Elisa was glad to be home. She had to help intervene in a fight today, and two kids had dropped out. Then her mother called her cell phone, left a horrid voice mail, asking if she could lend money until payday. Elisa had rolled her eyes, and deleted the message.
She came home, turned her iPod on to some country music, and ran a hot bubble bath. Sinking into it, she sighed.
She pulled her bath table to her, and picked up her phone to check her Facebook updates. Just as she was about to log in, her phone buzzed. Sighing, she looked to see who it was, dreading her mother again.
It was Nick calling.
“Hey,” she answered, softly.
“What you doing?”
“Ummm…do I have to answer that?” she asked nervously.
“Are you murdering someone?” Nick asked, laughing.
“No, I’m kinda in the bath…” Elisa said, grinning.
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
“Is it a bad time to talk?” he finally asked, his voice cracking a little.
“No, I can talk. It’s just been a long day, and I need to unwind.”
In his house, Nick mentally groaned. She was naked in her tub, and he was trying not to think of it.
“I get it. Maureen came by today.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just stinging a little.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She hummed a little, and Nick heard music in the background. It sounded like country.
“Country girl, huh?” he asked.
“Born in Georgia, you have to be,” she laughed.
“I get it, girl. I like some country now and then. You wanna talk about your bad day?”
“High school fight, two kids dropped out, and then my mother. Asking for money. Just a normal Tuesday.”
“Wait, your mom fucked you out of a fiance, literally, and then she has the nerve to ask you for money?”
“Yeah.”
“What the hell is wrong with her?”
“If I start that, I’d be on the phone all night.”
“No objections here.”
Elisa laughed.
“Give me a minute, I’m getting out.” She muted the phone.
Nick waited and tried to keep the image of her naked body out of his mind. He was not wanting to go there right now.
“Okay, I’m back,” she said.
“So, Yolanda believe you now?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, she’s about ready to kill me.”
“She a fan?”
“Of yours, yeah. She’s jealous that we’re friends, but in a good way.”
Nick laughed and changed the subject.
“You still want to go out on Friday?”
“Of course, I do.”
Nick grinned.
“Good.”
They chatted for a while and then hung up.
Elisa went to bed, happy. She snuggled into her pillow, looking forward to seeing Nick on Friday. Not even her mother could put a damper on this feeling.
_______________________________
Nick knocked on Elisa’s door that Friday evening. He told her to dress normally. He wore a black T-shirt and ripped jeans, with his sneakers.
She opened her door and grinned. He hugged her tightly, feeling all his worries of the past month fade away.
Elisa felt the same way, and she breathed in his scent deeply.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“That’s for me to know, and you to find out. You hungry?”
She shook her head.
“Not right now.”
“Well, let’s go,” he said. She was wearing a green shirt with black pants and flats. Her hair was up in a pony tail.
He opened his car door for her, and she got in. He got in and turned the radio on, and then took off.
“So we talked about you signing, but what about dancing? From what I saw, you’re pretty good.”
“Stress relief. I go to the gym three times a week, and they have a dance room there, as you know.”
“What’s your dance style?”
“I have so many. Hip hop, latin, I can do an awesome tango.”
“You’ll have to show me sometime,” Nick said.
“I will, one day.”
He pulled into an empty parking lot beside a pier.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
“This is one of my favorite spots. I brought my laptop and some snacks, I figured we could sit under the pier and watch a movie. I do it all the time. Normally alone, so feel special, you’re the first one to come here with me.”
Elisa grinned.
“So a movie night, just at the beach?”
“Pretty much.”
“That’s so cool!”
She helped him grab the snacks and blanket while he got the laptop. She followed him to a spot under the pier.
She laid out the blanket and sat down next to him. He hit play on the movie, which was The Conjuring.
“A scary movie, on a beach. Now this is definitely the coolest outing I’ve been on,” she said, grinning at him.
He grinned back.
Halfway through the movie, Nick had Elisa’s hand under his. She didn’t object at all, so he kept it there.
All of a sudden, she jumped at something in the movie and he laughed.
“Stop, man, that’s some scary shit!”
“Not for me,” he said, snickering.
“That’s because you’re a freak who loves this shit,” she said playfully.
“I’m a freak in other ways, too,” he said suggestively.
She rolled her eyes and continued to watch the movie. But she had a smile on her face as she processed his words.
As it ended, Elisa shivered.
“You cold?” he asked her, concerned.
“Just a bit,” she admitted.
“Let’s get this stuff back in the car, and we’ll get something to eat, okay?”
She nodded, and they packed up the stuff.
Once in the car, Nick adjusted the heat for Elisa.
“What are you in the mood for?”
“Honestly? A burger.”
Nick laughed.
“Sounds good to me.”
______________________________________
They ate their burgers in the car.
“I haven’t had one of these in so long,” he said, finishing his off.
“I know. Me either,” Elisa admitted as he drove her home.
“Why not?”
“Because I lost a lot of weight and I’m trying to keep it off,” she said.
“Hey, same here,” Nick laughed.
“You still looked alright, I looked terrible. I’ve changed a lot in this past year.”
“I doubt you looked horrible,” Nick said, smiling at her.
“I was seventy pounds overweight, Nick. Trust me, I was a whale.”
“Whatever you say.”
When he pulled into the driveway, he turned to her.
“Tonight was fun,” he said, smiling at her.
“It was. Thank you so much,” she replied. She got out of the care, waved, and walked inside.
Over the summer, their friendship grew. Whenever they could, Nick and Elisa spent time together. Elisa soon knew that she really could trust him, and they grew to be close friends over the next few months.
Then September came.
Chapter End Notes:
Sorry for the cliffhanger, update coming right now.
