Start of Something New

Tonight

CHAPTER 6:

The way that Nick held my hand in his was enough to make my heart beat out of my chest for the rest of my life. His touch took me to cloud nine. By now, the sun had set and the streetlamps gave Nick a glow that made him look so romantic. With our fingers intertwined and our footsteps matching, I wished this moment would last forever. The best part is, it is only 9:03, which means we still have two hours together before I have to be home.

"So, have you ever been in a relationship before?" Nick asked me. We were taking turns asking each other questions so that we could get to know each other better.

"Yeah, and they all ended pretty badly," I rolled my eyes, remembering what happened with my last boyfriend, Jeremy.

FLASHBACK 7 months & 11 days ago:

I pulled into Jeremy's neighborhood, the sky black and the moon so bright. I had to sneak out of the house, my dad HATES Jeremy. Someday, I thought, I'm going to marry Jeremy. I have it all planned out: We will have our three children; two girls and one boy, of course! We are going to live in New York, but not the City. We'll live in a rural area where our neighbors are so far away that you can't even see their houses... 2/3 of our kids will look like Jeremy. With sandy blonde hair and gorgeous gray eyes. Our oldest, a daughter, will look like me with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

My thoughts were immediately interrupted by a car in Jeremy's driveway. Jeremy shares his house with 4 other roommates... It's probably one of their cars, I thought. But wait, I remembered. His roommates went out of town for Christmas, he's the only one home...

I began to get suspicious and a little nervous. Who could be at Jeremy's house?! I parked in the street, there was no room left in the driveway. I sat in my car for a minute, a little nervous to actually go inside. Slowly, I pulled my keys out of the ignition and grabbed my bag. When I stepped out of my car, the wind was brisk against my face. I pulled my jacket tighter around my chest, a light snow was beginning to fall.

As I climbed the long, stone staircase up to  Jeremy's big oak front door, my heart began to beat faster. I began to feel like I wouldn't like what I would see when I got into the house. I took a deep breath and pushed open the front door. The house was dark, only the kitchen light on.

Jeremy's house was huge, since he shared it with 4 other guys. It was really modern with dark wood floors and he had his own floor. It was the attic since there were only 4 bedrooms. But, he was the only one willing to have his room up there. They made it really nice though. He had his own bathroom and you could hardly tell it was the attic. The whole house was open with hard wood throughout the whole thing.

I walked into the kitchen, empty. There were two, dirty paper plates on the counter, but no one was there. I checked the family room, the TV was on, but no lights and no people. It was starting to feel a little creepy. It was almost one a.m., maybe Jeremy forgot I was coming and went up to bed..., I thought. But, I had a feeling that wasn't the case.

Still, I quietly walked up the stairs. The door leading up to Jeremy's floor was open, and the light was on. I smiled, he was home. I practically ran up the stairs. His bedroom door was closed, but I pushed it open...

Only to find him sucking another girl's face! She had black hair and she had a really curvy body. They were making out pretty intensely, it was GROSS!

"What are you doing?!" I shrieked. The girl practically jumped off Jeremy. Jeremy looked up nervously.

"Aves-" He started.

"DO NOT call me that," I argued.

"Look, I'm sorry, this was a mistake. Take me back?" He bit his lip, but I wasn't in the mood for flirting.

"Jeremy. Get. Away. From Me," I said slowly. He was coming towards me slowly. He grabbed my waist. He smelled like beer and garlic, ew.

"Baby, you know you love me," he whispered, kissing underneath my ear.

"I don't love you Jeremy. What about that girl over there? You looked pretty happy making out with her!" I pointed to the dark haired girl who was now staring at us with wide eyes.

"Oh her," Jeremy looked over at her. "that's Cathy-"

"Christie," she corrected.

"Yeah, but, Amber I love you way more. I just missed you, I needed someone," He pulled me closer. I tried pushing him away, but his grip only got tighter the more I struggled.

"My name isn't even Amber. It's Ava. Get away from me," I hissed. I shoved him back and he stumbled drunkenly back. I ran out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Christie was not far behind me.

"Hey wait up," she called as I opened the front door.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, my eyes filling with tears.

"I didn't even know he was your boyfriend, I wouldn't have done that if I knew," She smelled like beer too.

"I'm not in the mood for dealing with drunk people right now. Leave me alone," I walked quickly walked through the fallen snow to my car. I slammed the car door closed and threw my bag on the passenger seat. I buried my face in the palms of my hands and cried for a minutes. I realized how stupid I was being and wiped my eyes with the back of my hands and started the car. I drove home quickly and quietly went up to my room.

~END OF FLASHBACK~

"Well," Nick said, turning to look at me. "I've had nasty breakups too. Remember Alaina from the bakery?" I nodded. "Yeah, well we broke up when she told me she was pregnant. It wasn't even my baby. It was that guy Ricky's, or uh, Ryan's."

"Yeah my last boyfriend, Jeremy, cheated on me too," I shrugged. "But, enough about our exes. What's your mom's name?" I asked, thinking of the first question that popped into my mind.

"Reagan," He paused. "And yours?" he asked me quietly.

I swallowed, a lump was forming in my throat. "Gr-Grace," I stammered.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have made you said that," he said quickly.

"No, no. It's okay. You ask me something," I recovered quickly. We stopped in a few little shops until they all closed up for the night.

"I guess we should be getting home?" He asked me. I looked at my phone- 9:43.

"Yeah, sure," I replied. I was secretly hoping we would stay out longer.

"Sorry, I know it's early. I have to work at the supermarket again," he explained.

My heart sank. "Oh, no it's fine. I have to be home soon anyways," I lied. We walked back to his car and he drove me home. The roads were empty. The radio was on low, the perfect romantic scene. But, all he did was pull up in my driveway and say 'I had a great time, see you later, I hope'.

I got out of the car and waved good-bye. I unlocked the front door and made my way upstairs. Connor was asleep and my dad was in his room watching TV.

After getting ready for bed, I curled up under the covers and fell fast asleep.

I dreamed about my wedding day... My mom was there, crying in a long, tight, white gown. I was up on the alter in a white princess wedding dress and a diamond studded tiara clipped into my hair. I was standing with someone, we were holding hands. But his face... I couldn't see it. My brother was there too, but he was only five. It was really weird.

I woke up the next morning with an ache in my chest, wishing my mom was here to make me chocolate chip pancakes.

A/N: THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!! I tried to get this out ASAP, I've been working on it ever since I got home from school! Enjoy! Like, Vote & Comment Please :)