Page 18 of Good Intentions, Vol. 3
“I still want to hear it,” the way he looks at me has me wanting to tell him everything.
How much it hurt. How I used to beg her to come home. How I cried myself to sleep for a year after she left.Still, I can’t bring myself to tell him all that, so I just give him the basics.
“Only child, lived in a happy home, or at least I thought it was a happy one until my mother cheated on my father and left us. After that, it wasn’t so happy, my father tried to drink himself to death until a few years ago and I counted down the days until I’ll be able to leave. Graduated high school, I came here to college. I graduated and came to work for you. You know the rest.”
As I was speaking, I could see him getting disappointed and closing off.I need to give him some kind of explanation.
“It still hurts too much to talk about it.”
“I understand, baby,” he pays the check and tries to hide the fact that I hurt him by not sharing. “But you’re going to eventually have to let me in.”
“Eventually, I will,” I promise.
“Thank you,” I sigh wrapping my arms around Nick’s elbow. We decided to take a walk after dinner.
It’s late and the streets are almost empty.He stops us and leans down, to hopefully kiss me when the first drop falls right to my nose.
“Shit,” Nick looks up to the dark sky. “Let’s go,” he says urgently, wraps his arm around my shoulder to pull me into his body and starts walking us back briskly.
But, it’s too late.The sky opens up and by the time we run to his car, we’re both completely soaked.I’m shaking and my hands are poised in front of a little fan in the car when Nick jumps in and starts the car.He looks at me, the question written all over his face.
“Heat. Now.” I demand between shakes.
I was so sure that the cold winds were in the past. I was positive that the spring has come that I didn’t bother to get the winter coat, but only have a light jacket with me.Nick starts up the car and we both look at my hands and wait for the blessed heat to fill the car.
“For the record, I didn’t plan this,” he starts talking and I turn to look at him. Of course, he didn’t plan for the rain, no one can do that. What’s he on about? “But, we’re near my apartment and I’m taking you there, we need to get you out of these clothes.”
When I raise my eyebrow at him, he rushes out, “Nothing will happen, it’s just so you won’t catch a cold.”
Yeah, right.
Now, who’s lying?
“Shit, you’re all wet.”
Nick pulls my shivering body into his apartment and closes the door. He starts rubbing my arms up and down.
“We need to warm you up.”
I try to look around and see where he lives but it’s too dark to see anything.
It’s the first time I have ever had an opportunity to be inside his home and I want to see every inch of it.
“Come here,” he takes my hand and leads me to a room. He turns on the light and I see it’s his bedroom.
It’s enormous.In the middle, there’s a king-size bed with grey sheets on it, a black nightstand on each side of the bed.White curtains are muting the city lights coming through his windows. Looking down I see a brown hardwood floor.I wonder if the floor is cold when he gets up in the morning, for some reason.
“Here, baby,” Nick pushes something into my hands, then goes away and I can tell it’s a walk-in closet.
I look around again and spy some pictures on the dresser. I go there on my bare feet noticing that in fact no, the floor is not cold. He must have floor heating.When I come to the dresser I can’t suppress my surprise and I gasp loudly when I see the same picture that Nick sent to me is sitting right next to a picture of him and his son.
“You didn’t change,” his voice is all gravely, his eyes are on fire and I lose all ability to speak when I notice all he has on, are loose gray sweatpants.
I shake my head to confirm that no, I didn’t change my clothes and look back to the picture.
“I told you I miss you, Heather. What I hadn’t told you in a while is, I love you. So, I found a way to have you near me until you were near me.”
He takes my hand and leads me to his bed. “Here, I’ll help you.”
