I Think I Love You

I was stunned to say the least. I knew he wanted me from the conversation I overheard earlier, but I thought that was more of a sexual attraction. I had no clue he loved me. My mouth hung open and I had to say something quick, before he got hurt again. "Wow," was all I managed to say. He smiled, making me smile. "That's a lot to take in."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I'm glad you did. I just expected some lame ass excuse about how your parents wouldn't let you back out." He laughed, staring into my eyes. I stood on my tip-toes and threw my arms around his neck. He tightly wrapped his arms around my waist and held me. When I pulled away, I kissed his cheek. "Come on." I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.

"Hey, is everything alright between you two?" I smiled at Ez.

"Everything's peachy," he said as he sat down on the sofa. I sat down on his lap and rested my head on his chest.

"I think things are a little bit more than peachy," Quellie said. I giggled and said,

"Nope. Just peachy."

"Alrighty then." I yawned and said,

"I'm going to bed. See you guys in the morning." I stood and went up to my room. Now that all was right with the world, I was able to relax. I fell asleep shortly after I closed my eyes.

*

Around three, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. So I got up and went to Ez's room. I sat down on his bed gently and shook him. "Ez, wake up." He opened his eyes and just looked at me.

"I'm not asleep."

"Oh."

"What's up?"

"I can't go back to sleep." He moved over and patted the space next to him. I laid down, facing him. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. I nuzzled my face in his neck and he sighed. "What?"

"I feel like a yo-yo. Like, you're just toying with me." I pulled away to look him in the eye.

"Ez, I care for you deeply. I promise, I'm not trying to hurt you."

"I know." I buried my face back in his neck. He smelled like Axe, but not as strong. "Go to sleep." It was amazing how on my own I couldn't sleep, but with Ez I was out like a light.

I woke up around twelve and went downstairs, where everyone else was. "Good morning, sleepyhead," Ez said when he saw me.

"Hey." I rubbed my eyes and sat down on his lap. Abby and Stefan looked at each other in shock.

"What's going on here?" Abby asked.

"Nothing," Ez said.

"Okay." Abby acted as if she didn't believe him. I didn't blame her. We were awfully close.

"So, what time are we leaving for the airport?" I asked.

"Five, so be ready," Abby said.

"Okay." I got up and went up to my room to finish packing.

*

By the time five rolled around, I had finished packing and was all ready to leave. We took Abby's car to the airport. When we go there, we all flashed our round-trip tickets and boarded the plane. I sat between Ez and Quellie and Abby and Stefan sat together in front of us. I laid my head on Ez's shoulder and closed my eyes.

It was a long flight, so when we arrived in New York, I was ready to be off of the plane. It felt good to be back on the East Coast, where winters are cold and summers are hot. We each grabbed our bags and yeilded a taxi. Stefan sat up front with the driver and the rest of us squeezed into the back. That was most definitely a sight to see.

We got off at the Hilton, paid the driver, and went to check in. Abby, Stefan and Quellie got one room, and Ez and I got another. Luckily, the rooms were right across the hall from each other. We got settled in and I went into the bathroom to change my clothes. When I came out of the bathroom, Ez was kicked back on one of the beds watching TV, in his boxers. I nearly fainted. I guess this was the night for less clothing, considering what I was wearing. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste and went back into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I decided while in the bathroom, I was going to fuck with Ez's head. So I took my robe off and draped it over the towel rack, then went back into the main room. I glanced at Ez's face, noticing he wasn't paying any attention to me. Maybe he noticed me, but didn't want to say anything. It was surprisingly comfortable walking around in just my bra and panties.

I sat down on the other bed and texted Quellie.

There's a party going on over here!

A few moments later, there was a knock on our door. I got up to answer it. It was Quellie, who just stood in our doorway wide-eyed. "Why don't you have any clothes on?!" I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom, shutting the door. "Answer my question!"

"I'm trying to get Ez's attention," I whispered.

"You don't need to be half-naked to achieve that."

"I just want to see what he'll say. Watch his expression for a minute." I walked out of the bathroom and bent over to dig through my duffel for my brush. When I straightened out, I stretched, poking out my chest. I wasn't looking at Ez, but Quellie was. I pulled her back into the bathroom and asked, "What did he do?"

"He didn't look at you." I pouted. "Did you want him to?"

"A little." She grinned.

"You like him!" she shouted. I slapped my hand over her mouth.

"Shh!"

"You do! Oh my gosh, this is so awesome!" I laughed.

"Okay, you can leave now." When she left, I sat down on my bed. "Ez?" I asked. He didn't look at me when he said,

"Yeah?" I took my time with what I was about to say. It wasn't an easy thing to ask, and I didn't want to hurt him. I had to ask though. So I said,

"Do you really love me?" He finally cut the TV off and looked at me.

"You know I do. Why?" He sat up and came over to sit with me.

"You didn't look at me when I came out of the bathroom. You used to make these adorable faces whenever you saw my body, but you didn't even glance at me." He laughed. "It's not funny!"

"Nikki, I didn't look at you because I know that you don't want me that way. I would only be hurting myself looking at you, knowing I can never have you." I looked into his eyes.

"How do you know I don't want you?"

"I know because all you ever talk about is how we'll only ever be friends."

"Oh." I looked back down at my hands.

"Am I mistaken?" He raised his eyebrows at me. I looked back up and hugged him. He took his time, but wrapped his arms around me. I pulled away, our faces just inches apart. I had to weigh my options. I could kiss him and give him what he wanted, or I could not kiss him and disappoint him greatly. Did you know, you make up your mind about something within the first few seconds? I knew my mind was already made up. I took the plunge, and kissed him. It was just a light peck on the lips, but it showed my true feelings for him. When I pulled away, I smiled at him.

"You are."