Weeks passed and Kindlin was still ignoring Nick. Instead of them just being cruel to each other like they had done before, they now just didn't talk to each other. Things were going well with the adoption... They were in the middle of the process. Nick and Kindlin had left Seattle, for California, 2 weeks previous, and had gone to Nick's house, moving all of Kin's stuff in and getting her settled. Kindlin was staying in a room down the hall, having refused to sleep in Nick's room. She didn't even want to eat breakfast near him, let alone sleep near him.
In the beginning, when they had first gone back to ignoring each other - the night Nick had kissed her - Kindlin had told herself that she didn't know why she couldn't look at Nick or stand to be near him... but she couldn't even tell herself that anymore, knowing she was lying to herself. She knew full well why she couldn't stand to look at him, and it was because in that night, approximately 2 weeks ago, Kindlin had fallen in love with Nick. He had kissed her, and when she had asked why, he had said he didn't know. That had practically killed her.
Kindlin sighed as she placed the last plate on the drying rack and picked up a towel, drying her hands off. She'd just spent an hour cleaning the dirty dishes that had been stacking up in the sink for the past 2 weeks that they'd been there. She heard the door from the garage open, and someone walk inside, dropping their keys on the little table next to the door. She, of course, knew that it was Nick... not because he was the only other one that lived there - seeing that Brian had a key and could have very easily let himself in - but because he was the only one that went through the garage, other than herself, since they parked their cars in there.
Crap, Kindlin hadn't been expecting him home for a few more hours... she was still in her sweats! Even though she hadn't really talked to him in 2 weeks, she still liked to dress nice around him. Running up the stairs, before he could see her, Kindlin went into her bedroom and changed quickly into a short, black skirt and a black halter top. She threw her hair up into a messy, yet cute bun thingy and applied some light makeup. With that done, she walked down the stairs casually, like she didn't even know he was home.
Nick so happened to be walking by the staircase as she was coming down, and did a quick double take. Trying to cover up the 'Wow, you look frickin' hot!' look on his face, he sputtered, "Are you going somewhere?"
Kindlin's eyebrows rose. 1) it had been 2 weeks since she'd heard his voice... at least, talking to her, that is 2) she had to act like it was normal for her to be dressed like that when she was just hangin' out at the house. "Um... no." she looked down at her clothes then back up at him, now standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Why?"
"You're just... dressed... nice." with that, Nick walked away, feeling flustered.
Kindlin grinned. Oh yeah, that was exactly how she had wanted that to go. You just knew what he was gonna go do in his bedroom now. "Down boy," she murmured to herself, grinning, although it obviously hadn't been as quiet as she had thought.
"What did you say??" Nick asked, standing in front of his bedroom door, about to go in.
"What?? Uh... I said 'Drown Roy'... It's um... this book I've been wanting to read... And I was just... reminding myself of what it's called, so I don't um... forget!"
Nick gave her a weird look, before walking into his bedroom and closing the door behind him.
Kindlin groaned. 'I have got to be the stupidest person alive,' she thought, before walking into the kitchen and eating ice cream straight out of the carton.
~*~ Later That Night ~*~
Kindlin had changed out of the uncomfortable clothes and into boxers and a t-shirt, and was now sitting on the couch, curled up in a blanket with her head resting against the arm rest. She was watching Malcom in the Middle, her favorite TV show, but was finding it hard to pay attention with all the thoughts of Nick running through her head.
The sound of someone coming down the stairs brought Kindlin out of her thoughts. She stared intently at the TV screen, so Nick wouldn't know that she had been daydreaming... about him, for that matter. She was sort of shocked when she felt Nick sit down on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table, in front of him. He hadn't looked this comfortable around her for a while now and the thought of that made Kindlin's palms start to sweat. 'Why am I so nervous?? It's just Nick. Just cute, sexy, adorable Nick. No big d-deal.'
Nick watched, with a smirk, as Kindlin wiped her hands against the blanket. 'She's sweating! Aw, how cute, she's nervous! Hahahahahaha.' the little devil on his shoulder cackled. 'Stop it, Nick, you're being mean. Don't laugh at her.' Oh, and there's the angel, perched on the other shoulder.
The phone ringing made the both of them jump and they looked at each other for a minute, before quickly looking away.
Realizing, on the 3rd ring, that Nick wasn't going to answer it, Kindlin leaned over him and picked up the phone. "Hello?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable in the position she was in. Leaning over Nick. Being so close to him. Ooooohhhh... "Yeah?... This is her... Oh! Um, just a minute..." she debated on whether to leave the room and take the call in her bedroom, but she didn't want to look too suspicious to Nick, so she decided against it. "Alright, go on... Yes?... Oh... Well, thank you very much... Bye," she quietly hung up the phone, wanting to bury herself alive. Either that or cry her eyes out, to the point of de-hydration.
"Kindlin?" the sound of Nick's voice broke her thoughts and she realized she was still leaning over him.
Kindlin sat up, abruptly, and it was then that she noticed the tears that had been in her eyes had fallen. She wiped them away quickly and sighed, about to stand up, when she felt Nick's hand gently grab her elbow to keep her from leaving.
"Kindlin, please talk to me. Tell me what's going on," his eyes seemed to be filled with worry, but Kindlin told herself she was only imagining things... that she was only seeing things that she wanted to see.
Kindlin stood there for a moment, debating whether to tell him what the lady on the other end of the phone had told her. Shaking her head and crying openly, Kin trembled, "I... I can't! I'm so sorry!" with that, she ran out of the room and up to her bedroom, leaving Nick sitting there, completely baffled.
