Nina Cox Must Date (Girl Power Series)

Chapter 5 - Toy Oven

The events of yesterday keep running through my head. I'm not against dating. It is the whole relationship thing that freaks me out.

I'm not like Lisa. She sees herself getting married in a big white gown in a church full of flowers. That is fine if it makes her happy but what then? Her boyfriend is always traveling. The few times that I have seen him, he has been on the phone with this and that model or celebrity with my sister competing for his attention.

That eventually turns into a fight in which she cries her eyes out, and he buys her an expensive gift. I think that now I know why she got the car.

My ideal man doesn't need to be glued to me 24-hours a day, but we should spend enough time together. Our fights should be about who gets to be Player 1 while playing a game. I would love to meet someone that let me be myself and don't mind that when I'm having my lady moment each month, I eat pizza in bed while watching 'Never Been Kissed' non-stop until the misery is over.

I glance at my laptop and see an email notification. I have been fulfilling web orders, and that wasn't there a minute ago. The email if from someone called Jett, and the subject reads: Remember me?

I don't remember meeting anyone named Jett. I check my contact list and newsletter subscriptions, and it doesn't ring a bell.

I click on it, and it reads:

Hello Nina,

I hope that you haven't forgotten me. I was with the two idiots that started a fight in front of your booth at the Fan Con.

This is probably the guy that stared at me!

After checking your business card, I realized that I live in the town next to yours. I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me. You can pick the venue and only need to let me know when and at what time I can pick you.

Jett

Hell, yeah! An effortless date. I don't waste more time and write back.

Hey Jett,

Nice to hear from you! What about Friday at Waca Grill. You can pick me at 7 PM. I live right next to Galaxy Barn.

Nina

Even though we stared at each other, I honestly can't remember that well how he looked. Well, anything beats Chalky Axel. He left my parents' house even before dessert was served.

I go back to my packing and during a still moment, I hear a weird sound. It isn't the first time that I hear it. It is like a tick or scratching. Elijah says that it is probably Grandma coming to haunt me. Bastard!

The front door bell rings, and Taylor comes in. He has a strange expression.

"Is everything alright?" I say.

"Yeah, I'm okay,"

"Your face says the opposite,"

"It's nothing to worry about," he says, checking the order that I'm processing.

I stare at him. He knows that he will have to tell me eventually.

"Okay, you will find out eventually," he says with a sigh. "I was at the doctor. I went last week already, and I had to return today. The Monday after Fan Con, my legs were twitching. Usually, that isn't strange as I get spasms from time to time. What was different this time is that I thought I could feel them,"

"Are you sure?" I ask and he nods.

"I made an appointment and told the doctor. He said that because I could use my legs in the past, I can have these ghost feelings. Like when people lose limbs, and they still feel like they have them. I was so convinced by what I felt that he sent me to have some tests done. I just came from there,"

"When will you find out the results?"

"In a week. The appointment was just to know if there are any changes in my injury,"

"And if there are?"

"We will take it from there. I have zero hopes, but I need to know if what I felt was real,"

A notification pops on the computer. Another email from Jett just arrived.

"What is it? You are smiling at your screen,"

I tell Taylor the events of the day before. He bursts laughing when I tell him about Axel.

"Poor guy. I have known your family for ten years. They can be scary for an outsider,"

"I still can't believe that Mom thought he was my type. Then they all think guys won't hang around me because you are in my life,"

"I'm no competition for any man. I can't even have sex," Taylor says with a sad smile.

"Not everything in a relationship is about sex,"

"Maybe not, but it is important. Anyway, who is this guy?"

"A friend of the Sailor Moon guy,"

"You're kidding,"

"No, and since I have to find nine dates, I won't be picky,"

"You are crazy to agree to that,"

"If I can get them out of my hair, then I will do it," I say opening the email and finding Jett's agreement to our date plans. "At least Jett was at the Fan Con, so we have something to talk about. He is probably a geek as well,"

"I only hope for you that he is not into dolls as well," Taylor says while giving me a cheeky grin.

I hear the weird sound again and lift my finger to silence Taylor.

"Do you hear that?" I whisper.

"Yeah," he whispers back. "Like a scratching sound. I think that is coming from your storage,"

We follow the sound like I have done many times before. The moment I turn the lights on it stops. Taylor and I split and start looking at the heavy shelving units. Everything is still in place.

"Nina?" I hear Taylor say from the hall close to the door.

"Did you find something?" I ask.

"Have you been eating donuts with chocolate sprinkles in here?"

"No, I never eat back here,"

"I'm afraid that this is mice poop then,"

"No! That can't be right!"

I come to where Taylor is and see the disgusting black things on the floor. I pull the closest box out and feel faint at the realization of the contents. I open it and find a fat mouse eating the pack of cake mix for my toy oven.

"This sucks..." I say and feel my eyes tearing.

"Hey, we can solve this. Can we order the mixes again?" Taylor says while rubbing my back.

"The company discontinued the line. I wasn't even planning on selling these. I wanted one of those ovens badly when I was a child. They were very expensive, and my parents couldn't afford one. I bought one a while ago, and these were mine. All gone..." I say as I remove a tear from my cheek.

"Come here," Taylor says, and I sit on his lap. He hugs me as I mourn a lost childhood memory.