Survivor
Chapter 14
Nick opened the door to find Bailey elbow deep in textbooks and paper. Her hair was pulled back carelessly into a ponytail, wisps of blonde escaping around her face. Expecting it to be the pizza she had ordered earlier, she didn't even look up.
"Just put it on the table there. The money is right, down to the exact change. Your tip is figured in it."
Nick cocked his head to one side, wondering what she was talking about. Shrugging, he leaned against the doorframe, unknowingly striking an irresistible pose.
"How much do you usually tip?" He asked, catching sight of the pile of money.
"What kind of quest.... Nick!" Bailey exclaimed, looking up.
"Were you expecting someone else?"
She stood up, suddenly remembering the comfortable sweats and T-shirt she was wearing. She ran a hand over her shirt to smooth it out, suddenly self-conscious. Grinning sheepishly, she found herself at a loss for words.
"Uh, no. What are you doing here?"
He looked so sexy in those clothes, she thought. His hair had recovered its glossy sheen and he truly looked like the person she had first met in that airport terminal.
"I thought I'd just drop by to say 'hi.' So, hi. If you're busy, I can leave. It's no problem," he said, indicating the clutter on the desk.
"Oh, no," she protested. "I was ready for a break. I've got a couple of make-up exams from when we were on vacation. Ha! That's funny, isn't it? Vacation."
Nick smirked. "It really is. How are your ears?"
Bailey looked puzzled, touching them softly. She smiled, touched he remembered.
"They're a lot better. I think not having to listen to you and Kevin squabble so much really helped. How is he, anyway?"
"So much better than the last time you saw him. Actually, in a way, he's responsible for me being here."
"Oh, really? That's interesting, seeing as how he can't stand me."
Nick sighed heavily. This was not going as he had planned. A few of the other girls from the dorm had passed by at least twenty times since he had been there. If he was going to talk to her, it had to be away from there.
"Bailey, if you can, would you like to go somewhere else? I’d really like to talk to you. Alone.” He cut his eyes in the direction of the group walking past yet again.
“Yeah. Could you give me maybe five minutes to change? You can wait downstairs and watch TV. I don’t think they’ll bite. They might drool a bit, though.”
Nick laughed and stepped into the hall as Bailey closed the door. He made his way back down to the first floor. True to her word, the other residents didn’t bite, but they did watch him as if he was some kind of exotic fish in an aquarium. Normally, he relished such attention. This evening, his mind was elsewhere.
“Did you really have to kill a mountain lion with your bare hands?”
“Pardon?” He asked as a voluptuous redhead in a tight sweater sat next to him.
Suddenly, half of the sorority was in the room.
“Oh, where are my manners? I’m Leslie, Bailey’s best friend. She doesn’t talk too much about your adventure. I can’t understand why, though. I mean, that was the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m a theatre major and have tried and tried to get her to tell us about it so I can watch and emulate her emotions. I’m starring in a production about Amelia Earhart right after Christmas. What Bailey went through is so similar to Amelia, so she would be the perfect study.”
“They never found her,” Nick remarked, smoothing his pants legs, trying to avoid looking at her.
“Yes, they did. She’s upstairs. Unless that’s her double. Ooh, how intriguing,” Leslie cooed, suddenly enraptured with such an idea.
“No, I mean they never found Amelia Earhart. Therefore, Bailey is not the perfect study, since she made it back safe and sound.”
“Oh,” Leslie said, deflated only a little. She suddenly brightened, remembering her earlier question. “Well, did you really kill that mountain lion with your bare hands?”
Nick laughed, knowing full well it was rude, but he couldn’t help it. That was one of the more ridiculous stories he had heard about their crash and survival experiences.
“I hate to break it to you, but no, I didn’t. Bailey did. She jumped on it, wrapping her arm around its neck at first while she wrestled it to the ground. Then, once she had it pinned, she put her hands around its throat, squeezing the life out of it.”
Nick acted out the death of the cougar, much to the delight of Bailey who stood unnoticed at the foot of the stairs. Leslie might be her best friend, but she was incredibly gullible. Knowing if the show went on any longer, Leslie would never leave her alone. Bailey walked up to Nick and linked her arm through his.
“That’s right, Leslie. And after I strangled it, I used a knife made from a crushed rock to skin it. Where do you think I got that new coat? Now, if you will excuse us, we have some business to attend to.”
Nick blushed slightly as Bailey escorted him out of the house. As the cold December air hit them, she laughed, shaking her head.
“What made you tell them something like that?” She asked as Nick held open the door for her to the Jaguar.
“I really don’t know. You know how it is when you get around the girlfriends. You just say things sometimes without thinking, just too keep up appearances,” he told her as he slid in the driver’s seat.
“Touché.”
“Where would you like to go? How about getting something to eat? I’m famished. I guess that doesn’t come as a surprise does it?”
“Nothing can ever surprise me again, Nick. To be honest, I’m starving as well. Does Italian sound good to you? I know of this great place downtown. That is, if you don’t mind.”
“No. I’m game. Just as long as I don’t have to eat fish ever again!” He said, following her directions.
*******************
“What?” Bailey asked as she finished her plate of calamari.
“You. You ate more than I did. Somehow I imagined you to pick at your food like a bird.”
“Nick, after going through what we did, I learned a lot. Some things in life are more important than others. Dining etiquette just doesn’t rank up there anymore, you know? I mean, if I were on a date or something, it might be different. But it’s just you.”
Nick lowered his eyes, hurt showing on his face.
“Oh, you meant this to be a date? Why didn’t you say so?”
“I thought you knew without me having to state it.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, reaching across the table and putting her hand over his. “If it makes you feel any better, if I had realized this was a date, I still would have eaten the same amount. I just feel comfortable around you.”
Nick smiled, feeling somewhat better. She did act differently around him than other girls, and not just because of her upbringing. He could tell she was comfortable around him.
“Hey, I just noticed something,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “You’re not wearing your cast anymore. Isn’t it a bit too early to be free of that thing?”
“Surprisingly, no. You did such a good job of setting it, it had already started to heal by the time we were rescued. Will you think I’m really stupid if I tell you something?”
“I’ll never think you’re stupid, Nick.” Her hand was still on his.
“As horrible as it was, I sort of miss it. I mean, not the cold and the pain and no food and all that crap. I mean I miss the time with you. I guess what I mean is…Hell, I don’t know what I mean.”
“I do. I miss you, too. I am so very sorry for what I said about you. I can never make it up to you. I would never hurt you for anything in the world.” Her big blue eyes became shiny with tears.
“I know. Hey, no crying, now. Santa knows this stuff.”
Bailey sniffed and laughed. They sat talking for hours, slowly emptying two bottles of wine.
“This is nice. I’m glad you came up,” she said, running a well-manicured finger across the rim of her glass.
“Me, too.”
“Nick, would you do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Stop with the big vocabulary. Impressive as it is, it’s not you. You’re perfect just as you are. And since I was the one who killed the mountain lion with my bare hands then personally cared for her cubs until they were grown, you better do as I say.”
“I hadn’t heard about that,” he laughed. “Where was I while this was going on?”
“Off saving Kevin from the Abominable Snowman.”
Nick motioned for the waiter to bring the check. Sliding a credit card into the folder, he stood up. Bailey followed, allowing him to help her into coat. The scent of her perfume gently wafted as she slid her arms into the fur. He kept his hands on her shoulders a little longer than necessary, wondering if she would notice.
After collecting his credit card, they exited the restaurant. The new moon shone brightly in the clear winter sky. Glancing at her watch, Bailey swore softly.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked as the valet brought his car around.
“It’s past curfew at the house.”
“Curfew?”
“Yes. We have to be in our rooms by eleven during the week. I didn’t even realize it’s nearly one o'clock.”
“Are you serious?” Nick looked at his watch, tapping it to make sure it was still working. “Damn, you’re right. Are you in trouble?”
“Eh, not too much. I’ll just have a few demerits against me. And I had been so good this semester,” she laughed. “Oh, well, it’ll be alright. I can try to sneak in. Our housemother is pretty good, though. You know, if you walk me to the door and sweet talk her a little, I could possibly stay out of trouble.”
“Or you could just come back with me to my room.”
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