“Who?” I asked, even though I knew the only he that Danny could be talking about was Nick. I think we had clearly come to the conclusion that he, in fact, didn’t need me.
“Don’t play stupid, Ally-Cat. Just trust me on this. Nick needs you.” He licked his lips before adding, “Really bad, no matter how much of a stubborn jackass he’s being right now. Things aren’t over between the two of you. I think he just needs a little push.”
I shook my head. “I think you’re wrong, Danny.”
“Whatever, just think about it, Ally.”
And I did. For the rest of the night, of course. I didn’t want to, but Danny had planted the doubt in my head, and I started up with all of the what-ifs all over again. What if Nick wasn’t with Kara any more? What if there was more to the story than Nick had let on?
I could feel my stomach knotting up as Danny droned on and on about sports. I tried to pay attention to him, but it just wasn’t happening. By the end of the night, I was just ready to go to bed and shut my brain off. Maybe sleeping on it would help. Or just make me even more confused. What in the hell should I do? Maybe I should go back to my whole WWLD thing again. It had worked on Teddy…eventually, so maybe it would work in this situation, too.
Okay, was I really about to do this? I stared at the outside of the house that had become so familiar to me, kicking at the gravel in the driveway, trying to build up the nerve to actually knock on the door.
An unfamiliar car sat in the driveway, and it made me think that Danny had been lying to me just to get me over here. Maybe he wanted me to cause a riff between Nick and Kara or something. I took a deep breath, and pushed one foot forward.
I considered just bypassing the house, and heading down the beach. It seemed much more peaceful there, but I didn’t want to be a chicken. So, I put one foot in front of the other, and then again, until I crossed the driveway and eventually made it up the sidewalk. I knocked on the door a few times until I heard Nick’s voice through the door. I was surprised I didn’t hear Gunther’s barks mixed in there, too.
The sound made me freeze, and all of those feelings that I had stuffed down came right up to the top, ready to spill out. I think I had come during the day, when he should be at work, because I really didn’t want to come face to face with him. He obviously didn’t want to see me. Did doing this make me pathetic?
“Come in, it’s open.”
I slowly opened the door and stepped in, closing it softly behind me. “I’m back here.” I followed his voice down the hallway, and came to a stop at his bedroom. I peeked my head around the corner, seeing him before he saw me.
He looked sexier than I had last seen him, if that was even possible. Stop it, Ally, sexy is bad. This asshole hurt you; he is in no way sexy. Nope. Not sexy at all sitting there in his recliner, in nothing but a pair of gray pajama pants, a trail of hair on his flat, tan stomach leading to…nope, not going to think about that.
I moved my eyes up, stopping when they landed on a pair of black square-framed glasses that I had never seen before. They gave him a sort of sexy, studious look, and his hair was a crazy mess like usual. I flattened myself against the wall in the hallway.
What in the hell was I thinking coming here? Was I just trying to send myself back into a downward spiral? I didn’t want to know what was going on in his life. If him and Kara were having their happily ever after, and he had moved on without a thought about me. No, I didn’t want to know.
I turned to walk back in the direction I came from and that’s when I heard his voice. This time it was closer, so I picked up my pace. “Mom?”
I turned the corner leading back out into the living room, and he stepped into the hallway at the same time. “Ally?” he called out, confusion lacing his voice.
I stopped when he said my name, but couldn’t make my body turn around. It felt like I was stuck in quicksand and my body couldn’t move.
“Ally,” he repeated my name, like he couldn’t believe I was actually here. Neither could I.
“Hey, Nick.” I turned around, and gave him a small wave. “How’s it going?” I rocked back on my feet, and gave myself a mental face palm. How’s it going, really, Ally? What you should be doing is just punching him in that stupid pretty face of his. That’s what you should be doing.
I snapped myself back to reality when he cleared his throat loudly, and took a step closer, rubbing a hand over his face. “I can’t believe you’re really here. I’ve thought about when I would see you again at least a million times, but I never thought it would be like this.” His lips twisted into a smirk, and I caught a flash of those damn dimples.
I forced my eyes away from his face quickly. “Yeah, well, this was a mistake. I should leave.”