Run Away to Me
3.
Everyone finished eating, and Paul and Denise left with Frankie after helping us clean the kitchen.
I noticed that Nick was very stiff around me. He was always kind of uncomfortable, and he avoided most physical contact with me. I wasn’t sure what it was, and I was suddenly self-conscious. It made me wonder if Joe had lied about Nick being worried about me while I was asleep. But, Joe didn’t seem like a liar, and I couldn’t see any reason why he would lie, so I tried ignoring it. I chalked it up to the face that we didn’t know each other well, and he would be comfortable around me soon. This answer didn’t satisfy me, but it was the only one I had.
“Alright, I’m going to go pick up Cassidy. You two will be fine while I’m gone, right?” Joe said, grabbing car keys off the counter. Nick and I nodded and Joe smiled.
“Okay then. Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone.” He said, winking. I laughed quietly, and Nick blushed lightly.
“Oh, and Nick, Kevin might beat me here, so just let him in.” Joe added before dashing out the door. It got extremely quiet, and I felt extremely awkward.
“So who-”
“What do-” We began talking at the same time, and we laughed.
“You first.” Nick said, motioning for me to speak. I smiled.
“I was going to ask who Kevin and Cassidy were.” I said, sitting on a beanbag in the living room. Nick got onto the couch, stretching across it, resting his head on his arms and looking at me.
“Kevin’s our older brother. He lives with his wife Danielle about 30 minutes away. Cassidy is Joe’s girlfriend.” Nick answered, watching my face carefully when he said ‘Joe’s girlfriend’. I kept a neutral face, but I was completely confused inside.
“Oh, that’s cool.” I said, throwing in a smile for good measure. Nick nodded, satisfied with my reaction.
Strange.
“So, Felicity, if you don’t mind me asking, I mean, I’m sure you’ll mind, seeing as it’s personal and all, but, uh, never mind.” Nick stammered, scratching the back of his neck nervously. I watched him with an amused smile, giggling quietly. He was adorable.
“No, it’s okay, what were you going to ask?” I asked, crossing my legs on the beanbag, sitting Indian style.
“I was going to ask you, uh, why were you outside?” Nick asked quietly, looking down at his hands.
“Oh.” I said softly, looking down at my feet and biting my thumbnail. I tried pushing the thoughts and images out of my head, but they were flooding in. The loud shouting pounded through my head, and then came the loud smack, and finally the deathly quiet. I should have been relieved that the end of the memories had finally come, but the quiet was the worst part.
“Felicity?” Nick’s soft voice brought me back to reality. I looked up and he was kneeling beside me.
“Felicity, I’m so sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have asked.” Nick said, reaching out carefully to touch my shoulder. I blinked, shaking my head. The thoughts were gone for the moment.
“No, it’s okay. I’m okay. I just...I’m fine.” I said quickly, putting on a smile. It was then we both realized how close we were. We stared at each other for a few silent seconds. This silent was different from the silence of my memories. It was filled with...something. I couldn’t place my finger on the word, but it was there. His chocolate brown eyes, which I now saw held sparks of gold, locked onto my green ones, and I was frozen, rendered speechless.
A loud knock on the door startled us both, and Nick jumped up to get it. I let out my breath, leaning back into the beanbag.
Saved by the knock. I looked up at the door to see who it was. A man who looked to be around 25 was talking to Nick with a wide smile on his face. He had the same curly hair as Nick, and I assumed this was Kevin. They walked in, followed by a nice looking woman with brunette hair, who I assumed was Kevin’s wife, Danielle. I was right on both accounts.
“Felicity, this is Kevin and Danielle. Kev, Dani, this is the girl I told you about.” Nick said, motioning towards me. I smiled, waving slightly. I stood up to shake their hands, but was hugged instead, first by Kevin, and then Danielle.
“You’re very pretty.” Danielle said matter-of-factly. I smiled.
“Thank you.” I said politely. She laughed lightly.
“You’re welcome.” She said, taking a seat on the couch next to Kevin. He wrapped his arm around her immediately, as if by instinct. I smiled, sitting back on the beanbag. Kevin and Danielle were extremely cute together. They made no huge display of their love, but it was shown in the little ways they acted around each other. My mama always said that I analyzed people and read them like books. She was right, as she usually was. I guess I had never noticed it before now.
“So Felicity, how old are you?” Kevin asked, looking over at me.
“I’m 17. My birthday was last month, October 22nd.” I said, beaming.
“That makes you about a year younger than me!” Nick said, looking over at me from his place in the armchair. I was right about his age.
“So, where’s Joe?” Kevin asked. Before Nick could even open his mouth, Danielle piped up.
“Wait. Let me guess. Cassidy.” Nick laughed and nodded.
“Bingo. He just left to go pick her up.” He said, and Kevin laughed.
“That boy is so predictable.” Danielle said with a smile, shaking her head.
We talked for a few more minutes. I learned Kevin and Danielle had been married for a year and a half, with no little ones. They were still young and had time for them though, Kevin being 25 and Danielle 23. Kevin worked as a lawyer in a small but successful firm, and Danielle was a kindergarten teacher. They were both happy with their jobs.
The subject moved to Joe and Cassidy. They had been going out for two years. He was looking for an apartment because he wanted to propose to her and he didn’t want her living in his parent’s house. Kevin, Danielle, and Nick all made me swear that I would keep it a secret. I was not to spill one single bean.
Joe worked at the record company his parents owned, working as a publicist. Kevin said it was a good job for Joe because he knew how to talk to people. Cassidy was a painter, and she sold her paintings to local businesses.
We were in the middle of talking about their old childhood dream to start a band when Joe walked in the door, followed by a pretty redheaded girl with big, dark green eyes.
“Hey, guys.” Joe said grinning widely. We all waved our greetings and the other three said hi to the girl.
“Oh! Cassidy, this is Felicity. Felicity, this is my girlfriend, Cassidy.” Joe said, introducing her proudly. Cassidy smiled widely, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“It’s nice to meet you Felicity. I’ve heard about you.” She said, stepping forward to shake my hand. I stood up and shook her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you too. I would have heard stuff about you, but you know, it’s hard to make conversation when you’re sleeping.” I said with a cheeky grin. She and Joe laughed, and Nick grinned widely for the first time, showing his teeth. My heart skipped slightly, he was absolutely stunning when he did that.
“Funny, Felicity, I wouldn’t have pinned you as a jokester.” Joe said, elbowing me in the side. I laughed, and Cassidy giggled.
“Come on Joe, you couldn’t have pinned her for anything. She was practically in a coma.” Danielle said from her place on the couch. Kevin chuckled.
“She’s got a point, Joe.” Nick said, suddenly on my other side. Joe laughed, raising his hands in defeat.
“Alright, alright.” He said, grinning widely. It fell silent for a moment, and the silence was awkward. We all looked around, grasping at air for something to talk about.
“So...awkward silences. They’re the best, aren’t they?” I said, rocking on the balls of my feet. Nick chuckled, the silence finally broken.
“Oh, yes. Just wonderful. Let’s do something, you guys.” He said, looking around the room.
“Like what?” Joe said, looking at Nick. Nick shrugged.
“I don’t care. We can go anywhere.” He said, putting his hands in his pockets.
They all thought for another silent moment. I looked between them all, watching their faces as they all thought.
“Why don’t we go out somewhere? To the mall, or to Six Flags or something?” Cassidy suggested, shrugging her shoulders. The brothers looked at each other, and then at me.
“What do you say, Felicity? Mall? Six Flags?” I thought for a moment. I had been to the mall a few times with my mom, but I had never been to the Six Flags in town. I smiled.
“Six Flags, please.” I said, my polite, shy side coming out again. I hated asking people for favors, and this seemed like a favor. Nick grinned widely, showing his teeth again. This made me smile a bit wider.
“Sounds good. Everyone else up for it?” He asked, looking around. Everyone grinned and nodded.
“Alright then, let’s go. My car?” Nick asked, and everyone nodded again.
“I have to pick up some stuff from my house, but me and Danielle will meet you guys there.” Kevin said, standing up. Nick nodded, grabbing his car keys, and the six of us walked outside.
Nick’s car was beautiful. It was a BMW convertible, shiny black. The seats were pure white, and it was gorgeous.
“Shotgun!” Joe called, grinning like a 7 year old. Cassidy and Nick laughed.
“You always get shotgun.” Cassidy said, sticking her tongue out. Joe grinned wider.
“You’re jealous.” He said, and she laughed.
“You caught me.” She said, climbing into the backseat. I smiled, watching them. They were very comfortable together, always joking around with each other. They were just as in love as Kevin and Danielle, but they showed their love differently. Theirs was a more teasing, laughing relationship.
I got into the backseat next to Cassidy, buckling my seatbelt. Nick got into the driver’s seat, starting the car.
“So, Felicity, how are you feeling?” Nick asked, turning his head slightly to look at me before looking back at the road.
“Fine. Why do you ask?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. Nick shrugged, turning out of the house.
“No reason. Just checking.” I smiled.
“Thanks.”
That was sweet.
I noticed that Nick was very stiff around me. He was always kind of uncomfortable, and he avoided most physical contact with me. I wasn’t sure what it was, and I was suddenly self-conscious. It made me wonder if Joe had lied about Nick being worried about me while I was asleep. But, Joe didn’t seem like a liar, and I couldn’t see any reason why he would lie, so I tried ignoring it. I chalked it up to the face that we didn’t know each other well, and he would be comfortable around me soon. This answer didn’t satisfy me, but it was the only one I had.
“Alright, I’m going to go pick up Cassidy. You two will be fine while I’m gone, right?” Joe said, grabbing car keys off the counter. Nick and I nodded and Joe smiled.
“Okay then. Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone.” He said, winking. I laughed quietly, and Nick blushed lightly.
“Oh, and Nick, Kevin might beat me here, so just let him in.” Joe added before dashing out the door. It got extremely quiet, and I felt extremely awkward.
“So who-”
“What do-” We began talking at the same time, and we laughed.
“You first.” Nick said, motioning for me to speak. I smiled.
“I was going to ask who Kevin and Cassidy were.” I said, sitting on a beanbag in the living room. Nick got onto the couch, stretching across it, resting his head on his arms and looking at me.
“Kevin’s our older brother. He lives with his wife Danielle about 30 minutes away. Cassidy is Joe’s girlfriend.” Nick answered, watching my face carefully when he said ‘Joe’s girlfriend’. I kept a neutral face, but I was completely confused inside.
“Oh, that’s cool.” I said, throwing in a smile for good measure. Nick nodded, satisfied with my reaction.
Strange.
“So, Felicity, if you don’t mind me asking, I mean, I’m sure you’ll mind, seeing as it’s personal and all, but, uh, never mind.” Nick stammered, scratching the back of his neck nervously. I watched him with an amused smile, giggling quietly. He was adorable.
“No, it’s okay, what were you going to ask?” I asked, crossing my legs on the beanbag, sitting Indian style.
“I was going to ask you, uh, why were you outside?” Nick asked quietly, looking down at his hands.
“Oh.” I said softly, looking down at my feet and biting my thumbnail. I tried pushing the thoughts and images out of my head, but they were flooding in. The loud shouting pounded through my head, and then came the loud smack, and finally the deathly quiet. I should have been relieved that the end of the memories had finally come, but the quiet was the worst part.
“Felicity?” Nick’s soft voice brought me back to reality. I looked up and he was kneeling beside me.
“Felicity, I’m so sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have asked.” Nick said, reaching out carefully to touch my shoulder. I blinked, shaking my head. The thoughts were gone for the moment.
“No, it’s okay. I’m okay. I just...I’m fine.” I said quickly, putting on a smile. It was then we both realized how close we were. We stared at each other for a few silent seconds. This silent was different from the silence of my memories. It was filled with...something. I couldn’t place my finger on the word, but it was there. His chocolate brown eyes, which I now saw held sparks of gold, locked onto my green ones, and I was frozen, rendered speechless.
A loud knock on the door startled us both, and Nick jumped up to get it. I let out my breath, leaning back into the beanbag.
Saved by the knock. I looked up at the door to see who it was. A man who looked to be around 25 was talking to Nick with a wide smile on his face. He had the same curly hair as Nick, and I assumed this was Kevin. They walked in, followed by a nice looking woman with brunette hair, who I assumed was Kevin’s wife, Danielle. I was right on both accounts.
“Felicity, this is Kevin and Danielle. Kev, Dani, this is the girl I told you about.” Nick said, motioning towards me. I smiled, waving slightly. I stood up to shake their hands, but was hugged instead, first by Kevin, and then Danielle.
“You’re very pretty.” Danielle said matter-of-factly. I smiled.
“Thank you.” I said politely. She laughed lightly.
“You’re welcome.” She said, taking a seat on the couch next to Kevin. He wrapped his arm around her immediately, as if by instinct. I smiled, sitting back on the beanbag. Kevin and Danielle were extremely cute together. They made no huge display of their love, but it was shown in the little ways they acted around each other. My mama always said that I analyzed people and read them like books. She was right, as she usually was. I guess I had never noticed it before now.
“So Felicity, how old are you?” Kevin asked, looking over at me.
“I’m 17. My birthday was last month, October 22nd.” I said, beaming.
“That makes you about a year younger than me!” Nick said, looking over at me from his place in the armchair. I was right about his age.
“So, where’s Joe?” Kevin asked. Before Nick could even open his mouth, Danielle piped up.
“Wait. Let me guess. Cassidy.” Nick laughed and nodded.
“Bingo. He just left to go pick her up.” He said, and Kevin laughed.
“That boy is so predictable.” Danielle said with a smile, shaking her head.
We talked for a few more minutes. I learned Kevin and Danielle had been married for a year and a half, with no little ones. They were still young and had time for them though, Kevin being 25 and Danielle 23. Kevin worked as a lawyer in a small but successful firm, and Danielle was a kindergarten teacher. They were both happy with their jobs.
The subject moved to Joe and Cassidy. They had been going out for two years. He was looking for an apartment because he wanted to propose to her and he didn’t want her living in his parent’s house. Kevin, Danielle, and Nick all made me swear that I would keep it a secret. I was not to spill one single bean.
Joe worked at the record company his parents owned, working as a publicist. Kevin said it was a good job for Joe because he knew how to talk to people. Cassidy was a painter, and she sold her paintings to local businesses.
We were in the middle of talking about their old childhood dream to start a band when Joe walked in the door, followed by a pretty redheaded girl with big, dark green eyes.
“Hey, guys.” Joe said grinning widely. We all waved our greetings and the other three said hi to the girl.
“Oh! Cassidy, this is Felicity. Felicity, this is my girlfriend, Cassidy.” Joe said, introducing her proudly. Cassidy smiled widely, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“It’s nice to meet you Felicity. I’ve heard about you.” She said, stepping forward to shake my hand. I stood up and shook her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you too. I would have heard stuff about you, but you know, it’s hard to make conversation when you’re sleeping.” I said with a cheeky grin. She and Joe laughed, and Nick grinned widely for the first time, showing his teeth. My heart skipped slightly, he was absolutely stunning when he did that.
“Funny, Felicity, I wouldn’t have pinned you as a jokester.” Joe said, elbowing me in the side. I laughed, and Cassidy giggled.
“Come on Joe, you couldn’t have pinned her for anything. She was practically in a coma.” Danielle said from her place on the couch. Kevin chuckled.
“She’s got a point, Joe.” Nick said, suddenly on my other side. Joe laughed, raising his hands in defeat.
“Alright, alright.” He said, grinning widely. It fell silent for a moment, and the silence was awkward. We all looked around, grasping at air for something to talk about.
“So...awkward silences. They’re the best, aren’t they?” I said, rocking on the balls of my feet. Nick chuckled, the silence finally broken.
“Oh, yes. Just wonderful. Let’s do something, you guys.” He said, looking around the room.
“Like what?” Joe said, looking at Nick. Nick shrugged.
“I don’t care. We can go anywhere.” He said, putting his hands in his pockets.
They all thought for another silent moment. I looked between them all, watching their faces as they all thought.
“Why don’t we go out somewhere? To the mall, or to Six Flags or something?” Cassidy suggested, shrugging her shoulders. The brothers looked at each other, and then at me.
“What do you say, Felicity? Mall? Six Flags?” I thought for a moment. I had been to the mall a few times with my mom, but I had never been to the Six Flags in town. I smiled.
“Six Flags, please.” I said, my polite, shy side coming out again. I hated asking people for favors, and this seemed like a favor. Nick grinned widely, showing his teeth again. This made me smile a bit wider.
“Sounds good. Everyone else up for it?” He asked, looking around. Everyone grinned and nodded.
“Alright then, let’s go. My car?” Nick asked, and everyone nodded again.
“I have to pick up some stuff from my house, but me and Danielle will meet you guys there.” Kevin said, standing up. Nick nodded, grabbing his car keys, and the six of us walked outside.
Nick’s car was beautiful. It was a BMW convertible, shiny black. The seats were pure white, and it was gorgeous.
“Shotgun!” Joe called, grinning like a 7 year old. Cassidy and Nick laughed.
“You always get shotgun.” Cassidy said, sticking her tongue out. Joe grinned wider.
“You’re jealous.” He said, and she laughed.
“You caught me.” She said, climbing into the backseat. I smiled, watching them. They were very comfortable together, always joking around with each other. They were just as in love as Kevin and Danielle, but they showed their love differently. Theirs was a more teasing, laughing relationship.
I got into the backseat next to Cassidy, buckling my seatbelt. Nick got into the driver’s seat, starting the car.
“So, Felicity, how are you feeling?” Nick asked, turning his head slightly to look at me before looking back at the road.
“Fine. Why do you ask?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. Nick shrugged, turning out of the house.
“No reason. Just checking.” I smiled.
“Thanks.”
That was sweet.
♠ ♠ ♠
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