[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Chapter Seventy-Three
Point of View: Kayla

I woke up from a nightmare of Leon's face - jeering at me like an evil clown. My eyes were unfocused and I could feel sweat pouring off me. But just before I threw myself up and out of bed, I realized Nick's arms were around me and I stopped short, settling back into him without ever having disturbed him.

It felt nice, having his body so close to mine, pressed against me the way it was. I could feel his breath against my scalp and it made me smile, knowing he was breathing was enough at this moment. I clung to his hands, keeping them safely placed on the center of my abdomen.

I'm not sure what part of the moment he felt, I assume my tension and release, because he mumbled into my hair, "What's wrong?"

"You're here, nothing is wrong now," I whispered back.

"I wish I could stay here forever," he answered. Something about the way he said it sounded so sad, so desperate.

I rolled in his arms toward him, feeling his hand smoothly sail over my hip onto my bottom as I turned. I put my own arms under his, onto his back, and stared up at him. "Why can't we?" I asked, kissing his chin.

Nick looked down at me and I realized there were tears in his eyes. "Kayla, I dunno what's going to happen to me," he whispered.

A million panicked ideas went through my head. "How do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm going to the police today," he whispered quietly, eyes focused on my hair, not my face. "I -" he sighed and took a deep breath, "I know what happened to Krystal."

"What happened?" I asked, sitting up.

He looked up at me, and rolled onto his back. I couldn't help but let my eyes scan the expanse of his chest. His muscles were defined, and as my eyes roamed over him, I caught sight of my old Millennium poster in the corner of the room. My face felt sooo hot...

Nick followed my gaze, pausing the conversation to see what had made me turn so red. He let out a low chuckle, "I saw that earlier," he admitted.

"Oh God," I leaned forward and pressed my face into the pillow beside his head.

He was still laughing as he rolled over and said directly in my ear, "I guess I know why you knew I Need You Tonight now, huh?"

"Oh God," I moaned.

Nick kissed the side of my head, "At least it isn't like freaking NSYNC or something," he joked.

Thank you God, I thought, For having me taken that one down.

Nick's tone returned to being serious like a light switch, though, and he said, "I was there, I saw it. They're right, I was driving alongside her, and my tires are going to match the ones they thought drove her off the road."

"What?" I looked up, the embarrassment replaced now with concern. "What do you mean?"

His face was solemn. "The night Krystal died, after you and Zoe dropped me off at my house, she was there. That was the night she messed everything up in there, remember?"

"Yes." The next day was the day we had coffee in your driveway and you almost kissed me. Yes, yes I remember that.

"Well, she was buzzed, and I got mad at her, and she left because she thought I was judging her. But I tried to make her stay, out in the driveway, we had an argument..." he sighed, "So... I..." Nick's eyes flicked away so I couldn't look at them. "I did a line in the living room --"

"So you've relapsed twice," I said with concern, thinking of the afternoon he spent with me.

Nick frowned, "Only those two times, though."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"Okay. So what happened?"

"So I got high and I called Krystal and told her to come back, because now I was high, too. I didn't want her driving and I thought it would make it better if I was high. And... I dunno, the rest is kind of blurry, but when I was passed out yesterday the memory kind of came to me."

I nodded, "It's in your sub-conscious."

"Exactly," Nick answered. "Anyway, I went to her house, we argued. She was pregnant, but not by me..."

I blinked in surprise, "Who then?"

"I dunno, Dennis? Daryl?" he asked, "I don't remember his name, he was a dancer on her tour."

"Desi," I said. I remembered seeing them together after Nick had gone to rehab on Entertainment Tonight.

Nick gave me a funny look, as if wondering how I knew that, before he continued, "Anyway, she was suicidal. I didn't run her off the road, she drove off the road and I pulled over to try to help, but she was already gone by the time I pulled over."

I frowned, "Well you shouldn't be in any trouble then, I mean if she did it herself..."

"I'm the only one that saw it, Kayla," Nick said, his voice thick. "What if they ask me to prove it? What if they need proof she was suicidal? I don't got any proof of that..."

"How would they expect you to prove that?" I demanded.

Nick shrugged, "But if they do, I'm kinda screwed. I mean, all the evidence and motive and everything is stacked against me..."

I suddenly understood what he was saying. "Nick, they can't put you in jail," I cried, hugging him and pressing myself against him, "Please, don't let them do that."

Nick laughed, of all responses. "Kayla, trust me, I'm trying not to, even without you having to ask me..." he ran a hand over my hair and smiled sadly. "I'm scared."

A knock on the door made me turn, pulling the blanket up to Nick's chin so his bare chest wasn't showing, and pushed myself across the bed, to the end, flinging my legs over the edge, before calling, "Come in!"

Aunt Zoe came in, followed closely by Nick's friend Brian, who looked thoroughly amused. He leaned against the door jamb, and Zoe squinted at us. "You can stop with the innocent act," she said, "I saw you two all touchy curled up before." Zoe's hand pointed accusingly at Nick, "Put your shirt on, young man."

"Yes ma'm," Nick rolled off the bed and hit the floor with thud, scrambling for the shirt I'd thrown across the room.

"Nick, we gotta get going," Brian said, looking at his watch, "You got to get to the station."

Nick nodded, "Okay, Frick."

Zoe pointed at me, "And you. You haven't eaten all day. I made beef stew. You need to come downstairs and eat."

"I'm not hungry," I started to whine, but Nick came over and pecked me on the forehead. "Go eat," he admonished before the words were all the way out of my mouth.

"Don't I at least get a real hug?" I pleaded.

Nick looked at Zoe, who feigned annoyance, but smiled as she turned to the door. Brian was smirking from the door jamb at his friend, and had to be herded away by Zoe. I looked at Nick. He was already staring down at me with those beautiful blue eyes. "I'll be back, okay?" he whispered.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too," he answered. He kissed me, lightly and respectfully compared to some of the kisses we'd shared in the past couple hours. Then, Nick leaned in and wrapped his arms around me tightly and squeezed like a little kid. When he pulled back he had a big grin on his face. "Bye baby." And with that, he bounded out the door.

I fell back onto the bed, wondering when I'd see him next, and how I was gonna get out of eating Zoe's beef stew.