His fingers ached desperately to reach out and touch her. As Nick watched Jessica sleep, he longingly wished he could feel her satin skin beneath his fingertips. Instead, he opted to watch her carefully as she slept peacefully next to him. She was like an angel, tranquil and innocent as he watched the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. It broke his heart seeing her so peaceful now when she had been in utter misery yesterday. He couldn�t help remembering that when he had held her in his arms last night, she had seemed so frail and helpless.

His eyes perused her soft features, taking note of a stray strand of her hair that had fallen temptingly across her forehead. Instinctively, Nick reached down to brush it from her face. Gently, his fingers grazed her silken skin, lingering there for a few moments.

As if in response to his touch, Jessica�s blue eyes opened cautiously. Immediately, Nick withdrew his hand from her face, wearing a guilty expression.

Jessica averted her eyes to the ground, strangely unable to look into Nick�s eyes. Everything had changed now. Her dream had invoked emotions in her which she had never experienced before. It had brought about an onslaught of emotional feelings for Nick which she had not been aware that she possessed.

�How are you doing?� he whispered.

�Better,� she replied quickly as she glanced into his eyes momentarily. She was silently grateful that despite the uncertainty in Nick�s eyes, he refrained from asking her anymore questions.

Uncomfortably, the two lay side by side in silence, both unable and unwilling to look one another in the eyes. Nick was ecstatic that Jessica had come to him in her time of need and he couldn�t help secretly wondering if she was trying to reach out to him. He only wished she would confide in him about the source of her misery. It made him sick to his stomach to think that someone or something was capable of inflicting so much pain on such an innocent person.

He watched as Jessica fiddled nervously with a lock of her hair. There were so many things that he wanted to ask her. Things that he needed cleared up before the sympathetic aching in his heart disappeared. He knew however that now was neither the time nor the place for him to ask her to delve into her problems. She was emotionally fragile right now. Nick knew that she just needed time and that in time he would have answers to his questions. He was determined to make certain of it.

Jessica sighed wearily as she carefully parked her car in the driveway. A cold tremor raced up her spine as she stared lifelessly up at the house before her.

Cautiously, she exited her car, feeling worlds collide in her head, heart and stomach. Her legs suddenly felt incredibly heavy and cumbersome as she inched her way towards the door. Fumbling nervously around in her purse, she found her keys and with shaking hands she opened the door cautiously. She silently braced herself for the shrill sound of her mother�s accusatory voice, but surprisingly heard nothing.

The house seemed to have an eerie quietness about it as a thick, uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Jessica nervously awaited her mother�s appearance, fearfully aware that any punishment delivered now would certainly be brutal.

In a practised silent manner, Jessica quietly removed her shoes and headed up the stairs. Her eyes darted furtively about, anticipating her mother�s presence everywhere and anywhere.

The pungent stench of hard liquor assaulted her nostrils as she reached the top of the stairs. Instinctively, Jessica glanced into her mother�s room. A feeling of disgust washed over her as she was greeted with the sight of her mother�s barely clothed body, intertwined with another.

Turning back towards her room, Jessica felt a lump rising in her throat. Stinging tears threatened dangerously to fall, but Jessica refused to cry. She crawled miserably into her bed, pulling the warm, comforting covers up around her. Her eyes wandered the room, her ears pricked, awaiting any sign of movement from her mother�s room.

Her mind raced and willingly, she allowed it to take her back to last night. As she thought about Nick, a calming, soothing warmth embodied her. She had never felt as at peace or as protected as she had when Nick had held her in his arms. Just the sound of his voice was made her feel safe. Jessica couldn�t remember ever sleeping as peacefully as she had last night. for once, she had dreamt of something other than her mother.

A sudden confusion took over her thoughts as Jessica remembered Nick�s facial expression that morning. She had told him she had to leave and he had look sad, almost as if he didn�t want her to go. He hadn�t said anything though and secretly, Jessica found herself wishing he had. Nick had simply hugged her fiercely before saying good-bye, sending Jessica�s heart into a frenzy. The hug had lasted longer than usual, almost like both of them were unwilling to let go too soon.

When they had broken apart, Nick had told her seriously that if she needed anything at all, he would be there for her. Words escaping her at that moment, she had placed a soft, lingering kiss upon his cheek, every part of her body aching to stay with him. Instead, she had turned on her heel and fled quickly, aware of Nick�s weary gaze following her every move.

Now, Jessica lay awake, scared, lonely and desperately wishing she had followed her heart and stayed with Nick.

With each passing day, Jessica and Nick�s relationship evolved. Each day brought about a new secret, new fear, or new thing in common that they hadn�t known about before. They took great interest in learning all the intricacies of one another, ravishing every little detail. Their time together was usually now spent sprawled comfortably upon Nick�s bed, just talking and listening to one another.

When Jessica arrived at Nick�s house, she seemed to breathe life into it. The bare walls and scarcely furnished rooms seemed to magically come alive whenever she was around. The moment she left though, everything became bleak again.

Sometimes the loneliness was so stifling that Nick couldn�t bear it. Those were the times when he called her. Hearing her voice made him feel like she was there with him and somehow that made everything a little more bearable.

Now, as Nick looked down at Jessica�s sleeping figure, a complacent smile and soft sigh escaped his lips. Over the past few weeks, Nick had come to realize that he loved watching her sleep. It was the only time that she was truly peaceful. When she closed her eyes, the disheartening sadness that was so obvious in them disappeared. Tranquillity took over her body and she looked positively angelic. Little did Nick know that the calm serenity that engulfed her when she slept was greatly attributed to his presence.

Earlier on, Jessica had stopped by after work, eager to fill Nick in on the details of her strenuous day at work. Nick had disappeared into the kitchen to get them something to drink, and when he had returned, Jessica had already fallen asleep on his bed.

Now, almost two hours later, Nick remained perched on the corner of his mattress, watching her intently. His gaze hadn�t wavered once. The way her soft, golden tresses framed her face, the way her luscious lips pouted slightly and her delicately fluttering eyelashes were enthralling to him.

Carefully, Nick reached up and gently brushed his fingers over her soft skin and through her silky hair. Delicately, he traced her face with the pads of his thumbs as if in attempts to etch every inch of it into his memory permanently. A sudden impulse washed over him, encompassing both his mind and body. Without further thought, he leaned forwards, his face mere inches away from hers.

Jessica�s eyes fluttered open slowly. As her vision cleared, Nick�s face came into view. The proximity of their faces didn�t bother her in the least as she searched his face inquisitively, trying to decipher the expression upon it.

She saw Nick�s face inch nearer to hers and could feel herself drowning in the depth of his blue eyes. They were so warm and inviting. Nick�s face was so close now that she could feel his warm breath upon her skin. Her heart sped up, beating with reckless abandon as she held her breath in anticipation of the inevitable.

When Nick�s mouth finally captured hers, the world around Jessica seemed to fade. Nick kissed her with a surprising tenderness that left her completely breathless. Jessica kissed him back tentatively at first, but soon felt her body relax as the intensity of the kiss deepened.

When they finally broke apart, breathless and dizzy with happiness, they sat gazing into one another�s eyes. A complacent silence engulfed the room as both of them were very aware of just how much this kiss had changed everything. The kiss had been so special and meaningful to both of them and from now on, their lives were irrevocably intertwined.

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