Dancing in the Oaks

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DAY OF THE COURT TRIAL

I guess after Nick's cute little speech at the rodeo, I have gathered the last little bit of confidence for today. Today is precisely five days after the rodeo. I have not seen Nick for the past two despite the fact that I am staying in his guest house located 50 feet from his house. He respects that I need time to think about things. He never pushes or forces me to hang out with him. I made sure to look extra nice, well what I consider nice, for the court day. Nick wore a blue button up shirt with wranglers and a brown cowboy hat. I wore a knee length denim skirt with a perfectly fit black v-neck shirt. I curled my hair and pulled half of it up onto a loose bun. Before leaving the bathroom I repeated what Nick said a while ago to me, "life isn't about waitin' for the storm to pass, but it's about learnin' to dance in the rain." I walked out of the guest house and into the kitchen door of Nick's house, and I was presented with cheese and fruit for breakfast. I got my food and sat down on the barstool. I daydreamed and remembered when Nick and I first met at the store.

"Hey! Whatcha thinkin about?" He asked.

I exhaled deeply. "Ugh Nick! You scared me! Just thinking about stuff." He somehow always finds ways to scare me. It is sometimes really funny, but others it is not.

"Ready for today?" He asked.

"Sure I guess. Not really, but whatever." I rolled my eyes even at the thought of the court trial. What would my family make me look like? Would I look bad in the eyes of the town? After all, everyone knows everyone in Oak Ridge.

"Yeah me too. You look so nice today Norah. You're so pretty."

I finished my food and cleaned the dishes. I laughed. "Thanks Nick. I wore a brown hat with a green shirt. I decided to wear a black pair of pants. I began to return the compliment. "That hat and shirt looks so good on you. It really compliments your eye color and your smile."

"Oh Norah of course you have to say that." He said with a clear smirk on his face.

I rolled my eyes to the back of my head. "So now you're fishing for compliments."

"No! I'm just sayin' that you always say that."

"Right, but it's true." I am an honest person that just wanted to express the hard truth.

"Sure." He looked at me, smiled, moved his hat, and nodded his head.

"You dork! You sure do know how to make me mad. That's like an equivalent to having someone call me princess. It's annoying."

"Dork?" He questioned.

"Yeah..."

"Plus who could call you that? If they did I would be having a word with them."

"Ha! Nah I'm sure I can take care of it myself." I smiled and scrunched my nose.

After finishing dishes and feeding the horses it was time to leave. Nick opened the passenger side of his truck and helped me in. I buckled my seatbelt and just like that we were on the road. As time grew closer and closer I realized how much I didn't wanna go. It pained me with a lot of burdens. It was inevitable. If I wanted to save this town; I had to. I turned up the radio. "What's up with that?" He asked.

"What it's a good song! I love this song."

"I think I have determined that you like every single country song."

"Oh no, no, no. Not every tingle one. There's some terrible ones out there. I'm picky, but this station that you have on is perfect." I laughed. I put my jacket over my legs and crossed them up on the seat.

Upon arrival my heart was pumping like crazy. I thought I was gonna die, or have a heart attack. Nick turned off the truck and helped me get out. I took out my water bottle and purse. I left my jacket in the truck because I already wore a long sleeve shirt. Before Nick shut the door he gave me a nod, "It's gonna be alright okay." He said.