Lost and Rebirth

Nick opened the car door for me before I even realized he had stepped out of the car. He offered me his hand as I stepped out of the car. I had not taken it, so it hung there awkwardly. I smiled, though, in appreciation. He returned the smile. We walked up the steps.

A host was already waiting for us. He led us to a small, private table for two. Nick pulled out my seat for me just like a gentleman. I couldn’t believe that he, Nick, had a gentleman side to him. I laughed a little but stopped when he looked at me questioningly.

“Sorry,” I mouthed. He waved his hand nonchalantly to dismiss it. The host gave us our menu’s and asked for our drinks. Then, he walked away. Nick and I sat in silence until the waiter brought our drinks. Only then the only sound between us was the slurping of our drinks. It was odd. Our silences were usually comfortable. This time it felt awkward. I felt the need to say something, but I didn’t know where to start.

“Thank you,” I suddenly said. I knew why he was doing this, but I didn’t know why he cared to do it.

He looked puzzled. “For?”

“For this,” I waved my hand around, pointing to the dress, restaurant, and to him. He still seemed confused, but realization set in.

“Oh, this, this is nothing. It was the least I could after all I dumped on you.”

“Aww, you care. Tear,” I took my index finger to the side of my eye and dragged it to mid cheek, as if a tear was rolling down it.

“Yeah, well, you make it hard not to,” he blushed.

I couldn’t help but smile. I was about to say something when the waiter walked over to ask for our orders. “Oh, I haven’t actually looked at the menu. I’m sorry.” I looked up guiltily.

Nick smiled slightly and ordered, “Chicken alfredo pasta.” That sounded good, so I ordered it too. The waiter walked off. “So, I told you about me; it’s you turn to tell me about you.”

“I think you already know all about me,” I said.

“No, not all of it. Please tell me. I’ll only interrupt the same number of times as you did me, promise,” he said while offering me his pinky.

I took it. “How can I turn such a compelling argument?” I laughed. “Well, I grew up right of town. I played soccer all my life. I actually I got a scholarship to the university here for playing soccer.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he apologized for taking me out of college.

“I also use to sing, but I quit when some things happened. I started playing guitar when I was in eighth grade. I haven’t played in a long time.” I frowned, disappointed in myself.

“Go on, please,” Nick urged.

“Oh, sorry. I went to Milford High. My favorite color is green. I love colors and art. All art forms. I love to read, especially about the supernatural. Go figure.” Nick laughed. “I change my hair color a lot. I have had all colors except green and black in my hair.”

“Gees. What kind off music do you listen to?”

“Mostly alternative,” I answered. The waiter brought our food at this time.

We ate in comfortable silence. We would comment on how delicious the food was every once in a while. We ordered desert: double chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream and fudge topping. The piece was huge, so we shared it. It was awesome. I haven’t something heavenly in ages.

“This is the best desert in on the word,” I said with a mouthful of ambrosia.

“I have to agree,” he laughed, taking another bite. He looked happy.

“What a happy couple,” I heard a voice comment. I turned around to see a beautiful blonde and a very handsome man walking towards us. I looked over at Nick, whose only emotion was fear.

“Nadia, Collin,” Nick nodded.

“Nick,” Collin said, extending his hand.

The girl, Nadia, kissed Nick on his cheek. “It is just lovely to see you again, Nick.”

“You too, Nadia. This is Vanessa,” he said moving his hand to me.

“Hello,” I said while standing up with the rest of them. I shook both of their hands. Then, the waiter came with the check.

“Oh, let me get this for you, Nick,” Collin offered. He seemed very arrogant, even more so than Nick. Nadia was just stuck up.

“There’s no need to. Thanks anyway, Collin,” Nick said, looking sullen. He looked over to me, embarrassed.

“Here you go,” Collin insisted, handing over his credit card. “I’ll tell dad that you said hello, okay?” He shouted over his shoulder.

“A great brother you have there,” I commented sarcastically.

“Yep, and he has my ex-girlfriend,” he sighed.

“Ouch. I’m sorry, Nick. Has he always been like that?”

“Pretty much. Let’s go,” he said and offered his arm, which I took.

The drive home was silent. It was full of tension. I didn’t even know what to say to break the ice, and it is rare for me to be lost for words. So, I sat there, freezing. He had the air condition on full blast. The fact that it had gotten colder during the evening didn’t help. I wrapped my arms around me and stared out the window. I watched as we sped through the empty highway. The trees became a big blur, the signs blended in with the scenery. I looked over to find Nick looking at me.

“You’re freezing. I’m sorry,” he apologized. He turned off the air condition and put the heater on low.

“Thanks.,” I said while rubbing my arms. We pulled up to the house a few minutes later. He hadn’t made me wear a blindfold again. I was glad to be here actually. We walked slowly to the front door and froze. The front door had been ripped off the hinges. The screen door was open. We tilted our heads to peer in.

“I’m going in there,” Nick said abruptly.

“No, you’re not. I am,” I debated.

“You? Ha! No, you are staying out here until I come back,” he argued back.

“I’m the “one” remember. I can defend myself and your ass.”

“You haven’t had the proper training and who said that who or whatever is in there wasn’t human. It might be some burglars.”

“What if its not, though? I can defend myself. I beat you the other night.”

“I let you win,” he said, becoming irritated.

“You let me kick in the balls? You let me hit them again with a stick ? Real smart. Don’t want any children?”

We stood there arguing over who was going to go in there for a few minutes when something whizzed between us, separating us. The creature looked like the one we almost hit earlier.

“I told you it looked like a fox,” Nick snapped.

“Honestly, Nick? You want to argue over this. It is not a fox obviously. It’s some creepy mutation.” I didn’t seem to change his mind. “Look at it. It’s standing two legs. It look scary and demonic.”

“They can stand up on two legs like when dogs beg.”

“I can’t believe you. You were the one telling me about how demons exist and you can’t even see one in front of your face.” I turn towards the fox-looking thing. “Will you tell him, please?”

The fox thing scrutinizes me and licks its lips. “She’s right,” it finally answered before lunging towards me.