There's Something About Nik

by Sara Hantz

  “You were in the library all through lunch. Did you see Nik there?” Amber asked Lauren as they bumped into one another walking into class.

  “No. Why?”

  I knew it.

  They headed in silence toward a desk at the back and unpacked their bags.

  Amber sucked in a breath. “He told me he’d been to the library. But I think he was lying to me for some reason.”

  Sitting, Amber rested her arms on the desk. What was it about her that she seemed to attract disappointment and upset in her life?

  “Why do you think so?” A puzzled expression crossed Lauren’s face.

  “Well, for a start, when I asked Josh where Nik was, he said he didn’t know. Then, when I saw Nik, he told me he’d been with Josh. After I said I’d spoken to Josh, Nik then said that he’d been in the library. I’m not stupid. He was definitely lying. And you’ve just confirmed it by saying that you didn’t see him.” The words tumbled out of her mouth.

  Lauren frowned. “But why would he do that?”

  The question they all wanted answered.

  “I don’t know. Maybe he’s seeing someone.” Just saying the words made her want to throw up. She couldn’t bear the thought of Nik playing her like that. She didn’t think her heart could stand it. She knew her heart couldn’t stand it. Not that officially they had any kind of commitment outside of friendship, but seriously, it was more than that. He’d definitely been flirting with her. Hadn’t he?

  “He’s not Wade,” Lauren said gently.

  Just words. Neither of them really knew. Sure, Lauren was trying to pacify her. That’s what friends did for one another. But in reality, what game Nik was playing was anyone’s guess. “You say that, but what else could it be?” Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked them away.

  “It could be anything. Maybe he was planning a surprise for you or something.” Lauren sounded hopeful, but Amber didn’t buy it.

  “Why? It’s not my birthday.” Now Lauren was clutching at straws.

  “I don’t know. I could ask Josh,” Lauren suggested.

  “No point. He’s already lied to me, too.” Her voice was flat.

  It was crazy that she could go from feeling the happiest she’d felt in a long time to being so down, all in the space of a few minutes. If only she’d stuck to her resolution to not crush on anyone.

  “I think you’re jumping to conclusions. He’s totally into you. It’s obvious to anyone who sees you together,” Lauren said.

  “We’re not together. We’re friends. That’s all.”

  “Friends. Of course.”

  She chose to ignore Lauren’s sarcastic tone. “I don’t know. There’s definitely something not right.”

  “Why don’t we keep an eye on him, see where he goes?” Lauren’s eyes lit up. It was almost like she was enjoying the subterfuge. Amber dismissed that thought instantly.

  “Stalk him, you mean.” She rolled her eyes. She didn’t stalk anyone, much less a guy who wasn’t even her actual boyfriend.

  “It’s not stalking. It’s more like following. If we spot him alone, we’ll see where he goes.”

  She supposed that following him would be okay. Not like stalking, which was way out of line. And if it gave her the answers she was seeking, then no harm. Better than asking outright and humiliating herself. “I guess we could. As long as it doesn’t backfire on us.”

  “How could it? Nik won’t know. We’re at the same school. We could easily be in the same place as him. Don’t worry about it.”

  Easy for her to say.

  Chapter Eleven

  Amber walked out of drama rehearsal, glad that it was finally over. She’d found it virtually impossible to concentrate because her mind kept going back to Nik and why he’d lied to her. The teacher picked on her on more than one occasion for missing her cue. She caught sight of Lauren standing beside a pillar.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” Amber called out as she wandered toward her.

  “I thought you’d never get out,” Lauren replied, stepping away from the wall. “I’ve just seen Nik on his own heading outside toward the fields. Quick.”

  Panic engulfed Amber as she tried to push away the image of Nik going to meet another girl. She listed in her mind who it could be. Except there were so many girls who obviously found him hot that it was an impossible task. She shook her head, attempting to get rid of the crazy thoughts. She should at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

  “Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s go.”

  She followed Lauren down the corridor from the drama block, past the music practice rooms, and then out the side door. In the distance, she could just make out Nik. He was alone and appeared to be walking very fast in the direction of the bleachers by the far football field. She scanned the area, to see if anyone else was heading that way but didn’t spot a soul. Maybe the person he was meeting was already there.

  “He’s near the bleachers.” Lauren stopped and pointed to where Amber had just been staring.

  “I know. I’ve already spotted him. Where do you think he’s going?” She pushed her hands into her jeans pockets.

  “Search me. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around. Maybe he’s taken up smoking,” Lauren suggested.

  “No way. He hates smoking. And if ever we’re in the vicinity of someone with a cigarette, he gets up and walks away.” Amber’s stomach knotted. She was already regretting coming this far. If he caught them, then what would he think?

  If he’d told me the truth, we wouldn’t be following him.

  Whatever her rationalization, the fact was that he wouldn’t like her spying on him.

  “Well, perhaps he’s going to do some training. To try and make it onto the football team.”

  Amber’s mind flashed back to a conversation they’d had about American football. He had no interest in it and thought it “wild” and “dangerously insane.” He definitely wouldn’t consider taking part. “Again, no. He’s not that into sports, apart from golf, which he says he plays a lot when he’s at home. Where he’s from, they play rugby, which he says is the closest sport they have to our football.”

  “Okay, I give up. What do you think?” Lauren asked in a resigned tone.

  Amber was trying not to think, because she didn’t like where the thoughts were leading her. “I wish I knew. It all seems to point to him being with another girl.” Her shoulders sagged, and she closed her eyes for a moment, wishing that the whole situation would go away.

  “I don’t think so.” Lauren shook her head for emphasis. “Not when I think of the way he stares at you when he thinks no one is looking. It’s definitely not the look of a guy who’s seeing someone else. Plus, I’ve never seen him look at another girl, even when you’re not there.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Amber murmured. Though Lauren’s words did make her feel a little better. But she still felt confused and not totally sure that Lauren had gotten it right.

  “No, I don’t. Let’s keep following him, and then we’ll find out once and for all.”

  Lauren made it sound so easy—and it was for her because it didn’t affect her directly. Yes, she would be upset if Nik was seeing someone else and deceiving them all, but it wouldn’t mess with her head the way it would Amber’s.

  “No. I can’t.”

  This was crazy. She was making everything worse for herself. She should learn to trust him. Or at least give him the benefit of the doubt. There could be many harmless reasons why Josh hadn’t told her where he’d gone. She was blowing it all out of proportion.

  “It’s the only way of finding out,” Lauren pushed.

  Trouble was, Amber wasn’t convinced that she really did want to know, because if it turned out he was seeing someone else, there would be no going back to how things had been between them. The uncertainty might be killing her, but there was still hope.

  “I don’t care. My mind’s made up. I’m not going to follow him.”

  Amber pushed open the main do
ors out of the school building and onto the grounds. She had thirty minutes free before meeting Nik and wanted to take a few more photos, to give herself a better selection to choose from for her portfolio, which she was finishing off that night as it had to be submitted by tomorrow, Monday.

  She strolled along the main driveway and headed off to the left toward the lake, which was surrounded by beautiful maples and pine trees. She’d already managed to get some great shots there a few days prior, but she couldn’t resist going back since she loved this time of day when the sun was setting and the iridescent burnt orange rays shone through the slender leaf-free branches of the trees. She held her camera up to her eye and noticed something move in the viewfinder. She peered over the top of her camera and swallowed hard. Only a few hundred yards to the right, she saw Nik. On his own and striding down the path to the side of the gymnasium.

  She peered again through her viewfinder and zoomed in on him as he reached the end of the building, hoping that she wasn’t going to see something awful. In other words, Nik going to meet another girl. She held her breath as she watched and then let out a huge sigh of relief. There wasn’t a girl in sight. The only other person she could see was one of the school’s maintenance men. She watched as Nik stopped to speak to him. Even though she couldn’t hear what was being said, their body language was easy. Almost as if they knew each other. Weird.

  Still, unless Nik was having a torrid affair with a custodian twice his age—ewww—the main thing was she had no evidence he was seeing anyone else. She continued watching, but their conversation didn’t seem to be ending. If anything, it was quite animated. She didn’t recognize the man. He wasn’t one of the regular guys who’d been at the school ever since she’d started. She’d discuss it with Lauren and see what she made of it all.

  …

  “Amber,” Nik called. His heartbeat picked up as he noticed her strolling near the lake, her camera poised, ready to take some photographs.

  She turned and rewarded him with one of her toe-curling smiles. His insides fizzed. He jogged over to meet her.

  They were meant to be meeting in twenty minutes to study—the study excuse to see her seemed to be wearing thin. But he couldn’t stop using it. It was like a barrier, of sorts, that kept him from saying the words that would take their friendship to another level. A complicated level.

  But Kurt had just told him that his parents had been persuaded by their staff that he needn’t be present at the royal visit, and so the going back home crisis had been averted. He felt like celebrating. And for him, celebrating made him want to be with Amber, even if she had no idea what was making him so happy.

  So maybe he could say the words.

  He could ask her on a proper date. No more pseudo-studying as an excuse to see her.

  What if she says no?

  People never said no to a prince. Ordinary guy Nik, well, that was another story. His insides clenched at the thought that Amber might turn him down.

  “You’re early.” She frowned. He hoped she wasn’t angry with him interrupting her. Not that she seemed to be doing much, other than taking some photos, which she could do anytime.

  No. It’s for the internship.

  Crap. He’d almost forgotten. She had to get her application in soon. Tomorrow, if memory served him correctly. What sort of person did that make him, forgetting something so important to her? “I was just talking to someone and saw you here. I’ve interrupted you. I’m sorry. Shall I wait for you on the bench by the lake and you can come over when you’ve finished?”

  “No, it’s fine. I actually saw you before. Talking to the maintenance guy.” Her eyes narrowed slightly.

  His jaw clenched. Now what should he do without alerting her to anything untoward? He couldn’t deny that he was speaking to Kurt because she’d know that was a lie. Obviously. He could pretend that he’d just bumped into him, except he didn’t know exactly what she’d seen. He had no choice. He had to confirm it.

  “Yes,” he replied, in a casual way that he hoped appeared nonchalant.

  “What about?” she asked.

  Good question. What on earth would someone be talking to a maintenance man about? Collecting refuse? Graffiti on the walls? Neither of those would be convincing. Especially as there wasn’t any graffiti on the gymnasium walls. And taking out refuse wasn’t something students had to do. Unless he pretended he’d lost something. Of course.

  “Wallet. My wallet. I lost it when I was walking out there yesterday and wondered if he’d found it. Just a long shot, really.”

  He congratulated himself on being so innovative. And then remembered that his wallet was in his jeans pocket, and it would be easy for Amber to notice.

  “Had he?” A strange expression crossed her face. He couldn’t work out whether she believed him or not. He didn’t blame her; it seemed pretty lame to him. Or was that because he knew the truth?

  Stop overthinking this.

  “Yes. He had just picked it up near the bleachers.” He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and showed it to her. “What are the chances? I can’t believe how lucky I was.”

  He couldn’t be sure, but it seemed that Amber expelled a breath, almost like she was relieved to hear the truth.

  Except it’s not.

  He dismissed the thought from his head. As long as she believed him, that was all that mattered. Otherwise, it was too complicated.

  “Do you often go walking out there?” Amber asked.

  Luckily he could answer that truthfully, because he enjoyed the solitude and sense of freedom he felt when out walking alone. Not that he did it very often. Maybe just a couple of times a week, usually before breakfast. He always rose early, the habit of a lifetime, and he didn’t like having to wait for the bathroom.

  “Yes, I like the peace and quiet. It sets me up for the day.”

  “I-I thought you were meeting a girl,” she admitted, her voice sounding flat.

  His throat tightened. If she didn’t want more than friendship then she wouldn’t care. And she definitely seemed upset by the thought of him being with someone else. That made him happy. Not that she was upset, but that she cared enough for it to affect her. “No. Why do you ask?”

  A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. “No reason.” She didn’t meet his gaze, staying focused on the ground.

  “Are you taking photos for your portfolio now?” he asked, wanting to show that he took her photography dreams seriously. Even though really he’d much rather be making out with her.

  She glanced up at him, and their eyes locked.

  Something magical flowed between them. “Yes. Well, sort of. I want my portfolio to be diverse. I just thought I’d take a few last-minute shots.” A smile hovered around her lips.

  She held up her camera and pointed it in his direction. He strategically ducked to the side and stood behind her. Despite it only being the two of them there, he still didn’t want his photo taken.

  At first, he’d only intended to distract her from her camera. He wrapped his arms loosely around her middle and gently spun her around. Moving her camera out of the way, he pulled her close to him. His knees went weak as he breathed in the citrus scent of her hair. His mouth hungrily found hers, and all thoughts of not being photographed by her were long gone.

  Chapter Twelve

  Amber stretched her arms lazily above her head and yawned, enjoying the warmth of her comforter and the feeling that today was going to be a great day. Nik was officially her boyfriend. After they’d kissed, he’d asked her, in that endearingly formal way of his, if she would “do him the honor of being his girlfriend.”

  It felt right, despite all her reservations at the beginning of the term about dating anyone. And even if there were some things he’d said that she was unsure of, maybe it was just a cultural thing. Or as Lauren kept telling her, she was seeing something in nothing. Thanks to Wade, she found it hard to just accept things as they were. Well, from now on, she was going to be more like Lauren and trust
.

  She casually glanced at the small clock on her bedside table, and the breath caught in the back of her throat. Panic set in. It was almost eight, and she wanted a shower before breakfast. Trouble was, she could hardly keep her eyes open since she hadn’t gone to bed until three in the morning after putting the finishing touches on her application. It had taken ages, but the end result was worth it. She could still recall the immense relief she’d felt when she’d hit send.

  She was now going to take Lauren’s advice and enjoy herself and not worry about her internship application, since it was out of her hands.

  She forced herself out of bed and to the bathroom. After getting ready for school in record time, she headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. It was virtually empty since they only had a few minutes before classes started, and most of the students had already eaten. She grabbed a bowl of cereal and some juice. While eating, she opened up the sent emails on her phone and took a look at her application. She scrolled down the form, worried in case there was a typo that she’d missed, but it all looked good. Clicking on the file she’d attached with all her photos, she went through them one at a time. She was very happy with her selection and felt they showed the best of her ability. And…

  She gulped, her heart in her mouth.

  What the…

  Staring right back at her was one of the photos she’d taken of Nik when they were in the café. She froze. Surely not. When she’d uploaded the photos last night, she hadn’t included any of Nik. She’d promised she wouldn’t and meant it. But it was there. So how did that happen?

  She hauled her laptop out of her messenger bag, fired it up, and opened the folder she’d labeled Portfolio Snaps, scanning them. Right in the middle, she found the one of Nik. She must have accidentally saved it in the wrong place after looking at it yesterday.

  Her throat tightened. Nik was so obsessed with her not taking his photograph that she had no idea how he’d react over what she’d done.

  “What’s wrong?” Lauren sat beside Amber at a desk toward the back of the class, obviously having read her expression from across the room. She pulled out her books and placed her bag under her chair, never taking her eyes from Amber’s face.