Chapter 29
Broken
Present
“Throw me the tape.” Nicole said from her brand new living. Yes, finally after months of construction and stress, and at times tears, her little cottage by the coast was complete! She had been moved in for about a month and half now and still had plenty to do-decorating wise, but she was ecstatic to have a place to call her own. Thinking back, it had started off more like a nightmare than a dream to get to this point, but she now realized it was worth it. Yes, for the first time in months, something in her life seemed to be going right and not out of her control. She blinked back to the present. “Rachael!” she exclaimed when she realized she was being ignored.
Rachael sat on the couch a few feet away from, rummaging through a box of Nicole’s old photographs. Nicole hadn’t found a place for them yet. She had meant to go through them and take out the ones she wanted to put in frames. Rachael looked up. “What…?” she whined.
Nicole wrinkled her nose. “I said throw me the tape.” she repeated.
“Where is it?” Rachael asked placing the box next to her on the couch, as she glanced to her left then to her right. “Never mind.” she said, as her hand reached over and grabbed the gift tape. “Once your done with yours, think you can start wrapping all of my Christmas gifts?” she joked as she tossed the tape in Nicole’s direction.
Nicole caught the tape with one hand and placed it next to her. “How about no?” she answered dryly, as she placed Trace’s Christmas present face down on the festive wrapping paper she had purchased a few days ago. She couldn’t believe Christmas was only 2 weeks away! She had most of her Christmas shopping done, she needed a gift or two for a few of her co-workers, but her family and close friends presents were bought. Nicole knew she had plenty of time to wrap them all but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted them wrapped and placed under her big Christmas tree in her brand new home. And besides, Christmas was her favorite time of the year, and the more festive her house, the merrier.
“You know I suck at wrapping gifts.” she heard Rachael say. “You on the other hand, are a whiz.”
Nicole took one side of the paper and folded it over to the bottom of the gift. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere with me.” she said without looking up. She brought the other side and folded it over as well, bringing the longer side and folding it under so that she had a nice smooth crease instead of a jagged cutting. She blindly reached out for the wrapping tape, and taped it together. She glanced up and over at her friend. Rachael wasn’t even paying attention, she was too busy looking through the photographs. She shook her lightly and continued with her gift wrapping. She folded one side of the package at a time.
“What the hell is Kalispell?” Rachael asked a few moments later.
“It’s a town.” Nicole answered absently, folding one edge of the package.
“Where the hell at?”
“Montana.” she replied as she folded the corner so it was kind of in a triangle shape.
Rachael narrowed her eyes over at Nicole. “You went to Montana?” she skeptically asked, as she glanced back down at the picture in her hand. A picture of Nicole standing in front of a stone snow covered sign that read: ‘Welcome to Kalispell.’ Rachael looked between the picture and Nicole. “Nicole!” she exclaimed, and she watched Nicole fold the straight end over then pull it to the top of the package and did the same to the other side. Rachael shook her head, she did not have the patience Nicole had when it came to wrapping gifts.
“What?” Nicole said in an exasperated tone, looking back up.
“I asked when you went to Montana-” she stopped as her hand reached for another picture. She wrinkled her nose in confusion when she realized it was picture of Justin standing in the same spot Nicole had been standing in the other picture. “Justin went too?” she asked out loud.
Nicole cursed to herself. Why the hell hadn’t she put those pictures away?
“Nic…”
Nicole met Rachael’s gaze, and said nonchalant. “What?”
Rachael raised an eyebrow. “When did you go to Montana?” she repeated.
“Who said I went to Montana?” Nicole asked, deliberately ignoring the question.
Rachael glared. “Uh…the pictures in my hand.”
Nicole looked down at her finished wrapped gift, and smiled to herself. It looked pretty good if she didn’t say so herself. “I still need to buy ribbons, but what do you think?” she asked, trying her best to change the subject. Anything to keep from answering any questions about Montana. She cursed herself again. She really thought she had hidden those pictures…
Rachael narrowed her eyes over at Nicole. “Don’t try and change the subject.”
“I’m not.” Nicole answered defensively.
“Okay…” Rachael started, leaning back against the couch as she folded her arms in front of her. “When did you go to Montana?” she repeated, the picture still in her hand.
Nicole stood up, and walked toward her, snatching the picture out of Rachael’s hand, and sat down next to her on the couch. “Why does it matter?” Nicole asked, glancing down at the picture. The picture she had taken of Justin after being in Kalispell for a day. A light smile tugged on her lips as the memories came rushing back. Nicole blinked back to the present, as she watched Rachael reach for the box of pictures again. “Why do you always have to be so damn nosy?” Nicole asked, quickly moving the box away from Rachael’s reach.
Rachael raised an eyebrow and smirked knowingly. “So there are more.” she paused. “And I’ am curious, not nosy. You’re the one avoiding the simple question.”
Nicole looked over ad glared. “Jesus, Rachael.” she muttered in annoyance, as she placed the picture back into the box.
“What?” Rachael asked innocently. “You’re the one making it into a big deal. I simply asked a simple question.” a smirk tugging at her lips. “You’re the one hiding those pictures.” she reminded with a nod to the box.
All Nicole wanted to do at that moment was slap the smirk off her oldest friend. She knew she wouldn’t hear the end of it, if she didn’t dish any information. After a few moments of silence and more smirking from Rachael, Nicole sighed. “I was there…a few years ago.” she muttered. Hoping it was enough to satisfy Rachael’s curiosity, yet Nicole knew better. This was Rachael after all.
Rachael raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
Nicole put the lid back on the box, pushing it farther away from Rachael’s reach. Nicole locked eyes with her as she cautiously answered. “Just…because.”
“Just because?” Rachael repeated.
“Yeah.” Nicole said breaking her gaze away from Rachael’s. “Just because.” Damn it. For the past 7 years she had been so careful about those pictures and that particular trip-until now…
“Just the two of you?” Rachael asked, continuing to poke. “You and J?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Rachael snorted. “You didn’t have to. But it would be the only explanation why you’re so defensive.” she observed with a raised eyebrow as if waiting for Nicole to try and dispute Rachael’s argument. When Nicole didn’t say a word, Rachael knew she was right. “So it was just the two of you?” she asked again
“It was a long time ago Rach.” Nicole muttered. In fact, it felt like a lifetime ago. She was pretty sure Justin didn’t even remember it. She had forgotten about it herself-until now. It was a memory that she had absently locked away.
“It doesn’t seem that long ago.” Nicole wrinkled her nose as she looked over at Rachael. “What? It was just an observation.” Rachael said. “How long ago was it?” continuing to push for answers.
Nicole shrugged. “I don’t know…six-seven years ago…back in 2002. It was right after his foot injury.”
“What did Aunt Lynn say? Your mom?”
“They didn’t say anything…” trailing off. “We were on our way back to LA from Memphis after Christmas…and we ended in a middle of a snow storm…” she explained, letting her head fall back on the couch. “In fact, the only person that knew the full details of the trip was Trace.” She turned and glared at Rachael. “There. Happy? I told you what you wanted to know.”
Rachael shook her head, as if trying to wrap her head around the details Nicole was sharing. “That still doesn’t explain how you guys ended in Montana.” Rachael pushed. “And how in the world did no one know about this? I mean this is Justin. He cant even go to the damn bathroom without being followed.”
Nicole sighed. She knew she wouldn’t get out of this so easily. She chewed on her lower lip, debating with herself about how much she should tell Rachael. It wasn’t as if she expected Rachael to go around telling everyone about it. It was more along the lines of it being a private moment between herself and Justin that she would be sharing.
“So the trip was planned.” It was more of a statement than a question.
Nicole knew there was no way around this. Rachael noticed the hesitation on Nicole’s face and said. “Look, I’m not asking for the full details of the trip. That would just be gross.” shivering in disgust. “Because I’m not stupid, and I know you guys just didn’t go up there to talk and enjoy the view.” Nicole rolled her eyes. Rachael ignored the eye roll and continued. “I just want to know how you guys got away with no one finding out about it. Especially the gossip magazines.”
“Rachael…” Nicole whined.
Rachael narrowed her eyes. “C’mon bitch. It’s the least you can do for never mentioning any of this to me before.” she accused.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2002
Kalispell, Montana
Nicole stood on the bottom step of the stairs, quietly watching Justin slowly pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. “We‘re fine.” she heard Justin say. He sighed. “They said it would most likely be a few days before we could fly out again. We are fine.” he murmured. Nicole felt a small smile tug on her lips, as she eavesdrop on the conversation. She could tell by the tone of his voice, he was getting aggravated with Lynn-and that didn’t happen often. “Mom, We’re fine.” he repeated, for the third time, as he clenched his jaw. “I swear. Stop worrying so much. I‘ll call you if anything changes. But right now, there is nothing we can do.” he said. There was a long pause, before Justin spoke up again. “Yeah, we found a place to stay.” He sighed again. “My foot is fine too. Will you stop worrying so much!” He stopped pacing, and faced the fireplace. There was another long pause before Justin spoke again. “I’m not yelling!”
Nicole pressed her lips together to surpress her giggles. She rarely got to see Lynn get mad or snap at Justin. It was always a treat, even if it was over the phone and even though Nicole couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation.
Justin brought a hand up to the top of his head as he turned in Nicole’s direction. “Mom-” but stopped for a split second when his eyes fell on her. Nicole felt her stomach flutter as he gave her a light smile. He brought a finger to his lips, signaling for her to not say a word. He spoke again into the phone, his gaze never leaving Nicole. “Look on the bright side-at least this happened after Christmas.” He said, trying to lighten the mood in the conversation. “I didn’t mean to yell. I‘m sorry, but I swear we are all okay. And tell Susan not to worry- her baby is being taken care of.” He made a funny face in Nicole’s direction as he listened to whatever Lynn was saying on the other line.
Nicole shook her head, and giggled, as she made her way toward the couch a few feet away from the fireplace. She plopped herself down, bringing a couch pillow up to her chest and looked out of the big bay window next to the fireplace. A small smile formed on her lips when she realized it was still snowing. She got back up from the couch and walked in the direction of the window. She stood inches from the window, the smile still on her lips as she watched the snowflakes fall against the window, and on the trees and mountains. Everything was covered in white. It looked magical in a way.
Nicole blinked out of her trance when she heard Justin‘s voice. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Love you too.” She glanced over her shoulder when she heard Justin mumble. “Remember she’s your mother.” as he sat where Nicole had been sitting a few moments before.
She turned around and faced him. “She’s just looking out for you.” she reasoned.
“I know that. But how many times do I have to tell her that we’re okay? I must have said those two words about a hundred times in the span of ten minutes.” he muttered. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.
Nicole only gave him a smile from where she stood.
Justin moved his hand away from his neck and asked. “Did I wake you up?” A look of concern on his face. She shook her head ‘no’. “You sure? I was being kind of loud-”
“You didn’t.” she interrupted, still not moving from her spot, she paused for a split second. “I didn’t feel you next to me-and I-uh couldn’t go back to sleep. I laid there for fifteen minutes before deciding to get up.” she confessed, stifling a yawn. It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon. They had left Memphis late night before but had arrived in Montana around 8 am, due to the delay. Once settled in the Bed and Breakfast Justin had made reservations in, they both decided to take naps before making any plans for later in the day.
“Come here.” he said, reaching out for her with his hand. Nicole felt the familiar butterflies in the pit of her stomach as she took a step in his direction. Once she was inches away from him, Justin took her hand, gently pulled to have her sit down. Once she was sitting on the couch, he let go of her hand and moved slightly back, his head resting on the couch arm rest, his back pressed to the couch as well. “Climb on.” he repeated with a grin. “I know you want to.”
Nicole smiled over at him. “Shut up.”
“If you want to go back to sleep, you know you’re gonna have to climb on.“ She hated that he knew her so well, because he knew she was going to eventually. It had started years ago, right after they started dating. They had been laying in bed, and for some reason Nicole had not been able to sleep, tossing and turning, Justin pulled her on top of him, to try and get her to relax, and within minutes she had fallen asleep. The following night, the same thing happen, and Nicole found herself climbing on top of him again. Nicole had joked from that moment on, whenever she couldn’t sleep she would just “climb on.” So whenever they were together that’s what she did. And for reasons she still couldn’t explain, she found comfort in it. “C’mon girl.” She heard him say, bringing her back to the present.
“What about the plans to go out?” she asked with a yawn. She crawled toward him, aligning her body with his. Her chest pressed against him. Justin spread his legs just enough for her to make herself comfortable against his body. She pressed her cheek to his left peck, and took in a deep breath, her body relaxing. Justin tucked both of his hands inside the shirt she wore and rubbed her back. She sighed again. “Hmm. That feels nice.” she murmured.
“We have tomorrow and the next day. And besides the day is almost half way gone, so let‘s just enjoy being lazy.” he murmured. “Is that my t-shirt your wearing?” he asked teasingly.
“Mmmk.” she answered. “And yes, it’s more comfortable than what I packed.”
Justin chuckled. “Are you going to wear all the clothes I packed in the next 3 days?” His hands still rubbing her back.
“Maybe.” She heard him chuckle again lightly beneath her. She brough a hand up and placed it over his right peck. The room silent for a few moments. Nicole wonder if she could stay this way forever. It felt right. Finally, after what seemed hours, she spoke up. “Are we really staying here for 3 days?”
She felt him let out a large breath. “Yeah…unless you don’t want to.”
Nicole lifted her head up, and locked eyes with him. She pressed her lips together before answering. “I want to.”
“Okay.” was Justin’s only response. He smiled down at her.
She smiled back, pressing her cheek back on his chest. She shut her eyes, enjoying the sound of his steady breathing. The moment was perfect, simple, and Nicole found contentment in it. It had been months since they had been alone. In fact, Virginia Beach was the last time she had been this close to him. Things between them had been left up in the air when they had returned back to Los Angeles. Life had somehow gotten in their way- again-as it always seemed to happen when it came to them.
“What do we plan on telling Lynn and Mom?” Nicole asked after a few moments passed.
Justin shifted lightly beneath her before he spoke. “How about…we got delayed an extra 2 days? I didn’t give specifics of when the snow would be cleared out.”
“What about Trace?”
“What about him? His ass is laying somewhere on a beach in Hawaii. And I already called and told him what happen.” She lifted her head and locked eyes with him. Justin raised an eyebrow, and smiled knowingly, but said. “What’s the look for?”
Nicole chewed her lower lip. “Are you okay with keeping this from Lynn? I mean it’s kind of…lying. Isnt it?”
Justin looked down at her and answered. “It’s not lying Nic. We’re just omitting some of the facts to our story.” he reasoned with a smirk.
Nicole laughed lightly. “Omitting?”
Justin continued to absently rub the small of her back and answered. “Yeah, we just wont tell them that the real reason why we ended up in Denver in the first place was to change planes…” trailing off, the smile still on his handsome face. “Or that Trace is actually in Hawaii. And that I’ve actually had this whole thing planned for a few weeks…”
Nicole pressed her cheek back against his chest. “So the snow storm wasn’t part of your plan?” she asked sarcastically.
“No. That was just an added bonus.” Justin answered without missing a beat.
She stifled her laughter into his chest. “This is a new level for you.”
“Oh I know.” he said in a smart-ass tone.
She looked back up and rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging on her lips. He grinned back. She still didn’t know how he had pulled it off, or why he had done it, but he defiantly surprised her. When she had boarded the private jet in Memphis the night before, she had no idea that her final destination would be at a bed and breakfast in the middle of Montana.
“Will you stop worrying?” Justin teased, poking her sides.
“Stop that!” she squealed. “And I’m not-”
“Worrying?” he interrupted, giving her waist a light squeeze. “Yes, you are.”
She pouted. “I’m not.” she mumbled up at him. Justin chuckled lightly. “What? I’m not.” Nicole said defensively. “But what if-”
He interrupted her again. “Will you quit?” he demanded in a stern voice. “No one is going to find out. I made sure of that. Why do you think I choose a place like this? It‘s pretty much isolated. No one is going to see us or recognize us.” he reassured, stroking her hair absently. “The whole point of this was to get you to relax, not worry.” he said locking eyes with her, she chewed lightly on her lower lip. “I got it taken care of Nicky.” he reassured again with a small grin.
“You sound sure of yourself.” she teased with a small grin of her own.
The grin disappeared from his handsome face and said without missing a beat. “I’ am Nicole. I am.” The serious look still on his face, as he leaned down and placed his thumb under her chin, lifting her face upward. She rolled her eyes before meeting his gaze again, but her heart thumped rapidly between her chest as his blue orbs stayed locked on her face. It still amazed her how he could make every fiber of her body burn with a simple look. A few seconds went by and neither said a word. Justin moved his hand from under her chin and began to gently stroke the side of her cheek with his knuckles. She sighed in contentment. He smiled warmly down at her, before leaning in. She closed her eyelids for a brief moment and felt his nose brush lightly against hers. She sighed again and opened her eyes.
“Almost there...” he murmured, his breath tickling her face.
“What?” she whispered, nuzzling her nose against his.
“You: relaxing.” he answered in a low voice.
“Oh.” was Nicole’s only response. Her heart racing, at the intimate moment. “I’m relaxed.” she murmured, as her nose continued to nuzzle his, her eyelids feeling heavy.
“Yea..?” he asked, pressing his lips together.
She gave a small nod. “Yea...” The butterflies forming in the pit of her stomach as she finally let her lips brush against his. The touch was brief, and it left her aching for more. It was the first kiss they had shared in over a week. Between their families and friends it had been hard to get a moment alone during the Christmas break. They had been able to sneak away only once in that time, and it had been interrupted.
“Not completely there.” he stated into her mouth. Justin leaned in slowly and covered her mouth with his. She moaned as his tongue found hers. His tongue tasted like peppermint, and Nicole moaned louder. She brought a hand up and absently stroked the side his cheek. Even after all thes years, he knew exactly what to do to get her full attention. His fingers delved into her hair, and Nicole broke the embrace. She took in a shaky breath. His kisses always left her breathless and wanting more. He placed a kiss on her forehead and moved his hands back down to the inside of her t-shirt. His warm palms resting on her skin.
Nicole smiled warmly over at him. “I am...or trying too...” she murmured, trailing off. Wanting more than anything the feeling of stress and worry to evaporate from her thoughts-at least for a little while. Sometimes full time work and full time school took a toll on her. Between reading books, and writing papers, and dealing with all the crap at work, she wondered why she did it.
Justin sensed something was wrong and asked. “What’s wrong?” his fingers stroking the small of her back.
“Nothing.” Nicole answered, she shut her eyes again and nuzzled her cheek back to his chest.
“Nic-”
Nicole interrupted him. “It’s nothing.” she reassured.
“You’ve never been a good liar Baby.” he reminded.
“I’m not lying.” she mumbled into his chest. “I promise. I was just wondering why I do it sometimes.” she mused. “Stop me if I’m getting too whiny.”
Justin chuckled but answered. “Because you know it will be worth it in the end. You wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t.” Then added jokingly. “And I’m used to you whining.”
“Hmm...” was all she said. Ignoring the last comment.
“What?”
“How do you always know?”
“Know what?”
“Just what I need and when I need it.” she answered, looking up at him through her lashes.
He leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead. “It’s a gift.” he said without missing a beat.
Nicole leaned into him and without saying another word kissed him again. He kissed her back, one hand sliding lower down her back to land briefly on her ass. She felt him give a light squeeze before sliding it back up to rest on one side of her hip. She couldn’t help but smile against his lips, as she realized that he would be the only one who could do something like squeeze her ass- and she find it in a strange way endearing. They continued to kiss for a few more minutes, finally Nicole broke away. She pressed her lips together, the taste of his lips still tingling on hers. She didnt know where their relationship stood at the moment, but she was willing to give him whatever he wanted as long as his lips continued to kiss her the way he was. It gave her a feeling of peace, and at the same time a feeling of pure lust, and woman empowerment.
She shivered when his strong hands rubbed the side of her arms. He gave her a curious look and repeated. “What’s wrong?”
Nicole blinked out of her haze and locked eyes with him. “What? Nothing.” she repeated with a shake of her head.
Justin raised an eyebrow. “Don’t say ‘nothing’ when I know it’s something.”
She lightly kissed the tip of his nose before she answered. “It’s nothing in particular.” He cupped her chin with one hand and narrowed his eyes down at her. She gave him a reassuring look. Justin didn’t argue, instead he hesitantly moved his hand away from her chin. She leaned back in and brushed a kiss to his temple before pressing her right cheek against his right peck. She shut her eyes and brought her left hand to land on his left peck. She sighed but didnt say a word. She wondered why they did this. Why they let themselves go here? Why they allowed themselves to share such intimate moments when at the end they both knew it wasn’t permanent.
And sometimes she found herself wondering why it wasn’t permanent...
The room became silent once again, except for the crackling of the wood in the fireplace every few minutes. Nicole opened her eyes again, letting them land to the bay window, a few feet away. She watched as it continued to snow. The snowflakes slowly falling on every inch of trees and mountains, turning everything white.
She felt Justin’s fingers delve into her hair, and her thoughts began to wonder again in the silence. She wondered how loving someone with every fiber could not be enough. Because even though those feelings were there-they both always found a way to stop it. Sometimes it was her, and sometimes it was him. Nicole found herself asking why? Why was it so hard? Why couldn’t she be strong enough to allow it? What was she scared of? What was he scared of?
She swallowed the lump in her throat and suprised herself when she blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. What in the world had gotten into her? There was no need for crying. She sucked in a shaky breath, and told herself it was for the best this way. Why ruin something that seemed to work? Even if deep down, it wasn’t exactly how she imagined it. But this was fine, she was okay with this. Because even though a part of her wondered why, the other part of her couldn’t seem to let herself go there with him. Yes, he knew her inside and out. He was the only man who had been able to break down her walls, yet there was still a tiny part of her, she couldn’t seem to give to him, and she had a feeling he knew that. Just like there was a part of him she didn‘t have- even if he told her otherwise. She knew he was still dealing with his feelings for Britney. Because regardless of what he told her, a part of him was still hurt, a part of him still loved her. She felt something deep within her ache at that thought.
“Nicole?” Justin whispered, bring her back to the present.
She closed her eyes once again, but murmured back. “Yeah?”
“You going to tell me what’s going on?” he asked.
She kept her eyes tightly shut, hoping to keep the tears in. “I was just thinking about how this is my first vacation in months.” she lied. “Christmas doesn’t count. Christmas is just chaos-not that that’s bad.” she added quickly. “But this is the first time in months where I don’t have to do anything...” trailing off.
“You know that’s not what I was talking about.” Nicole lifted her face back up, and met his gaze. She didn’t say a word. Justin moved one hand behind her neck, and stroked her skin with his thumb. “Talk to me.” he pushed. “Something is on your mind. I can tell.” Instead of giving him an answer, she leaned back into him. She pressed a palm to his cheek, and kissed him sweetly. The kiss went on for a few long minutes before Justin broke away. He outlined one side of her neck with his thumb, as he said with a knowing smile. “You‘re not going to tell me are you?” She pressed her lips together, not saying a word. He sighed and continued to stroke the side of her neck. “Okay.”
Nicole kept his gaze and finally spoke up. “J-”
He interrupted her. “Is it something I should be worried about?” he asked with concern in his eyes.
She gave a wrinkle of nose and said half-jokingly. “Having someone know you so well, sucks sometimes.” Trying to lighten the mood and avoid his question at the same time.
“Nicole? Should I be worried?” he repeated, ignoring her last comment.
She should tell him. But what good would that do? Why ruin the next three days with it? Especially when he had planned this trip for her? It wasnt fair to bring this up. She had to let these thoughts go and enjoy the next 3 days with him. Besides, they had an agreement. Yes, back in Virginia Beach those weeks back, it almost seemed like things between them had a chance of going a different direction, and for a split moment, Nicole almost allowed herself to do go there...again. Then of course the doubt started setting back in, and she began to make excuses to herself on why it wasn’t the right thing. And it didnt help when they both ended up in different places due to their schedules.
Because for reasons neither one could explain, just when maybe there was a chance things could change between them, their hectic lives always seemed to get in the way. It never failed. For years now, they would say, they’d talk about it the next time they saw each other because it was something that could not be talked over the phone-and of course it would never be brought up again. It was always the same.
And right now was another perfect example. It had been months since Virginia Beach, since he had said out loud that he loved her, but it hadn’t been brought up once. It wasnt forgotten, it just never seemed like the right moment to bring it up in conversations.
She blinked back to the present and found him starring intently at her. He moved his hand up to her face, and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “You‘re scaring me here Nic.” he murmured. She licked lips, the tears once again forming. Not able to control them. An overwhelming feeling of confusion hitting the pit of her stomach. All of sudden she wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Justin quickly lifted his head up. “Baby?” he said in a concern voice. “What is it?” She shook her head, and gulped back the tears. She wasnt going to do this. “Come here.” she heard him whisper. With one arm still wrapped around her waist, he slowly shifted, so she was sandwiched between him the couch’s back. He rubbed her back with one hand and used the other to wrap it around her upper body. “Whatever it is-it’s going to be okay.” He said soothingly.
Nicole took in a shaky breath, and curled against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and tugged him closer to her body, wanting to feel the warmth of his body, and to make everything she was confused about dissapear. She buried her face between his shoulder and head.
“Nicole?” he asked after a few moments.
She squeezed her eyes shut. This is not at all how she wanted this to happen. “I’m sorry.” she started. “I guess I’m more stress than I thought. I mean with school and work...” she fibbed. He did not need to know the real reason why she was upset.
He gave her hip a light squeeze. “Are you sure that’s all it is?” he asked in an uncertain voice.
“Yeah...” she answered, nuzzling closer to him, and added “What else would it be?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Chapter Notes:
It's been a long time!! But I finally finished a chapter! Hope you enjoy
Story Tags: friendsturnedlovers
