All I Never Wanted 6

Dear reader(s),

There are two things I feel the need to apologize for, before this chapter starts.
So here goes:

One:
Sorry for taking forever to post. In the past week, I’ve had work attachment to a restaurant, and one thing’s for sure: I’m going to take my studies more seriously so that I wouldn’t have to end up as a waitress or sandwich-maker or cappuccino-brewer. I worked for a whole week without pay, and couldn’t find time to come online at all.

Two:
Which brings me to my second point. I couldn’t come online since last week, much less log on to Buzzle or Booksie. So I would not have known what had happened to my account.
I’m addressing my commenter, Missy, who wrote this on Chapter 4:
"Seriously, u posted this chapter like 4 time already. all 4 of them r the same. is not like u change something in the chapter, so can u just move on wit chapter 5 & stop posting the same chapter over & over again."
This is absolutely untrue because; One, I didn’t post anything over again - I never ever do redoes, my account probably got screwed up, and Two, I’ve already posted Chapter Five, you just didn’t think of scrolling down to check.
I’m just going to apologize for the inconvenience caused. I’m really, really sorry. :)

Replies to commenter's:

Rosalyn: Googled it! :) The raindrop one’s from the series Flash-Forward that’s currently screening.
Zy: Guess my expectations of myself are higher, because I mostly read stories that have morals behind it. You don’t really learn much from my story, do you? Yes, that’s one of my favorite phrases: Everything happens for a reason. Well, I’m glad you don’t dislike Nikki, because she’s much more of a simpleton than Hayley.
Lina: I have no idea, I don’t live in America! Thanks for reading, er…you are an author here too, aren’t you? I wish Joel were real too, but I think he’s a tad too perfect.
Lexy L: Lols! I don’t know if it would help if I say I don’t write about sex, so you shouldn’t have such high expectations of me. Haha, no, I don’t really think I’m even comparable to Phoebe, her stories are really believable - mine aren’t. Especially if you’re on Booksie reading my third story, you wouldn’t even start to believe it. Yes, I do celebrate Halloween, my friends and I watched Shutter, and now I daren’t take photos anymore! :)

Rachael: Thanks, I’m awfully glad you think they have chemistry - I was afraid they wouldn’t.
Tess: Thank you, but good reads? Lols, I don’t think!
Rose: Haha, yes, I do think so too! He’s too deep for a shallow person like Nikki. Well, opposites attract, I guess. Glad you think I’m improving, I’ve a long more way to go.
Ella Jade: Haha, erm, no? I’d better start making Joel a tad flawed so you don’t fall for him so hard. Post your story!
Lindsey Rose: Thanks for reading! Missed you on Buzzle.
Rebby: I know! I thought the pick-up line was amazing, I heard it on TV, and knew immediately I had to use it! Thanks so much for reading, glad you like it! Erm, I’m afraid you wouldn’t get to see Nikki’s reaction, though.
Sarah: Yes, yes, sorry for the lack of romance, I’m so glad you like this story.
Phoebe: Yes, if Joel were real, that’s what I’d like about him too - he doesn’t spoil anyone. Thank you, and you should really start posting more often. Yet, who am I to say? I don’t post often myself either!

Also, thanks so much to Unknown, Floppy Disc (can’t wait for you next chapter!), Meh, More Please, Gwen, L, Moon, Jaq, El Cross and Sashimi. Thanks for taking time to comment and read.

This chapter’s dedicated to:
Asha Mac: Thanks for the rules, I love them, and I’ll try to use them.
Amrit: I’ve missed you, thanks for your comment, and yes, I’d really rather switch my fictional Joel for someone real.

And finally, dear reader, I have to apologize for this chapter. It’s not funny, because it’s hard to do so when writing from someone else’s point of view. And trust me, it isn’t so easy to write from his POV instead of hers.
And this chapter’s short, I repeat, SHORT, but very important.
Hope you like it, anyway.

Loads of love,
Cheyenne Taylor
*******
~~~ Joel’s Point Of View~~~

Nikki Hamilton seemed to have a very, very bad impression of Joel.
For starters, she had thought he lived in a tent instead of an apartment. The look of concealed shock on her face when she found out otherwise made Joel wish he had a Nikon camera to snap it down.
Then, she seemed to think that, being a gardener, he could only live on vegetables.

Needless to say, she was shocked when he carried a plate of pancakes and maple syrup for breakfast the next morning.

"Is that pancakes with maple syrup?"

"No," he deadpanned, "It’s flour and honey."

"What’s the difference?"

He stared at her.

"It’s the same, isn’t it?"

If only she were a tad smarter, he wouldn’t have labeled her as a ‘dumb-blond’.

"Well, thanks anyway."
She took the plate from him and set it in front of herself.

She thanked him.
If he looked out of the window now, he might just see a pig flying past.
But aside from that, he was still adamant about one thing:
Nikki Hamilton should not be spoilt at any cost.

"Who said the food was yours?"
He pulled the plate away from her.

"It’s not?"
She stared at him like he’d just grown three heads.

He simply stared at her stonily.

"I guess you want me to beg you again, don’t you?"

When he didn’t reply, she opened her eyes widely and innocently, and gazed at him with that pitiful puppy look only she could muster.

"That’s not the point."
Joel felt like he had to stop her before he started to cave in.
"The point is, you’ve got to learn how to make your own breakfast. I’m more than willing to teach it to you."

Nikki glared.
"I don’t want you to teach me."

It was really weird, the way women’s minds worked. He’d said that with all good intentions, yet she’d mistook it for pure selfishness.

Then, Nikki had to say the line Joel was most scared of.

"I’ll call my own breakfast."

Joel glared as threateningly as possible, as Nikki whipped out her phone, and started to punch in the numbers slowly.

"I’m going to call Hayley."

Correction: That was the phrase Joel was most afraid of.

"You wouldn’t."

She grinned, and flashed her silver phone at him.
"Having second thoughts?"

"Alright, I’ll make your own breakfast!" He finally conceded.

Anything to keep little Miss White from barging into his house.

Nikki shot him an evil look, and pressed ‘Call’. Then, she opened her eyes widely.
"Whoops! I thought that was the ‘Cancel Call’ button."

Strange though, that the more annoying Nikki was, the more Joel found himself fascinated.
"Sure, you did."
*******
Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
And there was no better time than this.

Joel rushed into the triplets’ room and yanked Jerome out of his bed.

"Quick, where’s that stash of earthworms you’ve got?"

If Nikki could see just how desperate he was, she’d laugh her ass off.

His younger brother stared at him with sleepy, glazed eyes, and pointed to the drawer in the corner.
"Costs you."

Joel fished a five-dollar bill from his wallet and pushed it at Jerome. Jerome pushed it back.

"It’s twenty."

"Why don’t you go and rob a bank?"

"Why don’t you collect your own worms?"

"I’ve better things to do."

"Yeah, like begging your brother for his worms?"

It seemed like nearly everyone could get the better of Joel Danzinger.
He hesitated. Then, there came a familiar voice from outside the room.

"Joel, where are you?"

There wasn’t much time to spare.
"Alright, fine!"

Joel pushed a twenty-dollar bill to his obnoxious brother, grabbed the box of earthworms from the top of the drawer, and rushed out of the room.
Then, he realized a moment too late that he’d given his brother a total of twenty-five dollars for a measly carton of stupid worms.

Still, it was all for a good cause.

Smoothing back his ruffled hair, he lazily sauntered into the living room, to find Hayley sitting on the couch, with Nikki beside her.

"Hello, Joel!"

He honestly didn’t get what was Hayley’s deal.
She was a lot like Nikki, except that Nikki didn’t have a sly side to her nature, was way more kind-hearted, and had no scandalous past of being a carnivore man-eater.

"Hi Hayley."
See? He just couldn’t tell her to shut up. He was way too nice.
No wonder he got taken advantage of so often.

"What’s that you’re holding?"
That was Nikki, curious as ever.

He took a few strides closer to them, and sat on the couch opposite.
Hayley immediately scooted over to him, and peered over his shoulder.

"Is that my breakfast?"

She was also a lot dumber than Nikki. Still, he couldn’t blame her. The earthworms camouflaged just perfectly with the muddy soil in the box.

"Uh…not exactly."

"So, what is it?" Hayley persisted, and took the box out of his hands.

Joel hastily shifted away to sit with Nikki. He couldn’t exactly predict Hayley’s reaction.

Hayley opened the box eagerly, let out an ear-piercing scream, dropped the box, and leapt off the couch and out of the room.

Nikki leaned over to take a closer look at the earthworms wriggling about on the floor.

It would have been extremely comical, had not Nikki thrown him a look of utter disgust.

"That’s going to make a mess out of you linoleum floor."
*******
Everyone had phobias.
And, as much as Joel seemed to be a cool-cat, he had them too.
If there was such a thing called love-phobia, he’d win the trophy for it hands down.

Somewhere, somehow, Joel felt that the tables had been turned on him.
There he was, rolling his eyes inwardly every time Nikki begged him for his rules to win Dan back.
Soon though, he was sure that he’d be the one absolutely besotted with that girl. He was already half way there.

Just the thought scared the heck out of him.

It really shocked him when a little figure in pink crept into his room at half past twelve.
For half a moment, he had this wild and crazy inkling that the witching hour had brought Hayley White into his room just like Nikki had said.
He stared in silence as the figure, or vampire, made its way to his bed.

"Joel, I can’t sleep."

It was Nikki. So much for him and his runaway imagination, and Nikki’s all-too vivid tale of Hayley being a man-eater.

Er…okay? Now, what was he supposed to say to that?

"Why don’t you…er…put a face mask or something?"

Gosh, he sounded even dumber than Nikki. She glared at him through the darkness, her blue eyes glinting in the dim light.

"What makes you think I’ll be able to sleep with a face mask?"

"Don’t women always sleep with one on?"

He’d seen his Mom do that all the time, anyway.

"It would harden if we fall asleep and don’t take it off."

Yeah, well, that was true. His Dad often had to peel it off his Mom’s face after an hour or so.
Showed just how little he knew about women.

"Er…so, why can’t you sleep?"

Nikki stood still for a moment, then sat down on the edge of his bed, and examined her white manicured nails carefully.

"I’m scared." She confessed in a tiny voice.
So tiny he could hardly believe this was Miss Diva Hamilton.

"Yeah? What of?"
Curiosity just had to get the better of him, didn’t it?

"Of the dark."
Nikki turned her face away so he wouldn’t see any emotions she had.

Joel simply kept silent. What was he to do, anyway? Lie and tell Nikki that he, too, was as scared of the dark like a little girl? Or just laugh it away, like it was the most damned ridiculous thing he’d ever heard in his life? Or confess that he was, in fact, scared of one particular thing no one would have thought of?

"Aren’t you going to say anything?" She demanded, after a moment’s pause.

"Honestly? I have no idea what to say."

Nikki shifted on the bed, sitting crossed-legged so she could face him.

"Sure you do! You say…" She assured him confidently, and swiftly slipped into a perfect imitation of an American accent.
"Gee, ain’t that an interesting bitty bit of a confession? Now, you just sit right here and wait for me to telephone Hayley and laugh a little with her bout this."

Joel’s eyes widened in surprise, and he stifled a laugh.
Who knew Nikki had such a great sense of humor?

"I wouldn’t do that!"

"Sure you will." Nikki smiled widely. "You hate me, remember?"

Joel sighed inwardly. If only she knew how far she was from the truth.

Nikki’s smile dissolved into seriousness, as she tucked her knees under her chin.

"No, really, I’m scared of the dark. The last time Mom tucked me into bed and left me there in the dark, she never returned. They say she died real suddenly and quickly, it wasn’t my fault I couldn’t see her face again. But it’s not that simple. If I hadn’t asked for the light to be turned off, I’d have been able to see Mom for one last time. If the living room light had been switched on, Dad would’ve been able to see the telephone, and not have tripped over the chair. He would have called the ambulance on time. Mom would’ve made it."

Nikki’s soft voice had started to tremble as she finished her story.
It was insane, but Joel never would’ve thought he’d live to see her in this insecure state. Everything about Nikki buzzed with confidence and self-assurance, it was weird to see her this frightened.

"Sometimes, when I’m alone in a room by myself in the dark, I feel so weirded out. I keep thinking that someone I love is going to die any moment. Does that make sense?"

It didn’t. Joel couldn’t empathize the least bit. Nevertheless, he nodded slowly.

"What if one day, I’m in a room in the dark and I die?"

Heck, he had no freaking idea.
Nikki Hamilton had become such a regular in his life, it was so damned hard to picture her some place else, a regular in someone else’s life.

"You wouldn’t."
Joel’s voice rang with confidence, but somehow, it felt like he was assuring himself more than her.

"Pinky-swear?"
Nikki held out her little finger to him.

Pink-swear or not, he felt sure he wouldn’t allow it to happen.
Joel gently tugged on her hand, and pulled her down so her head rested on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and tucked her ankles between his feet. Nikki propped herself up on his chest to stare down at him, her sapphire blue eyes boring into his green ones.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

She inched up and pressed her lips against his jaw, and Joel felt his heart slam, so hard, he felt sure she could feel it.

"With a cherry on the top?"

"I hate cherries."
Unbelievable how he managed to crack a joke, when he felt so nervous just having her peck him on the jaw.

"Okay, how about chocolate?"

Forget that pick-up line he’d hinted casually: "I’m a raindrop and I’m fallin’ for you."
In his case, he wasn’t just a raindrop. He was freaking hail.

He was hail, and was falling for Nikki Hamilton big time.
And like Nikki, who wasn’t so scared of the dark anymore, he felt he could start to face his fear of falling in love too.

What the heck.

"Chocolate it is, then."