Jessica lay awake in her bed, her room shrouded in darkness. She could hear her mother�s incessant laughter and slurred speech coming from the next room, but she didn�t care. She was on such a high right now that she refused to let anything and anyone bring her down.

Closing her eyes blissfully, moments from that night raced through her mind. Everything had been exactly as she had hoped. Nick was so easy to talk to. It was just like talking to him on the phone, only better. She loved the way his eyes sparkled mischievously when he told a joke or a funny story. She even found it endearing when he bit his lip in concentration.

Already, Jessica found herself wondering when she was going to see him next. After tonight, she couldn�t not want to see him. She already felt connected to him in some way. He understood her. He cared about her. These were two things which no one else had been capable of so far.

Turning onto her side, Jessica promised herself that first thing tomorrow morning should would call Nick.

Nick awoke the next morning to the shrill ringing of his telephone. He buried his head under the pillow in attempts of drowning out the obnoxious rings. The rings however, were ceaseless. With an annoyed groan, Nick fumbled sleepily about his bedside table in search of his phone. After a few rings, he finally found the phone and answered it grumpily.

�Mmmhelllllo?� he muttered groggily.

�Morning Nick,� she said in her usual hushed, whispery voice.

�Jessica?� Nick asked in surprise as he quickly cleared his throat.

�I hope I didn�t wake you,� she said apologetically

�Don�t worry about it,� he replied, now fully awake.

Silence ensued before Jessica quickly let out, �I just wanted to tell you that I had a really great time last night.�

�Me too.� It was the first time in a long while that Nick had actually spent the night talking to a girl without the ulterior motives of getting her in bed. In light of that, this was also the first time in a while that Nick had spent the night with a girl without sleeping with her. It was reassuring in a way for him to know that he wasn�t interested in sleeping with Jessica. This time, he wanted more. He was actually interested in her. Nick wanted to know how and what she thought, what she liked and even what she disliked. Jessica had this almost magically way of making things which were always dull and boring to Nick become intriguing and fascinating.

�We should do it again,� Nick said quickly.

�I was just thinking the same thing.�

�How about tonight?� Nick asked. When silence followed, he immediately regretted his hastiness. The last thing he wanted to do was push her by taking things too fast. For once in his life, he wanted to take things slow.

Jessica hesitated slightly before answering as thoughts of her mother ran through her mind. Her mother would be beyond angry if she ever found out about her secret meetings and phone calls with Nick. Fear tugged at Jessica�s heart and for a moment she almost gave into that fear and said no to him. Almost, but not quite. She couldn�t say no to him, when it felt so right and so natural to say yes.

�That would be great,� she told him softly. Being with Nick, talking with Nick was her sanity. There was no way she was going to let her mother take that away from her. Even after only one meeting, Jessica felt as though Nick was all she had in this cruel, lonely world.

�I�ll pick you up around nine then?� Nick asked excitedly.

�No, no... Uh..I�ll just meet you somewhere. I don�t want you to go out of your way.�

�Really, it�s no trouble at all. I don�t mi-�� �Don�t worry about it," she interjected. "My place is pretty difficult to find,� she said vaguely.

There it was. Nick noticed it was the same distant, almost cold tone which her voice took on whenever he even remotely broached the subject of her family or home. He had her address from the day she had given it to him after their run in. Her street was a well-known one and easily accessible. A sinking suspicion in Nick�s stomach told him that there was more to Jessica�s attitude than he knew.

�Fine,� Nick said compromising only for her sake. If she preferred things this way, then he would respect her. �I�ll meet you at the beach then and we can go from there?�

�Sounds good,� Jessica said somewhat reluctantly. She would much rather the two of them spend their night on the beach talking. People and crowds usually made her nervous. For some reason, she always felt threatened being surrounded by strange, unfamiliar faces and bodies. She felt that with one look from them, they would know all about the pain which her mother inflicted upon her. They would know that somewhere along the line in her life, she had committed a sin so unforgivable that was being punished for it daily. Just the mere idea of people knowing all about her sins, made her feel totally helpless. She hated that feeling. That was the same way she always felt around her mother.

Their conversation came to end soon after and both of them complacently hung up excited and nervous about their plans for the night.

As night descended upon L.A., the full moon hung high in the sky shining luminously. Jessica forlornly watched it shine brilliantly from her window letting a tiny, wistful sigh escape her throat.

She had already ensured her mother wouldn�t have any knowledge of her secret rendez-vous with Nick. She had easily fed her a story about an accidental scheduling conflict at the hospital which meant she would be working all night. As usual, her mother had barely even listened to her. She had been nothing but ecstatic to get rid of her for the night. Jessica had anticipated this, but nonetheless it still hurt a little.

A strange pang of guilt washed over her just then, but Jessica quickly pushed it aside. It was ludicrous for her to feel guilty about lying to her mother. Her mother lied and deceived so often herself. I have nothing to feel guilty about, Jessica told herself sternly.

Glancing at her dainty watch, Jessica decided it was time to leave. Once in the hallway, she peered cautiously into her mother�s room across the hall, partly out of curiosity and partly out of fear. Through the crack in the door which had carelessly been left ajar, Jessica could see her mother staggering stupidly about. The sight, although quite familiar to Jessica by now, still managed to tug at her heart. An unwarranted shiver ran up Jessica�s spine just then. She wasn�t sure if it was concern or pity or possibly a mixture of both. Whatever it was, she didn�t like the feeling and quickly pushed it aside. Why should she care about her mother when she didn�t return any of the concern?

Stepping into her shoes, Jessica grabbed her keys. Leaving the house, she let the door slam loudly knowing that she wouldn�t be needed or missed. Her mother probably didn�t even know that she was gone.

Jessica arrived at the beach before Nick, eagerly parking her car and heading off towards the waves. She stood watching and listening intently to the sound of a powerful swell of waves as it crashed against the pier. She was so intrigued and enraptured with the serenity of the water, that she didn�t even notice Nick approach her side.

�Beautiful, isn�t it?� Nick whispered, his gaze fixated upon her instead of the waves.

Jessica jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. Her body momentarily tensed, but soon relaxed as her eyes fell upon his face. �It sure is. So calm and peaceful,� she whispered almost wistfully.

Nick watched her carefully as she spoke. She seemed pre-occupied and tense, almost as if something was bothering her. He knew the perfect way to release some of her tension. �C�mon, let�s go,� Nick said suddenly, gently linking arms with her. He carefully and determinedly guided her closer to the shore. �Take off your shoes,� he commanded with a smile.

�What? Nick�� her voice trailed off as her eyes fell upon his face. A pleading smile was plastered across it as his eyes danced excitedly.

�Please?� he begged.

Jessica let out a small sigh and without words, obligingly bent down and slipped off her sandals. She gingerly set them down in the sand. When she stood up, she noticed Nick had removed his shoes as well. �What now?� she asked cautiously.

�Follow me,� he whispered carefully leading her right to the shore. He stopped and turned to face her then. They stood, momentarily silent as the cool ocean surf lapped lazily at their feet. �Close your eyes,� he instructed calmly. He watched as Jessica stared at him incredulously. �Don�t worry. I�m here,� he told her.

�This is crazy Nick,� she replied.

�Just trust me. I promise I won�t let anything happen to you,� he whispered coming up behind her.

�Alright,� she said uncertainly. She closed her eyes slowly, awaiting further instruction. Gently, Nick placed his hands upon her shoulders. Jessica jumped with a start at his touch and Nick immediately felt her body tense up. �Relax,� he whispered in her ear. He felt Jessica�s body shake slightly as she exhaled loudly. Nick could feel the obvious tension in her. Her shoulders were both cramped and rigid. �Now start walking,� he instructed gently.

After a moment of hesitation, Jessica set her right foot forward shakily. The left foot followed suit uncertainly. She stumbled slightly, but quickly felt Nick�s reassuring hands steadying her. His powerful arms guided her slowly down the beach as the cool water cascaded over her feet.

The water on her feet was both cool and refreshing. It calmed her down, soothing her ragged nerves. The warm sand was soft and squishy beneath her toes and Jessica loved the feeling of it as she walked. It was all so relaxing.

Jessica soon become more comfortable walking by herself, but Nick didn�t let go of her shoulders. After a while, it was as if Jessica was guiding Nick down the beach instead of the other way around. Wherever she went, whichever direction she moved in, he followed. Nick noticed that already, Jessica�s shoulders were less tense and her movements less controlled and stiff.

As the night wore on, the two were so enraptured with each other that all of Nick�s thoughts of leaving the beach were easily forgotten. It wasn�t until they stopped talking for a moment, that they realized the time.

�I should get home Nick,� Jessica whispered regretfully.

Nick nodded sullenly, not wanting the night to end. �I know.�

Neither Jessica nor Nick made any move to leave as they stood gazing rapturously at one another. For a few minutes, the two of them were lost in each other. Without words, Nick suddenly reached forward and grabbed Jessica�s hand, clutching it tightly. �When will I see you again?�

Jessica remained silent, enjoying the feeling of Nick�s hand in hers. It was both warm and comforting. His touch had a gentleness about it which made her feel safe and protected. �Tomorrow,� she promised solemnly.

Reluctantly, Nick let go of her, watching as her hand dropped back to her side. There were so many things he wanted to express to her right at that second. He opened his mouth, his lips poised to spill everything to her. He wanted her to know exactly how and what he was feeling. For some reason he couldn�t do it though. He quickly closed his mouth, lowering his eyes to the ground. He couldn�t do it because he was scared. Nick was so scared that if Jessica didn�t feel the same way about him, he wouldn�t be able to handle it.

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