____________________________________________________
I turn the key in the lock that afternoon, finally managing to leave Brian's after an amazing time. "Natalie" I yell "I'm home"
"Hey you!" I call down from the top of the stairs
I hear her from upstairs, so I walk into the hall and head towards her. "Have no fear, I'm here" I say smiling
Laughing, "Oh yeah, it's Super Charlie to the rescue! "
"Well, I don't think I'm super, but thanks anyway" I reply
"Welcome. I am so nervous about tonight. What if I do something stupid, like the last time?"
"There's no need to be nervous hun. It's not like you're declaring your love to one another" I pause. "Well, not yet anyway" I tease "You won't do anything stupid. We're gonna make you look so stunning that you'll be calming Nick's nerves down"
Giving her a weak smile, I flop onto my bed and sigh. "Am I doing to right thing? What if I don't end up feeling anything for him and end up hurting him again? I would feel horrible"
"You can't go on the what-if's, and I know you don't wanna hurt Nick again and yeah he'll have to deal with it, if you don't feel anything for him. But on the other hand, this could be the start of something great. All it takes is one special moment"
"Yeah, I guess. I gotta stop thinking about it or it'll ruin everything. So, how's Brian?"
"I...uhh...Brian's good. Yeah, Brian's good" I reply a little quickly
“Do I sense a little umm... hesitation? Did, ummm something happen that I should know about?"
"Oh, well.., you know, we just hung out" I say casually
"Yeah, uh huh... sure. Whatever you say, Charlie..."
I give her a sheepish smile. "Ok ok, you win" I say defeated. "We, umm...slept together"
"Well, I figured something that like happened. But, I thought you weren't ready for that big of a commitment yet. "
"At first I wasn't, but then he said that he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to control himself, when we fool around and it got me thinking" I pause. "Don't be scared of it. It might be overwhelming at first, but each day gets better, as you grow with each other and share in the love that you both share. "
"Now, that you've heard my gossip, lets get back to you. Are you gonna wear that outfit?"
"You mean the outfit we got at the mall? Yeah, I was thinking about it. I don't even know where we are going. So, dress casual would be okay, I guess. Right?"
"Well, yeah. Hell you'd look fab in anything and I'm pretty sure Nicky would agree too"
"Oh, I don't know... Baggy sweats and a sweatshirt aren't too sexy"
"Satin pj's and red underwear works the best" I tease
" Oh well, I'm sure it does. But he isn't getting that lucky" I giggle
"I dunno. He might be very persuasive"
Laughing, ”You keep dreaming..." and walk into the bathroom to take a quick shower.
"Thanks, I will"
Fifteen minutes later, I walk out the bathroom, refreshed and ready to primp. As I let my hair towel dry, I applied a little bit of makeup. Walking down the hall, I popped my head into Charlie's room.
"Why don't you wear it scrunchy with some moose in. Keeps the look casual then"
"Ok, so down and simple. Alrighty.." Ten minutes later, I'm finished and slip into my sandals and just lazy around
"Hey, I'm gonna make some pasta. You want any?" I call out as I head downstairs.
"Sure, thanks. Oh and don't forget the cheese on top!" I yell back
"I won't..." I promise as I happily cook away, humming to myself
Coming back down, I proceed into the kitchen to her help her, but it seems that she's got everything pretty much done. Instead, I grab some plates and set the table.
"I'm actually scared by how much I love him"
"Hey.. how should I put this mop up?"
I arrive at Natalie's as instructed by Charlie and ring the doorbell. As I wait for an answer, I quickly smooth over my shirt and jeans
"Nat, can you get that, please?" I ask as I drop a pan
"Yeah, sure" and walk out of the kitchen. As I opened the door, I was surprised to see Nick standing there.
"Umm hi, Nick.."
"Hey, Natalie" I smile at her. "I'm a little early, I know"
"That's ok. Come on in.."
"Thanks. You like nice" I say giving her another smile
"Thank you. And, so do you.." as I take in the dark jeans and the blue shirt, which complimented his eyes. I smile back at him and turn slightly from him.
" Hey, Charlie. Nick's here".
"Oh, he is? Wow ,he's early. Hi, Nick" I shout from the kitchen
"Hey, Charlie" I call back
I come out of the kitchen and tilt my head slightly. "I was just cooking some pasta for me and Natalie. There's some left over, if you haven't eaten already"
"Yeah, come join us and we can go afterwards.."
“Thanks, that would be great"
"Bye, Charlie. I'll be back later" I say as we were walking out the door.
"Bye guys. Have fun" I call out and settle down to watch a movie
Once we're in the car, I start the engine and turn to her. I lean in and kiss her on the cheek". I wanted to do that at the door" I tell her
"Well, why didn't you?" I say with a giggle
"Because, I like to keep some things a surprise" I reply and wink at her
"Yeah well, what else might you be hiding?"
"I'll let you find that out for yourself". I turn the radio on, but keep the volume down, so we can still talk
"So, where are we headed?"
"Just some place I've wanted to go, since we made the video for Everybody" I say
"What, a haunted mansion? Plan to scare me, do you?"
"Well, if I did, I'd be right there to hold you. So, that's not a bad idea"
"Who's to say that I would get scared?" I say with a smirk
"I'd think of something, trust me" I stick my tongue out at her, as I pull into a parking lot. I climb out and go to open her door.
"Thank you" looking into his eyes and smiling
I decide to take things a step further. I take her hand in mine and lead her into the main street. Considering it's a Sunday night, there's a great atmosphere. All the restaurants and bars are lit up and thriving.
I jump slightly at the touch of his hand on mine, but it actually felt kinda nice. As we strolled down the street, everything was buzzing and it just made for a great night on the town.
"It's only a few more minutes" I promise, giving her hand a small squeeze. Finally, I stop.
"Well, here we are"
Seeing the theater right in front of me, I almost screamed. "Oh my god! Phantom... Wow, I've wanted to see this for a while... "
"Really?" I act surprised. "I've wanted to see it for forever but never had anyone to go with"
"Well, now's your chance. Let's go" giggling, taking him with me
I get us a couple of drinks and a program and we go to our seats, which are up in the grand circle. The light emits a soft red glow, kind of setting the mood.
"Oh, the view from here is perfect..." leaning over
"It is from where I'm sitting as well"
" Oh, I'm sure it is" in a slightly scolding tone, covered up by a little smile
As she smiles at me, I reach out and tilt her chin towards me and I brush my lips against hers. "You're beautiful" I whisper
I return his kiss, and pull away smiling at him with a slight blush. I realize that it was about the start and I mouth ‘thank you’ to him and we sit down to enjoy the show.
After a couple of hours, the musical reaches it's finale and Natalie and I both both clap in appreciation. Once again, I take her hand in mine, as we make our way out of the theater.
"Wow, that was.. fantastic!"
"It was brilliant and I'm glad you enjoyed it too" I say looking into her eyes
I smile at him. "I just feel bad for him. Poor guy."
"Yeah, I can understand that. Unrequited love, but she found happiness with someone else"
"Yeah, but where does that leave him?"
"Alone for the rest of his life, I'd imagine"
A slight shiver ran down my spine. The thought of being alone for the rest of your life was rather scary and depressing. I hope that he didn’t die alone as well.
“Something wrong?” As I felt her shiver
“No, I was just, thinking.. The thought of being alone for the rest of your life is depressing and a bit scary. But to be dying alone… scares me more...” as another shiver runs through me and I start to lean towards him
I could tell it really bothered her. I took her in my arms and held her for a few moments. “You won’t have to worry about that, I promise”
I look up at him and see such a tenderness and sincerity. I smile at him and start to pull away. “ What.. umm.. what would you be doing now, if you hadn't chosen the musician route?"
I smile back at her. "Well, I guess I would have tried to get into acting or somehow got into work connected to the ocean"
“I could see that"
We stroll down the street and come across an amusement arcade. I spot the air hockey table and turn to her with an innocent look and give her the 'puppy dog' eyes. "We have to play"
"Sure. Why not?"
We grab the free table and begin to play. It's civil at first, but then the match gets heated and faster. The first game, Natalie wins 11-2.
"Oh my god, I can't believe that I just whooped you! You better not be letting me win."
I stuck my tongue out at her. "Of course, I was; this being the first game" I'm pretty sure she can't tell that I'm lying.
"Well, that's going to stop. We'll go for 2 for 2?" in a seriously but yet playful tone
"Make it the best of three" I challenge
"Fine with me" with a smirk
I won the 2nd game, doing my victory dance and telling her that I was the best and then we began the third game. We kept tying with each other, until it got to 7-7 and Natalie whacked the puck across the table. I stare in disbelief as it goes in for Natalie to win the game. My jaw drops.
"Oh Score!" I yell putting my hands in the air. Walking towards him, I see that he is surprised by his sudden loss. Lifting his chin,"You can pick up your jaw now." I giggle. "Never been beat by a girl?" I tease
"Well, there is something that might make me feel better" I say almost slyly
"Oh, and what's that? And don't get any kinky ideas either"
"This" I reply and pull her towards me, giving her a sweet,lingering kiss
I should have expected something like this, as his soft lips touched mine. They were warm and inviting. As they lingered on mine, I felt an urge to keep it going just a little bit longer. As he started to slowly pull away, I leaned up a little bit and pressed my lips to his.
I'm stunned that when I start to pull away, she presses her lips against mine. They tasted so sweet, so warm. A few moments later, I reluctantly pull away. "you're just full of surprises aren't you?"
"You could say that" with a smile
I take a deep breath. "I'm having a fantastic time with you and it just keeps getting better" I pause giving her a shy smile. “Can we make us official?"
At first I really didn't know if he was being serious or not, but I took the chance that he most likely was being serious. I wasn't really convinced that we had a real sustaining connection. I also wasn't going into another relationship again before I knew. . "Nick, I really like you and I enjoy your company but I just need more time to find a real connection between us"
"Well, that's a good thing that you like me, but I understand that you wanna make sure how you feel. I'm just glad you gave me another chance" I say earnestly
"Thank you for being so understanding. It means a lot." smiling back at him
"You're welcome" I tell her as we walk back to my car
The ride home was fairly quiet. I think we both were caught up in our own thoughts. As we pulled into my drive, I turned to him. "Nick, I had such a wonderful time. We'll have to match up again, so you can redeem yourself. " I say with a laugh.
"No way" I tease her. "I'm never playing against you again"
"Why not? You almost had me there for a little while. "
"Yeah, ok" I say and pull her closer. "Thank you for your amazing company"
"Your welcome. I will see you soon?"
"Oh, you can bet on it" I say pressing my lips against her. "Goodnight, Natalie"
I pull away and look into his eyes. "Goodnight, Nick". Then, I got out of the car and walked towards the house, waving goodbye as he drove off.
“Hey, Natalie" I greet when she walks through the door. I don't bother looking up from my coursework
"How was Phantom?"
"Awesome. Wait, Nick tell you?"
"Yeah, he wasn't sure if you'd like it, so he 'fessed to me. How was the rest of your evening?"
"It was a lot of fun. I think I damaged his ego a bit by beating him at air hockey"
"Oh grats, hun. His ego was getting way too big"
I burst out laughing. "Well, I apparently have some hidden talent to fix that."
I join in laughing. "Slip him a little tongue, did you?" I tease
"No!" giving her a look
"Yeah, right! I don't believe you" I say reaching for a cushion and chucking at her
"Hey!" dodging the cushion. "Well, believe it. I may have kissed him back, but I did not give him service"
"ok ok, I believe you" I say