The Path Not Taken (Wayhaught)

Chapter 4

"Nicole. Nicole."

Nicole slowed her pace, trying to determine if her mind was playing tricks on her. Only one person knew her name here.

"Nicole, wait."

Nicole stopped in her tracks, afraid to turn around. Afraid this was all wishful thinking. But then she felt it. The very real, very cold hand on her wrist tugging in a silent request for her to turn around. Nicole steeled herself in an attempt to come off confident instead of letting her nerves get the best of her before acquiescing to Waverly's plea. Face to face now, Waverly averted Nicole's questioning gaze.

Nicole softly smiled, "I had hoped I would see you again someday, Miss Earp, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. I must say, however, I am pleasantly surprised."

Waverly blushed ever so slightly as she struggled to find her words, and the strength to look into Nicole's warm chocolate eyes that were laser focused on her. The truth was, Waverly didn't know what she wanted to say. She didn't even know why she chased after Nicole. The only thing she did know was she missed Nicole the second she walked away and she wasn't ready to say goodnight just yet. The sadness she felt at that immediate loss and the realization of what was waiting for her when she rejoined the party propelled her after Nicole without much thought about what she would say when she reached her. She couldn't stop the inexplicable force to be near Nicole no matter how hard she tried and the truth was, she didn't know if she wanted to stop it. She felt like she didn't know anything anymore.

Nicole immediately sensed the change in Waverly and she reached out, grasping Waverly's hand in her own, gently rubbing circles with her thumb over the back of Waverly's hand in an effort to comfort her. "Waverly, what's wrong? What is it?"

"I. I don't know. I don't know why I came out here. I'm sorry." The doubt crept into her mind and started to eat away at the boldness she felt a moment ago.

The sensation of Nicole's hand on hers, the feeling of skin on skin, suddenly became overwhelming to Waverly's senses. That and the doubt she felt caused Waverly to pull her hand away from Nicole, harsher than she intended, and she immediately regretted it. She couldn't bear to look at Nicole, to see the hurt that washed over her when she ripped her hand away.

"Waverly, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just- I thought- I just wanted to comfort you. You looked so sad all of a sudden. If I did anything to cause that, I'm sorry."

Waverly felt guilt wash over her but what could she do? The feelings Nicole's touch stirred in her scared her. She didn't even know what it meant, she just knew no one had ever elicited such a response from her with such a simple gesture. Not even Champ. She couldn't deal with it right now. Not with everything else going on. Waverly retreated, giving her enough space to get out of the gravitational pull Nicole seemed to have on her. Suddenly, she felt trapped. Terrified. And she reacted, trying to break the emotional pull Nicole had on her, as well.

"You don't know how I'm feeling. You don't know me at all," Waverly, resigned, "No one knows me. No one knows the real me. No one knows when I'm sad, not even the people closest to me. So please don't presume to know me when you just met me." Waverly said the words even though she knew they belied the truth. Somehow, Nicole did know her. It defied logic, but Nicole was right. She was sad. And that bothered her even more. How could this stranger see her when those closest to her couldn't? Or maybe wouldn't?

Waverly's actions stung, but her words stung more. Nicole's head was spinning. She had no clue what was happening here. They had such a nice talk earlier. And then Waverly chased after her when she left. To what? To get mad and push her away? It didn't make any sense. Undeterred, and, if she was being honest, curious to know what the hell just happened, Nicole took a step closer to Waverly, swiftly closing the distance between them. "I do. Somehow, I do know you. The real you. I saw a glimpse of her on that roof up there, if only for a moment. But in that moment you were happy. The weight of the world lifted off your shoulders and you were so, I don't know, free."

Waverly's eyes softened, the soft hazel hue obscured by the dampness that started to build. Waverly blinked the dampness away, smiling shyly.

"I see you, Waverly Earp. The real you. I know you are so much more that what you present to this town. You are extraordinary." Nicole smiled when she finished that last statement, flashing her dimples. But there was no arrogance there, just a genuine nod to the truth she spoke.

Waverly cleared her throat, trying in vain to compose herself and hide the warmth that started in her belly and was quickly creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. She shook her head, trying to break free of Nicole's alluring gaze, "So, where are you going?"

Nicole got that smile again, the one that was so big it reached her eyes and caused those adorable dimples to reappear. "Well," Nicole said, "if you must know, I was heading to Shorty's to grab a cappuccino, since I didn't see a Starbucks on my short tour of this town, and then I was heading back to my hotel to pack." With a devilish glint in her eye, she stepped even closer to Waverly, just on the edge of invading her personal space, "Why do you ask? Did you want to join me?" Nicole asked half-jokingly, because she never thought Waverly would actually entertain such an offer.

That smile. Those dimples. Waverly could barely formulate a coherent thought, much less process Nicole's proposition. Instead, Waverly smiled, matching Nicole's confident look with one of her own, as she prepared to step forward and eliminate the last bit of distance between the two of them-

"Babe. Babe!"

Waverly startled at the sound and jumped back from Nicole. Then her shoulders slumped and the confidence was gone.

"Babe, what are you doing out here?" Champ slurred.

Nicole put on her best fake smile and tried not to shoot daggers Champ's way.

"Babe, come on!"

Waverly stood there, frozen like a deer I headlights. Glancing back and forth between Nicole and Champ, smiling at Nicole before turning her attention back to Champ again. Waverly stood there, between the two of them, this new unmovable force that crashed into her life and the man that's been the constant force in her life for years...even if it wasn't always a great force. She dropped her head to look at the ground, unable to look at either of them in that moment. Waverly sighed heavily, took one final look at both Champ and Nicole, and made her decision. Waverly resolved herself, lifted her head and turned, taking a step towards what would likely be the rest of her life.