We were in tangled sheets the next morning when we woke up. Nick didn’t waste another second. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was on top of me. He showered me with passionate kisses and we started the whole passionate ride all over again.
It was crazy. I have never felt like this in the past. I guessed it was different when you love the person you are with. It just magnifies every sensation, every thrill, and every emotion.
By eleven o’clock, I forced Nick out of bed. “We need to have lunch with your family,” I reminded him.
He groaned. “Oh yeah, that.”
“Come on, Nick,” I said, raising a brow at him. “It’s your birthday. It’s only right that you spend it with your family.”
“I want to spend it only with you.”
“You did. Last night. And you will tonight. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
He gave me a mischievous grin. “Really? Tonight?” He pulled me toward him and gave me a kiss on the lips. “Is the wishing line open?”
“Wishing line?” I echoed. He winked at me naughtily, I couldn’t help blushing. “Since I didn’t get you a gift, I guess you could ask me anything.”
“Well, your first time was more than enough to make up for all my remaining birthdays, but since you asked…”
I pinched him on the side. “Nick!”
He laughed. “You can’t take it back, kitten. I already know what I’m going to ask you.”
I stared at him nervously. I knew I would give him the moon if he asked for it because he deserved it. But right now, my resources were limited. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to afford what he would ask of me. “Okay, what do you want?”
He smiled, mischief all over his face. “Later. For now, we need to get ready to spend time with my family. I’m not too excited to see Beatrice to be honest.”
“Yeah, what did she want from you last night?”
Nick sighed. “Margot got wasted last night. Bee wanted me to bring her home.”
“And what did you say to her?”
“I went straight to Tyler. I asked him to take care of it.”
“So ungentlemanly of you!” I said, although I couldn’t be happier with his choice.
“I know her. When I caught her in bed with Simon, that was the same excuse she used. She said she was too wasted, she thought Simon was me. Damn, that girl thought I think with my dick.”
“And you don’t? All the time?”
He grinned at me naughtily. “Not all the time. With you, sometimes, I just couldn’t seem to help it. In fact, right now, I’m not thinking with my brains at all.” He pulled me to him a little forcefully and then he pressed his lower body against me. I felt him, rock hard again.
“Nick!” I protested with wide eyes.
“Not my fault. With you around, it seemed to have developed a mind of its own.”
“Okay, then tell it to hold its thoughts! We have less than an hour to be at your parents’ house.” I laughed, pushing him away from me so I could escape to the bathroom.
I stared at my face in the mirror for a long moment. My face was flushed, my hair was disheveled, my lips were swollen and I have a grin on my face that I could not wipe off.
I felt wonderful. I’m in love with a beautiful, wonderful guy. And he’s in love with me too. I could not believe that my dreams were coming true, and I did not even realize that I was dreaming.
I hated men because of my father. But when Nick came into my life, he proved to me that not all men were like Robert Clarke. There still are a few of them who will teach you how to trust guys, and put your life in their hands.
I thought being a girl meant being weak. But with Nick beside me, I was strong enough on my own. I never imagined that in embracing my soft edges and accepting my own vulnerability, I would feel tough and strong.
I took a bath, dried my hair, and then got ready for today’s lunch. Nick thought it was a simple family lunch. He didn’t know that his mother was throwing a party for him and that I helped her all day in the kitchen yesterday. There would be guests, some of which were their distant relatives and close friends.
Blaze was right last night. And I was so thankful he forced me to shed out my shell and show Nick’s friends that I deserve to be with him.
I am the celebrant’s girlfriend. I wanted to look nice again today. And as I rummaged through my bag, I was thankful that Terry decided to slip in the nice orange gradient dress.
The dress fit my body perfectly as though Terry had it tailor-made just for me. The dress ended a couple of inches above my knees. It showed my tiny waist and highlighted my long legs.
I combed my hair into place and then I checked my bags to see if Terry packed some makeup as well. As I went through the pockets, a piece of paper fell to the floor. I picked it up. It was a neatly folded note with the word “Kitten” written on it.
With a pounding heart, I slowly opened it. A number was written on top, in Nick’s neat handwriting. I realized it was the date two nights before and the time, ten in the evening. It was probably the date and time the note had been written.
Kitten,
I’m writing this letter, as quickly as I could, while you were in the shower.
Tonight, you asked me to sleep on my thoughts first because you thought I still wasn’t over Margot. You don’t know how much I wanted to pull you into my arms, kiss you senseless, and make love to you right now.
If I was being quiet, it’s probably because I was trying to stop myself from throwing you in my bed so I could do the things I planned on doing tonight. I do have plans for us tonight, you know. Imagine my disappointment after the unfortunate turn of events.
But I respect your wishes. I will sleep on it, just like you asked. But only because you asked. But I assure you, nothing will change in the morning. My answer to you now is the same answer I will give you tomorrow.
I am writing to you because I don’t want you to ever think that I had to sleep on this to be able to make the right choice and give you a clearer answer.
Well, the clearer answer was: there never was a choice to make to begin with.
It’s just you, kitten.
With you, things have always been certain. If there was one thing in my life that I was sure about right now, it’s the way I feel for you.
I can’t erase my past. But I’m sure as hell, that it will only be you in my present and in my future. I wish I could say these to you now, but I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow.
And by the way, for future reference, I would like to call you my GIRLFRIEND in front of other people. Keep that in mind, okay?
Forever yours,
Nick
Tears were rolling down my cheeks. I was giggling at Nick’s last sentences but I couldn’t help but cry. I felt guilty for making him feel this way. And last night was perfect but I knew if I didn’t ask him to sleep on his feelings for Margot two nights ago, and we slept together instead, it would have been wonderful, too.
He didn’t want me to think that he had to choose between Margot and me even for just one second. He wasn’t going to choose. He made me believe that there was no choice to begin with. He loved me and loving someone meant you never had to choose. He was sure about me and he would not allow me to think that he had doubts.
I hugged his letter to my chest. I was overwhelmed with love for this wonderful guy who now calls himself my boyfriend, and with happiness because he never failed to show me how much he loved me.
I folded his letter neatly and inserted inside one of the pockets of my bag. Then I dried my face and continued looking at the pockets until I found some face powder, blush, and lip gloss. Thank God for Terry!
I applied the powder, brushed some color on my high cheekbones and onto my lips, making sure to apply lightly and evenly. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was satisfied that I was able to apply the makeup correctly, even though I didn’t have experience in doing it. I guessed that was girl instinct.
I put on the sandals that Blaze bought for me yesterday. When I was done, I smiled proudly at my reflection. I didn’t look as glam as I did last night, but I definitely killed the simple and chic fashion.
I stepped out of the bathroom and found Nick waiting for me in the living room, completely dressed up in a pair of jeans and a dark orange slim-fit, button-down, long-sleeved shirt. He stared at me from head to toe as I approached him. Then he pulled me to him and said, “We match.”
I smiled. “Yeah, it’s crazy, isn’t it?” I sighed. “I found your letter.”
He smiled at me. “Now, you believe it was unnecessary to delay our long overdue talk one more night?”
I nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry.”
He looked down at my dress and then he grinned. “You have to be careful what you wear, kitten. Your boyfriend may not always find the strength to resist tearing it off you.”
I laughed. “My boyfriend is stronger than you give him credit for. He is, after all, Superman.”
“Ahh, but this Superman is still a man. And you, my love, are definitely my kryptonite,” he said and then he leaned forward and kissed me again.
I kissed him back and for a moment, I, too, felt tempted to just stay in the hotel and make love to him all day. But I knew his mother would be very disappointed. After all, she went through all the trouble yesterday.
“Nick, we have to go,” I whispered to him. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and he lifted me off my feet.
He kissed me on the lips and then he sighed. “If I don’t show up, I’m sure they will understand. They all know I spend this day away from people.” He settled me on my feet.
“Why is that?” I asked.
He gave me a sad smile. “My father died on my birthday,” he replied. “Since then, it didn’t feel right to celebrate on this day.”
I stared at him for a moment and immediately, I felt guilty for forcing him to celebrate today. “Oh my god, Nick, I’m sorry.”
He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “It’s okay. People thought I was weird about this personal tradition of mine. Staying away from people, playing sad songs all day.”
“It’s not weird. Now that I know, I understand.”
“My father was a frustrated musician,” he said. “He knew he was dying for quite some time before he passed away. When I got the title of the house, I found a poem under it. It could be the lyrics of a song he never got to record. In between those lines, he said, ‘You don’t have to think of me every day, as long as I get one day. Or if you think that’s too long, can I just have you for a song?’”
As Nick recited his father’s words, tears clouded my eyes. When he finished, his eyes became teary, too.
“It’s a beautiful line,” I said.
He nodded. “But I know what’s it’s really about. He’s singing it for me and Mom,” he said. “My mom always told him that he couldn’t get it right. She always blamed him for the breakdown of their marriage. He messed it up and he knew it. Tried to make it up for it, I guess. But it was too late. When he finally got it right, my mother was long gone. I was happy for her, too. Brad was everything she deserved in a man. He treated me like his own son. But I know, during the last days of his life, my father wished he could get us back.”
I took a deep breath. “Even for just a day. Or even just a song.”
Nick looked at me sadly and then he nodded. “I was guilty, too. I never gave him a chance in the past. I was mad at him for the things I grew up seeing. The way he would hurt my mother…” He took a deep breath and wiped the tears that escaped his eyes. “By the time I was ready to forgive him, time had run out.”
I reached up and cupped Nick’s face between my palms. “Well, I’m sure he appreciated what you were doing the past years. And we’ll find a way to give your dad at least his one song today.”
Nick nodded and then he pulled me into his arms. “Thank you, kitten. You don’t have to worry about it. I can do it any other day when we get back home.”
I hugged him back. I wondered how I could help Nick celebrate a moment for his father. His mother seemed to have planned a full house party for him today.
I pulled away from him and said, “Come. Let’s not make your mother wait some more.”
We arrived at Nick’s house after twenty minutes. A driver was waiting for us at the front. He took Nick’s car keys so he could park the car in their parking lot.
He rang the bell and a maid opened the door for us.
“Where is everybody?” Nick asked as we came in.
“They’re at the back,” the maid replied.
Nick intertwined our fingers and led me to the entrance to their backyard. Before he opened the door, he stared at me. “Remember, you’re my girlfriend, okay?” he said, chuckling.
I laughed. “Okay. I only said that before because we never spoke about it. I didn’t want to be the one to assume.”
“No more assumptions, no more guessing games, okay?” he asked, leaning forward to give me a kiss on the forehead.
Nick opened the door. We were greeted by a pop of confetti; the band started playing and the people were shouting, “Happy birthday!”
The backyard was beautifully decorated with flowers. There was a buffet table on the side and a stage with the band in the middle.
Nick was stunned. “Oh my world!” I could hear the stress signals in his voice.
I gave his hand a squeeze. “Relax. Your mother put a lot of effort into this.”
He stared at me. “You knew about this?”
I shrugged. “All I know is that your mother went to great lengths to prepare a nice luncheon for you. Now, at least appreciate her efforts, okay?” I pulled him toward his family.
“I hope she didn’t cook the food though,” Nick said and I laughed because I heard genuine concern in his voice.
“She went through a lot to make sure everything was just the way you wanted them to be,” I said.
Nick was greeted by their guests. I haven’t seen them before; they didn’t make an appearance at last night’s party. Before anyone could ask, or before I could say something, he introduced me to them as his girlfriend. As if I was going to say otherwise.
His mother and stepfather were at the side of the stage. They greeted him and gave the both of us hugs and kisses. Beatrice hugged his brother, then she looked at me, and gave me a shy smile.
Progress, at least. Yesterday, she wouldn’t smile at me at all.
We heard Blaze say on stage, “Happy birthday, bro!” He struck the notes on the piano and started playing the Happy Birthday song.
It took about forty minutes for everybody to finish greeting Nick. I didn’t know Nick knew so many people. Many of them were previous clients of his and colleagues of his stepdad.
Finally, lunch came. By the time we got to the buffet table, Nick was nearly exhausted and he was famished.
“Great! Since I’m starving, I will definitely enjoy my mother’s cooking.”
“Nick!” I scolded him, laughing.
He chuckled. “Cooking has never been one of my mother’s strengths. She knows that.”
He helped himself with the mini tarts. As soon as he put one in his mouth, his face registered surprise.
“Wow, these are actually good,” he said.
I could only smile back at him. I wondered how long it would take him to realize that I cooked most of the dishes his mother served on the buffet table.
We returned to our table and started eating. Nick was tasting the dishes one by one. Up until now, I didn’t realize how picky he was with food. Actually, he was a bit of a perfectionist.
He complimented the lasagna, the meatloaf and its sauce, saying they were divine.
“I didn’t know my mother’s cooking skills have improved so much.”
I laughed. “Nick, don’t be so mean.”
Finally, he took a bite of the beef medallions. The minute he put it in his mouth, his eyes automatically closed, as though to savor the taste more. Then he stared at me for a moment. I couldn’t make out the expression on his face.
“Nick, you’re making me nervous.”