Loverboy

Gemma sighed as she set her phone down on the table beside her. She rubbed her forehead tiredly. Jayne had decided to take a personal day, leaving Gemma swamped under a heavy load of paperwork; which Tom had somehow talked her out of doing and instead told her to come watch the guys in the studio. She agreed reluctantly, and grabbed her phone following Tom across the hall and sat down in the pale brown couch against the wall.

William had taken Gemma out to dinner again. This time they were able to enjoy the time they had together without any interruptions as Gemma had made sure not to tell a soul as to her whereabouts. William was completely charming as he swept Gemma off her feet. He'd taken her to dinner and then to a play, where they held hands the entire time before he finally took her home, giving her what she could describe as possibly the best kiss of her life.

Gemma felt the cushion next to her sink and looked over to see Nathan sitting next to her. She smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Nathan noticed, but chose not to ask about it as he had learned his place last time he became curious. "What's up?" He asked nonchalantly, as he played with his phone.

"Tired. I was out with William all night." Gemma replied, a stupid grin beginning to spread across her face. "He's simply amazing." She gushed. Nathan's face twisted into a scowl as he began to hit the buttons on his phone harder. She noticed and grabbed his hand. "Nathan!" She chided softly. "Any harder and your thumb is gonna go through the screen."

Nathan stared at their hands. Hers felt cold, yet soft against his warm calloused hands. Both trying to ignore the tingly sensation. Gemma cleared her throat and pulled her hand away leaving Nathan's hand laying there open and awkward. He frowned as he watched her reach for phone and begin to read something before typing away furiously.

She groaned out of frustration before tossing her phone on the table. "You alright?" Nathan asked, geniunely concerned.

She let out a long sigh and rubbed her eyes, not seeming to care about any makeup she might have just smudged. "Hennessey just bailed on our plans again." She answered, the annoyance evident in her tone. "I've been here nearly a month and everytime we make plans to go sight seeing she bails."

Nathan watched her expression drop into such a frown as she talked. He wanted to do something to make things better. Something that would make her smile. Then it came to him. "I'll take you."

Her eyes snapped open and she turned to look at him. "Really?" She asked, excitedly.

"Yeah." He nodded, smiling at her. "It'll be great. I'll take you to all the best spots about London."

"Nathan! You're the best!" She squealed, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much!" Nathan nervously wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the way she felt against him.

***

Nathan kept his promise and showed her all the sights of London; Buckingham Palace, The Eye, Westminster. They did touristy things such as bother the Buckingham Palace guards, recreate the infamous Beatles walk across Abbey Road. Gemma was rather enjoying herself with Nathan, seeming to relax into a sort of comfort that she wasn't used to with other guys.

"Oh, I'm exhausted!" Gemma exclaimed, rubbing at her feet as they sat down on a deserted bench.

"I'm sure wearing those shoes don't help much." He joked, nodding at her four inch heels.

"Hey," She hit him lightly. "Don't hate."

Nathan laughed and shook his head. "I've got one more place I wanna show you." He said nudging his shoulder against hers.

"There's more?" She looked at him incredously.

"Only if you want." He replied, narrowing his eyes at her. "I must tell you though, it's a super secret place." He leaned in and looked at her seriously.

"Oh?" She leaned in, trying to control her growing smile. "I like secrets."

He smiled suggestively, then boldly took her hand and led her down the road a ways. He led her through the park. They passed a small pond where a couple kids were playing and moms sat idly watching. He pushed through some bushes and came to another side of the park was, from what Gemma could guess, unknown as it was completely deserted.

"What is this place?" Gemma asked, slightly amazed by its vacancy. In front of her stood a small fountain with a statue of what she guessed was Peter Pan. Around the sculpture were two benches and plenty of lush gardens.

"I found it when I was about seven." Nathan started, as he walked over and sat on the bench. He leaned forward, supporting himself by placing his elbows on his legs and clasping his hands together. Gemma circled the statue waiting for him to continue. "Mum never took us into the city much, but when she did I wanted to explore every inch of it. That's when I stumbled upon this place." Gemma sat beside him, listening intently now. "Mum went mental when she found me." Nathan laughed to himself as he thought of the memory.

"It's great." Gemma smiled at him. "It's away from the bustle of the city. It's peaceful." Gemma looked at her surroundings. It was quiet. She could just barely hear the faint sounds of the city which seemed just miles away. A sort of calm came over her. For the first time in a long time she felt like she could breathe and just enjoy life.

"You ready to go?" Nathan asked after a couple of minutes in comfortable silence.

Gemma shook her head. "Not yet." For the first time Gemma was able to hear herself think. Something she had been avoiding since moving. But instead of being overwhelmed, she felt like maybe she could begin to unwind and possibly move on.

Gemma took a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I like it here." She said. "I don't think I found a place like this in New York." Nathan looked at her, becoming aware of how close they were. "Though I never had the time either. Modeling isn't just about looking pretty in front of the camera. You know, there's always gonna be some girl who's taller than you, has better bone structure than you, is way skinnier than you." Gemma couldn't stop herself, the words just flowing out of her mouth like water. And oddly enough, she felt a wave of relief. "All the constant go sees, and I never got anywhere. When Maxim discovered me I took her, just thankful to have something. Even if it meant compromising my morals. I was just so desperate to break through, and sure it was a serious ego boost. But I don't know. I wanted more. I wanted to be taken seriously."

Nathan hung on to her every word, feeling like he was being let in on her biggest secret. Gemma took a shaky breath, and he put his hand on her back trying to provide some form of comfort; letting her know she could trust him. That he was there for her.

"It was really intimidating. All those leggy, rail thin girls. That's what The agencies wanted. So...so I began to make myseld throw up. Throwing up soon turned into skipping a meal here and there. Which escalated into not eating at all. It seemed like the only thing I was able to control. All I downed was water, but girls were commenting on how skinny I had gotten. How tiny my waist was. I finally booked a serious job, my first runway during fashion week. And I fucked it up. I passed out from dehydration and exhaustion. No one even cared that I was lying unconscious on the floor. The designer bitched about how I ruined the show. My friends and sister worried about me, and all I could think of was how many crunches I was would have to do that night to work off the calories from the protein bar I had just consumed."

Gemma looked at Nathan with sad eyes. "My six year old niece told me she wanted to be just like me when she grew up. It was like a slap across my face." She pulled her hand away and wiped furiously at her eye. "I was so ashamed. So ashamed that my beautiful niece was willing to destroy her body because she wanted to be just like me. I hated what I was becoming. But I just couldn't stop. I wanted to be perfect. My sister finally forced me into rehab. I owe her my life completely." Gemma shook her head. "I would be dead if it wasn't for them."

"Gemma." Nathan said, brushing some hair out of her face.

Gemma let out a heavy sigh. "That was alot to dump on someone." She let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that."

"Look, Gemma. Don't feel like you can't ever tell me anything. I'm always here for you. Got it?" Nathan looked at her with such seriousness. Gemma knew that he would be true to his word.

"Thank you." She said simply. She dropped her gaze and noticed her small hands enclosed within his, but didn't pull away like she normally would. "Just don't tell anyone, ya?"

"Hey. I can keep a secret." He smiled reassuredly. And for the first time in a long time, Gemma felt safe.