Chapter 13

The low strains of the violin could be heard from the open windows as Nick sat out back
by the pool late in the evening the next day.  He had been home for about half an hour so
far and hadn’t greeted her yet, the shut door still negating any thoughts of her willingness
to see him.  The day had been a particularly relaxed one, it was coming home that Nick
dreaded, the mind games, the taunts, and the doubt that wouldn’t disperse from his mind. 
He actually hadn’t thought of April all day until the ride home he remembered their little
exchange of words the previous night.  The day had left behind the warm air, now with
cool breezes as he sat, the purplish glow of the setting sun fading into a deep black.  Nick
watched as another breeze rippled in the pool water, nursing his bottle of coke and
running the day in his mind.  The violin had lost his attention and he hadn’t realized it
had stopped until she came out and sat in a lounge chair, looking frustrated and tired.  He
glanced at her, curious of her expression.
“ When did you get home?” 
“ Half an hour?  Forty five minutes?” She nodded, looking at the papers next to him.
“ They’re just stuff about the Sweden trip for recording,” He said, following her gaze.
“ Really?  When are you guys leaving?”  He shrugged.
“ Coupla weeks,” The silence maintained, April thinking of the song she had been
perfecting and Nick focusing on the next tour.
“ You look frustrated...” He commented after a few minutes.
“ I am, I can’t do this one song without screwing up,”
“ I wish I could help you but I know nothing about violins...Did you eat?”  She nodded.
“ Before you got home,”  He stood up, swinging his legs a bit to dry them off.
“ I’m gonna see what there is for dinner,” 
“ Ok,” She replied, now flipping through a magazine she had left on the poolside table. 
He continued inside and walked into the kitchen, thinking he’d have to order in
something again.  Sighing, he took a seat at the dinner table ( in the dining room, not the
kitchen) and dialed in for some pizza.  Forty minutes to kill...He drummed his fingers on
the expensive wooden tabletop and wondered why he had even invested in it; he never
ate here.  The silence reverberated around him in a quiet ring.  
“ Nick!  Your cell phone’s ringing!” He heard April call and he entered the kitchen,
scanning to find it.  He finally got it on the sixth ring and answered.
“ Hello?...Hey, Mike, what’s going on?...Good, yeah...Just got back a while ago...” He
listened as his long-time friend explained that a whole bunch of them were going out.
“ Do I?...Yeah, sounds good...Could I bring a friend?...Ok, man, then I’ll see you later,”
He hung up and walked over to the doors leading outside.
“ April, wanna come clubbing with us?” She looked up, unintrestedly.
“ That’s ok, I’ll stay here,” 
“ AJ’s not going to be there, these are different friends of mine,” 
“ Nah, I’ve got a date tonight,” She said, returning to  her magazine.
“ A date?  Oooh, with who?” He teased.
“ Derek Harton...” Nick racked his brain, trying to figure out why he sounded so familiar.
“ Hang on, Cindy’s brother?” He asked, doing a double take.
“ I guess, why?” 
“ Why?  Because he’s the world’s biggest prick,” Nick blurted out, staring at her.
“ No he’s not...” 
“ April, he’s just looking for some ass-”  
“ Nick, don’t piss me off tonight!...Besides, how would you know?   You’re never here,”
She stated simply and he sighed.
“ Ok, fine...You’ll see for yourself what an asshole he is,” 
“ Thanks for your concern.” She said dryly as he sauntered back in, contemplating over
why she’d go out with a creep like that.
“ What time’s your date?”  She walked in after him and sat down at the table.
“ Eight.” He studied her face with mild intrest.
“ Where are you guys going?” April sighd.
“ Out, Nick.  I’m not sure yet, probably dinner or something,”
“ Wh-”
“ Nick!  Enough with the questions, ok?” He grinned at her sheepishly.
“ When are you leaving?” She asked him.
“ Damn, you sound glad that I’m gonna be leaving,” 
“ Of course not,” She  scoffed, half joking.
“ I’m leaving around nine,” 
“ Damn,” 
“ Yeah, I get to see Derek,”
“ Nick, you can’t say anything,” 
“ I won’t, I promise,” He replied with a wicked grin.
“ I’m serious, Nick.”
“ Ok, Ok, fine...” He said in mock surrender.
“ Now we both need to kill time,” She mused, looking around the room.
“ Screw it,let’s watch a movie,” He said, standing up...





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