Chapter 18

After she finished eating, Andrea went into the bathroom to wash her face, put some makeup on and make herself look a little more presentable, knowing she would feel much better. Once she was finished, she took a final look in the mirror, and nodding in approving of what she saw, she opened the door to exit the bathroom.

“Oh my God, you scared the crap out of me!” she screamed as she opened the door and ran into Nick who was standing in the doorway.

“Sorry,” he said chuckling. “I just wanted to talk to you alone for a minute.” He was getting very astute as to how to read her, and he looked intensely into her eyes, hoping to read her yet again. If I am going to pursue this, I need something, a signal, anything from her to encourage me to move forward, he told himself, hoping he would get it, but nervous that he wouldn’t. He didn’t want the rest of the day and trip back to Cincinnati to be the last of the time they would spend together. “Thank you for telling me about your husband and children,” he started, watching her eyes very closely. “You put yourself out there today, for me, and it means so much to me that I was the person you chose to confide in. It is not easy to throw yourself to the wolves, so to speak, especially when you are afraid you will be eaten by them. I know that you must feel something for me to come here with me, and to allow yourself to feel such raw emotions in my presence."

He stopped for a minute, catching his breath and digging deep within himself for the courage to continue. "I am in love with everything I know about you. Your curls, your lips, your smile, your eyes, the way your ears point slightly at the top like an elf's ears, the way you tuck your hair behind those ears when you are nervous, and the five different laughs you have. I want the time to find all sorts of other things to fall in love with. I do not want this to be the end of us; I don't want to take you back to Cincy and have you walk off my bus and out of my life; to go back to being nothing more than a fan. I don't want to only see you from a distant in the crowd, and I don't think you want that either. You are everything I want and nothing I deserve at the same time."

He stopped again, this time taking her hands into his and holding them ever so softly, rubbing his thumbs over her skin. He moved his head closer to hers, as if his eyes being physically closer to hers would allow him to see into her soul that much better. He looked and looked, watching, waiting. He was not going to let this pass him by, if it was there, he was going to see it.

“Oh Nick,” she said so quietly that he almost didn’t hear her. And then, not knowing if it was intuition or clairvoyance that helped him, he saw it. Her eyes flickered as she said his name so tenderly, and he instantaneously knew she loved him. She could not hide it, not even if she tried with all her being, he knew it, and she knew it. She also knew she had just given away the last secret within her to him.