That morning when I got to school, I didn’t need a mirror to know that my hair was a mess. I could barley keep my eyes open and I couldn’t think strait. To put it in simpler terms, I felt like something my cat dragged in.
“Wow Nickkie, really?” Jenny looked at me. I looked back at her.
“I know. I feel like I got hit by a bus” I said as I closed my locker. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept have nightmares about you-know-what”. I explained.
“It must’ve been one sick dream” she assumed.
“You don’t know the half of it. It was graduation and when they were calling out what schools everyone was going to, the principle just handed me a diploma with a huge ring on it. When I turned to look at the audience they were all wearing dresses and tuxes. I looked back up to the principle and there was Leo looking at me and all he said ‘I may now kiss the bride’” I said shuddering. I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to erase the image.
“One can only hope that this is as much torture for him as it is for me” I said combing the knots out of my hair. Just then, I saw Leo walking with Kat down the hallway with his arm around her shoulder. She gave me her daily dirty look and he looked at me. He winked at me and I looked away. They stopped in front of us.
“Wow, Nicole you look you came to school on a hurricane” she said with a sneer.
“Thanks, it’s a new look I’m trying out” I said sarcastically. I may be forced to marry her boyfriend, but there was NO way I was going to let her get the best of me. “You know Kathrine I really admire how you don’t care how you look. Letting that mustache of yours grow out is so empowering.” I said being snarky. I saw Leo try to stifle a snicker. Kathrine looked uneasy and walked away. He followed after her and looked back at me casually. It was definitely the wrong day to press my buttons.
“Something tells me he might be handling this a little better than you are” Jenny pointed out.
“No dip Sherlock” I said laughing. Jenny did the same.
“How long before you’re confined to the condo” she asked me.
“Not that I’m looking forward to it, but it happens this Friday.” I cringed.
“What are you doing about, you know, sleeping arrangements?” Jenny asked. I blushed a little. That was a good question. I didn’t answer. I didn't want to think about it. I was litterally going to be sleepin with the enemy, or i guess the enemy's boyfriend. I just started on my way to English class. “I’ll text you later” I said leaving.
The day had come. The day that I moved in with Leo. I had to admit I had always imagined my first independent move to be when I was in college, but life goes on. Granted, this sucked like really thick milkshake, but what could I do? I was bounded to this guy because my grandfather had screwed me over before I was born.
“Home sweet home” Leo said standing next to me with suitcases. He looked at me and I grabbed my things as proceeded towards our new home. When I opened the door of our condo and I wasn’t half bad. It really was a place I could get used to. The butter pecan color on the wall made it look like warm. “Wanna check out the bedroom?” Leo asked slyly. I broke my silence and stepped away from him like a scared bunny.
“I’ll have the to pass.” I said not wanting to show how flustered he really made me. I looked square in the face and asked “Why are you acting so casual about this” “Last week you were just upset about this as I am.”He didn’t say anything. “You know what” I said to him. “I think you’re happy about this” he looked at me like I was crazy.
“You think I’m happy about having my free will to marry who I want taken away from me” he asked back.
“Well you haven’t given me any other emotion. What else am I supposed to think?” I retaliated. “Or are you just trying to make sure that the door is wide open for Kathrine?” I asked him.
“I never said that.”He argued. “It could be anybody, but I certainly didn’t think it would happen like this” he said to me. I looked away.
“Then why are you acting like this is kind of thing happens all the time” I asked not sure of what the answer would be.
“Fine. You really want to know why I haven’t been sulking around?” he asked. I nodded. “I figured that the two of us are stuck with each other for VEARY long time so we might as well make the best of it.” He explained to me and walked to the window. For the first time since this whole thing had started, I felt like I understood him a little better, but I couldn’t help but feel like there was something else that he wasn’t telling me. I walked up behind him and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“I promise I won’t tell her. No matter how much she pisses me off” I said shrugging my shoulders.
“Thanks” he said looking at me. I leaned on him. He then turned his body and held me close to his chest. My eyes widened a little but I quickly made sure not to let him see my facial expression.
Later that night, I was sitting on the couch watching Glee. We had decided that we would take turns sleeping in the bed with a game of “rock, paper, scissors”.When I heard the floorboards creek, I looked up and saw that Leo had just stepped out of the shower and was only in a towel. I tried not to look, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Don’t tell me you’re watching?” he said to me. I mentally slapped myself and came to my senses.
“Huh” I said I was a little flustered. I quickly ripped my gaze away from his six-pack.
“This. My sister loves “Glee” and is always singing it around the house. I’m pretty sure that she has songs from every CD” he said toweling off his hair.
“I love this show and I bet I can get you watching too” I told him slyly.
“I doubt it, but you’re on. You have 3 weeks. Loser has to do what ever the winner says for three whole days” he said. It seemed like a little much over a TV show, but I loves me a challenge so I took him up on it. He reached out to shake my hand but I shook my hand.
“You gotta make an ‘L’ with you fingers and put it up to your forehead” I laughed. He rolled his eyes and did as I told.
“Whatever” he said as he began to stand up and return to the bathroom. It kind of happened fast so I didn’t notice until it was too late. Leo’s towel had gotten pushed down in between the seat cushions so it was pulled loose from around his waist and the next thing that either one of us knew, Leo’s towel was on the floor.
“OH LORD!!!!” I shouted and covered my face and fell backwards so that I was lying down on the couch. I heard Leo running to the bathroom. All I wanted was sit down and watch Kevin McHale sing P.Y.T and I got face full of Leo Reynolds’ back side and a few other things. “Ahhhhh my eyes!” I shouted.
“Don’t act like you didn’t like it!” I heard him from the other room. “I can never erase that image!” I said to myself.
The next morning, Jenny bombarded me with questions about my first night in the condo. We were walking in the park by her house when we she asked “What happened?” she asked anxiously. I made my mission not to tell her about the towel incident.
“It was okay.” I told her not meeting her gaze. “Don’t say a word” I kept repeating in my head.
“You know in a way you have Kathirne in palm of your hands” she told me. I looked over at her.
“What do you mean” I asked.
“Well in the matter of one sentence, you could completely ruin her by saying that you are eng...” she started but I covered her mouth.
“Don’t say it” I interrupted her. “I hear what you are saying but I can’t; I promised Leo” I explained.
“Awe. You two are exchanging promises. Stage one” she said with a smile. I looked over at her and tried to hide the laugh that was coming. “Besides, it’s better that you don’t tell her. You know what they say: ‘Ignorance is bliss”. She told me.
“In Kathrine’s case, there’s a lot of bliss” I said and we shared a laugh.
“Have you thought about what you want for your birthday?” you’ve only got two weeks until you get the big 18.” She asked. “Maybe we can get your husband to jump out of a cake” she teased and I gave her a little push. “Oh come on, I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you see him naked” she said laughing. I blushed.
“I already did” I said covering my face and started laughing hysterically. Jenny then shouted and I thought for that the two of would die laughing standing there in the park.
“We need more laundry detergent” I said to Leo later that night when I was standing in front the dryer.
“That and a few other things” he told me. “Let’s go to the store” he suggested.
I looked at him. “You mean like together” I asked.
“Uh, yeah.” He said sarcastically while shaking his keys. “I mean if you trust me alone with a shopping list, then that’s your risk” he said joking. I smiled and grabbed his keys from his hand. “Gimme back my keys woman” he said chasing after me as I headed out the door.
The two of us were walking down the aisles looking at different things. We noticed an elderly man and woman walking past us.
“Do you remember when we were young and in love, Frank” the lady asked her what I assumed was her husband. He nodded as he took and kissed her hand. We looked at each other. We both blushed a little and quickly looked away. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something. Perhaps I should say someone. I looked so I could get a better look and I wasn’t mistaken. What I saw made my heart sink.