Kayla searched through her closet for something to wear, something special, something he'd never seen her in before, but she didn't know what she was looking for, she didn't even know where they were going.  Damn Nick for being so elusive about everything, she thought pulling out item after item and quickly rejecting it.  Tonight was the fourth date for them, and after two movies and a  football game, she had no idea what they'd be doing or where they'd be going.   To say his asking her for a date had surprised the hell out of her would be an understatement, she didn't know whether she should say yes or not, all the complications of dating your boss.  Especially a boss who was probably still hung up on his ex, she thought cynically.  But she had said yes regardless, a decision she had yet to regret making.  She finally chose something nice, a little sexy, yet comfortable and was ready just as she heard the doorbell ring.  She quickly and nervously looked into the mirror to be sure she looked okay and checked the peep-hole to be sure it was him.  She watched him for a moment,  standing back from her door, wearing dark blue jeans and a black top, she thought she saw the hint on an orange t-shirt underneath.  He looked good.

    "Hi." She said as she opened the door to him, a warm rush of excitement coming over her.

    "Ready to go?" He asked as he stepped insided, helping her put on her coat.

    "Where are we going?"

    "Bowling." Nick stated.

    "Bowling?"

    "Yup." He grabbed a hold of her hand and led her from the apartment and down the stairs to his awaiting truck.
 

    "I haven't done this in awhile."  Kayla said tying her hideously ugly bowling shoes.

    "That's okay, I'll throw a game or two to make you feel better."

    "Good." She said smugly.

    "So do you want to make this a little more interesting?"

    "I suck Nick, I'm not  putting money on this game." She said typing their names into the computer.

    "No I mean a little game in a game?" She looked at him with confusion on her face.  "Okay, every time you get a gutter ball I get to ask you a question and you have to answer honestly, same goes for me."

    "That isn't fair."

    "Why?"

    "Because I'm gonna get all gutter balls and you probably won't get any."

    "You've never seen me play!" he smiled.

    "Fine, but  you promise to answer honestly too."

    "Yup."

    "Okay....just remember it was your idea to play this little truth game." Kayla smirked.

    "You're up." He said sitting back and watching the orange ball barely knocking one pin down, and the next fell right into the gutter.

    "See I told you I'd be getting all gutter balls!" She whined.

    "You got one!" He exclaimed.  "Okay my question:  If you  were secluded on an island for one year what three cd's would you want with you?"

    "Hmmm.  Def Leppards Vault,  James Taylor's Sweet baby james, and yours of course." She said her voice dripping in sarcasm, noticeably shot down by Nick's look.  "Okay, I guess Saturday Morning Cartoon's greatest hits." She said, the look he gave her making her laugh.

    "That is the weirdest combination I've ever heard."

    "It would have been weirder if you let me include the Backstreet Boys!  Now go, it's your turn."  Kayla laughed as he went up to bowl, the questions he asked next with each successive gutter ball she got, revealing small insignificant things about her like her favorite color or movie or how did she eat a reese peanut butter cup, yet still she hadn't been able to ask him one question.

    "Stop it Nick!" Kayla said sternly, turning back to look at him.

    "Stop what?"

    "Stop looking at my ass!"

    "Isn't that what this game is about?" He said as she spun back around and attempted to knock down some pins.  She was yet again unsuccessful.

    "No fair I was distracted." She said before he even started to ask his next question.

    "And the other eight gutter balls were because of what?"

    "Shut up.  Just because you haven't had one yet."

    "Well it's still my question: What's your all time favorite memory?"

    "What happened to all the easy questions?" She said, getting more and more dejected with each ball she threw.

    "Just answer."

    "Okay fine.  I guess it would have to be taking a road trip with my best friends a few years ago."

    "Why?" He asked.

    "I don't know.  It was just the best time I've ever had.  We told dirty stories, we sang at the top of our lungs to everything from New Kids on the Block to Aerosmith, and we laughed more than I've ever laughed in my life.  We were going to a concert, but it was the drive up that was the best part of it.  It's just something I don't get to do anymore, people move away, people change.  It's just a good memory."

    "Good answer." Nick said, his hand resting on her arm before he got up to take his turn.  Kayla watched as he threw a green ball down the lane, the pins exploding in a strike.  He turned around with a cocky grin and strutted back to an annoyed Kayla.  She didn't say anything and threw her ball, getting her first (yet very wobbly) stike.

    "Why are you pouting? You got a strike." He said.

    "Because I'm a sore loser and you have a horseshoe up your ass, and well I hate to lose okay!" She said stubbornly.  "Go on, bowl a strike or a spare, beat me by even more." She said with a flail of her hands.   "I had a really good question too."  She pouted.   Nick laughed and got up to bowl, picking up the ball, throwing it hard and fast just like he had every other time, but this time he threw it directly into the gutter.

    "Ask-a-way." He said walking back towards her, sitting down  in the molded plastic seat next to her.

    "You did that on purpose."

    "I did not.  Do you wanna ask your question or not?" He watched as she pondered that question for a moment, annoyed that he had purposefully thrown a gutter ball, more annoyed that she hadn't beaten him at something.

    "Are you ever gonna kiss me again?" She sighed with a grin.  He didn't take long to respond, holding the side of her face with his hand, leaning in with closed eyes to kiss her soft and gently on the lips.  A kiss so different from the one he had stolen at the club, a kiss that was warm and tender and returned with just as much intensity as it was being given.

    "Satisfied with that answer?" He said as he sat back in his chair.

    "That was a good answer." She smiled.  "You still have one more ball."

Nick got up from his seat and once again threw it into the gutter, although this time she wasn't so sure it was on purpose, the thought that the kiss may have affected him a little bit making her smile.

    "I guess you get the last question." He said returning to the seat next to her.

    "Okay. She said pondering what to ask.  Sudden dawning appearing in the smile on her face.   "Tell me the answer to every single question you asked me tonight!"  She stated arrogantly.

    "That's not fair!" He whined loudly.

    "You didn't put stipulations on this game.  Go on, answer!" She said.

    "Okay fine, but this is cheating!" He said folding his arms across his chest, taking a deep breath, answering almost in one continuous sentence.  "Nirvana's Nevermind, Red Hot Chili Peppers Mother's Milk, and I guess Journey's Frontiers.   Chasing Amy, Orange, pry the back off of them first, pull out all of the  peanut butter and then eat the top.  Rolling Stones, um basketball too.  Only two people know my biggest secret, sixteen, tonight's a good one but otherwise the day I met my best friend, and I dunno are you ever gonna kiss me again?"   Kayla shrugged her mouth wide in a grin.

    "I don't know, I guess you'll just have to see."

    "We done here?" He asked.

    "Yeah, definitely, let's go eat." Kayla sghed, she was famished.
 

    "So did you have a good time tonight?" He asked sheepishly as they stood in front of her apartment.

    "It would have been better if I had won, but yes.  I had a great time, thank you."

    "So I'll see you tomorrow?" He questioned, his voice full of hope.

    "Nope."

    "Why n...."

    "Remember, you guys have the meeting with Steven Kentrick, about the promo tour for the next album." She said interrupting him,  recollection dawning on him.

    "Jesus, I forgot all about that."

    "It's at 9 am, please tell me you know where it is? Because I don't."

    "Yeah, and  if not someone'll tell me." The air between them had made a strange shift from 'date' to 'work'  and they didn't know how to get it back.  "So I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow then."

    "You know where I'll be." She said, tentatively leaning up to give him a soft kiss goodbye, her hand resting on his cheek and her fingers tips sweeping over his lips as she pulled away.   She went back into her apartment, watching Nick walk down the hall through the peep-hole in the door, smiling to herself as he turned around and looked back at her door before turning the corner.   Kayla suppressed the urge to skip around her place like a ten year old, the stupid grin plastered on her face was bad enough, so she settled with a slight giggle as she turned on the cd player and filled up the bathtub with hot soapy bubbles.  Sinking into the steamy water and into the sensual jazz music that sounded from the living room, glad her roommate wasn't home so she could be alone with her thoughts of Nick.
 

    "So what's up with you?" Howie asked as the guys sat at a large board room table, quietly drinking coffee and picking at the stale muffins that had been there since yesterday, waiting for final papers to be drawn up and the suits to return.

    "Huh?" Nick said, looking up from t he piece of paper her had folded and re-folded while staring off into space.

    "You're weird today, you haven't been...."

    "No!  You know I gave that up." He said before Howie could even finish his question.  The other guys weren't paying attention to their conversation, Kevin talking on a cell phone, Brian and AJ watching day time soaps on the TV in the corner of the room.

    "So why aren't you all gloom and doom today?"

    "Nothing to be gloomy about I guess."

    "What brought this on?"

    "No one."

    "I didn't ask who brought it on, I asked what.  Who is it?"

    "No one."

    "Were you with no one last night when we tried to call you?"

    "You tried to call?"

    "We called your cell phone about a hundred times?"

    "I was bowling I left the cell at home. Why'd you call?"

    "To remind you about this meeting. You were bowling?"

    "Kayla reminded me, and yes I was bowling."

    "Is she no one?"

    "No, she's someone." Nick said.
 

"This is Sam & Kayla's place, we can't come to the phone right now, so do your thang!"

*Beeeeeeeeeep*

"Kayla I asked you to promise me that you wouldn't get involved with him, you don't know what you're doing and when things go bad don't come running to me with your broken heart in your hands because I don't want to help you.  Goddammit Kayla, all I asked is that you watch out for him, You weren't supposed to start dating the guy.  You don't know what he can do, you don't know what he's capable of and I really hoped you wouldn't find out.  If you're smart you'll end this before it goes to far, before he does to you what he did to...."

*Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep*
 

Chapter 6

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