Chapter Eight
“I’ll miss you.” Gretchen said close to tears. Her and Nick were standing in the airport awaiting her boarding
call. That morning had flown by so quickly. Neither wanted her time there to end, but it did.
“....Boarding call for Flight 786 to Buffalo at Gate 7...” the two heard over the loud
speaker.
“I’ll miss you to Brown Eyes.” Nick whispered as he pulled her into a hug. The hug lasted longer than any other
embrace had lasted since the elevator scenario. Gretchen squeezed tighter as he wrapped his arms around her middle
pulling her closer. The closeness between the two of them and their reluctance to let go was a telepathic message to the
other. Nick repeated over and over in his head how much he cared for her, and Gretchen, the same. Neither spoke the
words, just thought, yet both heard them.
“I’ll see you in two weeks. You going to pick me up?”
“Of course I’ll pick you up. I can’t wait until you’re back here again.”
“Me either Hun.” Gretchen finished bending down to grasp the strap of her bag. Nick pulled her to him once
again, planting a kiss on her forehead before he unwillingly released her. She gave him a small smile before turning and
heading towards the plane. Nick watched sadly as she boarded the plane.
“I love you.” he whispered as she disappeared down the tunnel. He silently headed out of the airport and back to
him house. Gretchen took her seat on the plane and sorrowfully looked out the window at the Orlando Airport as it whizzed
by her and the plane took off, climbing into the sky. Below her she saw the sunshine fading as she left Nick
behind.
Three hours later Gretchen sat in her room looking at the telephone, willing it to ring. It rang and she answered
only to find Kelsie on the other end, and not who she was hoping for. Nick.
“Hey Gret! So, boy or girl?”
“Oh hey Kel, it’s you.”
“Well of course it is. Who were you expecting? Your dream boy?”
“Yeah.” Gretchen mumbled.
“What did you say? Did you say yeah? Did you meet someone that you just have to tell me about??”
“No.” Gretchen answered simply.
“Well what’s going on? Something had to have happened! You are not yourself.”
“Can you come over?”
“Sure, I’ll be there in twenty.” Kelsie said as she hung up the phone. Fifteen minutes later she barged through
Gretchen’s front door, knowing that her parents were at work and knocked on Gretchen’s bedroom door.
“Come on in Kel.” she said, her voice muffled.
“Hey, what’s up now?” Kelsie asked as she walked into Gretchen’s room to see her focusing all of her attention
on a video game she was playing.
“Can you sit down before I tell you?” Gretchen asked laughing lightly.
“Sure,” Kelsie said sitting down, “tell.” Gretchen sighed and rolled her eyes.
“You’re right.” she stated. Kelsie raised an eyebrow at her.
“Repeat that.”
“You’re right.” Gretchen said again. Kelsie laid down on her back and looked at the ceiling smiling.
“I’m just relishing in the fact that you admitted I was right...okay so what am I right about?” Gretchen paused.
Should she admit it? It would be the first time she actually spoke the truth about her feelings, made them real.
“I...”
“You???”
“I love him.”
“Love who?” Kelsie asked watching Gretchen blush.
“Nick.” she whispered as she buried her face in her hands.
“You love him?” Kelsie asked realizing the serious tone Gretchen spoke in. She knew that admitting this was
hard for Gretchen, considering she had been holding it in for a year. Gretchen nodded her head in answer to Kelsie’s
question
“I always did, Kel, it’s just that this trip..I think he knows.” she said in a frightened voice. She seemed so
innocent sitting there, looking at Kelsie with wide eyes.
“So.” Kelsie said not understanding the worrisome expression plastered on Gretchen’s face.
“So!? Kel, he knows how I feel.”
“Did he say anything?”
“No, but he acted different. Before he would say or do anything around me, now he does things carefully, and
doesn’t say much. And god, does that boy blush a lot.” Kelsie giggled. “What?”
“Gret, okay think about what you just told me. Who is he acting like?”
“Huh.”
“Chica, do you have problems acting weird in front of him?”
“Yeah! I don’t want him to think I’m an idiot.”
“And do you have trouble expressing your feelings around him?”
“Duh, me feelings are, ‘I love you’.”
“And do you blush whenever you think about him ‘that’ way?”
“Yeah...”
“My point exactly.”
“What?” Gretchen asked still clueless.
“He is acting exactly like you do. Gretchen, if you ask me...he feels the same way. Why else would he withdraw
himself from you and get embarrassed around you so easily.”
“No way.” Gretchen said as she grabbed a scrunchi and pulled her hair back.
“Yes way. Gretchen that is the only logical explanation.”
“So, if he likes me...why hasn’t he called me yet?”
“He will.” Kelsie stated simply. Gretchen opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted with the ring of the
phone. Kelsie raised her eyebrows, smirking at Gretchen as she picked up the phone.
“Hello?” she asked.
“Hey Brown Eyes.” Nick said laughing. “Why do ya sound so innocent?” Gretchen broke out into a smile and
shot Kelsie a relieved look.
“Hey Baby Blues, I um..I was hoping that you would call.”
“Well, I hope you were hoping. I miss you like crazy.” Nick admitted. Since Gretchen had left him close to four
hours ago he had gone back to his big empty house and thought. He thought for three straight hours and made a huge
decision. No matter how he felt, he could not lose Gretchen. I had to call her and act normal. He still wanted her in his
life, and no matter how nervous and uncomfortable he was around her due to his feelings for her, he had to bare with
them until he could do something about them.
“Really?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah, I cannot wait until you come back here.”
“Two weeks baby.” Gretchen answered him smiling.
“I know.” Nick said smiling to himself. Two more weeks and he would have Gretchen with him again in Florida,
and then he would tell her his feelings.
“What’s he saying?” Kelsie whispered to Gretchen.
“Shhh.” Gretchen whispered back.
“Who ya talking to?” Nick questioned.
“Kelsie’s here.”
“Oh, hey, tell her I said hi.”
“Kel, Nick says hi.”
“HI NICK!” Kelsie yelled loud enough for Nick to hear over the phone. All three broke out into giggles.
“Hey Gretchen?”
“Yeah sweets?” she asked causing Nick to swallow hard. She was making him nervous again. Calm down, this is
just Gretchen, acting like she always has. Be cool.
“I gotta get going babe.” he said.
“Aww really?”
“Yeah I have rehearsal.” Nick stated disappointedly. He was telling the truth, he was sitting in the dance studio
watching his band members across the room.
“Okay, call me again soon will you?”
“Of course.” He whispered to her.
“Kay.” she said glowing.
“I’ll talk to you later Hun.” he said.
“Okay, bye Blue.”
“See ya Brownie.” Nick said giggling.
“Hey, a new one!” Kaity said laughing.
“I know, I think it’s cute.”
“Sure sure. Bye Nickers.
“See ya sweets.” Nick said pressing ‘end’ on his cell phone. He had done it. He had called her, though he didn’t
want to, and she had brightened his day. How did she do that? No matter how upset or scared he was, she always had the
ability to walk right in, and cheer him up. Just the tiniest thing she did made him happy. One smile, hearing her giggle,
holding her hand. “Man if this is love, I want this to last forever.” he said to himself as he stood and headed across the
studio as Brian walked through the door.
“Talking to yourself Frack?” Brian asked as he met Nick in the middle of the room..
“Uh, yeah.” Nick said blushing lightly.
“What about? Anything interesting?”
“Um...no.” Nick blushing more.
“Yo Frack, what’s up with you. You look like a tomato.” Brian said laughing. “You only blush like this when
you...like someone. That’s it isn’t it?”
“Huh? What?” Nick asked alarmed. Man! How did Brian always read his mind.
“You have it bad for someone don’t you.” Brian said elbowing Nick in the side.
“Well..” Nick said rubbing his side where Brian’s bone had jabbed.
“Who? Tell me about her. Have I met her?”
“I uh..can we talk about this later Bri. I kinda don’t wanna make this common knowledge.”
“Yeah, come over tonight. Leigh is going over to her friend’s house to introduce them to Madison so the house
will be empty.”
“Okay, thanks Brian.” Nick said graciously, he desperately need to express what he was feeling towards
Gretchen to somebody.
“Cool.”
*****
“See I told you that he would call.” Kelsie stated matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Happy?”
“Very.” Gretchen said smiling. “I can’t wait to see him again.”
“I’m sure.”
“Kelsie?”
“Hmmm?”
“What am I going to do about my feelings?”
“Do you want to tell him?”
“I’m not sure. I want to be with him, but I don’t want to lose him. What happens if you’re wrong?”
“Oh, dear, I’m never wrong. It’s just not in my genes.”
“This is no time for jokes Kel!”
“Who said I was joking?!”
“Come on.”
“Okay, fine. Just calm down, act normal, see what happens when you get down there in two weeks. Maybe he’ll
try something.”
“I honestly don’t think that he feels anything for me.”
“Well I honestly think that you’re wrong.”
“Ugh!”
“So you have got to tell me when all of this happened?!”
“It all started in an elevator.”
“Oooo, how kinky.” Kelsie said but Gretchen shut her up with a glare.
“Any way. He and I were in an elevator, he tickled me, and um..fell on top on me.” she said as Kelsie raised
another eyebrow at her. “It wasn’t what you are thinking Kel, get your head out of the gutter. So, he was on top of me and
looked into my eyes, and it was..I don’t know. His entire face just changed when looking at me. He was laughing and then
he was just staring at me. His eyes kind of softened, but then he just looked afraid.”
“Keep going!”
“Um, then he stood up and we didn’t speak for an entire 45 minutes except when he asked what I wanted to eat
and if I wanted to go back to Leigh’s hospital room.”
“He just stood up and ignored you?!”
“Well he helped me up.”
“Better have.” Kelsie said smiling at her. “Gret, everything is going to be fine. Trust me.”
Chapter Nine
Table of Contents
HOME