Nick didn’t take his eyes off the road to meet her inquisitive stare. “We’re going home.”
She rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Nick, I figured that out, but what now with us?”
He took a deep breath. “I don’t know about you, but I thought that was amazing.”
She grinned, but it quickly faded away. “Yeah, it was, but you and me, Nick?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It would never work. Besides, I have a boyfriend. This…thing…between us, it was nothing, right? A fling?” she said hopefully. There was desperation in her eyes.
“What are you talking about? No way. It couldn’t have been a fling,” he said calmly.
“Why not?”
“Because there’s something between us, Shelle. There has been since that day I was your slave. You can’t deny it. I saw the look in your eyes while we made love.”
“Come on, Nick, I don’t know what you possibly could have seen,” she lied.
“Oh, whatever! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look that happy. And I know you take these things seriously.”
“Okay, look, I like you, but I really like this thing I have with Jesse, too, and I’m not about to give that up because a guy fucked me to distract me from the storm.”
“I fucked you to make you feel better? What makes you think that’s my excuse?”
“What makes me think that? Because you’re gorgeous. You’d never have sex with me.”
“Well, I got news for you. I did, and I thought it was something serious. I mean, you don’t go around sleeping with people and not expecting something to come from it.”
“God, Nick, you have flings every weekend. Why can’t this just be like one of them?”
“Because you’re better than those girls! Because they’re sluts! You’re not. Because up until a few hours ago, you were still a virgin, if you don’t remember.”
“If I’d have known you’d be acting like this, I still would be a virgin,” she muttered.
He chose to ignore that comment. “Look, Shelle. I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve liked you since the day you walked in my door, the day you moved into my house. I know I said you were a heartless bitch and all at first, but I still liked you. Then somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you.” They pulled into the driveway and he turned off the car. “After today, I don’t think I could handle not being able to have you…not being able to tell you I love you…not being able to kiss you and hug you and hold you in my arms…I don’t think I can live without you.”
She gently placed a finger to his lips, her eyes glassy with tears. “Please, stop, Nick.” With that, she got out of the car and bolted into the house, leaving him sitting there.