I walked down to the beach where I knew I would find Nick. As I neared, I spotted him all alone, lying on the sand with his hands behind his head, staring up at the stars.
“Nick?” I called, almost in a whisper.
He abruptly turned to face me and sat up when he realized who I was. I decided to take a seat in the sand beside him.
“Hey Kel! I want to apologize for earlier. I didn’t mean to interrupt you and AJ. I just needed to talk,” he commented looking at me apologetically with his baby blue eyes.
“No, you didn’t interrupt anything. AJ and I are just friends now,” I stated truthfully, clarifying the whole mess.
“Ah…I see,” he nodded.
“Now it’s my turn for an apology,” I said.
“What for?” he questioned, wrinkling his brow in confusion.
“For earlier today at the photo shoot. You obviously know how I feel about you, but I need to just accept that you and Hunter are together,” I confessed nervously, fiddling with the rings on my fingers. I let out a big sigh of relief afterwards because it felt so good to be able to be honest with Nick.
“Well, that’s partly what I wanted to talk to you about,” Nick started, looking at me seriously, while inhaling a deep breath of the salt-water ocean. I sat there watching each of his movements carefully, waiting patiently to hear what he had to say.
“I had a talk with Brian today and he got me thinking. All the guys were saying that Hunter was just using me for my money. Me, of course, being stubborn as I am, didn’t want to believe them,” he explained further, ruffling his hair with his hand.
“I mean, have you ever just been afraid to let someone go?” he asked in a solemn tone.
“Yes, I have. I know that feeling very well. But, trust me, once you get past your fear of letting go, things get better,” I comforted him.
“It’s like, I know the guys are right about Hunter, but I didn’t want to leave her,” he confessed.
“I see. Well, that’s just something you’ll have to work out for yourself. Can’t help ya there!” I stated, looking at the shadow the bright moon had cast upon Nick’s face.
“Actually, you already did,” he smiled.
“How?” I asked completely lost in confusion.
“When I saw you and AJ kissing today, something hit me. It was like I had a reason to leave Hunter…you,” he confessed smiling adoringly at me.
“Me?” I asked wide-eyed, not believing what I had just heard.
“Yeah, this may sound weird, but I gave it a lot of thought and I think it was fate that brought us together,” he told me, searching my face for a reaction.
I started to laugh a bit at his comment.
“Hey, don’t laugh at me!” he shoved me playfully.
“No, no, it’s just that I thought the exact same thing! I mean, if I hadn’t hit Houston, we might’ve never met,” I explained.
“Exactly. Speaking of, have you seen Houston around lately?” he asked standing up, surveying the beach. Nick bent down to help me up as we both yelled for Houston. Finally, we saw a small figure approaching us from afar.
“There you are, boy,” Nick exclaimed.
As Houston made his way over to us, I noticed something hanging from his mouth. I bent down and took the red rose that was tucked between his jaws while he licked my hand.
“I always knew he had good taste!” Nick joked, smiling broadly.
“Thank you,” I said, walking over and nearing my face close to Nick’s allowing his lips to brush mine, sending a chill through my body. Nick wrapped his arms tightly around my waist as we shared a kiss filled with magic and passion.
I learned that although fate will lead you so far, it’s up to you to find your destiny. I think I’ve found mine…his name is Nick.
