�Hey,� Nickolas said smiling and she grinned. �I was hoping you�d come back.�
�I, uh,� Dakota began, �I just wanted to see how you were doing.�
�I�m fine. I still feel like vomiting, but other than that I feel good. They gave me some meds to help so��
�Yeah.� She sighed. �When can you leave?�
�I guess tomorrow. They want to keep me for observation and shit.� He rolled his eyes.
�It�s just to make sure you�re ok.�
�I know, but I don�t need to stay here.�
�You should just be glad you�re still alive. It could�ve been a lot worse.� He nodded and she got a little closer to him. �So what are you working on?� She looked at the notepad.
�Oh, um, I was lying here and these lyrics just started flooding my mind. They�re just coming song after song, ya know.� She nodded. �So the nurse gave me a notepad and I jotted them down. I haven�t written anything for awhile.�
�Well it�s good you�re getting back into it again. Your music�s important and you shouldn�t let anything come between it.�
�Except you.� She just looked at him. �I�d give up everything to have you back in my life.�
�Nick, I��
�I know what you�re going to say so just don�t. I�ve been hearing it since we broke up and I don�t want to hear it anymore.�
�Then what do you want to hear?�
�That you�ll give me another chance.� She sighed and shook her head. �Please, Shorty, I know I messed up and all I�m asking is for a chance to make it up to you.�
�And you�re asking the impossible, Nick.�
�Why is it impossible?�
�Because it is. You cheated on me twice and never told me the one girl was MyKenna; my best friend. I just can�t get over it within a few months, Nick.�
�And I�m not asking that from you. I�m just asking for another chance. I love you and I deserve to make it up to you. I have that right.�
�You have no right, Nick.�
�Why not? Just because I made mistakes and lied to you doesn�t make me a bad person. It sure the hell doesn�t mean I don�t love you or never did. And it sure the hell doesn�t mean I don�t deserve another chance. I love you, Kota, and I want to be with you.� She just looked at him, as he put the notepad down and slowly got out of bed. He started walking over to her, but stopped. �Whoa!� He put his hand to his head and Dakota rushed over to his side; like she always did.
�Nick, get back in bed.� She helped him back to the bed and he sat down. She sat beside him and they looked at each other.
�I guess I�m not as healthy as I thought.�
�Perhaps you should get some rest.�
�I�m fine.�
�Nickolas, you have alcohol poisoning and you�re far from fine. You could�ve died and I did not want to have to go through that and I don�t want to go through that.�
�Calm down, Shorty, I�m fine.� She just looked at him. �I haven�t been sure about a lot of things in my life, but I am sure about you�about us. I stayed here in London for you and I don�t want to go back to Florida if you�re not going to come with me. I love you and I know you still love me.� She got up and started walking around the room.
�It doesn�t matter if we still love each other, Nick, because it doesn�t change the fact that you cheated and hurt me.�
�But the love we have for each other can help us.�
�It�s not that simple.�
�Nothing ever is simple, Shorty. We�re proof of that, because look at all we�ve been through.�
�Why do you want me to remember, Nick? It�s not going to change anything.�
�But we got through all that and stayed together. It�s proof that we can get through this too.�
�You cheated, Nickolas, or did you suddenly forget that? I can�t forget that, because you did it to me. You broke my heart and not the other way around.�
�I know and I�m sorry.�
�Maybe you are, but I can�t accept it; not now anyway.�
�But you can forgive me in time, right? So the two of us can be together.� She turned and looked at him.
�I think only time can fix what happened to us. I can�t just jump back into it after the way it ended.�
�Does this mean you want to try again?�
�I don�t know. I just don�t know.�
�Don�t make this all for nothing, Shorty. I came here for you and I don�t want to leave without you.�
�Well I don�t know when I�m leaving so you should go back to Florida when you can.�
�Not without you.� Dakota sighed and they looked at each other. �Maybe if I didn�t wait things would be a lot different between us right now.�
�What do ya mean if ya �didn�t wait�? Wait for what?� He went to get up, but got dizzy again. �Sit back down, Carter.� She walked back over to the bed, as he sat back down. �Nick, what did you wait for? Or wait to do?� He sighed.
�In my pants pocket.� She just looked at him. �I got you something awhile ago, but I never gave it to ya.� He grinned and she walked over and picked up his pants. He watched her search his pockets. She stopped and pulled her hand out of the one pocket. She opened her hand and looked at the diamond. Nickolas got off the bed and walked over to her. She looked at him then back at the ring.
�What is this, Nick?� He grinned.
�Your engagement ring.� She looked up at him. �I got it awhile back, but as you know I never gave it to ya.�
�Why not?�
�I guess I got scared although I did love you and still do. Then the whole thing with MyKenna happened and I just didn�t think it was fair to you if I proposed without you knowing the truth.� She just continued looking at him. �I�ve always loved you from the beginning, but I just never knew how much. I realized how much when I bought the ring and it scared me. I didn�t mean to but it�but it happened when I was Valentine�s shopping for ma. I was at the jewelers looking and saw it and bought it. I was going to propose on Valentine�s, but got scared.�
�And you then met Tiffany and hurt me.�
�Yeah.� She sighed. �I wasn�t thinking straight at the time and I wanted you to have the ring and I still want you to have it.�
�I can�t marry you, Nicky, not after all that�s happened.�
�Right now anyway�right?� She shrugged and gave the ring to him. He looked at the ring and she walked from him. He looked at her, as she sat on the bed. Her biggest dream almost came true, but she got cheated out of that just like everything else. She wiped her eyes, as Nickolas walked over and sat next to her.
�I don�t know, Nick. Maybe�maybe not. Only time will tell and we need time to get through this.�
"Maybe so, but we love each other and that�s going to get us through this. It was our love for each other that brought you here tonight. That has to tell you something.�
�Yes I still love you and most likely will. I ain�t going to deny that, but for the last time it�s not going to change what you did. Only time can fix it.�
�So let time start now, Shorty. We can go back to that beach and start all over. We can fall in love all over again.�
�I don�t want to start all over, Nick. I want what we had back, but we both know it�s not going to happen.�
�Yes it can. If you want it again then you can have it again.�
�You just don�t understand, Nick. There are two other people between us and they�re never going to go away.�
�Tiffany and MyKenna meant nothing to me and mean nothing to me. You mean something to me. Tiffany and MyKenna were just stupid mistakes I made that I would do anything to take back. I would sell my soul to the devil if it would fix what happened and get you back to me.�
�But you�re not going to sell your soul to the devil, because it won�t be worth it.�
He grinned. �I just want you back, Shorty.�
She sighed. �I know and I wish it was that simple. We just can�t hop back into the same old routine and expect everything to be hunky-dory, because it�s not going to work. It�ll probably make things worse.�
�I don�t want things to get worse.�
�And neither do I.� They just sat there a few minutes not saying anything. They didn�t know what to say. Everything was just so awkward between them and they didn�t know how to act around each other. There was still that love there, but it wasn�t enough anymore. Nickolas looked at the ring in his hand and then looked at Dakota.
�Do you want to try again?� She looked at him.
�I don�t know. I�ll let ya know sometime.� He sighed. �I don�t want ya to be discouraged. If I do decide to try again with you I just have to know that it�s what I really want.� He nodded. �And I have to know that you�re not going to hurt me again.�
�I�m not going to.�
�That�s what you say and I just can�t trust you. Look what happened the last time I trusted you.�
�I know and I�m not going to make that same mistake again. I love you and I�m going to concentrate on that.� She looked at him again. �Here. Take this.� He held up the ring and she looked at it. �I want you to have it.� She looked at him, ready to speak, and the door opened. They looked and saw MyKenna and Aaron.
CHAPTER 38