Nickolas and I sat in the back of the limousine, as it took us to only God knows where. I laid on the seat, as Nickolas sat beside me and held ice on the side of my face where Cameron hit me. I couldn�t believe this happened. How could I let this happen? It was wrong to let this happen in a church. It felt like I betrayed God, but at the same time I was confessing my sins. I just hope God could forgive me.
�Are you doing all right?� Nickolas asked.
�I�m doing all right now. I�m just glad you got me out of there.�
�I�m glad you stopped me, because I could�ve killed him.�
�I know. Are you all right though?�
�Yeah so don�t worry about me.�
�You never want me to worry about you.�
�Because I can take care of myself, but you on the other hand.�
�Ain�t as strong as you are.�
�You are strong. Stronger than you think.�
�No I�m not. I left CJ hurt me and have that power.�
�He caught you off guard. Stuff like that happens everyday. I was there though to defend your honor.�
�You do it all the time and never let me.�
�If I wasn�t there today what would you have done?�
�I'd probably be Mrs. Cameron Porter if Horizon didn�t show.�
�I doubt it, because one of our friends would�ve objected to make us see the obvious.� I just looked at him. �I�m glad you objected.�
�So am I. I�m glad you objected too.� We laughed. �Truthfully I wanted you to for the sake of our friendship.�
�I wasn�t going to, but I just couldn�t sit there and watch you marry that guy. Not for my advantage, but because I�m your friend and I know what�s best for you.�
�You�re the only one. I was glad Horizon showed too.� I felt the tears coming. �How could I be so stupid, Nick?�
�You�re not stupid.�
�But I almost married that guy.�
�Everyone makes mistakes�including ones like this. You�re not the only one that almost married someone who�s completely wrong for them.�
�But I realize it on my wedding day.�
�It�s all right. I�ll be right here by your side helping you get over this. You�re not going to be alone.�
�When I was up there I asked God to give me a sign and for a few seconds there I thought I was marrying you. That�s how I knew I couldn�t marry CJ. If I did then I wouldn�t be happy. I�d be miserable and depressed.�
�So would I.�
�I think it started to really hit me when I was sitting in the dressing room and I started thinking about that night in Paris.�
�Yeah.� I nodded. �I was actually at a restaurant with Fallon and she started talking about love and it hit me.�
�That was like over a year and a half ago.� He nodded. �Is that why you never dated anyone after her?� He nodded again.
�I couldn�t do it. I spent four years trying to figure out how I could let that night happen when we�re best friends. Then that night at dinner it just hit me like lightening.�
�Why didn�t you tell me?�
�I wanted to so bad, but that fear of ruining our friendship haunted me and I didn�t want that.�
�You should�ve told me when you first realized it. I wouldn�t have made this mistake with CJ then.�
�I�m sorry I didn�t. If I knew about CJ I would have.�
�You knew I was seeing someone.�
�Not when I realized it.�
�Oh.�
�It�s not your fault.�
�But I shouldn�t have left what happen happen.�
�I was there too and I�m half to blame.� I just looked at him. �If it didn�t happen that night we both know it would�ve happened another night.�
�I guess so.� He smiled and moved the ice from my face, as he got closer.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
�Nickolas�
Evangelique just looked at me, as I got closer to her. Things were different now; different in a better way. I was actually a little afraid of kissing her and a little nervous. I couldn�t remember the last time I was this nervous around her. It felt great though. She slowly brought her hands up and took her fingers through my hair. She gently pulled at it and then brought me even closer.
�So are ya just going to stare at me? Or are ya going to kiss me?� I smiled.
�I�m working on it.� I leaned even closer to her.
�Work harder.�
�Pushy are we?�
�You know me.� I continued smiling and then kissed her. The kiss was different though. It meant so much more to the both of us. We knew how each other felt and things were going to be different now. Different in the good way and I couldn�t be happier. �Ow!� I pulled away and looked at her.
�Are you all right?�
�My face just hurts.�
�But you�ll be perfectly fine.�
�I know I will, because I got you.�
�And I got you.� She smiled her beautiful smile and I had to smile myself.
�You�re still bleeding.�
�I�ll be fine.�
�Let me take care of you.� She sat up. �You just sit back and relax.�
�You�re the boss.�
�Always.� She smiled and I did as I was told. She got a napkin and stuck it in the water from the melted ice. She looked at me then used the wet napkin to wipe the blood from the cut by my eye.
�You don�t have to do this ya know.�
�But I want to. You took care of me for so long so I owe it to you.�
�I�m just glad we stayed friends for the past 21 years no matter what.�
�So am I.� She reached for her bag and got a band-aid out. She placed it over the cut and then used the wet napkin to wipe the blood from my lip. �Nicky.�
�Yeah.� She looked at me.
�I meant what I said back there at the church. I really do love you more than a friend. If I didn�t mean it I wouldn�t have said it in front of all those people and in front of God.�
�I know. I love you more than a friend also.� She smiled and kissed me again.
�I really hope this doesn�t affect our friendship any. We�ve been best friends for 21 years and then all of a sudden we realize we�re in love with each other.�
�I think we�ll be perfectly fine. I know we�ll be fine, because we went through a lot of shit together and we managed to always make our friendship come out on top. This ain�t going to be any different.� She just looked at me. �Maybe the love thing will sort of be a problem at first, but if we didn�t honestly love each other then neither of us would�ve interrupted the wedding.�
�I guess you�re right.�
�That almost wedding was my assurance of how much I love you. A tiny part of me thought it was going to be nothing and that it was my romantic self coming out, but it wasn�t. It�s the real deal.�
�Yeah the wedding is what I needed to fully open my eyes and I�m glad it happened.� I smiled. �Why don�t we drink some of this champagne before it goes to waste?�
�Sounds good.� She got two glasses and handed them to me. She got the champagne bottle and poured us drinks. She put the bottle back and took her glass. �So what are we toasting to?� She made a face.
�Uh�let�s toast to me not making a big mistake and marrying CJ.�
�Alright, to you not marrying CJ.� She nodded and hit my glass with hers and took a drink.
�So where are we going?� She curled up beside me and I put my arm around her.
�I don�t know. I guess we�ll see when we get there.�
�I guess so.� We sighed at the same time. �So what�s going to happen now?�
�Ya got me. Only time will tell, Sugar Bear.�
�I just hope we�ll be happy.�
�We will so trust me.�
�I always do.� She looked at me smiling and I kissed her.
Friday, March 1, 2002
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