"You're looking a little cheerier" Cally said as she settled in next to Natalie before class started.
"Do I? I don't know, must be the weather or something" Natalie shrugged, feeling for the first time in months that she could genuinely smile again.
"Nope, you look like you're majorly butt crazy in love with someone. Is it that guy you were talking about before....the one I haven't even laid eyes on yet" Cally said, looking pointedly at her friend.
"Sorry Cal, you'll see him sometime. He's just really busy all the time" Natalie smiled apologetically. "But I'm just happy cause everything at home is working out great again and I think my room mate and I are getting back to the way we used to be."
"That's great for you Nat, hope it stays that way."
Natalie sat back and partially watched Cally take out her books while letting her mind wander. She and Nick had been having fun lately, and the gnawing feeling in her stomach everytime she saw him had begun to subside. She also knew it may have been due to the fact that Cassie was back in New York to visit her mother and she hadn't seen her and Nick all over each other for the past two weeks. She also knew it was temporary and that Cassie was still a permanent fixture in Nick's life, as much as the past two weeks had seemed to show otherwise.
**************
"Hey nerdo study girl" Nick teased as he peered into Natalie's room and found her scribbling away at her notebook. She quickly covered what she was writing, afraid Nick might see she had been doodling 'Nat loves ?' for the past hour.
"Yeah what Nick?" Natalie said quickly, as she looked back at Nick who was standing at the doorway.
"You wanna go swimming? Rehearsals got pushed back cause Fatima had some meeting to go to, and I am so bored" Nick explained, taking a seat on Natalie's bed.
"Swimming? I don't know Nick..."
"It's not far, it's just in the backyard" Nick smiled, trying to convince Natalie. "Come on.."
Natalie looked at him using his blue eyes as the ultimate weapon to make her back down. She felt her knees go weak, and looked quickly away, trying not to totally crumble from the look he was giving her.
"Alright, your butt has expanded considerably in the past few months, I think you need some exercise."
"It has no, but I'll ignore the comment cause you gave in" Nick smiled triumphantly as he left the room to grab a towel and strip down to some shorts.
**************
"Nick...no..no..NO!!!" Natalie screeched as Nick pulled her by the waist and flung her into the pool, while he laughed at her from the side.
Natalie emerged from the water, with a scowl on her face as she threw her wet towel and sunglasses to the side. "You die Carter."
"What? It's not as if you can't grab another towel, it's just inside" Nick shrugged as he barely contained his laughter.
"And my sunglasses?"
"Totally replaceable, I'll get you one of AJ's. He's got so many you'd think daylight was a permanent thing" Nick brushed off with a wave of his hand.
"Nick, I've seen his sunglasses. Half of them are goggles and the rest look totally the same" Natalie said dryly, as she paddled on the spot and looked up at Nick. "So are you gonna stand there all day or are you comin in?"
"Later Nat, maybe I'll just sit and sunbake for awhile" Nick grinned.
"You are the biggest girl I have ever met! Besides you're too pale, you'll just burn" Natalie said with a smirk.
"I am not a girl" Nick exclaimed indignantly. "And I will tan, just wait and see."
"And pigs might fly" Natalie retorted, before giving up on Nick and deciding to start some laps.
After touching the wall from a lap, Natalie looked up, and saw Nick standing with his back to her, as he inspected something to the side of the pool. She quickly hauled herself up, and tiptoed up to him, trying not to let out a fit of giggles. She tapped Nick, as he turned to her, she shoved him as hard as she could and sent him flying into the water, creating one big splash. Natalie laughed loudly from her position as she took in the total look of surprise on Nick's face. "Gotcha!"
"You are so gonna get it" Nick cried out as he swam to the edge of the pool and climbed out. Natalie stuck her tongue out at him, and watched as Nick ran over to her. She let out a shriek and began to run away from him, and almost made it out the gate when Nick pulled her back and lost his balance causing both of them to fall into the pool, with Natalie yelling at the top of her lungs.
"Nick! You big klutz" Natalie laughed as Nick splashed her and threw her up in the air amidst her screams of protest.
"Klutz?" Nick said as Natalie tried to wriggle away from him. She managed to get away amd swam to the edge of the pool where Nick cornered her and wouldn't let her pass. "Sorry, you're not going anywhere."
"Nick..." Natalie trailed off, when she looked up and was startled by the intenseness of Nick's gaze. His blue eyes were looking straight into hers, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't look away. Her heart was racing so fast, she could almost hear it beating, and she hoped Nick couldn't notice how nervous she was.
"Nat..." Nick began, unable to bring his gaze away from her. His heart stuttered a little when he totally looked at her for the first time. He had no idea why he suddenly felt strange looking at Natalie when they had been living together for so long already. Nick instinctively leaned in to her upturned face, while Natalie looked at him with a questioning look on her face, bringing her face closer to his as Nick slowly lowered himself to kiss her.
Barely inches away from each other, the moment passed as quickly as it came. Nick looked away with an embarrassed expression, while Natalie turned her attention to the tiled surface of the pool. They both remained silent, when Natalie quickly got up, knowing what had almost happened would forever changed the way they saw each other. "I better go inside now."
"Uh okay, I'll be out here" Nick mumbled, still unable to look at Natalie.
**************
"Hey Nat, is Nick there?" Sarah asked cheerfully, after Natalie answered the ringing phone.
"I think so" Natalie said softly.
"Well can I talk to him" Sarah remarked with a laugh.
"Do you have to" Natalie responded with a hint of apprehension in her voice.
"Uh yeah, I had to ask him something" Sarah replied quizzically. "Why, what's wrong Nat?"
"Puh-lease do not make me have to give this phone to him" Natalie pleaded.
"What's going on?" Sarah asked suspiciously.
"Oh God Sarah, you will not believe what almost happened" Natalie sighed.
"Try me."
"We were mucking around in the pool, Nick cornered me and we..." Natalie trailed off, unable to bring herself to say it.
"You what?"
"We almost kissed each other" Natalie said, as all the memories of the afternoon came back to her. She could almost see Nick's face coming closer to hers.
"Shit" Sarah exclaimed. "Whoa Nat, that's pretty big news. How do you feel?"
"I have never been so confused in my whole life."
**************
"Hey Nick, you're just in time. We're playing pictionary and Howie can't draw to save his life. Kevin's been sitting there for twenty minutes now and he still can't get it. I think he's about to throw D out the window" Brian laughed, as he let Nick into the house.
"I really need to talk to you" Nick said seriously, looking anxiously at Brian.
"Okay, um we'll go to my room" Brian said, before they heard Howie and Kevin's argument in the living room.
"Oh no way" Kevin exclaimed. "Like hell that's a turkey, it looks like a chicken with a skin disorder."
"Well it's a turkey" Howie argued. "You're just blind."
"Whoa, me, blind?! More like your drawing sucks."
Brian let out a laugh, and left the two to squabble over the matter on their own. He found Nick sitting on his bed, looking utterly lost. "What's up Frack?"
"Bri, I just almost did something totally stupid and I am so confused it's not funny" Nick replied, looking worried.
"What'd you do? You didn't shave anything you weren't suppose to dud you?" Brian teased.
"No...God no" Nick said, looking over at Brian after realising what he'd just said. "Me and Nat, this afternoon, we almost.."
"Almost what?"
"We almost sorta kissed."
"What's an almost sorta kiss?" Brian asked in confusion.
"It means we almost kissed, but we didn't cause we both pulled away in time" Nick sighed. "What the hell am I gonna do?"
"Well Nick, you better find a way to get over this whole thing, cause you have to live with Nat and your girlfriend is coming home soon."
"Shit! Cassie" Nick exclaimed, as he clapped his hand onto his forehead. "I totally forgot."
"You totally forgot Cassie?" Brian said incredulously with a raised eyebrow.
"Sort of, Nat and I were having so much fun together that I kinda had a lapse of memory for a tiny bit" Nick said sheepishly.
"Nick, man, are you sure about your feelings for Cassie?" Brian started. "Cause if being with Nat makes you forget, well I seriously think you should assess your feelings right now."
Chapter Seventeen
Never Ever Index
Carter Fiction Main Page
