The hour drive to Disney was filled with small talk, but neither mentioned the night before. Annie asked about his family, the boys and about Nick in general. She was interested in her new friend. He told her tales from touring. She laughed at some of the pranks he pulled on the guys. As they pulled into the parking lot, the moods were high. The stress and emotions of last night long forgotten.
As the day went on, Nick and Annie rode rides, got their pictures taken with Mickey, Goofy and various other Disney characters. Nick bought them both mouse ears and they wore them the rest of the day. The random fan occasionally came up to Nick for an autograph, but surprisingly, not a big scene was created, which made Nick happy. Annie needed a quiet, fun filled day, not one filled with being chased by screaming fans.
Around 7pm, Nick noticed Annie yawning. "You tired?"
"Little bit. These past few weeks have been very exhausting."
"That's understandable. We'll get ready to leave, but can we ride one more ride?" Nick pleaded with Annie, giving her his most lethal puppy dog look.
Annie caved, as did most people who came in contact with this look. "Ok, ok. I think I can handle one more ride. Which one is it gonna be?"
Nick's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He looked so adorable. Annie felt herself melt. Can I be fallin for him, she thought. No way, I just met him. It's too soon, her head told her, but her heart told her a different story. She was broke from her thoughts by Nick pulling her towards the ride.
Soon they ended up at Nick's favorite ride. "Aw Nick. You are such a kid at heart," Annie said, smiling when she found out what ride he so desperately wanted to ride.
"I know. I love this ride. I always have. Whenever I'm here, I always have to ride it at least once," he explained, as they entered It's A Small World. They climbed into the last car. Exhaustion setting in, Annie snuggled up close to him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He placed a light kiss on the top of her head. She sighed contently, and they settled in for the ride.
"Oh Nick, thanks for today. I really needed it," Annie said as they were walking back to his truck.
"That's great. That's what I wanted to happen. I'm glad you had a good time. Do you want to grab a bite to eat?"
"Oh Nick, I dunno. All I wanna do is curl up on the couch."
"Oh," Nick replied, the disappointment evident in his voice.
"I'll tell you what. Why don't we grab a pizza, rent a movie, and veg on my couch," Annie suggested.
Nick smiled at her idea. "That sounds like a great idea."
They pulled up to Annie's house after getting the pizza and movie. "Go ahead and get the movie ready and I'll be right back. I'm gonna go change clothes." About five minutes later, Annie reemerged wearing a pair of flannel pj pants and a tank top. She grabbed two plates and two cokes and plopped down next to Nick, and they both devoured the pizza and watched the movie.
Nick woke up with a start. He looked around nervously, not recognizing his surroundings. He felt something move and looked down and found Annie in his arms, sleeping peacefully. The TV was still on, the blue screen illuminating the room. The VCR clock read 2:20am. He carefully slid out from under her and found her bedroom. He pulled down the covers and then went back out to the living room. He scooped up the sleeping Annie, carried her to her room, gently placed her on her bed and covered her up. "Night Annie," he whispered. He lightly kissed her on her forehead and then turned to leave the room.
"Nick?" Annie asked in a sleepy voice.
He turned from the doorway to look at her. "Yeah?"
"Come back," she simply said.
He walked back to her bed and kneeled down on his knees. Brushing a few stray hairs from her face, he asked, "What's wrong hun?"
"Will you stay with me Nick?" she asked. Nick quickly heard the desperate and needing tone of her voice. This woman, in the short time that he knew her, had this indescribable hold on him. There was no way he could deny her anything.
"Of course Annie." Nick stripped to his undershirt and boxers and climbed into bed on the other side. Instinct took over. Annie rolled over to face Nick and he wrapped his arms around her automatically. Annie snuggled close to his chest.
"Thank you Nick," she said before dropping once again into a peaceful sleep.
Nick held her closely to him. He was bewildered from the intense feelings he had for Annie. They came to him so quickly and so fiercely, he was actually scared. Scared of loving her. Scared of being rejected. It was too soon, his head was telling him, but his heart didn't care. When sleep finally took him over, the only thought in his head was his genuine, true love for the woman in his arms.
Table of Contents
Home