| Chapter 16
Nook looked around at the restaurant that Tao had brought her to. This wasn�t exactly the place she had imagined when he asked to talk to her in �private.�
"Oh well,� thought Nook, �at least I�m not entirely alone with him.�
She looked across at Tao. He looked as if he hadn�t slept in days�the dark circles under his eyes, his uncombed hair, and the 5 o�clock shadow that took the place of his once clean-shaven face. She could also detect the faint smell of alcohol on his clothes�he had been drinking. Nook could not help but wonder why he wanted to talk to her�and why it dealt with Tanya also. She felt uncomfortable watching him from across the table, fiddling with the napkins as he tried to give his order to the waiter. After the waiter had taken their orders, Nook spoke up:
"Um�Tao?� She tried to get his attention as he was obviously staring into space, �what did you want to talk to me about?�
Tao kept silent for a while before answering Nook.
"I want to give you my belated �congratulations� on your marriage to�Oil,� he took a long pause.
"You�re welcome,� Nook whispered, �but I don�t understand how that��
"Tanya broke up with me�� Tao stared straight at Nook as he cut her off mid sentence.
Nook looked down at her hands�she was shocked to hear this piece of news. She really thought that Tanya had found someone in Tao�but apparently not. Nook was confused, if Tanya broke up with Tao, what did this have to do with her?
"I�m really sorry Tao�I�� Nook was wholly sympathetic to Tao�s case; she had seen what Tanya could do to men.
"You want to know why she broke up with me?� Tao asked Nook as if waiting a lifetime to tell her the reason.
"No�I haven�t seen or spoken to Tanya for a while now�so I don�t��
"It�s because she plans to�� Tao�s voice broke off as his eyes wandered to something behind Nook.
"Tao? What is it?� Nook turned around slowly, only to see something she never dreamed of seeing again�
"Tanya�� the name slipped out of Nook�s mouth but before she could finish�Tao stole the words from her�
"And Oil!� Tao gritted his teeth as he said Oil�s name.
Before Tanya and Oil could see her, Nook quickly turned around; she grabbed a menu and held it closely in front of her face, as to block in from their view. Tao on the other hand, could not take his eyes off of the two. He couldn�t believe that Tanya would act so quickly to get Oil back after she had only broken up with him a few days ago. He grabbed the knife and held onto it in order to try and contain his anger.
"Oil honey where should we sit?� Tanya clung to Oil the way she use to during the days they were still dating. Her heart jumped when she saw Tao in the restaurant also. In her mind, she was already thinking of a plan to humiliate him and make him jealous.
"I think we should sit over there, Oil� Tanya pointed to the table next to Tao�s. �Apparently he�s here with someone else,� thought Tanya.
"Whatever�� Oil spoke in an annoyed tone of voice. Tanya had practically dragged him out of his meeting today just to have lunch with him. He had to keep his cool, he didn�t want Tanya to think that he still had feelings for her; he wanted her to come back to him on her hands and knees. Oil then directed his attention to the table where Tanya pointed; he was pleasantly surprised to see Tao�s face staring back at him. He gave Tao a smirk as Tanya pulled him over to Tao�s table.
"It�s like killing two birds with one stone�� thought Oil.
The two stopped at Tao�s table before going to sit at theirs.
"So Tao? How are you doing?� Tanya spoke in a taunting tone, �I was really worried about you not being able to get over me since the break-up�but I see you�ve already found someone new!� Tanya giggled and held onto Oil even tighter than before as she saw the look on Tao�s face.
Nook was silently hoping they would leave her alone. She didn�t want to be in this type of situation again. She repositioned her body towards the window to avoid their gazes.
Tao stood up abruptly and pulled Tanya from Oil as he whispered to her:
"I can�t believe you�re doing this! Don�t you have any shame at all! You�re stealing your best friend�s husband!�
Tanya pushed Tao away from her and went back to Oil�s side. She smirked and pretended not to hear what he just said as she addressed the girl sitting at the table.
"So who are you? Tao�s new girlfriend? � Tanya spoke with confidence and added a little laughter at the end.
Nook looked up at the window when she heard Tanya speaking to her. Big mistake�her reflection in the window caught Oil�s eyes. He stared at her, fuming with anger. As she tried to get up and leave to avoid Tanya, Oil grabbed her arm and flung her back into his arms. He then wrapped the other arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.
"Where do you think you�re going missy?� Oil whispered into her ears. Nook tried desperately to loosen herself from his grip�but before she could, Tanya�s voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Nook!� Tanya screamed when she saw that the girl Tao was with was no other than Nook. Tanya was going crazy with anger�not only does Nook manage take Oil from her�but now she�s going after Tao, Tanya thought to herself.
"What are the two of you doing here together!?� Tanya looked at Nook, then at Tao.
"I was just about to ask the same of you and Oil�� Tao retaliated.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was getting too uncomfortable for Nook, but Oil tightened his hold on her every time she tried to get free. She stared angrily at him as she thought:
"What exactly is he doing here with Tanya anyways?!�
Oil looked at Nook with the same feelings, he denied to himself that what he was feeling at this moment was anything close to jealousy. All he knew was that she belonged to him now and he would never let any man�especially Tao�take something away from him again!
Chapter 17
"Well?� Tanya spoke furiously, �why are you here together!?�
"Must be for the same reason why you and Oil are here together�� Nook spoke mockingly, she was mad at Oil for using her as a tool for revenge; angry with Tanya for pretending to be a good friend to her. �Well, if he thinks I�m just gonna sit around and be used�he�s got another thing coming to him,� Nook thought as she glared assertively at Oil.
Upon hearing Nook�s comment, Oil pulled her even closer to him. He was crushing her, this feeling of jealousy was running through his veins.
"...And let go of me!� Nook yelled at Oil, �I can�t breathe!�
Before Oil had a chance to loosen his grip on Nook, Tanya broke in and yanked Oil away from Nook, causing Nook to fall to the floor.
"Nook!� Tao ran over to her to help her up, �Are you alright?� Tao placed his arm around Nook�s waist to help and pull her to her feet. When Oil saw this, his rushed over to Tao and pushed him aside�taking Nook into his own arms.
"Let go!� Nook pushed Oil away and tried to help Tao up.
Oil backed away, looking disgustingly at Nook and Tao. �To think,� Oil thought, �she would be different from Tanya, but she is no worse. Apparently they have been friends too long that Tanya�s personality had rubbed off on her.�
"Fine then�� Oil resolved with himself, �If she wants to play it that way�� Oil suddenly wrapped his arms around Tanya and kissed her cheek while his eyes are still on Nook. He wanted to make her feel what he was feeling right now. He could see how angry Nook was by looking in her eyes; he smiled back cunningly at her.
"Enough is enough�� Nook thought, �I don�t have to stand here and have him show me how much he still loves Tanya!�
"Let�s go Tao!� Nook spun around and pulled Tao with her, �we can talk elsewhere.� Oil released Tanya and tried to run after Nook, but Tanya caught hold of his arm and would not let go.
"Awww�isn�t that the cutest thing!� Tanya spoke sarcastically as she smiled with satisfaction.
"Nook can have Tao,� thought Tanya, �I�m done with the likes of him�but Oil has money I can spend�and I was stupid to have let that go; even if I don�t love Oil anymore�who�s to say I can�t love his money!�
Nook took one last look at Oil and Tanya through the restaurant window before getting into the car as Tao drove out of the lot.
When Tao�s car vanished from their sight, Oil turned to Tanya and yanked his arm out of her grasp. He then said to her:
"I�m not really hungry anymore�� he was already heading towards the exit, �I assume you can get home by yourself?� Oil told her as he left the restaurant.
"Ahhhhhh!� Tanya shrieked as she saw Oil�s car drive out of the parking lot. Her fit of rage caused the other customers to turn around and look at her as if she were some sort of crazy woman.
"What are you all looking at!? Haven�t you ever seen a person before!?� She scowled at everyone.
"Miss�� a waiter tapped her on the shoulder, �If you�re not going to order anything, I think it�s best that you leave our restaurant�you are the disturbing the peace of our customers.�
"Don�t tell me what I need to do!� Tanya snapped at the waiter before stomping out of the restaurant.
"Nook!� Tanya was talking to herself, �You�re gonna make pay for making me look stupid in front of everyone! Just you wait�if I can�t be happy�I�ll destroy every single thing that makes you happy! Beginning with�� Tanya trailed off as she reached fro her cell phone and began dialing.
"Hello?�long time no see eh?� Tanya had an evil grin as she spoke to the person on the other line, �Yeah�I need you to do something for me�I guarantee it�ll be just like old times!� Tanya let out a small laugh as she chatted away.
---In Tao�s Car---
"Tanya�� Tao was lost in his own thoughts, �I can�t believe you�re going to sink this low�and try to steal Oil back!� Tao slammed his fist onto the dashboard.
Nook jumped a little, Tao had caught her off guard. �He must be pissed off,� thought Nook as she peered over to look at him, �I don�t blame you�I feel the same way.�
The two of them sat in an awkward silence as Tao drove.
"I don�t want to go back home yet�� Nook broke the silence and looked over to Tao, who seemed to have the same idea in mind. �If you don�t mind�can we go somewhere else?� Tao nodded and turned his car around and headed in the opposite direction.
---At the park---
"We�re in the same boat�� thought Nook, �we�re both just pawns in those two�s twisted game�� small tears began to form under her eyes, but she held them in�she promised herself before that she would not cry over Oil�not again. A few minutes passed before Tao took a seat in the swing next to Nook. They didn�t have to speak�because it was easy to guess what the other was thinking�they just sat�and watched the sun set together.
Chapter 18
"Damn!� Oil spoke under his breath as he slammed the folders on his desk and sat down in his chair. If his secretary hadn�t opened the office door for him, he would�ve kicked it open. What was this feeling that was surging through his body? �I can�t be developing feelings for Nook, can I?� Oil was rubbing his temples as this question popped in and out of his head, �No! I won�t let someone like that get into my heart�not after what her best friend did to me!�
"Manee!� He yelled for his secretary, �Manee! Come in here!�
"Yes Mr. Suthikamol!� Manee came rushing in, she was afraid to ask what her boss could possibly want, �Can�I get you anything?�
"Bring me a bottle of aspirin�� Oil sat at the desk holding his head.
"Is there something wrong---"
"Just do as you�re told!� Oil cut her off.
"Yes, sir� Manee ran out of the office and a few seconds later returned with a bottle of aspirin and a pitcher of water. Oil popped a couple of pills and told Manee to leave him alone for the rest of the day.
Oil sat at his desk, spinning around in the chair, he tried to get some work done for the last couple of hours since he got back, but couldn�t. All he could think about was this afternoon�and Nook.
"Damn that Tao!� Oil uttered, �Why is it always him that�s taking things away from me! I can�t believe Nook�she�s been married to me one day and she has the nerve to go around with some other guy---"
Oil�s thoughts were cut short when he began to think about what Nook and Tao were doing together. �They left together�and�.�
Oil picked up the receiver and dialed his home number�
"No one�s picking up�which means�Nook isn�t home yet�� Oil called Nook�s parents house, her mother informed him that she wasn�t over there; she then proceeded to ask if anything was the matter. Oil gave her an excused and hung up. He then slammed down the receiver and crossed his arms across his chest, �she can�t still be with Tao�can she?�
He looked at his watch, it had been a long time since he left the restaurant, and if he could get all the work cleared, he would be home in less than an hour. He had told Nook this morning that he would be home by 6:00, but there were a lot of papers that needed to be signed and looked over today, it was already 7:55 p.m.
"What could they be doing for so long together? Assuming they are still together�� he spoke to himself as he fiddled with the pens and papers on his desk.
"That�s it! I can�t take this anymore!� Oil stood up abruptly and slammed down the pen. He stuffed the papers into his briefcase and swung around to get his blazer.
"Manee�I�m going home now so you can too.� Oil informed Manee before running out of the office building.
"Mr. Suthikamol�s been acting weird lately�ahhh�young people nowadays,� Manee giggled a bit, gathered up her belongings and locked up Oil�s office.
Oil was racing down the street in his brand new Mercedes that was a wedding gift from his father. He was weaving in and out of lanes while other drivers honked at him for his rude behavior. Oil didn�t care; the only thing on his mind right now was the image of Nook and Tao�together! �Damn! What are they doing together anyways!?� Oil stopped to think at a red light. �She can�t be thinking of trying to get with Tao�no�that�s impossible.� The more he thought about it the more frustrated he got. What had gotten into him lately�first at lunch�now this. The image of Tao touching Nook�s waist entered his mind again and caused him to bang the steering wheel.
"Damn this red light! Why is it so damn long!� Oil was irritated and started messing up his hair. The instant the signal light turned green, Oil sped through it like a road demon. His car screeched to a stop as he pulled into the driveway of his own home. He got out quickly and looked up to notice that the lights weren�t turned on.
"She�s not home yet�� as Oil was talking; a car drove up in front of the house. Oil turned around and saw Nook with Tao. He quickly crouched behind his car�he didn�t want them to see him.
"Shit! She was with him!� Oil whispered under his breath.
Nook and Tao sat for a while before she began to unbuckle her seatbelt. She had spent the rest of her day at the park, talking to Tao and beginning to understand him.
"Thanks for today,� Nook spoke as she opened the door, �it was nice to get things off my chest�� Nook smiled at Tao, who did so back at her. As she was about to walk up the driveway, Tao got out of his car and jogged up to her and pulled her arm gently. Nook turned around as Tao gave her a hug. She stood surprised for a moment before patting him on the back.
Oil couldn�t take it anymore. His fists curled up and he wanted to punch Tao at this very moment. His veins were throbbing as they showed up on his arms. He couldn�t believe Nook allowed herself to be hugged by Tao and not him! Slowly, Oil backed away into the garden and got into the house through the back door.
"Nook�� Oil spoke as he ascended the stairs, �I brought you here to be my wife and not someone else�s! Tonight�I�ll teach you what it means to belong to me!� He went into their room and kicked the door shut.
Chapter 19
"Thanks for being a�friend,� Tao hesitated on the word �friend� for a while. He let go of Nook looked at her, �Let�s do this again�this whole thing of not talking and just listening huh?� Tao smiled and ran a hand through his hair.
"Yeah�� Nook smiled back at him, �Let�s do it again sometimes�it�s nice to have someone who understands me once in a while.� Nook bade him goodnight and stood waving until his car was out of sight.
Nook let out a huge sigh. She was tired, yet relieved at the same time. As she was walking up to the house, she noticed Oil�s car in the driveway.
"He�s home already,� Nook wondered, she walked up to the front and felt the hood of the car, �Huh�still warm, that means he just got here---" Nook broke off and thought, �did he see me and Tao?� Nook was a bit scared to think what he would do if he did see Tao hugging her, she didn�t want the events of this afternoon to replay again�especially since it was only her and Oil now�alone.
"Whatever! I don�t have to be afraid of him!� Nook reassured herself, �I didn�t do anything wrong, besides since when do I have to care what he thinks when he disregards my feelings!� Nook shrugged and walked inside the house.
Nook stumbled around in the dark, �Geez,� Nook complained softly, �if he is home, he sure didn�t have the decency to turn on any lights!� It took her a while to reach the living room to turn on the lamp.
"The house is really quiet�I wonder if he�s really home.� Nook shrugged and walked up the stairs to her room. Nook shivered a bit as a breeze escaped from the window. �It�s really cold tonight�� Nook rubbed her arms and pulled her jacket closer to her body. She opened the door to her room and walked inside. The curtains were pulled open letting the moon shine in and dimly lighted the room. It was dark but Nook was able to make her way to the dresser. After she put down her purse and keys, she walked over to the nightstand to turn on the bedside lamp.
"Ah, fiat lux!� Nook giggled a little at her own corny joke. Apparently she had been reading too much on Berkeley. She got up and was taking off her jacket when Oil came out from the shadows and advanced towards her.
"Ah!� Nook screamed since Oil caught her off guard. �How long has he been standing there!?� Nook thought as she struggled to regain control of her senses.
"What�s wrong Nook?� Oil spoke in a haunting tone as he walked closer to Nook, �you look as if you�ve seen a ghost�I don�t look that hideous to you---do I?� Oil was walking circles around her, which made her body tense up.
"No�it�s just you�I didn�t know you were there and you scared me a little,� Nook tried to scoot further away from Oil, but he kept following closer to her until she backed up against the door.
"Where did you go today after our meeting at the restaurant? Hmm?� Oil knew darn well where she went, he wanted to know if she would lie to him. He leaned up closer to her and put his outstretched arm on the wall next to her head. He moved his face in closer to hers until she felt the warmness of his breath next to hers.
"Uh�I went with�I went to the park,� Nook managed to speak despite the intense rate her heart was beating at. �Why does he have to be so close,� Nook thought as she tried to get away from him; but every move she made�he followed and didn�t skimp on the closeness.
"To the park?� Oil questioned her. �That�s all�you went to the park�alone? For more than five hours?� Oil slid his arm down the wall and repositioned it near Nook�s side.
"Yeah�� Nook answered, �What the heck does he want from me!?� Nook wondered.
"That�s all? Nothing else?� Oil was getting irritated, �why doesn�t she just tell me the truth!� he thought.
"Uh huh�� Nook nodded her head. Oil stepped back from Nook and looked her straight in the eye. He then turned his back to her.
"Whew!� Nook was relieved. She began to move away from the door but Oil caught her by surprise.
"LIAR!� Oil spun back around and cornered Nook up against the wall. His chest was heaving with anger. He had his hands around her wrists and he pushed them flat on the wall. �The nerve!� Oil thought, �how can she just stand here and lie to me with a straight face!?�
Nook was struggling to get free, but it seemed as if the more she struggled, the more force Oil put on her.
"Let go of me!� Nook screamed at him, �what more do you want!?�
"Tell me the truth!� Oil yelled back at her as he tried to keep her within his grasps.
"But I did tell you the truth!� she was trying to free her wrists from his grip.
"Another lie!� Oil was getting more furious, �I saw what you and Tao did in front of our house!�
Nook�s heart stopped. �He did see me hug Tao�� Nook stopped struggling for a bit when Oil spoke that line to her. Oil noticed this and it confirmed his suspicions of what they might have been doing prior to arriving at home.
"I can see from your reaction you�re not going to deny it�� Oil spoke with an amount of satisfaction in his voice.
"So what if I did!� Nook retorted, �what I did was nothing compared to what you did! And did I say anything to you?�NO!� How dare he call her up on what she did with Tao when he did more with Tanya this afternoon.
"So what?� Oil repeated her answer, �I�ll tell you what! You�re my wife�legally! And we�ve only been married a day and you�re going places with another guy! I have the right to be angry!� Oil pulled her body closer to his. �Oh�must be that you and Tanya are so close now that you can share the same men? I mean you already have one�might as well go for the other!� Oil spoke down to her.
With all her force, Nook pushed Oil away from her and was able to get herself free. She looked him straight in the face before slapping him as hard as she could.
"How dare you say that to me!� Nook was fuming. �I am nothing like Tanya! And if you opened your eyes for once you�ll see that you never meant ANYTHING to her�and you�ll never mean anything to ME; that�s the only thing I�ll ever share with her!� Nook was almost in tears but held them in; she was more angry than sad and would never let a man look down on her!
Oil put one hand on the cheek that Nook had just slapped. It was hot from the blood that was rushing to his head�from the jealousy he was feeling. Nook tried to make an exit but Oil caught her, spun her back around and planted his lips onto hers. Nook started to hit him as he moved to start kissing her neck.
"Let go you idiot!� Nook screamed and hit him, �let go of me! I HATE YOU!!!� Oil didn�t stop; he tuned out Nook�s voice as he tried to take off her shirt.
"I�ll show you how you belong to me!� the voice repeated itself in Oil�s head and he struggled to get Nook under his control.
"OUCH!� Oil yelled. Nook had bitten his arm and wasn�t letting go. He let go of her and as soon as she got free, she ran out of the room and into another of the smaller bedrooms and locked the door.
Oil winced in pain as he saw the mark Nook�s teeth had made on his arm. He ran after her as soon as she got out the door. Unfortunately for him, by the time he got to the other room, Nook was already in and had locked the door. Oil pounded on the door with all his strength.
"Nook!� He yelled through the door, �Nook! Open this door right now! Do you hear me!� He continued to bang on the door.
"Go away you jerk!� Nook yelled at him, �I never want to see you again! Just leave me alone!� She was trying to move a small nightstand to block the door in case Oil was crazy enough to break it down. �I hate you and I�ll never forgive you for everything you�ve done to me!� Nook was piling more stuff in front of the door.
"Nook! Open up! NOOK!!� Oil wouldn�t give up; he kept pounding on the door. He was probably knocking for at least an hour before he gave up and went to sleep. Once the pounding stopped, Nook got off the bed and went close to door and pressed her ear upon it.
"Must�ve finally given up�� Nook spoke to herself, �That jerk! I�ll show him to mess with me again.� Nook walked back to the bed and started practicing the tae kwon do moves she had learned in college. Her parents had suggested she take a self-defense class so that she would be able to fend for herself if a situation arose. She had promised herself that she wouldn�t let anyone push her around anymore�whether that person was Tanya�or Oil. She then tired herself and drifted off into sleep.
Chapter 20
Nook woke up this morning feeling refreshed. She had never had such a good night�s sleep since she lived here. She lied in bed for a while, looking around the room. It was a rather small room compared to the one she and Oil shared. It was decorated all in white, it looked as if it hadn�t been in use for quite some time since the house was built as Nook spotted some dust on the nightstand next to the bed. She smiled warmly, �this is a really nice room�so simple,� Nook spoke as she got up to make the bed. She looked at her cell phone; it was already 11:00 a.m.
"Have I been sleeping for that long?� Nook scratched her head; �I must�ve been really tired�� she walked to the bathroom to wash up.
As she walked out of the bathroom, she couldn�t help but stroll by the window to peek outside.
"Wow, it�s such a great day today�� she looked around at the front yard, Oil�s car was still in the driveway.
"He�s not at work?� Nook questioned as she tried to figure of what day it was, �well he should be, I mean it�s Tuesday; who has holidays on a Tuesday?� As the thought of Oil floated into her mind, she couldn�t help but think of what he tried to do to her last night. �That jerk! I�m never going to forgive him!� Nook walked across the room and opened the door to find something to eat.
"Ah!� Nook jumped as she saw Oil standing next to the door. She tried to go back inside and shut the door on him but Oil managed to keep in open. Nook gave up and stood staring at him with her hands on her hips.
"What now?� She asked him, �If he wants to start a fight now�then I�m all for it!� Nook thought.
"Finally awake? I�ve been waiting here for you forever�� Oil spoke softly to her without any hint of anger in his voice.
Nook was confused. It was only last night he was angry with her for going out with Tao�now all of a sudden he was being nice to her! �What�s up with this guy?� Nook thought, �His temper changes like the seasons��
"What do you want?� Nook spoke calmly, if he didn�t want to start anything�she wasn�t going to either.
"I want you to come with me somewhere,� Oil walked closer to Nook, who involuntarily moved back. �Please�I�m really sorry about last night�I didn�t mean to say that to you, I was just��
"Stupid! Jerk! Idiot! Did I leave anything out?� Nook filled in the words for him. �And what makes you think I want to go with you anyway?�
"If you don�t want to go out�we could always stay here and---" Oil let out a little mischievous laugh.
"Oh it�s okay! I�ll go out with you then!� Nook replied quickly, she was afraid he would do something to her again and thought it would be safer if they were in public. As she spoke she was already pulling Oil out of the door and through the hallway�the further she was from the bedrooms�the safer she would be from Oil. Halfway down the stairs Nook stopped and turned to look at Oil:
"Wait�don�t you have work today?� If she could go out by herself it would be even better.
"I told my dad I was staying home today to make some grandchildren for him�so here I am,� Oil joked.
"Go make grandchildren with yourself!� Nook turned red in the face, �How can he say that to his dad!� she thought as she ran down the stairs to the car.
"Ouch�� Oil laughed and followed behind her.
They had been driving for a while when Nook remembered she forgot to ask him where they were going.
"Oil�so where are we going?� Nook turned in her seat to face him.
"Nursery�� Oil replied and looked over at Nook, who had a look of confusion on her face.
"Nursery?� Nook repeated in a whisper. She was confused about what he meant when he said nursery. Suddenly a thought hit her, she turned to face Oil and said:
"You�re going to adopt a kid?!� Nook recalled what Oil had told her about the �grandchildren� thing before they left the house. �He can�t possibly be serious�can he?� Nook pondered as she looked at Oil, �But then again�he is kinda unpredictable��
Oil began to laugh hysterically. �I can�t believe she thought that!� Oil thought as he laughed at Nook�s comment about the nursery. He could see she wasn�t amused by his response to her question, but he couldn�t stop laughing.
"What�s so funny!?� Nook asked, �That�s what a nursery is�isn�t it!� She folded her arms across her chest as she repositioned herself her body.
"Nook�I�� Oil tried to explain to her but he couldn�t stop the laughter. He could see Nook was angry with him and tried to contain himself�but it was too funny.
"Fine�don�t tell me�� Nook pouted, �I�m not talking to you anymore,� she turned her head to look out the window and tried to ignore Oil and his laughter.
When they finally arrived at their destination, Nook understood what Oil meant by nursery and tried to avoid him as he teased her about it. The two entered the small greenhouse, which was filled with many different flowering plants. Nook immediately ran over to where the lilies were while Oil headed towards the roses.
"Wow�� Nook was admiring the different types of lilies they had; from tiger, to stargazer, and her favorite�white lilies. She looked at them in awe, a lot of the plants had bloomed but others weren�t. She turned to find Oil and saw him with the roses. The smile that once graced her face faded as she saw him picking out 2 dozen rose plants. Nook looked back at her lilies and picked up a small white lily container that had not yet bloomed and carried it over to where Oil was.
"Are you buying all those?� Nook asked Oil who was busy picking out the best roses. Without looking up, Oil answered her:
"Yeah�I wanted to plant these in our front yard�I�ve been wanting to do it before you moved in but I didn�t have the time.� He then looked up at Nook, �What�s that?� he pointed to the lily container in Nook�s arms.
"Oh�this�� She looked at the small plant in her arms, �I was wondering if I could have this�to plant at the house.�
"But it won�t match with the roses�besides�what is it anyways?� Oil asked while he gave the garden worker his credit card.
"This is a lily plant�� Nook replied with a look of disappointment when she heard Oil�s answer. Oil saw this and agreed to buy the lilies for her.
On the ride home, Nook was holding her lilies when Oil asked her why she didn�t just put them in the trunk with the roses.
"It�s very fragile�� Nook began, �And I�m afraid they�ll be damaged by the rose thorns if I put them in the trunk.�
"Oh�� Oil said but still couldn�t see the significance of why she was dirtying herself by carrying the small plant.
As soon as they got home, Oil began work on transplanting the roses in the front yard. When Nook asked to help, he replied that he was capable of it himself.
"Can I plant my lily in the front yard too?� Nook asked as she handed Oil a glass of water.
"Uhh�� Oil took a drink and wiped the sweat off his forehead, �I don�t think it will match with the roses�maybe you could plant it somewhere else�or just keep it in that bucket it came in.� Oil continued to tend the roses. He had purposely picked red roses so that if Tanya ever came by their house, she would see her dream in the making.
Nook picked up her lily and headed to the backyard, she took a last look at how much work Oil was putting in to plant the roses and sighed. In the backyard, Nook picked out a nice place to plant her lily, it was right next to a small jasmine bush. After she was done transplanting, she watered it and spoke to it:
"Well, this is your new home now�whether you like it or not,� Nook caressed the leaves and the small bulbs, �you�re not nice enough to be shown if front, but this jasmine bush should keep you company�� Nook walked upstairs to the white room she had stayed in last night and began to move most of her clothes in there. �I�ll just take over this room,� she thought as she picked up a duster. Nook began dusting her new room and paused occasionally to look out the window at Oil, who was still hard at work with the roses.
"That�s right�� Nook spoke to herself, �Roses will always have meaning to you, but if you called a rose by another name�would you still love it?�
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Copyright 2003 Noikichan.
This story is fictional and any similarity to real life is coincidental.
Please don't take this story and pass it off as your own. If you want to post it on your site, email me and we can work something out.