Just One

Chapters 33 and 34

Chapter – 33 ANNA "This time you want doesn't exist."

It's the first day of 2016. While lying on my bed, stretching out my body, I reflect on everything that happened last night. It was all very intense; my muscles were still stiff and sore. I feel heavy, with pain in my neck and even a bit of nausea.

Nick was wonderful. He handled the situation with elegance, calm, and confidence. As I grabbed my cell phone to call him, the device vibrated in my hands with his name on the caller ID, even before I looked for him in my last call. It is proof of our synchronicity. I answered the call in a seductive voice: "Good morning, my prince. I wish you were here with me right now, lying by my side, cuddling closely. Come here, come!"

Nick inhales and exhales deeply, allowing me to hear his breathing. "I'm getting out of here now, I'll just go in my underwear, so as not to waste any time. Close your eyes and count to ten."

Playfully, I start counting down: "10, 9, 8, 7..." Nick interrupts me: "Anna, let's spend the weekend at Clearwater Beach, just the two of us? I'll pick you up in a bit."

I start laughing and reply: "Wow, you got really excited, huh? The weekend? Let me talk to my parents here and I'll call you later. I haven't even gotten out of bed yet." I yawn, showing my laziness.

"Alright. In the meantime, I'm going to look for a hotel to book. Love you, babe." Nick excitedly ends the call.

While I'm showering, my phone rings again. It's far away, on my computer desk, so I wait to answer it. After a few minutes, while I dry my hair with the towel to get rid of the excess water, I look at the display and see that the call was from Zack.

A fright makes me sit up in the chair in front of my computer. My heart races with nervousness, my feet start to wiggle frantically, and pressure on my neck forces me to lie back down on my bed. My memory is triggered, bringing up Zack's message to Nick, asking him to let me know that he needed to talk to me and that he would come home today to talk.

While part of me wants to run off to Clearwater in just the clothes on my back without wasting any time, I feel inside that Zack, and I need to have this final chat. Not knowing what to do, I decided to seek advice from the voice of experience, which always helps me make the best decision.

"Good morning, Mom." I kiss her cheek affectionately, wrapping my arms around her waist.

She replies: "Good morning, Anna. What's with the melancholy voice?"

I sit down in the chair in front of the kitchen counter, where I usually have my breakfast, and as I prepare my hot chocolate, I bring up the subject directly and to the point: "Mom, I'm having some problems and I need your help."

"What kind of problems, Anna?" My mother smiles as she looks at me with narrowed eyes.

I tell her in detail about yesterday's episode and, to my surprise, my mother starts laughing too, finding something funny where there is none. "Honestly, I can't understand where the humor is, Mom," I say with irritation. "

"Forget it, Anna. So, Nick asked Zack and Leeo to leave, and did they go?" My mother asks, showing confusion.

"Mom, pay attention. Nick sent them both home. Leeo didn't go because he was staying at the hotel. Didn't you see him at the party?"

"Leeo at the party? I didn't notice."

I continued explaining: "Zack left, and Nick even walked him to his car. Zack said he wanted to talk to me today and that he'd come over. He already sent me a message earlier, but I haven't replied yet because I don't know what to do. Nick also invited me to spend the weekend at the beach in Clearwater. He wants to go this morning. What should I do?"