"Annie, I know something's bothering you. I know we just met and we really don't know each other, but I want you to know that you can trust me."
"Nick, I don't know why, but oddly enough I do trust you. I'm going through a very rough time right now. My baggage is overflowing as we speak." They chuckled softly at the joke. "I'm at a point where I can't trust anyone anymore, but I get this vibe from you. I could use a few friends right now."
Nick turned to her and took her face gently in his hands, to emphasize his point. "I don't care if it's 4 in the morning, call me if you need to talk. I don't care if I'm in Switzerland, call me if you need to talk. Got it?"
Annie smiled for the first time in hours. "Gotcha!"
They stood there in silence for a while, although it seemed like eternity. It was a comfortable silence though. He had his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Ok Annie, tell me a little bit about yourself. I know absolutely nothing about you."
"Alrighty, I'm 23, I'm a nurse, I love music, and I just moved here from Boston. Anything else you wanna know?"
"Well, that was kinda brief. Ok, what bands do you listen to?"
"My, my Mr. Carter. Are we fishing for an ego-boost?"
"Oooops, you caught me. No seriously, music is a big part of my life, so I was just seeing if we have the same musical interests. It would give us something to talk about."
Annie laughed. "Nice save Carter. I admit, I'm a big fan of Backstreet Boys."
Nick grinned. "I knew it! Who's your favorite?"
"Ha! Not so fast Nick. I'm not tellin."
"Do you have a particular favorite?"
"Yeah," Annie blushed. She saw his eyes light up. "But I'm not tellin ya!"
He put his hands up, admitting defeat. "Ok, ok, I give. Anyways, fave bands?"
"Oh geez." She looked at her watch. "No really, I listen to a bunch of different bands. I love Blink 182, Bloodhound Gang, Christina Aguilera, Limp Bizkit, Metallica, Bush, No Doubt, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Journey, Eagles, Beatles, Matchbox 20. Need me to go on?"
Nick laughed. "No, I think I got it. I absolutely love Journey. Steve Perry is my God!"
"Alrighty then. But seriously, I love music. I got my first cd about 5 years ago, and now I have over 160. My dad played in a band that did the little local thing, I was in the school band, and my cousin is in a band. They're really popular in the underground circuit in Champaign Illinois. He's also working on his first symphony. I'm so proud of him."
"Wow! That's awesome."
Silence consumed them again. Annie took a deep breath. "Nick, you wanna hear my story?" She held her breath, knowing that his answer would tell her if she could really trust him.
"Only if you want to tell me," Nick said softly.
Yes! She pointed to a house about 50 yards up the beach. "There's my house. We can relax on the porch." She took off walking towards the house. He followed after her, his thoughts about her raging through his head. Her voice brought him back from his thoughts. "Here we are. Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" He nodded. She disappeared into the house and reappeared carrying two glasses of iced tea. She sat down across from him at the patio table and took a deep breath. Here we go.....
Table of Contents
Home