Her Early Bird

Cameras Flash

Nick laid in bed watching Danica sleep like he'd taken to doing since she never woke up before him. Her long brown hair was spread out over the pillow, the sun hitting it in places making her hair look almost red. Nick was still a little concerned about the woman who'd fallen out of the tree. The fact she'd managed to run away did at least mean she hadn't broken any bones. Nick didn't have a clue as to why she had in been in the tree to begin with, but he wasn't too worried about it. He started reading on his phone as Danica slept beside him. He thought she was about to wake up once or twice, but all she did was snuggle in closer to him. Nick wasn't sure why he was happy to just lay here with her sleeping beside him. He couldn't explain it. Nick usually hated inactivity. He was always working, surfing, or with his family. Doing nothing had never sat well with him, but right now he was quite content with it.

"Urg," Danica mumbled as she finally woke up. She opened her eyes and Nick gazed for a moment into those warm brown irises.

"Good morning," Nick said, laughing slightly at the grumpy way she always woke up.

"At least you're here," she sighed. "Then it might be a good morning."

"I have never met such a anti-morning person before," Nick chuckled as he kissed her.

"We prefer the term night owl," Danica replied, but she was smiling from his kiss.

"What do you want to do today?" Nick asked.

"Actually," Danica said, suddenly serious as she sat up and faced him on the bed. "There is something I need to tell you."

Nick froze. He'd known this would happen, had always known it would end like this. She was going to break up with him, not that they were technically dating at all. A million reasons for her rejection flashed in his mind, from his living with his parents, to him being bad in bed.

"I've thought about telling you a few times before," Danica said awkwardly. Anxiety replaced serenity in his chest, as Nick stared at her, breathing hard. "I hope it doesn't change anything."

"You're freaking me out," Nick confessed, standing up and moving away as if the physical distance would save him from whatever she was going to say.

A sudden loud knock on the door held her words back, and before Nick could even turn to see who it was, that person had barged into the room.

"Sorry to just burst in like this, but there is a wall of people on their way to do the same. Oh hello, sorry, I was expecting Dani." The man was shorter than Nick, but clearly older with a bald spot on his head. He seemed rather surprised to find Nick standing before him. Nick guessed the man was in his forties or fifties, with light brown hair, and an oval shaped face.

"No Dani here," Nick replied. "You have the wrong room." The man however ignored him, looking past Nick now to the rest of the room. When he saw Danica, the man stepped around Nick to face her.

"I came as soon as I heard the rumors, but I did not beat the paparazzi," the man told Danica. "I swear those people have like a sixth sense about such things. It's only slightly creepy. Though I do confess, even I have no idea why you are staying in a two star motel. I thought for sure you'd be staying at the Wickaninnish Inn. Anyway what am I saying. No time for chit chat. Cameras, reporters, let's go. Maybe you could climb out the window?"

"There was a lady in the window this morning," Nick said stunned. "With a camera. She fell."

"Yes that doesn't surprise me," the man sighed. "Short of them literally walking through walls, nothing they do surprises me these days."

"I'm so sorry Nick," Danica spoke for the first time since the stranger arrived. She had gotten out of bed and was walking toward him. "This is what I was trying to tell you."