I Think I Love You

I was so happy to finally be off of the plane. Those five and a half hours were excruciating. The little kid next to me whined almost the entire flight and it got really old really fast. I made my way through the nicely tanned crowd of people to the benches. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed daddy. "Nikki!" He answered on the first ring.

"Hey daddy."

"How was your flight?"

"Don't even ask." I rolled my eyes.

"That bad?"

"Yep."

"Well at least it's over with." There was a long silence and I noticed a tall, blonde-haired woman in all pink staring at me. She looked as if she wanted to approach me, but didn't know how.

"I have to go, but I'll call you later."

"Is Abageal there to pick you up?"

"I think so."

"Okay. Have fun and play nice." I couldn't help but smile.

"I will." I ended the call and stuffed my phone back in my pocket. I stood and walked over to the woman. "Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to be Abageal Spencer, would you?" The woman lit up.

"Nikolette Graham?" My nerves kicked in and made it hard for me to speak, so I nodded. The woman wrapped her arms around me in a big bear hug. "Oh my God, you're gorgeous!" I looked at her weirdly. "Oh, sorry." She backed off some. "Yes, I'm Abageal, but you can call me Abby. Here, let me take those for you." She reached out and took my two suitcases. My bookbag was slung over my shoulder. "Come along, Nikolette. We have much to do before tonight." My stomach churned.

"W-what's tonight?"

"Your welcoming party, silly!" I felt like I could've dropped dead right there. I followed her out to a lavender colored Ford Escape, where she threw my bags in the back seat. I buckled up as she revved the engine to life. Stains by Janus was blasting through the speakers and I smiled a little at her taste in music.

As we drove, she rambled on about her son, Ezekiel, and how she just knew I'd love him. "You won't meet him until tonight at the party, but I just know that you two will click. You look like his type. Well, almost." I wondered what was missing, but I was pretty sure she'd tell me. "We have to get you all dolled up and out of those rags." I just rolled my eyes.

About twenty minutes later, Abby pulled into the parking lot of Tabitha's Nails. She lead me inside and as I sat down, she rang the little bell on the counter. A few seconds later, a tall woman with black hair and bright blue eyes came around the corner. "Abby!" the woman said.

"Tabitha!" Abby responded. They hugged and began talking. It seemed like Abby had completely forgotten about me until she said, "Tabitha, I'd like you to meet someone." She came over to grab my hand and pull me over. "Tabitha, this is Nikolette." Tabitha's jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me?" Was that good or bad? "She's absolutely divine!" That answered that question. "Come on back ladies." Abby smiled at me.

Abby claimed the station closest to the wall and gestured for me to sit at the one next to her. "Everyone, this beautiful young lady is Nikolette, Ezekiel's fiancee." Tabitha said. All the girls in the room smiled at me. I figured Abby had been telling everyone about me. I mean, why else would all of these strangers care about me? "What were you thinking for Nikolette, Abby? French?"

"You read my mind! Depending on the condition of her toes, she might need a pedicure as well." The two laughed and Tabitha said,

"Kick 'em off, Nikolette." referring to my shoes. I untied the laces and slid my feet out, revealing chipped silver nail polish. "Oh yes, you are in desperate need of a pedicure." Everyone giggled and I blushed with embarrassment. My feet weren't that bad. I mean, they didn't even stink. "Faith, work your magic." The girl on the other side of the station I was seated at, Faith I assumed, grinned at me.

"You're one lucky girl. Every girl in town wants a piece of Ezekiel. That boy is mighty fine," Faith said. I had to bite my lip to hide a smile. This Ezekiel person couldn't be as amazing as I've heard. Nobody's that amazing.

I've never had a manicure before and I highly doubt I'll ever get one again. Faith asked me how long I wanted the tips of my nails, and I told her I wanted to be able to text. She obviously didn't listen, seeing as she added a half an inch to my natural nail. She painted a thin, glittery, silver line between the tip and the base of my nail, then sent me over to dry them. When they were dry, I went and sat in the big chair with the foot spa on the floor. Another girl, Hannah, removed the silver polish from my toenails, then scrubbed my feet in an exfoliating scrub. She took my feet out of the spa and applied the white tips. Hannah also swiped on a matching silver line, then sent me over to dry my toes.

When Abby and I were finished, we went up to the cash register to pay. "How much do I owe you?" Abby asked Tabitha.

"This one's on the house." Abby grinned.

"Thanks! Lets get going, Nikolette. We still have a lot to do." I followed Abby out to her car. "We have to make one quick stop before we head home," Abby said as she revved the engine to life. It sounded weird hearing that, but I guess this was my new home now.