"Hey, do you want something to drink?" Bruce asks me, interrupting Sammy and I's stare down, a can of beer in his hand. I'm about to politely decline when Sammy interjects from the other couch. "Don't you remember? She doesn't drink. She's too innocent for that." Technically she's doing me a favor, but it's the way that she stresses the word innocent, venom dripping from her mouth, that I know that she didn't say it to be nice.
"It's not that," I say, sending a glare towards Sammy. "It's just that I'm going to be driving back so I shouldn't drink."
"It's okay, you can drink," Nick says, looking up at me from the ground. "I can drive home."
"I appreciate the offer, but I no one should be driving drunk. No matter how good you think you are at it."
He rolls his eyes at me. "I'm obviously not going to drink if you're in the car." My heart grows warm at the sentiment and how much he cares about my safety. But then I remember how little he cares for his own safety and those on the road, and I just get angry at him. But before I can start my usual rant, he cuts me off.
"And I already no what you're thinking, I've heard you say how stupid drinking and driving is a hundred times over so no, I'm not going to do it anymore." A triumphant smile wears on my face, finally happy that I've gotten to him, but Bruce wear's one of disbelief.
"What the hell has gotten into you?" he gawks. "Might as well put yourself on an ice ccream sundae with a cherry on top because you are absolutely whipped." Nick's face turns a deep red as he picks up a pillow from the couch and whips it at Bruce, earning a laugh from Bruce. "Shut up," he mutters.
My face is a similar shade as his, and Nick is intentionally looking anywhere but at me. Part of me is thankful, because seeing him would only make my embarrassment worse, but part of me is also curious. Does he feel the same way? I know that being whipped is supposed to be a bad thing, but is it so bad for him to care deeply about me?
All these thoughts swim around my head as I feel Sammy also clamp up beside me, stricken by Bruce's comments as well. She must really have feelings for him, feelings that are impossible to get over. And after spending time with Nick, I can understand why. Once he lets you in, chooses to let you get to know him, you want him all to yourself. Maybe that's why I didn't want to go out tonight, because I don't want to share him. It's selfish, I know, but I just can't help it when it comes to him, and apparently, neither can Sammy.
Blair and Sammy float into a conversation on their plans for the weekend. Apparently, they have tickets for a country concert that they have been dying to go to since forever. The boys, on the other hand, talk about the latest basketball game, a sport that I could be anything but interested in.
Stuck in between two conversations that I have nothing to contribute, I can't help but feel awkward. These are his friends, not mine, and it obviously shows. I stick out like a sore thumb.
I take out my phone and fiddle with it, as I always do in awkward situations, when it begins to vibrate. When I look down and see the caller ID, my blood runs cold.
Crap.
It's Jack.
Ever since Nick and I kissed, he hadn't even crossed my mind. It wasn't like we were official or anything. Jack had told me that he wasn't ready for a relationship, but we were supposed to go to the Summer Fling dance together once I came back to Ohio. We both acknowledged that we had some sort of feelings for each other, seemingly me more than him. But in the end, we knew that once he was ready for commitment we would date and make it official. But now, here I was with Nick, and thoughts of Jack long behind me.
I quickly press to ignore his call before anyone sees, but I'm too late. Sammy peers over my shoulder, and once she reads the caller ID, a sly smirk transcribes on her face.
Oh no. This is going to be bad.
"Oh wow," she says in an unnecessarily loud voice, catching the attention of Nick. I can see his ears perk up below me.
Please Sammy, don't.
I silently plead for her to stop with my gaze, but when a mischievous flicker sparks in her eye, I know that my begging is pointless.
"Jack is so sweet for calling you so often. How are two doing anyways? You guys sounded so sweet together the last time we talked."
Nick's body stiffens.
No, no, no. This isn't fair. Just when things were going good between us. Why did he have to call now, with Sammy right here?
Nick pretends to listen to the boys' conversation, but I can tell that he's tuned out. His body is visibly shaking, and I can feel the anger radiating off of him. I can't say that I blame him either. This looks bad, really bad, and hearing it from Sammy instead of me couldn't make it any better.
"I'm going to go get some water in the kitchen," he mumbles, pushing himself up from the ground and leaving. I can tell just from the waver of his voice that he's upset.
"What's wrong?" Sammy whispers, her tone much quieter now. "Should I not have said anything?" Her fake sincerity is enough to make me want to punch her in the face, but instead I turn towards Bruce.
"Where's your bathroom?" I ask, and he points down towards a hallway on the right. But once I'm out of their sight I switch directions, making a beeline for the kitchen. When I find Nick, he's leaning against the fridge, raking his hand through his hair.
"Nick?" I ask, slowly walking towards him. "Are you okay?"
He doesn't look in my direction. "You should go."
His tone is icy, and I try to swallow the lump forming in my throat. This is the old Nick coming out, the cold one who refuses to show anyone how he feels. I don't know if I can handle dealing with that Nick anymore, especially after what has happened between us.
"No," I decide. "I'm not leaving until you know the truth. Which is that absolutely nothing is going on between me and Jack."
He rolls his eyes. "Really? Is that why he's calling you? Because I don't remember him being just nothing when you were gushing about just how perfect he was a week ago."
"But that was before," I say, taking a step closer to him.
"Before what?"
I'm face to face with him now, and close enough to see the hurt in his eyes. Hurt that I have caused.
"Before us."
He stays silent. "I promise you that the moment we kissed that night, all of my feelings for Jack melted away." I try to grab his hands, but he pulls his away from mine.
Oh no. I've lost him.
"I want to believe you Leighton, but I can't."
"Why?" I plead. This can't be the end of us.
"Because it doesn't make sense!" he snaps, taking a step away from me.
"It doesn't make sense that you have the perfect guy right in front of you, who comes without any strings and complications, and you're choosing me. You know that you would actually have to be insane to do that, right? Feelings don't just disappear overnight."
At first, I'm shocked by his response, by the passion in his voice. But after, I'm just saddened. Saddened by the fact that he couldn't be further from the truth. I stare into his eyes, wanting him to know how truly I mean this.
"Then call me crazy, because if I had to choose between you or a hundred other guys Nick, I'd always choose you. And maybe I'd be lying if I said that those feelings for Jack are gone completely. But I can say that what I feel for you is a million times more." My eyes shine with sincerity because, I realize, everything that I'm saying is true. No matter who it is, I will always choose Nick.
He doesn't respond. I wait in agony. Please just say something. I beg. Anything at all.
But he doesn't.
All my doubts about myself resurface. But before I can give them any thought, he pulls me close, and within a blink of an eye his lips are on mine. Electricity flows between us, and no matter how many times we kiss, I don't think that the effect he has on me will ever die down. When he pulls away, I'm breathless, feeling as if I'm floating above the ground.
"I'll never be the guy you deserve," he says, his hand on my cheek, "but I'll spend forever trying to be."
Without even thinking, I press my lips back against his.
"You're everything that I've ever wanted. Just as you are," I say, and he pulls me into yet another kiss that is impossibly better.