“Hmmm,” she answered, not bothering to open her eyes.
“You need to go back to your room. My parents will kill us if they find us like this,” he said.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “So that wasn’t a dream last night, huh?”
“No, it wasn’t.” He kissed her and waited for her to get up.
She could feel her cheeks getting hot. “Can you not watch? I’m kind of naked.”
“It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked. We made love last night.”
“Yeah, but I don’t like my body.”
“Why not? It’s perfect,” he said, lifting the covers to admire her.
“I’m flat, I’m fat, I’m pale…”
“Okay, you’re not flat. You’re not incredibly big, but I like your size. It’s perfect. And you’re definitely not fat. You’re tiny. And your light skin makes you look like a porcelain doll, a gorgeous one.”
She smiled. “You’re sweet.”
“Thanks, but my parents will be up soon, so you really need to get up and move to your room.”
“Hang on. Let me lay in your arms for a few more minutes.”
Without replying, Nick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Okay.” Before they could settle in, though, the phone rang. He reached for it. “Carter residence.” Jessica listened intently to his side of the conversation. “Oh, hi, Kristen.” Oh, God, that was right. He had a girlfriend! “Yeah, I’m having a good time. How’s your family?” It didn’t sound too much like he was about to break up with her, either.
Jessica was shocked. How could he spend the night with her and then go back to being Kristen’s boyfriend the next morning? The shock turned to anger, and she rolled out of bed and gathered up her clothes, not caring if Nick was looking at her body or not. She quickly got dressed and stormed out of his room back to her own.
She ran into Jane on her way out. “Oh, Jessica, good morning!” Jane exclaimed.
“Hi, Jane,” Jessica replied uncomfortably. Did she know?
“What were you doing in Nick’s room?”
“Oh, I was just – “
“Is there something going on between you two?”
“No, Jane, there’s not. I was – “
“I would have no problem if there was. I trust you, you know.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought there was, but there’s not.”
“Oh, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Jane wrapped her arm around Jessica’s shoulder and led her back to her room, then sat down with her on the bed. “Is my son being an idiot?”
“He’s too confusing!”
“Tell me what happened, sweetheart. Don’t worry, I won’t be mad.”
She broke down and spilled the whole story, from when she started to like Nick up until the point where she had stormed out of his room without him even caring. “I can’t believe I’m telling you we spent the night together, but we did, and now he doesn’t even seem to care. He’s back on the phone with Kristen, and he seems to be okay with that.”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. I wish there were something I could do, but my son can be so blind. He doesn’t see how much he cares about you, when everyone else does.”
“He doesn’t care about me,” she sniffled, wiping away another tear.
“I’d be willing to bet any money he does.”
“Well, thanks, Jane, but I’m not so sure.” She yawned.
“I’ll leave you alone so you can get some sleep. Feel better, sweetie,” Jane said. She slipped out of the room, leaving Jessica to her depressing thoughts. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, and after a while, she fell into a troubled sleep.
Nick pounded on Jessica’s bedroom door. “Why won’t you talk to me, Jess?” he shouted.
“Go away!” she cried from inside. “I don’t wanna have anything to do with you anymore!”
Ignoring her instructions, he turned the doorknob and stepped inside. He sat down next to her and brushed some hair out of her face. “Come on, Jess, you know that’s not true.”
“Don’t touch me, Carter. Who are you to say how I feel? How do you know it’s not true?”
“Because you wouldn’t have slept with me last night if you didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Well, unlike you, when I say something, I mean it.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean, Jessica?” he exclaimed defensively.
“You said you loved me last night, and that’s obviously not true,” she pointed out.
He scoffed. “What difference does that make? It’s not like you actually love me.”
“What are you talking about, Nick? I’m so in love with you, it’s not even funny, and last night, you used that because you were suffering from withdrawal and I was there.”
“If I would have known you actually were in love with me, I wouldn’t have done that.”
“Like you couldn’t have figured it out! I was a virgin up until last night, Nick! Do you honestly think I would have given that up if I wasn’t in love with you?”
“I’m sorry, Jess. I really am,” he said. “But how could you think this was going to last? You knew I had a girlfriend, and I thought you knew this wasn’t something serious.”
“Well, excuse me for taking something that’s supposed to be serious that way, but I thought it was. I’m not you, Nick. I don’t have sex with every person I date!”
“I don’t, either!”
“How many girls have you had sex with?”
“Six or seven.”
“Yeah, well, you were my first. I’m not you. I take it more seriously than that.” She paused and shot him a dirty look. “So how was your conversation with Kristen, anyway?”
“It was really great, thank you very much. I like talking to her because she’s nowhere near as much of a bitch as you are. In fact, she’s not a bitch at all. You know, I’ve never met a girl who’s as bitchy as you are. You must really lack people skills.”
“I’d rather be a bitch than be someone like you. At least I don’t take advantage of people and lie to them and deceive them to get what I want,” she muttered.
“You know what? This is a total waste of my time, and I have lots of better things to do, so screw it. I’m not even gonna bother trying to get your forgiveness because, to be honest, I don’t think I did anything wrong. I was under the impression that you didn’t actually love me, and I thought you knew it was only a one-night thing. I’m not gonna let you make me feel guilty for that,” he stated. Then he stormed out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.
She hurled a hairbrush after him, and it hit the door with a thud. If she would have thrown it any harder, it probably would have made a dent. “Damn you, Nickolas!” she shouted.
As Nick sat sulking in his room after his argument with Jessica, he contemplated deeply everything that was going on. Truthfully, he knew what he had done to her was terrible. He had taken advantage of the feelings of a friend and taken away her innocence in the process.
But it was too late now, and he really loved Kristen. “If I love Kristen, then why did I sleep with someone else?” he asked himself out loud. How could he have forgotten about her when things happened with Jessica the night before? When he looked back, he realized the whole time, Kristen hadn’t even entered his mind. Perhaps he needed to reevaluate his feelings. No, he was in love with Kristen. He was just tired and missing her last night, and that had to be why he turned to someone else. That morning, though, when he talked to her, he was so close to breaking up with her, but he managed to convince himself not to. If he had truly been ready to break up with someone, could he really be in love with her?
He pulled out a picture of the two of them from his desk drawer. When he looked at it, though, he saw someone else. He saw Jessica. He saw her not because the two looked alike, but because he knew he wanted her to be there. He wanted her to be the one in his arms, her cheek pressed against his, her leaning back against him and smiling. It was then that he knew. Everything in his mind came together. Like a puzzle, all the pieces fit, and he knew exactly what he had to do. He picked up the phone and dialed Kristen’s number. After a very short conversation with her, he shot up from the chair and bolted into Jessica’s room.
“What the hell do you want? I thought I told you I didn’t want to have anything to do with you,” she snapped, standing up and walking over to him. She was about to shove him into the hall and slam the door, but he stood strong and wouldn’t let her.
“Please hear me out, Jess. I’m so sorry. I want to make it up to you,” he pleaded.
“Are you crazy?”
“Yeah, I was crazy this morning for not breaking up with Kristen and for letting you walk out of my room,” he said sincerely.
“You know what? Save it for someone who will believe you. I’ve lost all trust in – “
He stopped her by pressing his lips to hers. “Does that change your mind about believing me?”
She looked up at him, breathless, as they pulled apart. “You’re not taking advantage of me again?”
“God, no. I realized I really do love you, too. When I first got here, I looked at you and all I saw was Kristen because I thought I loved her. When I was in my room just before, I was looking at a picture of her and all I saw was you. That’s when everything became clear. You’re the one for me, the only one.”
She searched his eyes for any sign he was lying, but found none. “You really mean that?”
“Yes, of course I do. I don’t lie.”
“What about last night?”
“I wasn’t lying then. I thought I was, but I wasn’t. I could never lie to you. I really am in love with you, Jess.”
As she stared into his sincere blue eyes, into his soul, she could feel the heavy brick wall she had built around her heart begin to tumble down. The stubborn part of her hated herself for it, but at the same time, it was liberating and pleasing, and she knew she had to let it fall. There wasn’t a single doubt in her rational mind that Nick was telling the truth. She grinned widely and pulled his face to hers for a long, passionate kiss. “I’m in love with you, too, Nick,” she moaned softly into his mouth. When they pulled apart, she looked up. “What about Kristen?”
“I broke up with her right before I came to talk to you. I don’t love her. I love you.”
She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. “You’re perfect.”
THE END!!!!!! Tell Liz what you thought by e-mailing her!