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9
Betty
The next morning, I didn't feel so good. It had been a long time since I had drunk more than a glass of wine. I wasn't usually very good at drinking. I was better at keeping my wits about me and being the designated driver for everyone else.
The headache was constant, and I swear the sun outside was personally trying to burn out my eyeballs from the very sockets that they sat in. This was a doozy and I walked slowly downstairs to the kitchen. I didn't expect to see my mother or father there. They were never home, but I didn't expect it to be empty. I figured there would be a maid or a cook or something. Maybe they hadn't hired any yet.
I hadn't even poured my first cup of coffee before there was someone knocking at the door. Again, I waited for somebody to answer it. We had not lived in a house without a maid since I was a child. Nobody came though, so I finally blew out a breath of frustration and walked to the door. Whoever it was, it better be good.
When I opened it up and saw Nick, a part of me wanted to close it back up really quick. This guy was nothing but bad news. He shook awake a part of me that I wanted desperately to keep silent. I had enough going on, without this guy coming in to mess with my head. And that's exactly what he was doing, too. He was making me think that I had waited long enough. He made me want to change some of the fundamental rules that I had given myself. I don't know if I could do it of course, but I worried that I would not be able to say no to him again, if he were to ask.
I also didn't want to tell him why I wasn't interested in that kind of thing. Truth be told, I liked the way he looked at me. Maybe he wouldn't look at me that way any longer when he realized that I wasn't going to give him what he was aiming for as quickly as he wanted. I had never given it to anybody before, but for some reason when I was around Nick, I realized that maybe that would change as well.
“Nick? What are you doing here?”
He pushed past me and smiled. “I figured that you might need a little help this morning. You take me as the type of girl that doesn't do much drinking. I bet you have a killer headache and everything is bright.”
I agreed wholeheartedly that he was right, and I asked him how he knew.
“May come as a shock to you, but I have been known to do this before. Every time my band plays, we always have a few drinks afterwards. So, the next morning it calls for a shot, coffee, and some breakfast. Nice and greasy, too, to soak up any extra alcohol that is still in your system.”
I looked to have the shot that he sat on the table. The glass was empty and then he poured it full, took a drink of it and then handed it to me. He looked at me expectantly, like I was supposed to down it right here and now. There was no way, right?
The attention was extreme. He was watching me, and he didn't take his eyes off of me, even while I was drinking. Didn't he know how nerve wracking he was? This guy was completely messing with my head, and I didn't even know if he knew it or not. Did I want him to know? It could possibly make it even worse.
I handed him back the shot glass and thanked him for that. He then handed me the coffee, and I have to say that it tasted magnificent after the rank shot that I just took. I don't know if it was meant to be that way, but I certainly appreciated the coffee a lot more. I wasn't even into drinking the stuff very much, but right now it tasted like silk and gold down my throat. I don't know if it was necessarily going to help with my hangover, but it certainly helped get the taste out of my mouth.
Then he pulled out a bag that had several grease stains in it. I wasn't as sure about that, not even as sure as I was with the liquor. Nick frowned at my obvious disgust. I didn’t want whatever was in that bag.
“Thanks, but I'm not really much of a breakfast person.”
“Trust me, this is no breakfast. This is Claudia’s bacon, egg, and cheese croissant and don't let looks fool you. It's the best food you'll have while you're here.”
He handed me a wrapped package out of the bag, and I guess I just kind of looked at him a little strange. There were so many things wrong with the food he was trying to hand me. I didn't even eat meat, and definitely not bacon. I also didn't do too well with dairy because I was convinced they were going to make me fat. I had all of these weird thoughts running through my head, and he finally asked me what was wrong.
Just like when he wanted to know why I wasn't down for a sleep over after first meeting him, this was another one of those conversations I didn't really want to have. I wasn't this open person that shared all of this information.
So, instead of getting into the whole spiel of what I do and don't eat, I just took it and thanked him. It felt greasy in my hands and again he had this expectational look on his face and waited for me to take a bite. I was obviously supposed to gush about how great it was. I planned to do just that, faking the response that he was looking for, so he would stop staring at me like that. It was overwhelming to have so much attention pointed at me.
I took a bite and grease was the first thing to hit my senses. The croissant was warm and buttery, and all of the other parts of it was just as good. I was so convinced that I wouldn’t like it, that I was actually surprised when I did. There was a lesson there, something about I needed to try new things and not make assumptions. I'm sure it was there, even if it was hard to put my finger on it.
“Wow, this actually is good.”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
I took another bite and set it down. The coffee was calling to me and after several more drinks, something was different. The banging headache that I had from before was starting to ease, and I had to wonder if there was something in the coffee. It was like some miracle cure and I didn't believe in miracles, so there had to be another explanation.
“I did not believe that it would work. I actually just thought that you were trying to get me drunk again.”
“I will admit you are a lightweight, Betty. I can tell that you don't do much partying. But, I don't think a shot is going to do it, even for you. I'm just trying to make you feel better. I was hoping that you would come out with me for a little bit today. I would like to give you a tour of Laurel. Since you gave me a tour of your house, I thought I would give you a tour of the town. There is a lot to see here.”
Again, I was surprised by his kindness and his ability to just completely ignore the fact that I turned him down the night before. I knew very well what he wanted and even though I had wanted to give it to him, I had not. I had to wonder if that would affect him, but it appeared it did not. He was just as helpful and kind as he had been the first time I'd met him. The man was a rock star, but he had a heart of gold. I was sure that the combination was rare, and I was lucky to have found it.
That's how I felt. I felt lucky to have met Nick out of all of the people here. He was the one that made me feel the most welcome. I couldn't turn down such a kind gesture. He was trying to make me feel more at home here and he was doing a pretty good job of it. Montana wasn’t looking so bad anymore, and I knew that it was all because of Nick.
I looked around the room and since I was here alone, there was no excuse. Besides that, I wanted to go with him. I liked spending time with him, and as long as he didn't try to kiss me and make me feel things like he had before, I was sure that everything would be fine.
I was nervous, but not in the same way. I was nervous by how much I wanted him, not by how much he wanted me. I was used to guys wanting to spend time with me and wanting to take things to the next level, but I have to say that this was the first time that I wanted to go along with it.
“Okay, I’m in. That sounds great. I have wanted to see what is all here, if I am going to stay a while.”
He grinned wide. I was going to have a great day with Nick. All I had to do was keep my true feelings and emotions under control. No small feat, especially when he tried to walk upstairs with me to change.
“I'll be back down in a minute, I promise.”
He frowned at me and then immediately started in with what he needed, too. I smiled at myself as I was walking up the stairs. I don't know how, but Nick always knew exactly what to say.
