Battle Of The Blondes

© Sweet Kisses™

~*~

Nick walked around in the living room with a small black box of matches in his hands, adorned in classical black attire, lighting candles that were situated in different places. He put the last candle aglow and stepped back and turned off the lights to watch the candles burning in the darkness. He smiled. The scenario seemed consummate. Candles burning brightly, and then he remembered. He sauntered over to the stereo and scanned his collection. He ran his index finger down the spines of the plastic cases and pondered each one before moving on to the next when he didn't decide on the previous one. The candles lit up the room enough to see.

Finally, he came across one which he thought would be perfect, and perfection was just what he was after. The music played softly, echoing through the house, the speakers placed on a small platform near the ceiling. All in all, he knew this would work.

He was trying to win over something that he loved.

He strolled around the living room, making sure that everything was in place and that everything was where it should be. He knew he was probably worrying unnecessarily, but he also knew that his competition was tough and he had to fight with everything he had to win. And he wanted to win with fierce determination and with extreme ferocity. There was no way in sunny hell that he was going to lose something that he loved without putting up a fight. There was simply no way that he'd go down and lose without force. No way, no how.

The wind outside blew hard, and the branches that were next to the house tapped gently against the windows. Nick walked over to the windows and stared outside, and was greeted with a starry night. A sky that was like a black blanket of velvet, full of stars, and a bright and full moon. The branches from the trees continued to tap against the glass in the force of the wind, and Nick stood back, but still stared out the window, waiting for an arrival.

Waiting for what, though? he wondered.

Was he waiting for a sign? Maybe. Was he waiting for his heart to broken? Doubtful. Was he waiting for someone to realise that he could love just as much as the person he was up against? Probably. Was he simply waiting for someone to love? Yes. He knew that that much was true, and his heart and his whole entire being knew that that much was true, too. There was no denying what his heart felt. His heart was like a different entity to his body, it always did its own thing, completely against what his brain always told it to do.

The shrill of the phone interrupted his trail of thought. He quickly walked over to the black phone and picked it up. "Hey, it's me," came Brian's cheerful voice, and it seemed to relax Nick somewhat. "What're you doin'"?

Nick chuckled and walked into the kitchen and hoisted himself up on the kitchen counter. "Oh, just stuff. You know, waiting."

"You're waiting?" Brian repeated. "Oh, you're waiting. I see. For a lucky little lady."

Nick chuckled again, but this time a little louder. "Something like that." He checked his watch. "Look, I'll have to call you later."

There was a pause on the other end. "Nick, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Yeah, I know exactly what I'm getting myself into."

"Do you?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, okay," Brian relented and sighed. "All right, I'll leave you and the lucky lady to yourselves. Be careful," he added.

"Yeah, thanks," Nick replied dryly.

Nick sighed and placed the phone down on the counter and jumped off to walk back into the living room. He stood back and watched everything in action. The music was at a perfect level, the candles were burning slowly, it all seemed to be a scene set for a romance. And that's exactly what Nick had in mind. Romance. And if a little romance was what it took for someone to realise that he loved them, then so be it. He was willing to go to any lengths to prove to someone that he loved them. If, only, this was the same someone he had in mind.

That someone just happened to be Britney.

Meanwhile, outside in the cold, Britney stood at the entrance of Nick's house, between the wrought iron gates that were opened at that moment. Stone hedges surrounded the house for security and she could see two guards standing beside the stone statues of puppy dogs, presumably Nick's, that were the stabilisers of the gate. She took a small breath and wrapped her jacket around her tighter to block out the cold wind.

She stared up at the house, and it didn't seem to have any lights on. She bit down on her lower lip. Maybe he wasn't home. Her heart soared at the thought. Then she wouldn't have to tell Nick something that she had been dreading to tell him since day one of their relationship, though their 'relationship' hadn't, as yet, been solidified.

Her heart belonged to Justin.

It's over, Nick, she thought, practicing her 'goodbye' speech for the millionth time. It's over. Justin and I, we belong together.

And she'd make Nick see that, too.

Yeah, she would.

Britney flicked her blonde tresses back off her shoulders and began to walk up the stone drive, taking small steps, obviously taking her time. She nodded to the guards, who nodded back and smiled at her, and she continued making her way up the steep hill, up to Nick's front door. Her heart was racing. Her pulse seemed to be quickening with every step that she took. She drew in deep breaths, trying to compose herself, and thought of a plan in her mind.

She would simply tell Nick that whatever they had together was just a little phase, just infatuation, then she would simply kiss him goodbye, leave and go back to the open arms of Justin, the man that she really did love. But she was confused, she knew that. Her heart said one thing, her mind said another. Her heart said that she loved Nick. Her mind said that she loved Justin.

Follow your heart, isn't that what everyone said?

She had no idea.

But she loved all the time she had spent with Nick, prior to now. She loved how he laughed at her lame jokes. She loved how he held her in his arms. She loved the way he smelled, and she loved the way she always became intoxicated by that smell. She loved the crystal blueness of his eyes. She loved the cheekiness of his smile. She was a fool for a blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy. Maybe that was why she was as torn between Nick and Justin as she was. Again, she was confused, and again, she had no idea what decision was the right one.

Finally, Britney came to his front door. She raised her hand to knock. But she didn't. She tried again. And still, nothing. She sighed angrily and tried again. This time, she knocked, hard and fast, and tapped her foot impatiently. She waited for several moments, and thinking that no one was there, she turned on her heel and began to walk away, her heart sinking down into her chest. Just as she had taken a few steps, she heard the door open and whipped around. What she found, standing there at the door, made her quiver. Nick, with blonde hair, in black.

She took a deep breath. "Hi."

Nick smiled. "Hi," and stepped back for her to walk in, which she did obligingly. As she walked past him, he caught a breeze of her scent, which he breathed in deeply and felt dizzy from. He closed the door behind him and followed her through the hallway and into the living room. When he found her there, with her back turned to him, he crept up behind her and wrapped his arms tightly around her and placed a few small kisses on the back of her neck.

"I missed you," Nick said softly. 

Britney closed her eyes momentarily before finding the strength inside herself to extract his arms from her waist and turned around to meet his curious blue eyes. "Look, I came here because I wanted to tell you that - "

"Before you start I wanted to tell you that I love you and that I - "

Britney held up her hand to stop him from continuing. Her eyes caught sight of the candles and her ears became aware of the music playing softly in the background, the kind of music that was invented purely for seduction. "What's all this for?"

Nick smiled. "It's me telling you that I love you."

"Yeah, well, the reason why I'm here is that, well, it's over. You and me, we're done."

Nick's eyes widened. "Oh."

"It was over before it started," she explained in a toneless voice. "You know that we can never be together. It's not right what I'm doing. What we're doing. Lying, cheating, it's wrong."

Nick deliberated over this for a moment, hearing the branches tapping against the glass of the windows from the wind again. He remembered his resolve not to give up without a fight. "So don't."

Britney cast her eyes down on her feet, so she wouldn't have to look at the serious expression in his eyes. She thought that what she also saw was hurt fused with uncertainty, and he wasn't the only one. She was hurt. She was hurting. From having to sneak around and pretending to be in love with someone when she didn't really know if she was. She was uncertain. She was uncertain as to which one was the right one, or if she was wasting her time with both of them. She didn't know if she should just move on, either.

Finally, she said, "what do you mean?"

"Just tell Justin that it's over and that you're in love with me."

Britney sighed from how simple he made it sound, when in reality it wasn't ever so easy. "But, I-I - ."

"So, you're saying that you're not in love with me?" Nick asked slowly, stepping closer to her.

"Umm..." Britney stumbled to find the words. "Yes, that's what I'm saying."

"Say it," he said. "I want you to say it. Say to me, 'Nick, I'm not in love with you.'"

Britney sighed again. This was indeed harder than she thought it would be. She cleared her throat. "Nick, I'm not in love with you."

"Okay, now I want you to prove it to me." Nick pointed to the door. "If you walk out now, that'll tell me that you don't love me. Walk out. Prove it to me."

Britney just stood there, her shoes feeling like cement boots, like her feet were bolted to the ground. Her feet just wouldn't move. "I - " Her eyes filled with unshed tears, perplexity twisting her pretty features. "God," she whispered and looked up at Nick. "I can't."

Nick smiled and wrapped his arms around her again. "So, like I said, just tell him that you're in love with me. Easy."

Britney stared into his eyes, her body drowning in a massive sea of blue. She'd tell Justin, but not right now. She'd tell him, and soon. She promised Nick that she would, and she would. She was certain of it. But it was after she made this decision that she allowed him to place his index finger underneath her chin to raise her face to his and got lost in a deep kiss, ultimately surrendering to the enormity of her love for him.

She'd tell Justin that it was over.

Yeah, right, and Justin would have no choice but to let her go.

~**~