Talk to Me
| Breathe
Over the next few months Nick continued to run into Kristyne at various places. Once he saw her in the mall with a few girls he didn’t know. Maybe girls she works with, he thought. It’s good that she’s making friends. Then he thought back to how much Kristin and Leighanne had liked her that day at his house. Nick realized that Kris had something special inside her that just naturally drew people to her. But for reasons only she knew she was hesitant to let anyone in too close. He couldn’t fault her for that, he couldn’t remember the last time he had really let someone in close. Besides Kristyne that is, and even then he hadn’t known her long enough to really open up to her. He had been willing, but only if she would open up to him. He realized he had tried putting conditions on friendship. When you do that, ultimately the friendship is doomed. Another time he saw her briefly as one of the rescue trucks pulled up next to him at a stoplight. Their lights and sirens weren’t on, so he figured they were headed back to the squad house after a call. He wondered how she was doing with work. He knew she had made team leader, then shift supervisor. She had confided in him that her co-workers had hinted she was up for Captain. Yet another time Nick had run into Kris, Evie and several other people he didn’t know at the Olive Garden. They actually spoke briefly that time. All smiles and very cordial, but altogether nonproductive in his goal towards mending things with Kris. Before he knew it August had turned to September, and September to October and he was still no closer to patching things with Kris than he was that night at Church Street Station. He had been out on a few more dates with Pamela, but they both knew that it was just a casual relationship. Soon after, Pamela stated she had started seeing someone else and it was getting serious. Nick was neither hurt nor surprised. Of course, he always ran into girls he knew when he went out. They always seemed to know where he was going and when he would get there. But none of them held his interest for more than a few drinks and dances.
October 31st, All Hallow’s Eve It was a corny invitation to a massive, all out party at the local hot spot, Ybor City. “Come on, Kris. You don’t even have to work until late tonight! You’ve never been to Ybor City with me. Never. You HAVE to come tonight, just for a little while.” Evie pleaded. “Are you dressing up?” “Of course. Everyone is. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb if you don’t.” “Oh great. You know I can’t dress up if I go. I have to leave straight from there to go to work.” “So, your costume won’t be elaborate. Just change in the bathroom at the Squad House.” “You really are not going to stop bugging me on this, are you?” Kris knew it was hopeless. Evie just grinned. “Oh, alright. All right already. Stop grinning like that stupid Cheshire cat. I’ll go. But only until 11.30. I promised I’d take the midnight run for Melissa, so I have to be at the Squad House by then.” “WooHoo!” Evie jumped up and hugged her friend. “Now we have 6 hours to figure out a costume for you.” Kris pulled out her trunk/hope chest and found several costumes from her high school days. One long black velvet gown with long bell sleeves and a hood, black lace stockings, black heels, and a little make up and she sufficiently passed for the Mistress of Darkness, or some other nonsense like that. She was happy that she didn’t have pounds of special effects make up to try and scrub off in a few hours, and Evie was happy that her friend was getting in the holiday spirit and at least making an effort at dressing up. Evie would be going as a Black Cat, tail included. Nine o’clock came and the girls left for the party.
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