Short Story: [Emberfate] Caller Display

Hey everyone! 

Sorry this took so long. I've been busy getting the alpha build of the first few chapters of Lyrissa's route ready -- which, by the way, will be released next month for all Patrons of $15 tier and above! So keep an eye out if you plan on staying around for another month! 

Anyway, here's a short story of Emberfate -- this time, a story of Nathan with the theme of cute pet names! 

Thank you so much for the support, and I hope you all enjoy this!

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"I'm heading out now! I'll call you when I get there." Nathan's voice carries through the hall to reach you in your office, where you're staring in frustration at the computer screen before you. 

Upon hearing your boyfriend's call, you snap out of your concentration, turning your head towards the door to yell back. "Okay, have fun, and tell your sister I said hi! Love you!" 

"Love you too!" You can hear the smile in his voice before it's followed by the sound of the front door closing.

Your brows pinch slightly as a small nagging feeling haunts the back of your mind — the telltale sign that you've forgotten something you're supposed to remember. But after racking your brain in vain for a minute, you can only give a light shrug and assume that whatever it was was clearly not important enough.

Lifting your arms in a small stretch, you return your attention to your current task — but it doesn't take long before your head snaps up again. A small curse escapes your lips as the forgotten thought pops back into your mind — you just realized earlier that you've run out of hand soap in the bathroom, and you were planning to ask Nathan to pick some up from the store on his way back home from dinner with his sister. 

You reach for the phone resting on your desk, easily dialing Nathan's number. As you lean back on your chair and wait, you're startled by the very familiar sound of Nathan's ringtone — coming from your shared bedroom further down the hall. 

Damn, did Nathan forget his phone? 

You jump up and head into the bedroom to investigate, and sure enough, you spot his cell phone on the nightstand, still plugged in from where it was charging earlier. You sigh with an indulgent shake of your head — it's just like Nathan to forget something as essential as his phone, especially after promising to call her too. 

You draw closer to reach for his phone, intending to check if it's fully charged and take it to the front of the house in case he discovers his mistake and doubles back for it. Then you pause, seeing the caller's name written boldly across his screen — the call that you have yet to hang up on in your quest to locate his forgotten phone. 

Sunshine. 

It takes a moment for it to click in your head. And as the unexpected discovery sinks in, an uncontrollable smile spreads across your face. 

Is that his secret pet name for you? One that he's apparently set your contact name to on his phone? 

As you ponder upon what you can do with this delightful piece of information, noises from the front door catches your attention. A moment later, you hear the door creaking open, along with Nathan's now very out of breath voice. "I forgot my phone! Sorry, can you help me find where it is?" 

"I have it here! You forgot you left it charging in our bedroom. Here, I'll bring it out for you." Quickly unplugging his phone, you hurry down the hall to where Nathan is waiting by the front door. 

"You're a lifesaver. Thank you for saving me from my idiocy." He leans in for a small kiss as you hand him the phone, which he pockets safely this time. 

"No problem. Gotta live up to my reputation of being your sunshine, you know?" You grin at him, watching his eyes widen as your words register in your head and eliciting a gasp from him.

"W-what — h-how did you know —" He splutters, a flush rising to his cheeks. "Argh, damn it. You called my phone and saw, didn't you?" 

You're suddenly uncertain if you've messed up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snoop or anything. I was calling to ask you to buy some hand soap on the way home since we ran out, then I heard your phone ringing from our bedroom. I shouldn't have looked." 

Nathan sighs, quickly pulling you into his arms for a hug as reassurance — and perhaps, also to hide his expression from your sight. "No, don't worry, I'm not mad at you. I know it was an accident. I'm just... " his voice sounds muffled as he presses his face further against your head, "embarrassed."

"Hey, I think it's cute! You don't have to be embarrassed over that." You wrap your arms around his waist, rubbing circles on his back with your thumb as comfort. 

"It's cheesy, that's what it is!" He breathes out a laugh, shaking his head gently. "I should have seen this happening. I was going to change your contact name on my phone before we got together in real life, but... I guess I grew attached to it."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with a healthy dose of cheesiness now and then." You pull back from the embrace to look him in the eyes with a smile, hoping to assuage some of his insecurities that are rearing their ugly heads again. "And in fact, I dare say I love your type of cheesiness and your pet name, just like I love you." 

He gazes back at you deeply before leaning forward to press his lips to yours, expressing his affection and delight in ways that words can't convey. "I love you too. I'm... glad you don't think I'm too cheesy and cringey." 

"I would never." You give him another firm kiss to punctuate the sentence and emphasize the declaration. "Now you should probably go, or you'll be late, and I'm sure your sister will have your head if that happens again." 

"Okay, okay, you're right. Sorry. I'll be home as soon as I can — and don't worry, I won't forget to buy the soap." He smiles at you again before turning to pull the front door open. "Have fun tonight without me. I'll miss you, sunshine."