We decide to go back to the bar that Troy works at tonight. Apparently, Monday nights are dead so we should be able to just chill and play pool without a crowd.
Walking into the bar, we see Troy wasn’t lying; there’s maybe a handful of people sitting at the bar. Snagging a pool table, Troy joins us carrying a pitcher of beer and four glasses. Being that the bar is so slow, he volunteers to be our fourth player.
“Yo, Collin. That girl Summer from the other night was asking about you,” Troy says to me.
“Oh yeah, you know her?”
“Yeah, man. She works here...nice girl.”
Huh. And, she’s pretty cute, too. Probably thinks I’m a prick though for running off on her, thanks to another weak Alexa moment.
“What'd she have to say?” Maybe I still have a chance.
“She asked what your story is.”
I chuckle, wondering exactly what my story is. That's something I’d like to know myself.
“I just told her you grew up with my brother, big into football, no girlfriend.” Showing him a sign of relief, he continues. “I didn't say anything about Alexa, man. That's not my story to tell...She seems interested though, I can get her number for ya if you want it?”
I wouldn't mind getting to know her a little better. “Yeah, bro. She’s a cute girl.”
“She's bartending tomorrow night, I'll ask her.”
– ALEXA –
At exactly seven o'clock, Nolan pulls in my driveway. He told me to dress casual, so I have a pair of khaki shorts on with my favorite black halter top that makes my boobs look big, and a pair of black flip flops. My mom knocks on my door and peeps her head in. “Honey, you have a very handsome man waiting out here for you when you're ready.”
Oh no, I hope my parents aren’t grilling him. It’s been so long since I’ve brought a new guy around; I have no clue how they’re going to respond to Nolan. They’ve been so used to Collin–the all American boy. Nolan has a more edgy look to him, and I have no clue if he is into sports which seems to be of importance to my dad.
Walking down the hallway, I see the three of them sitting together in the living room. Nolan is talking about school and his major. Yup, they're grilling him. He doesn't look nervous though. He looks comfortable and unaffected by it, and of course, gorgeous; I could stare at him forever. He has his blonde hair slicked back as usual, and a tight white t-shirt that showcases his defined biceps on. I can see tattoos peeking out of each sleeve, some kind of black artwork on both sides. He has on faded blue jeans with frayed holes on both knees, and black boots to complete his outfit. Coming up beside the chair he is sitting in, I rest my hand on his shoulder. Looking up at me with his mesmerizingly blue eyes, he places his hand on mine.
“Hey, doll,” he says in his husky voice that I love, making me smile from ear to ear.
“I hope they haven't scared you away yet,” I reply, hoping that my parents weren't bad enough to send him running.
“Not at all, they’re very nice people,” Nolan says, giving them a friendly grin.
“Well, we should get going then,” I urge, eager to see what he has planned for us. After Nolan shakes my parent’s hands, we walk out the door.
Just as I suspected, he has a “mans” car, a 1976 Chevy Camaro. I only know this because he told me. Noticing how well taken care of it is, I know it’s his baby. I don't know what it is with guys and their cars, but you can tell that this car is important to him. He reaches over and squeezes my hand. Grinning, he winks at me, making my face turn a shade of red.
“So, what's on the agenda tonight?” I ask, breaking the silence.
“You'll see,” he says, smiling at me with a mysterious look.
The weather is really crappy tonight. It’s been raining all day and is muggy out, so I’m hoping that whatever we're doing is inside, otherwise, my hair is going to be a frizzy mess. Minutes later, we pull into the parking lot of his sister's club. Not exactly what I was planning on doing tonight. I notice there are no cars in the parking lot and no one standing at the entrance, which is weird. Opening my door like a gentleman, he takes my hand and leads me to the entrance.
“Is it always this slow on Mondays?” I ask. He pulls a key out of his pocket and unlocks the door. Turning to me, he grins. “Nope, it's closed on Sundays and Mondays.”
Okay, so what are we doing here then?
After opening the door, he motions for me to go in first. My mouth immediately drops open when I walk in. He has a blanket in the middle of the dance floor, set up like a dinner table for two, complete with champagne glasses. The disco ball is spinning above us, making the whole place twinkle like stars. It’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. Forgetting that he is standing next to me, he touches the bottom of my back, startling me.
“You like it? I was going to set this up outside down at the park, but the weather wasn't really on my side today, so this is Plan B.”
It is perfect. I could cry with how touched I am that he did all of this for me. “It's beautiful, Nolan,” I tell him truthfully and reach up to kiss him.
“Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back.”
I sit down at one of the place settings on the blanket. He returns with two plates of food and a basket of bread. It is penne pasta with a creamy cheese sauce over it. It looks delicious.
“This looks amazing.”
“I have to be honest with you. I ordered this from this wonderful Italian restaurant down the street. Trust me, you do not want me cooking for you,” he jokes.
I giggle, thinking about the planning that went into this. He pops open the champagne, pouring us both a glass. We cheer to a wonderful night; that is exactly what this is, wonderful. We have normal dinner conversation talking about our days and what we did, like we’ve known each other forever, and do this every night. Once we’re finished, I help carry everything to the kitchen. He tells me to go back to the blanket while he prepares my second surprise. The next thing I know, I see pillows and cushions falling over the balcony of the second floor.
Laughing, I yell up to him. “What are you doing?”
“You'll see!” he yells back, sounding like a giddy teenage boy.
Once there is a huge, fluffy pile on the ground covering the blanket we were once sitting on, he reappears next to me, rearranging them into a giant, fluffy bed. He then goes over to the little stage area where the DJ equipment is and presses a few buttons; a huge projection screen comes down. Are you kidding me? Is this guy for real? He presses a few more buttons and the screen brightens as the beginning credits start for the movie. He runs and jumps on the pillows, again like a giddy boy. He pats the spot next to him for me to sit down. Mimicking him, I run and jump on the pile of pillows. We laugh for a minute, acting like two little kids. Just when I think that he picked some romantic movie to snuggle up to, Billy Madison by Adam Sandler starts.
“Seriously? This is my favorite movie!” I comment, looking at him in shock.
“You’re lying,” he says, not believing that it’s truly my favorite movie.
“I swear! I know every word to this movie!”
“You just keep getting better and better, doll.” He leans forward, giving me a quick peck on the lips.
We spend the whole movie reciting our favorite lines, laughing when we say them at the same time. We’re having so much fun together that my stomach is starting to hurt from laughing so hard. When the movie ends, he looks over at me, staring me in the eyes with admiration.
“I haven't had this much fun with someone in a long time,” Nolan says, placing a hand on my cheek. My face automatically snuggles into his hand, loving the way it feels against my skin.
“I like you Alexa...a lot.”
I could cry. I am so happy. My body feels like a huge pile of mush and my heart is so swollen that I feel like it could burst at any moment. The butterflies I get every time we’re together, are flapping their wings as fast as a hummingbird’s. The way Nolan makes me feel is unreal and
amazing.
Leaning in, I kiss him softly. Nolan moves his hand to the back of my neck, and pulls me slightly over to him, intensifying the kiss. Opening my mouth, I let Nolan’s tongue explore mine and swing my leg over his body so that I’m straddling him. His hands make their way down my sides and cup my hips. Wanting more, I pull off his shirt, revealing his ‘to die for’ stomach. Needing to taste his skin, I remove my mouth from his, trailing kisses down his neck, his chest, and all the way to the top of his belly button. He moans in pleasure and then rolls out from underneath me, pinning me down into the pillows. Aggressively, Nolan immediately pulls my top off, revealing my white lace bra, my erect nipples showing through. Both hands go directly for my breasts, tweaking my nipples with his fingers. Not satisfied with the barrier, I reach behind me and unsnap my bra. Nolan quickly pulls it off, and throws it to the side. Instead of continuing with his fingers, he takes one breast in his mouth, and massages the other with his hand. I arch my back, feeling the sensation moving from my nipples down to my clitoris, making it throb with its own heartbeat. Feeling the wetness building between my legs, I start rocking my hips, needing more friction. He removes his mouth from my nipple, and lets out a sigh, noticing my need for him. Nolan dives for my mouth, pushing his lips and tongue hard against mine. He rocks his hips matching my rhythm; feeling his erection pushed against me, sends my desire to have him through the roof.
“Please, Nolan,” I whisper against his lips, not being able to handle my overwhelming desire for him.
“Are you sure?” He whispers back.
“Yes.”
Without wasting another second, he jumps up off of me, and drops his pants and boxers. I gasp at the breathtaking sight in front of me. He is head to toe gorgeous. While he fishes the condom out of his pants pocket, I push my panties off, and place them on top of the growing pile of clothes. Lying back down on top of me, he pushes my loose strands of hair behind my ear, then kisses me softly. Wrapping my arms around his neck, a loose tear falls down my face.
“Alexa? What’s wrong, doll?” he whispers lifting his head up a little to look at me.
“I’m sorry. I just…I just don’t know if I should do this right now. I mean, I like you. I like you a lot, but I kind of just got out of a serious relationship, and just feel like this is too fast. I thought I was ready, but I guess I’m not.” I admit still a little shaken up with how fast things were moving.
Don’t get me wrong, I was all there with him, and wanted it, but I just felt overwhelmed. As soon as Nolan layed back down on top of me, seconds away from having sex with me, I froze.
“Please don’t be sorry. We don’t have to do any of this. We can take a step back–move slower. Don’t feel bad. I wasn’t planning on this happening tonight either,” he responds in a soft sweet voice.
“Thank you.” I smile at how wonderful he is, and how wonderful he makes me feel.
– COLLIN –
I decide the next day that I wanted to get Summer's number myself. I rushed off the last time I saw her, so I figure I will man-up and go see her again; prove I’m not a prick instead of letting Troy do my dirty work. As expected, the boys are down with going out again tonight. We all meet at Travis's and pre-game for a little while. Once we all start feeling a little buzzed, we call a taxi and make our way downtown.
It is two for one drafts tonight, so it’s a little busier than last night. Matt and Travis wait for a pool table to open up, while I go to the bar to get us a pitcher of beer. Standing at the end of the bar, I get a full body view of Summer. She has on a tight, black t-shirt with Sparky’s printed across her chest, and dark fitted jeans with a bottle opener sticking out her back pocket. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, exposing her long, soft looking neck. She has a real natural beauty to her, not at all made up looking. Catching me out of the corner of her eye, she smiles quickly while taking another man’s order. After taking a few more orders, she finally makes her way in my direction.
“Collin, right?” she asks, smiling at me. She has a real pretty smile. I swear I’ve never seen teeth that white.
“Yeah, nice to see you again,” I reply, giving her a quick once over with a pleased grin.
“What can I get you guys tonight?” she asks, shaking her head and smiling.
“A pitcher of whatever’s on tap, with three glasses please.”
Summer nods and walks away to get my order. After filling the pitcher, I see her quickly write something on a napkin. She returns back, placing the pitcher and glasses down, and then hands me the napkin.
“Troy mentioned that you were looking for this,” she says, winking at me before walking away to take more orders.
Smiling to myself, I gather our drinks and head towards the pool tables. By the time I get back, a table has opened up for us. We play for a while, and every time Summer sees me walking to the bar with an empty pitcher, she quickly fills another one for us.
“Do you get a break anytime soon?” I ask on our third pitcher.
“Whenever I want one.”
“I'm thinking you need one.”
“Oh yeah, you think so?” she replies, arching her eyebrow.
“Well, I hear there is a good looking guy waiting to spend some time with you.”
“Huh, maybe I'll have to come find him when I decide I need a break,” she teases, giving me a cute grin before walking away.
Chuckling to myself, I return to where the guys are starting another game. After a couple more games, Summer comes over with another pitcher of beer and a single glass for her. She pours herself a glass. “You ready to play some real pool, gentlemen?”
Holy crap. She not only drinks beer, but she knows how to play pool? Most girls I know drink those fruity drinks. This girl is unreal.
“I call dibs on this one,” I claim, loosely draping my arm over her shoulders.
“How do you know I don't suck?”
My mind instantly goes in the gutter. Quickly snapping out of my visual, I reply, “I'll take my chances.” Something tells me I don't have to worry, though.
She is a shark. We kick their ass’ three games in a row and she put back almost the whole pitcher of beer herself.
“Although this has been quite entertaining, kicking a bunch of football player’s asses, I have to get back to work.” She puts her stick back up on the rack and walks over to me, resting her hand on my chest. “Call me,” she says, pecking my cheek before she heads back to the bar. This girl is so different from any girl I have ever met. Hanging with her is like hanging out with one of the guys, but Summer is much better looking.
– ALEXA –
Nolan and I had such an amazing night last night that I’m surprised when I haven’t heard from him all day. I have to work tonight, and although we are not supposed to have our phones on us while we are working, I keep mine on vibrate in my pocket. Just in case.
“You okay, Lex? You seem distracted tonight,” Nicole asks.
Obviously I’m not doing a very good job of hiding my concerns. “Yea, I'm fine,” I tell her even though this is driving me crazy.
“How'd your date go last night?”
“Oh my god, Nicole, you’d never believe how amazing it was!” I respond with a sigh.
I continue telling her about the romantic night; how we almost hooked up, and that when he drove me home he wouldn't stop smiling at me and rubbing my leg. It was almost too good to be true.
“I'm so jealous! When are you seeing him again?” And that's my current problem.
“I haven't heard from him all day. It's driving me crazy,” I say in a worried tone.
“So, call him,” she shrugs, like it’s no big deal.
Isn't it like a cardinal rule that the guy is supposed to call the girl the next day? I don't want him to feel suffocated, and think I’m obsessive.
“What if he doesn't feel the same way, and that's why he hasn't called? Isn't the guy supposed to be the first one to call?”
“Or he’s just been really busy and you�
��re overreacting. From what you told me, I’m pretty sure he feels the same way,” she says, like she’s speaking the obvious.
She's right, I am overreacting. If he doesn't call by the time I get home from work, I’ll call him. Who cares about “the rules”.
The night goes by fast. We were busy as usual, but still nothing from Nolan. As much as I’ve been reminding myself all night that I am overreacting, I can’t help but worry that something is wrong. After getting everything wiped down and cleaned, I turn off all the lights. Nicole waits for me to put the cash registers in the safe so that I don’t have to walk to my car by myself. Walking outside the door, Nicole faces me with a big smile on her face.
“What?”
She nods her head to the parking lot where a gorgeous man is leaning on a car. “I'll see you later,” she says in an I told you so tone before walking to her car.
The butterflies start flapping at their usual fast pace in my stomach as I walk in his direction.
“Fancy meeting you here,” I say to him when I get within arm’s length.
“I couldn't stay away,” he says, grabbing my hips and pulling me close to him.
“I was afraid I scared you off when I hadn’t heard from you all day,” I confess.
Wrapping me in a bear hug, he kisses my nose and then my lips.
“You could never scare me away…so, I took the chance of showing up unannounced, hoping that you don’t have any plans?” he asks, after letting me out of his tight hold.
Are you kidding me? I would cancel them if I did.
“Well, then you're in luck, because no, I don’t have any plans.”
“Great! Then let’s get going.” He grabs my hand, and pulls me over to the passenger door.
I love how excited he gets when his plans come together. We start driving towards downtown and it appears that we are heading to the club again, but instead we drive right by it. Going down a few blocks, he turns left, heading up a big hill that leads into a residential neighborhood. He pulls into the driveway of a little cape cod; from the outside it looks like it has all been remodeled.
Planning on Forever Page 7
