Frozen Heart

Chapter 22 ~ "You Make Me Smile"

Nik

"I'm leaving in twenty minutes, is that okay?" I ask, phone pressed to my ear and trying to figure out how to tie my tie. I was so stressed out about this date being really good. Grace had been telling me how excited she was about it all weekend.

I was in my room now, trying to get everything completely ready before I went to get her. Of course I was excited but I was nervous as hell. I'd never been on a date, let alone with someone I cared this much about.

"That's perfect, now would you please, please tell me where we're going?" She whines and I laugh.

"No, it's a surprise." I remind her and she huffs. "You only have to wait another twenty minutes."

"Fine." She mumbles. "You said it's a nice date right?" She asks and I can hear the sound of hangers being slid over a closet rod.

"Yes, I'm wearing a tie if that helps you make up your mind." I tease and then sigh as the knot comes unraveled again. "Well, I will be if I can get it to tie right."

"Aw okay, I'll see you soon." She says and I smile. "I can't wait."

"Me neither, I'll be there in a bit." I tell her and we exchange a quick goodbye before we hang up the phone. I sigh and wrestle with the tie for a few more minutes when Alex walks past my room.

"Alex, thank god!" I say. "Do you know how to do this?" He just chuckles and steps into my room.

"Give it to me." He sighs and I pass it over, watching him loop it around his own neck and start to tie it. "I forgot you were going out tonight." He says and I nod. 

"I know, I'm shitting bricks." I mumble, running a hand over my face. "I hope she likes it and everything."

"What's your plan?" He asks, looping one of the tie ends around.

"We're going to that new place down the road, the one with the Italian food." I tell him. "They have really good cannoli apparently. She told me once how much she liked Italian dishes and pasta."

"Sounds good." He shrugs, loosening the tie and passing it back to me.

"Well and afterwards we'll go back to her house and talk, spend the night together." I tell him, tightening up the tie around my neck. "I also have something for her."

"Who are you and what have you done with Nik?" Alex laughs and I roll my eyes. 

"I should run, I ordered flowers that I need to pick up on the way." I mumble, pulling on a winter coat over my suit jacket. "You have plans tonight?"

"Dad called me a while ago, told me to take Sasha to the gym." He says and I roll my eyes. "I'm just going to take her to see her friends though and get something to eat."

"That's nice, I'm sure she'll like that." I tell him and I sigh. "I wish I could go, but tonight's really important."

"No sweat." He insists. "I'll make sure she knows that you wanted to be there."

"Thanks." I sigh, grabbing my car keys. "See you tomorrow."

"See you later, and good luck!" Alex calls and I nod, walking downstairs with a wave. I pull my bag over my shoulders and double check that I have her gift in my pocket.

"Nikita." Mom says, sounding confused and I stop, going back to poke my head into the kitchen. "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going out." I tell her and she furrows her eyebrows.

"Dressed like that? Where?" She asks and I sigh.

"No where." I mumble, wishing she'd leave me alone about this. I didn't want to bring Grace into this horrible situation, I wanted her to be left alone.