Dog Tags

Chapter 25

Quinn's POV

I feel warmth on my hand as I look down and notice that Nick has his hand over mine, "Thank you for the movie and for the ride home Nick, it was nice actually kind of nice to hang outwith you." Nick lets out a soft chuckle as he removes his hand from mine and the second he does I find myself missing his warmth. "It was nice hanging out with someone that would rather get to know me first than pass judgement on me from what other people say." This makes me unable to control myself and my curiosity side. "Nick, I know that you might not want to talk about it, but what is it about you that all my friends feel the need to give me this warning that you are bad news and to not associate myself with the likes of you?" Nick pushes his hair back and from the look on his face I see confliction.

"I just have a certain reputation that I can't escape from." That vague answer doesn't really tell me what I want to know, but I fear that if I push him to hard on the subject that he might lose his temper like he did outside the nail salon. "Up until I found out Emery and you were close I didn't hear anything about you, but now since we around each other a lot everyone is telling me to basically run as fast as I can in the opposite direction." Nick's grip on the steering wheel gets tighter almost like Nick is snap it in half, "If you are thinking that I had a troublesome childhood filled with abusive and stuff like that then you are wrong, I had a great childhood it wasn't and is wasn't until I went onto college that I got my reputation that haunts me till this day."

I am starting to figure out what buttons not to push when it comes to Nick and there are a lot, and I am channeling grandma Etta when I say that I think whatever happened during his time in college Nick has some issues that here fusing to deal with. "I never thought that at all Nick, but from what saw today I can see that there is something that you are not facing, and I am just guessing that it has to do with something that happened at college." I hear the familiar sound of a dark growl letting me know that enough is enough. "I am sorry for stepping over any lines." Nick takes a deep breath shaking his head,

"I just don't like talking about my past, I have tried to overcome it but when I seem on the edge of making peace with it someone or something is right there to remind me." I give him a weak smile as I lean over giving him a kiss on his cheek, "Take it one day at a time." I say to him before I step out of the car grabbing my purse and slinging over my shoulder, but as I just reach my front door I hear Nick call my name and he runs up to me, "Yeah?" I ask kind of wanting to get inside and call it a night. "You forgot your phone in my middle console." I sigh taking my phone and putting in my pocket. "Thank you." Nick places his hands in his pockets and starts swaying from side to side, 

"Those plans you mentioned, it wouldn't be a weekend of Halloween movies at Chris Reigns house, would it?" I look at him for moment thinking of how he could have known but then it dawns on me that Nick and I share some friends in common,"Who told you about it?" Nick gives me a look like he is surprised that I don't already know who told him, "Emery told me, he it might do me some good to be around a more positive environment, even if I think my friend Chase's house is more my weekend style." Just when I think I am starting to get a clue on how Nick is he says something like that and raises more questions that I want answered.

"I assume that you are going to be there?" Nick nods his head with a sly but playful smile on his face, "I wasn't planning on going, but now that I know you are going to be there, I think that I will be able to stomach it." I shake my head at him knowing that he is kind of insulating my friends but after what they say about him I have to say that feeling is mutual. "Why don't you bring Nikki?" Nick lets out a huge laugh as he grips his stomach, "Nikki hates scary movies, she just like to dress up in a costume and spend the night partying then to truly celebrate the real meaning of the spookiest holiday of the year."I feel that the more I get to know Nick the more I feel myself falling for him because we have so much in common, but I still can't be sure that everything he is telling me true because he might be just saying to fool me.

"Some people don't care about the history of the holiday, they celebrate it in their own ways." Nick nods his head as he takes his hands out of his pockets, "It is getting late, and if I am not in this house by the time the street lights come on my dad is going to have a search party looking for me." I lower my head feeling nervous but also feeling that raging fire spread through my body that seems to only happen when Nick is around. Nick steps in front of me as his shadow overlaps mine and he gently places his hand under my chin and raises it so our eyes meet just like in the movie from tonight.

"Here's looking at you, kid." Nick repeats the famous line from the movie as he leans down while I lean up and our lips met in the middle for a tender but passionate kiss.