks, Cindy." Nataley greatly appreciates the gesture from the other woman.

"Nataley, can I speak honestly?" The bodyguard asks. Nataley gulps, but then agrees with a nod so Cindy continues. "I cannot imagine the hell you've been through. The life of a celebrity's partner is not easy. Having not been part of such a relationship before, I can't speak from personal experience. But..." the woman pauses, glancing at Nataley who encourages Cindy to say more. "I've spent my career around couples in the spotlight. You and Harry -- you've got the right stuff to make it. If you work as partners in everything."

After those words, Nataley stands in front of her, feeling naked. Just as she is about to ask the question on the tip of her tongue, Bethany strides into the locker room.

"NAT! You look amazing! Are you ready for a kick ass show today?" She casts a glance at the other woman in the room, prompting Nataley to introduce the two. "Beth, this is Cindy. She's teaching me how to be my own bodyguard. Cindy, this is my best friend Bethany who just happens to be head makeup artist here at the Late Late Show."

"A bodyguard? Something you want to share with me, Nat? Does this have something to do with that wack-a-doo that was here last week? Was that about you and Harry? Is that why you need to learn bodyguard skills? Do you think the two of you can maybe make a go of it this time around?" Bethany's excitement and her bombardment of questions encourages Nataley to share all of the news.

Grasping her friend's hands, she drags them both to a corner of the locker room, watching over Beth's shoulder as Cindy poses in front of the locker room door without complaint. Reaching inside her shirt, Nataley withdraws the chain with the ring on the end.

"He asked me to marry him," she whisper-screams to her best friend.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"Shhhhh," Nataley shushes her friend. "I haven't said yes yet."

Bethany folds her arms, reaching out with one hand to finger the ring. "Yet? Meaning you're just torturing him until you do say yes?"

"Beth." Nataley rolls her eyes. "I'm not giving him false hope, I promise. And I'm not just stringing him along for my own purposes. It's simply that I want to make sure we've worked out all of our issues this time around."

"Mhm. Fuck. Is that a vintage ring?"

"Yeah," Nat gushes, "He says he's had it for a couple of years. Can you believe that?"

"Of course I can, you ninny. Why the two of you spent the last two years apart is beyond me. But as long as you're going to be together forever, I guess two years apart is a blip in the ocean of time."

With exuberance, Nat pulls her best friend in for a hug. "Thank you, Beth. I know you've always been Team Hataley."

"Hell yes. Now, do I get to be maid of honor? Or is that going to be your sister? Shit. I bet she beats me out. And Harry has a sister. Plus you've got Glenne. And two boss' wives. I must be way down on the list."

Grasping her friend's hands, Nataley attempts to stop the words gushing from Beth. "I haven't decided any of those details. Harry and I have a few big pieces we need to get in place before a wedding date or wedding plans can move forward. Patience, grasshopper."

Bethany grins. "Okay. But I will at least be invited, right?"

"Of course, silly!" Nataley admonishes. "I couldn't get married without you there."

Wrapping her friend in a hug, Beth squeezes hard, whispering in Nataley's ear, "I'm so happy for you. Fuck. You've belonged together forever." Clearing her throat, she pushes herself away from Nataley. "Now let me see that ring for real. The man has amazing taste so I'm confident it's stunning." Holding the ring up to the light, she twists it around, examining everything about the jewelry. "I was right. This, Nataley Zwinger, is the perfect ring for you. That man knows you so well. It must be like sliding into a comfy pair of jeans when you're together."

Nataley contemplates her friend's assessment of the relationship. "Close. We do seem to be quite complementary. Now, let's get this day started, shall we? I've got a workout session planned today with my bodyguard trainer so I'll need to make sure I get all of my work in outside of that hour."

Eyeing Nat, Beth raises an eye. "Sounds like you're making some powerful changes for your future."

"I hope so, Beth."