A Summer Like No Other

Chapter 15 - Em

"I told you to stay out of this!"

Distant voices stir me out of my restless sleep. My head pounds and I groan. It's like someone is doing jumps in it, and they're not even good jumps.

"And I told you I wanted answers. Em deserves answers." A door slams.

People shouldn't be arguing this early in the morning. Isn't there a rule about that somewhere?

What are Nick and his dad even doing in my house? I turn to my side with my eyes closed. Nick's dad never comes to my house anymore. He used to. He used to play golf with my dad, they used to talk about real estate investment and country clubs and all that jazz. But he never comes anymore. Never. Ever.

Before, I was certain it was because he felt guilty about my father losing his job. Now, I wonder if it doesn't have something to do with my adoption. I've never known he was involved in it, and my parents assured me they were "open" about the details.

This is not my bed. This bed is much larger. This bed has way too many pillows. This bed has silky sheets.

My eyes pop open. Definitely not my room.

"Shit!" I wince. I got totally wasted last night, and with Nick. Did I tell him I like him a lot? Did I kiss him? Again?

I struggle to remember his answer, but I'm pretty sure he didn't declare his undying love for me.

Note to self: Never get drunk with Nick. Again.

My parents are going to freak I didn't get home.

And his father came to pick us up. That's great. I struggle out of bed. I'm still in my dress from last night, and I cross my fingers this guest bedroom is on the first floor so I can escape without anyone noticing me.

Someone slams a door. Heavy steps get closer to my room.

A knock. "Em, are you up? I should bring you back home, or Rob is somehow going to find out you didn't come home, and he's going to drive back from Cape Cod and kill me."

Of course, let's worry about what my brother thinks. I want to be mad at Nick, I was mad at him after he told me what he overheard, but I have a fuzzy memory of him, wiping my mouth tenderly. Shit. Wiping my mouth from throw-up. That's one sexy scene he's not going to forget soon.

"Em?" he calls again.

"I'm up. I'm up."

The door cracks open and Nick steps inside, with breakfast on a tray. "You look like shit," he says and my stomach grumbles.

Nick sets the tray on the bed. He's got big shadows under his eyes and he's frowning.

I cringe. "Thanks. You don't look that great yourself today."

He turns to me, raises an eyebrow and laughs. A full-out belly laugh. I can't help but smile back. Seeing him somewhat happy is so much better.

"I got you some of the things I know you like: waffles and eggs. I've read somewhere that eggs are supposed to help a hangover."

"Thank you," I reply, my heart warming at his thoughtful gesture.

He nods and points to the door. "If you open that door on the left, you'll find a bathroom. You can take a shower or at least brush your teeth..."

I wince. "Is it that bad?"

"I can smell your breath from here, and it ain't pretty." He pulls a chair over and sits close to me.

"I'm sorry I drank so much."

"Don't worry... Those cocktails were pretty strong. And you're kind of a lightweight."

"Whatever. Don't tell Roberto I drank, okay/"

His eyes bore into mine and my heart skips a beat. I can't be imagining the electricity between us. I can't be imagining that he's looking at me like he wants to kiss me again, that he's been thinking about it ever since that day in the studio.

Okay, maybe he doesn't want to kiss me right at this moment, not now that I have the yuckiest breath on Earth, but something shifted yesterday. Maybe while we laughed, while we talked, or while we watched the fireworks in each other's arms. At least I think we did.

"Are you sure you're fine?" he asks.

"You can't answer my question with a question. That's illegal. That should be one of our rules. Always answer questions honestly."

"Fine. I won't tell Roberto you drank...unless he asks."

I nod and wince again. "And I'm not fine. My head is about to split in half." I pause. "Did your dad tell you anything? I heard you fighting with him."

"He didn't tell me shit. He keeps on telling me to mind my business."

"Maybe if I'm the one to ask him?" I whisper. "Maybe he would tell me what he knows?"

"You can try, but I don't think that's going to work." He's hiding something. His face's a bit closed off, but then it opens again. "Maybe you could ask your dad about it."

"I need to grow some lady balls. It's funny how when I started to look, I had this fairy tale in my mind and now I'm scared to go forward, I'm scared of the answers," I admit. "That's why I didn't talk to you last week. I knew if I saw you, we would end up talking about it. That, and I was weirded out about the fact your dad was involved in all this."

"Tell me about it." He rubs the back of his neck and I glance at the tray, nibble on a waffle. He did that for me. He's fighting with his dad for me. He's there for me.

My heart beats faster, remembering yesterday. What did he answer when I told him I liked him?

I could ask him. I could simply go ahead and ask him if maybe, maybe he likes me too. If we were still in sixth grade I could pass him a note.

Why can't I ask him? I kissed him the other day and it was a pretty amazing kiss. He kissed me back. I know he did. If I hadn't played it off, we might still be making out now. Days later, we would have never left the dance studio. Maybe, he never would have told me about what he overheard. Maybe it would have all been simpler.

"There, I brought you an aspirin too. It should help." Instead of dropping it in my open palm, he carefully sets it on the tray, as if he's afraid we could inadvertently touch.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and brush my teeth." I stand up. And then turn to him. Wanting to say something. Wanting to ask him. Wanting to hear his answer.

Nick clears his throat. "I'll wait for you downstairs."

He stands up, and hurries out of the room without another word.

Maybe it's an unspoken answer to my unspoken question.

Author's note:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying getting to know Em & Nick! I'll be publishing two new chapters every Friday and would love to hear from you, so don't hesitate to leave a comment. The full novella is already published/available on all e-retailers for only $0.99 in case you don't want to wait for the next chapter :) More information on www.elodienowodazkij.com :)