“I don’t think you understand. This girl has been to hell and back several times, and she doesn’t feel she can trust anyone just yet,” Brian answered patiently. “She’s nineteen, and the guy who was supposed to be her male role model in her life was an alcoholic and left. The only other guys she got close to were jerks, too. It’s too soon, buddy.”
“I know that, Brian, but I care about her. Why can’t she see that?” Nick muttered.
“She will. She will. You just have to give her some time. She’s not used to anyone loving her, treating her right. Well, at least, not guys. Make sure you show her how you feel, but that’s all you can do for now.”
Nick hung up the phone. “Figures. I can get any fourteen-year-old I want, but when I want someone five years older than them, she turns me down,” Nick grumbled almost conceitedly to himself before stalking over to Lauren’s house. He knocked softly on the door as his knees began shaking. That spread to his arms, his hands, and the rest of his body when Lauren opened the door.
“Hey,” she mumbled quietly.
“Hi, Lauren. I…uh…we need to talk,” Nick stuttered. She moved aside to let him step in, and he followed her into the living room.
“Do you want a Coke or something?” Lauren offered. By the tremble in her voice, Nick saw that she was just as nervous as he was.
“No, I just want to get this over with,” he said. They sat down on the couch, and several moments of uncomfortable silence went by before he spoke up. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have run away from you,” Lauren protested. She stood up and walked over to the window.
“Lauren, you didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t know what came over me or why I did that, knowing what I know about you,” Nick said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, Nick, you didn’t scare me. You just, I don’t know, you startled me. I wasn’t expecting that - but I’m definitely glad you did it,” Lauren admitted, turning back to him.
Nick looked at her, first in disbelief, then mirroring her own shy smile. “So…”
“So what?”
“So what does that mean?” Nick asked.
“I think it means I like you, too,” Lauren answered.
“So that means you’re my girlfriend now?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“You know that in a few weeks, I’ll be on tour and I won’t have much free time.”
“Yes, I know that, but I want to be your girlfriend anyway.”
Nick sprung off the couch and rushed over to embrace her. As he twirled her hair around his finger, he leaned closer to her ear. “You will never regret this, Lauren Faith Winters. I promise you that. I’ll take good care of you,” he whispered.
“You don’t have to tell me. I know,” Lauren replied simply. “I trust you.”
Those three words meant more to Nick than anything else she could have said, short of “I love you.” That was the biggest compliment he had ever received. For that, he pressed his lips to hers very gently and kissed her, a tender, sweet, lingering kiss that she happily returned.
“What the hell!” A voice from the doorway interrupted their moment. It belonged to Jessica. “Lauren?”