Starting Over - Chapter 5

Okay once again I know I took too long to post but thank you for hanging in there!
Chapter 5

"Hey, I'm really sorry." Nick finally said.
"It's not your fault." I said sitting up and looking at the river again. "I brought up the whole secrets thing, so I brought it on myself." I haven't known Nick that long but I figured his response would be a shrug and saying "yeah you're right" letting me take the blame for everything. I was wrong.
"Nah, you were curious. I can't blame you for that. Really, I knew something bad happened to you I just didn't know what, so I shouldn't have asked. It wasn't fair of me, so even though I'm a firm believer in life is never fair, I'm going to even up the score and tell you one of the millions of rumors that are true about me." He said, staring at the river. I studied his face and aside from being completely handsome he looked like he was telling the truth.

"Okay which one?" I asked knowing he wouldn't let me pick.
"I'm sure yesterday you heard tons of rumors." He paused and looked at me and I nodded. "Well one of the rumors is that I live here all alone. And I do."
"Why?"
"Why what? Why do I live here alone?"
"Yeah." I nodded.

"Because that's just how life worked out." Then he smiled as if he was remembering something and looked at me. I saw that playful mischievous look that I had become so familiar within just 2 short days. "I guess I just made the wrong choices and they affected everyone around me." he said repeating the cryptic advice he gave me on my first day. I sighed and shook my head. Nick stood up suddenly and offered a hand down to me. I gave him a puzzled look.

"Oh please," He said smiling. "Like I would have forgotten your tour, its only 1. Lets go." I smiled happy for the distraction and took his hand and let him pull me up. He held my hand for a second longer and I glanced down but when I returned my gaze to him he had dropped my hand and started walking. He looked back at me smiling. "Hurry up slow poke we don't have all day, it starts to get dark at 7 and you still have a tiny town to tour. Plus I'm sure if you are out after dark you'll dad will have a heart attack." He laughed and I ran up and shoved him playfully.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and got into his car. "So where to now?"
"I have to go grocery shopping." He said simply and I choked back a giggle. His eyes narrowed but he was still smiling. "What? A guy can't grocery shop?"
"Not a high school guy. And guys never grocery shop that well anyway, do you even have a list."
"As a matter of fact I do." He said and I raised my eyebrows disbelievingly.
"Oh really? Let's see it then."
"It's all up here." He said pointing to his head and I laughed.
"That's what I thought. No list." He turned up the music, sticking his tongue out at me since I couldn't talk over it, and sped off down Methow Valley Highway. We arrived at Hanks Market faster than we should have if we were going the speed limit. Nick got out and I followed him in.

"So what exactly is on your 'list'?" I asked hoping this would be one question he would actually answer.
"Umm chips and cereal and milk." He said and I giggled.
"Is that what you normally pick up?"
"No." He said mock defensively. "Sometimes I get dip and pop too." I laughed and walked with him through the little market. I made sure I started to know where everything was at because this is where I would be shopping from now on. We checked out and got back into his car.
"So where do you work?" I asked.

"Why do you think I work?"
"Well you live alone, you have to get your money from somewhere." I said logically and he shook his head. "So you don't work?" I was confused.
"No, I work, over at Hank's Market." He said.
"So then why were you shaking your head?"
"I dunno. You're just different from any girl I've hung out with."
"How so?"

"You think." I gave him a puzzled look. "I mean you're not stupid and ditzy. You put together the fact that I live alone so I have to work to have money, it's just not what I'm used to." I looked out the window, ditzy girls normally only got "hung out with" because they were easy. Or at least that was my experience. What was I getting myself into?

Nick changed directions and turned onto Bridge St. "Where are we going?"
"Oh, my house, I hope you don't mind but I have to put the milk away."
"Oh okay that's fine." I said nonchalantly. But on the note of probably totally easy girls he was hanging out with I didn't want to go to his place at all. I was so nervous I was sure I was shaking. But why would Nick try anything with me? We don't even like each other. Actually I have no clue how I feel about him. Right?

"Well here we are." He got out and I followed, grabbing 2 bags of groceries. He unlocked the door and looked back at me nervously.
"Sorry, its, uh, kinda unorganized."
"Um, it would be if there was something here." Then I smiled encouragingly "But its nice." He led the way to the kitchen which you could see from the moment you entered the apartment. His living room was a couch, a small radio, and a small TV. With tons of boxes all over. The kitchen had a counter, 3 cupboards a sink, stove, and fridge. He put away the groceries and I walked around his little apartment. At the right of the kitchen/living room was a bathroom and to the left of the kitchen/living room was what I took to be his bedroom. I didn't go into either instead I walked over to his home phone.

"You have a message." I said and pressed the play button right as he said "No, don't play that!"
A voice came on the machine, it sounded disguised. "So we're still playing this game?" The voice said. "Why do you keep running and hiding, you know I'll find you. I already have your home number. So tell me Nick, how long do you think it will take for me to find you this time?" Then he kind of laughed and you could hear him hang up the phone.
I looked at Nick, sure my eyes were projecting how I felt: Horrorstruck and confused.
Nick just stared at the answering machine, then finally said, "Well, Shit."