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Bianca sped down the deserted highway with tears in her eyes and no regard for safety. She was too upset to pay attention to anything going on outside of her BMW. There was a voice in the back of her mind telling her she should slow down and pay attention to the road in front of her, especially since rain was coming down steadily and didn’t look like it would be letting up anytime soon. She glanced down at the speedometer and chose to ignore the nagging in her stomach; she was already going 85 mph and only pressed her foot harder on the accelerator.

She was trying her best to figure out what had happened between the time she’d been talking with Matt in her studio and the time AJ got home. He hadn’t been in the best mood for whatever reason, but she didn’t think they would start fighting. She couldn’t even pinpoint what their fight had even been about! All she knew was AJ had been in a bad mood and they’d suddenly started screaming at one another. The next thing she knew, she’d grabbed her car keys and tore out of their driveway not knowing exactly where she was going.

Bianca still didn’t know where she was going. It was getting dark and raining harder, but she had no intention of returning home just yet. She would definitely say more things she’d regret later if she went back now. She smirked to herself when she thought about how pissed AJ would be when he tried calling her cell phone, only to hear it ringing from the next room. Serves him right, she thought huffily as she continued to floor the accelerator. As angry as she was, she felt more hurt than anything. She just wanted answers to the questions that plagued her mind. Why had he been so angry? What had she done? Would he be over it by the time she got home? As angry as she was, she couldn’t help but hope that her leaving would be good for both of them and not cause another fight.

Suddenly, Bianca realized that she had no idea where she was. She hadn’t seen another car for miles and the only building in sight seemed to be an old, run down gas station that looked like it had been out of service for years. “This is great. Let’s top off my day by adding me getting lost to the list. Serves me right,” she mumbled as fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. Taking her eyes off the road ahead, she glanced in the rearview mirror not surprised to see nothing but dark clouds and rain. A loud sound suddenly brought her attention back to the highway stretched out in front of her and she gasped in surprise. While she’d been paying attention to the scenery behind her, a car had come out of nowhere and now, she was swerving not to hit it. Unfortunately, she still clipped the side of the other car and screamed as her BMW began to hydroplane into a spin. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and just began to pray until she felt the car come to a sudden stop. Taking a deep breath, she was almost afraid to open her eyes. When she finally did, she saw that her car was now in a ditch. “Great. Good going, Bianca.”



Nick sang along to the song on the radio and tried to keep himself from feeling like the complete jerk he knew he was. After Tasha left, he felt like everything was just closing in around him and he couldn’t take it anymore. Nothing a long drive won’t cure, he’d thought to himself as he grabbed his keys and set out for the open road. He didn’t have anywhere to go and as much as he wished it would work, this drive wasn’t taking his mind off the things he’d said to Tasha.

The scene kept playing over and over in his mind.

“No, it’s not okay,” she said as her eyes turned cold. “What am I to you? Am I just someone you call when you need a good fuck? That’s it, isn’t it? I’m nothing more than someone who will warm your bed at night.”

“Tasha…”

“No, Nick, you tell me the fucking truth! What am I to you?”

Finally, having had enough, Nick snapped. “Nothing Natasha! You’re nothing to me! Okay? Everything you just said is true! I don’t care about you, and I’m sorry. My heart belongs to someone else and that’s not gonna change anytime soon!” Before he knew what happened, her hand met his cheek with enough force to bring tears to his eyes.

“You can go to hell, Nickolas!”

“I didn’t have to be so mean about it, did I?” he rubbed a hand over his scruffy chin feeling that much worse. Tasha was a nice girl and God knows Nick enjoyed the time they spent holed up together in his bedroom, but he just couldn’t keep jumping into a relationship that he couldn’t put his heart into. How many women had he been with to try and take his mind off her? Too many…

The rain was coming down harder now and he knew he would need to get back home soon. It was nearly nightfall and with the storm clouds rolling overhead, it was already dark. Maybe he still had time to go and beg Tasha’s forgiveness. He didn’t care if she never wanted to see him again, but he just couldn’t live with what he’d told her; he knew he had to apologize to her for that no matter what.

Peering through the rain, Nick spotted another car coming his way. Looks like I’m not the only one who needed to get away from the city, he thought miserably. Taking another look, he saw that the speeding BMW was swerving terribly and he laid down on the horn. He watched as the driver tried to get back into their lane, but it was too late. Next he felt the collision as the BMW caught the back end of his Mercedes; he tried to control the car as it went into a half spin. He watched in horror as the other car hydroplaned and crashed into the ditch. “This is just great…”



Bianca groaned and reached down to unbuckle her seatbelt. The only smart thing she’d done all day was remember to put that on. Now that the car was stopped she was able to take in the situation. Why had she been so stupid? Driving the way she did? Reaching up, she felt blood trickling down her temple and she noticed that her right ankle felt stiff. “God, I hope I didn’t break it…”

From outside her car, she heard someone yelling.

“Are you okay?”

She tried to open the door, but it was stuck. Wonderful… I really fucked up. Rolling down her window, she looked up and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Nick was staring at her wide eyed and open mouthed.

“You’ve gotta be fuckin kiddin me!” he cried and threw his hands in the air. “Where did you get your driver’s license, Bianca, the fuckin dollar store?”

“Excuse me?” she tried to think of something else to say, but words were failing her right now. This could not get any worse.

“You were drivin like a bat outta hell, swerving all over the fuckin road and shit! Were you even paying attention to the road? What the hell were you doing anyway?”

“Fuck off, Nick,” Bianca screamed through her tears. She was in pain and she couldn’t get out of her car… the last thing she needed was Nick yelling at her. She tried once again to open her door, but it was obviously stuck. Her only other options were crawling over the console and trying the other door, or climbing out through her already open window. Well, just call me Dale Jr., she thought hatefully as she attempted to pull herself up and through the window.

“What are you doing?” Nick called annoyed.

“What does it look like, Einstein? I’m trying to get out of this car,” she winced as her right ankle hit the seat. Before she knew what was happening, she felt Nick reach into the car. His right arm circled her waist and his left arm went under her knees as he lifted her from inside the car. It took some effort, but he managed to pull her out without hurting her further.

Putting her down, Nick noticed she looked like hell. There was a large cut above her left eye and another on her neck, probably from the seatbelt she’d been wearing. Her right ankle was also swollen.

“Thanks,” she avoided his eyes and began to limp in the direction she’s come from.

“Where are you going?” Nick called over the drenching rain as he followed her.

“Home.”

“You’re kidding, right? You can’t possibly walk home from here in your condition. Have you lost your mind?”

“Quite possibly.” Turning to look at Nick, she frowned, “Why are you following me anyway? Taking pity on me? Or just pissed cause I hit your car?”

“Well, for one, you look like shit and you don’t need to keep walking when I have a car. If you wanna call it taking pity on you, whatever, but I would feel pretty shitty if I just got in my car and drove off leaving you to fend for yourself out here. And yeah, okay, I’m pissed you hit my car cause you obviously don’t know how to fucking drive,” he said matter-of-factly. Grabbing her arm, he turned her to face him. “Stop being a stubborn bitch and get in my car.”

“Fuck you, Nick.”

“Bianca, don’t make me pick your prissy ass up and put you in the car, because I will.”

Huffing loudly, Bianca limped behind him and slid into the front seat of his Mercedes. Rubbing her arms she tried to warm herself, but it was no use; she was chilled inside and out.

“Shit,” Nick mumbled as he got into the car.

“What is it?”

“My tire’s flat.”

“Well, you have a spare, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

“Well, okay, what’s the problem?”

“I don’t have the tools to change the tire.”

Bianca laughed sarcastically. “This is just great.”

“Don’t get pissy, Bean, it’s your fault we’re in this mess anyway,” he sighed. Leaning over on the steering wheel, he spotted the old gas station just up the road. “Look, you stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Not so fast, Blondie. Where are you going?”

“See that old service station over there? Well, I thought maybe I might be able to find some tools to change that damn tire so we can get you to the hospital.”

“Don’t even begin to think that you’re leaving me in this car by myself, buddy. I’m coming with you.”

“You need to stay off that ankle, Bianca. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”

“No way, Nick! I’m not staying here. What if some crazy psycho killer comes out of nowhere and murders me while you’re looking for tools? Absolutely not!”

“Fine. God, you’re such a damn drama queen.”

“Whatever.”

Stepping back into the icy rain, Nick sucked in a breath. The temperature was dropping fast. Looking over at Bianca, he saw her face contort with pain as she began to limp toward the old abandoned building. “Wait,” he said and walked over to her.

“Yeah?” she asked just as Nick hoisted her up over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Look, you’re in pain, and I’m fine. The least I can do is carry you so you don’t have to walk on that foot, okay? So just shut up and deal with it, Bianca.”

“I cannot believe this. Nick, you are crazy…”

“No, I just felt sorry for you, okay?”

He continued walking, completely ignoring Bianca. He was thankful when he tried the door to the service station and found it unlocked. Walking inside, he sat Bianca down on the dusty counter and began to look around.

“What exactly are you looking for?” she asked after a few silent minutes.

“A jack and a lug wrench,” he answered absently and continued looking. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to find the tools he needed. Finally giving in to the fact that there weren’t any tools, he walked back over to Bianca and surveyed her injuries. The gash above her left eye was still bleeding and her ankle had swollen to more than twice its normal size already. Reaching up he wiped away some of the blood that had trickled down her face.

“Oww…” she moved back away from his hand.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. Looking around for something he could use to clean up her cut, he didn’t find anything opting instead for the white t-shirt he was wearing beneath his Santa Monica sweatshirt.

“What are you doing?” Bianca asked, alarmed when Nick stripped off his shirts. She watched in confusion as he began ripping the plain white t-shirt into strips.

“Just chill out,” he said quietly as he began wiping the area around the cut above her eye. “I wish I had some alcohol or something.”

She winced as he pressed the cloth against the open wound. Closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip, she felt a tear slip from her eye.

Nick noticed this, too, and reached up with his left hand to gently brush it away. “Why are you crying?”

“It just hurts,” she whispered quietly and kept her eyes tightly closed.

Yeah, it does, Nick thought sadly. “Here, just keep pressure on it, okay? That will help until we can get you to the hospital. It looks like you might need stitches. How’s your ankle?”

“Hurts like a bitch,” she muttered dejectedly. The situation had suddenly turned awkward.

Lifting her right leg, Nick gently pressed the area just above the swelling and caused Bianca to recoil. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

“I know,” Bianca nodded. She remained silent for a moment before turning to look at Nick, “I’m really sorry about all of this. I was just really upset and wasn’t paying attention at all. I feel like a complete moron because I knew better than to be out in this kind of weather driving like a madwoman.”

Nick turned to look at her and moved so that he was standing right in front of her with his hands on her thighs. “It’s okay, Bean. I overreacted back there and I’m sorry. It really scared me when I saw you in that car, and I didn’t know how to handle that,” he reached his hand up to brush back the wet tangles of hair falling into her face. “I don’t know what I would have done if it had been worse…”

Bianca leaned into his palm savoring the warmth for longer than she should have. “Nick…”

“Bean, I love you and I can’t help that. I can’t just make myself stop… it’s second nature to me.” Another tear slipped down her cheek, but this time Nick kissed it away. He noticed the shudder that coursed through Bianca’s body as he did this. “I tried letting go, but there’s no one that gets to me the way you do.”

Opening her eyes, she looked into his, the oceans of blue consuming her. Before either of them knew what was happening, they were locked in a fiery kiss that warmed them to the core.

Breaking away, breathless, Nick pulled her closer to him. “Can you deny what we have? When we kiss… the fire between us… it’s still there, Bean.”

“Nick…” her voice broke with emotion. She tried to deny it for so long… “I never stopped loving you, I just stopped letting it show…”