Chapter 16
Nick came downstairs and stopped in the mirror in the hallway, fixing his tie for the umpteenth time. He smoothed his hair back and picked up the corsage on the kitchen counter, tonight was the big night.
Prom.
Nick had a dream the night before, where he took Amanda to prom and she confessed that she wanted to be with him, not Lance....and they danced under the stars. Part of him felt hopeful, but something told him this was a bad idea. Why would Lance want him to take Amanda? He had even gone so far as to ask Lance for formal permission.
"Dude, it's fine. Go with her and just show her a good time." he had said. So that week was spent having secret meetings with Brian, learning how to dance. Nick was feeling pretty confident.
To be honest, he was terrified.
Nick pulled up to Amanda's aunt Sarah's house and checked his hair again before ringing the bell.
"Hello, Nick." Sarah said, smiling warmly at him like she always did. He paced for a bit while Sarah called for Amanda.
"Taking my niece to prom?" Sarah startled him as she approached.
"Yes ma'am."
"You better show her a good time. She deserves that...I am glad you're taking her." Sarah told him.
"Me too." Nick smiled. He was about to say something else when Amanda had appeared at the top of the staircase. She was wearing a gown that went down to her ankles, made of a light pink material that flared out at the bottom. It twinkled in the light and Nick smiled. Amanda felt like a princess, the dress had fit like a dream, the top hugging her at the chest but not too tight. Her brown hair was pinned up with a silver clip. Nick looked handsome in his black suit and tie, his hair slicked back.
He froze when she walked down the last step and smiled at him. Nick took her hand, her palm touching his as he helped her down. She smelled like flowers, a kind of smell that washed over him and calmed him.
"You kids look wonderful. Let me get my camera." Sarah breathed before dashing out of the foyer. She came back and snapped a few pictures before Nick reminded her they were meeting up with Brian and his date.
"Have fun, now." Sarah said. Nick walked Amanda out the door, grinning.
"Your carriage awaits." he told her, but Amanda almost fell over when she saw the car.
It was hardly a carriage as Nick put it. The car looked as if a bomb had hit it.....paint chipped so much she could just barely make out it had once been red. The bumper lazily drooped to the side and Amanda had to stop herself from throwing a diva fit.
"I know it doesn't look like much, but it runs." Nick said as he held the door open for her to get inside.
"Are we going to make it to Brian's?" Amanda asked, half joking but half serious.
"I'm pretty sure we will be fine," Nick said brightly. He held his promise and the car made it in one piece.
"Hi, guys. I'd like you to meet Jessica, my date for the night." Brian said once they were in the limo. Amanda didn't like the looks of Jessica, her dress was short and tight, her breasts practically spilling out of it. Amanda kept seeing Nick's eyes wander and she nudged him.
"She makes me uncomfortable." Nick whispered.
The ride to prom was quiet but once they arrived, Nick was in awe. It was being held in a hotel banquet hall, very elegant. The prom theme was Under The Stars and it showed through the decorations. Silver and blue cloths covered the tables, specks of glitter and crepe paper hung from the walls along with silver and gold stars. An arc of blue and silver balloons hung over the entrance. Nick took Amanda's arm and they walked inside. She felt like Rose in the dinner scene from Titanic, and Nick was her Jack Dawson, except there would be no boat sinking tonight.
Nick and Amanda reached their table and Nick stood their dumbly until Brian cleared his throat.
"Pull out her chair," he mouthed. Nick nodded and did so, Amanda sitting down as he slid her in.
"Thank you," she smiled. Nick could feel his nerves get the best of him as he offered to get them some drinks, Brian following.
"Nick, you're doing fine, bro. Just relax. Girls can sense fear, take it easy." he whispered. Nick poured the glass of punch and nearly spilled it, his hands shaking.
"I just don't want to screw this up. I've never taken a girl out before."
"Well you're doing better than me. I have no idea where Jessica went." Brian said before wandering off to find her. Nick brought the drinks back to the table and sat down as they sipped them.
"Thanks for asking me to come with you, Amanda. This is really nice." Nick said.
"It was Lance who thought of it. I couldn't think.of anyone I'd rather be here than with than you, actually." Amanda replied, smoothing out her lap. Nick felt his ears redden, he wasn't expecting that answer.
"Really?"
"Sure. You're my best friend, we always have fun together..."
Nick felt his heart deflate like a little balloon....the word sounded drawn out as he heard it roll off her tongue.
"You're right, we do." he said softly as the music started up. They danced to the fast songs and Nick was enjoying himself. Amanda seemed to be having fun as well.
"So what are you two doing after prom? A bunch of us have a hotel room in South Beach if you want to come." Jessica asked, smirking at them.
"Oh.....we're not..." Amanda interrupted her. Nick blushed. He knew a lot of the couples went to South Beach after prom to party, have sex and do drugs. Brian looked uneasy.
"I am going. What about you, Nick?" he asked.
"You see....I don't think-" Nick.started.
"Haha, I forgot you're all virgins. You don't know how to have a good time yet." Jessica laughed, taking a drink of punch. Amanda led Nick back onto the dance floor and he breathed a sigh of relief...he didn't want to get into that kind of conversation.
"Thanks for rescuing me back there." Nick whispered. The DJ began playing Still The One by Shania Twain and everyone around them got close.
"Here..." Amanda said, guiding his hands to her hips. Nick felt his heart beat faster, this was the first time he'd slow danced with someone that wasn't Brian or a broomstick. This was real.
"You okay?" she whispered. Nick pulled her closer and nodded.
"This....um...is my first dance actually." he confessed. Amanda was a bit surprised but she thought it was cute. No wonder he was being so nervous.
"You dance well. Thank you for keeping me company tonight, I'm having a great time." Amanda said. They swayed and glided across the dance floor and she rested her head on his shoulder. The two of them felt something stir inside themselves..a connection.
When Amanda looked up, she was looking right into Nick's eyes......they were so close she could see herself in them. His lips were almost touching hers but she didn't pull away. Nick kissed her and Amanda felt her heart flutter. Lance's kisses never made her feel like this, like she had butterflies. As they parted Nick felt it too, and people were staring in surprise, even Joey was watching. Nick felt humiliated.
"Nick...."
He was silent for the rest of the night and Amanda just wanted to talk, it was the first time he'd shown interest in her.
"So.....should I take you home?" Nick said, jarring her out of her thoughts. They were outside of Brian's place.
"It's still early."
"We could go to my house and watch a movie," Nick offered. Amanda accepted, she wanted to find out what he meant by that kiss.
Nick brought Amends to the house and lent her one of his t-shirts to wear so she wouldn't ruin her gown.
"So what movie did you want to watch?"
"Nick..."
He wasn't listening, he began rattling off movie titles.
"Let's see.....Twister, Titanic....uh, Dumb and Dumber, The Goonies, Alien...."
"Titanic is fine." Amanda said. Nick popped some popcorn and they settled into the movie, drinking their Cokes. Nick thought this was better than South Beach any day. As they watched, Nick realized that Amanda was like Rose in the fact she belonged to someone else. He had never really watched the movie.....but he felt like he identified with Jack.
Except Jack had Rose. He didn't.
"Nick, we need to talk." Amanda said as the ship hit the iceberg.
"Need more popcorn?" he asked, noticing the bowl had gone empty.
"This isn't about the popcorn. You kissed me." she whisperered, rubbing at her arm.
"Yeah, I did. I'm sorry about that, it was an accident and-" he stuttered.
"No, Nick. It was a good kiss."
This wasn't what he was expecting.
"That was my....my first kiss." Nick confessed sheepishly. Amanda stared at him, feeling her heart fluttering. She felt the warmth radiating from Nick, his positive aura surrounding her.
There was something about Nick Carter she hadn't seen before.....and by the end of the night she would find so much more.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Back with a new chapter. Romance is in the air :) let us know what you think!
