“C’mon, I want to show you something.” Nick signaled as Angela followed him out the house.
“Where are we going?” She asked.
Nick put his finger on her mouth and whispered, “Patience.”
They walked through the woods. A soft summer night breeze stirred through scented pine needles, making a whispery, papery sound. They came into a clearing where a giant rock rested on a cushion of leaves and needles. Nick lifted her up and settled her on top of the boulder.
“This is my secret place, no one knows about it.” Nick said. Angela turned her face heavenward. The twilight shone upon her face, making her look like an angel.
“It’s beautiful.” She sighed, amazed by the peacefulness of this place. It was hard to find a place like this in the city.
“I only want to share it with you.” Nick stood gazing down at her; his face was lit on one side by the slowly rising moon.
“I guess this is what heaven looks like.”
Nick rested his hand on her shoulder. The warmth of his palm spread though the material of the shirt. “No, you’re what heaven looks like.” He whispered, touching her layered hair.
Angela’s heart skipped a beat at his words. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” He cupped her face in his big, rough hand. “I care about you.”
Again, her body started to tingle at his words. “I do too. But I still don’t know why a wonderful guy like you would want to be with someone like me?” She slid off the rock, facing him.
“Honestly, I don’t know.” Nick offered no other explanation; he pulled her closer to him, pressing his hand against the small of her back. Slowly, he lowered his lips to hers, touched the top lip with a feather softness that left the both of them dizzy, and longing for more.
“I need to talk you.” Marrissa told Angela the next day with a sweet smile on her.
“Yeah, sure.” Angela replied after a few seconds of hesitation, wondering whatever she wanted to talk about. She followed Marissa into a small cafe.
“So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”
“About Nick.”
“What about him?”
“Why he asked you out in the first place. You do know that Nick has a lot of other opinions besides you, and personally I don’t see why Nick chose you.”
“Well, I don’t know either, but he did.” Angela snapped as she stood up and walked out the cafe. She sat down on the sidewalk, replayed what just happened in her mind.
Marrissa’s words felt like a splash of cold water to her, waking her up to reality. Was she fooling herself about Nick? The night before, he had kissed her in the moonlight until her knees went weak. And he also told her that he only wants her, no one else. But Marrissa’s words made Angela wonder; Nick didn’t answer her question about why he asked her out. Why didn’t he? Angela shook her head, trying to get the remarks of Marrissa out of her mind.
“She’s trying to break me and Nick apart, don’t listen to her.” She kept telling herself over and over on her way back to the apartment.