Chapter 55: 55 Secrecy


    Secrecy


    - the act of keeping information secret; the quality or state of being hidden or secret


    Origin: English


    55


    "You have got to be kidding me!" He says.


    Iughed as I watch him take off his shirt and now he''s left alone with his white boxers while I''m still on


    my blue Sunday dress. I watch him as he push his hair back, god he''s so handsome.


    God I could see his crotch as the wet thin clothing sticks to it.


    "Staring at my crotch?" He teased.


    I rolled my eyes at him and smiled away.


    It was still raining and we''re still ying this game. It''s fun though and I love how he strips in front of


    me.


    "Why are you so good at this?" He groans while smirking.


    "Now you see I''m not the girly girl."


    "Well yeah but I seriously can''t wait until you miss a shot then you''ll get to take off that dress." He grins.


    "Perv." I smirked.


    "A handsome perv."


    I tried to suppress my smile. "Well the ball''s still in my hand though so... Lay-up."


    I ran to the ring while dribbling, grasping the ball with my two hands. I leaped from below, raising the


    ball in front of my face with one hand and bank it into the basket.


    "Yes!" I chimed.


    "And the crowd screams!" I whisperingly yell as I imitate a cheering crowd.


    Nickughs.


    "You''re 6''4 and yet you suck at basketball. Like seriously Nick." I teased with a soft chuckle.


    Nick stares at me with a half smirk. "Hey, nobody''s perfect."


    I smiled in agreement


    It was Nick''s turn, he dribbles and did the exact same thing and he was sessful about it too. "My


    turn." He says proudly, grasping the ball on his hand.


    "Dunk." He says.


    I gaped. "No fair. I can''t dunk."


    "We''re ying basketball, aren''t we?"


    I squinted my eyes at him as I cross my arms together. "Oh how bad can it be. I know I can do it."


    "Good luck shorty." He teases me and thenughs.


    Nick starts dribbling the ball, crossing it in between his legs with a smile on his face. He starts running


    then jumps up so high enough while he leaps, lifts the ball above the rim and throws it through the.


    "And Wilde scores!" He yells.


    Iughed as I dramatically pped.


    "Good. Good." I say.


    "You saw that? I was flying. Now that''s what we call a dunk." He boasts.


    I steal the ball from him as I stood right across the ring. Shit, I don''t know if I can jump high like Nick


    and I don''t think my hands aren''t that big enough to control the ball. I did the exact same thing that Nick


    did, I jumped as high as I could.


    He bursted inughter.


    I failed.


    He bites his lip, "Strip for me."


    I shake my head in disbelief that I missed a shot. Ugh, Cameron never taught me how to dunk and well


    it came in handy though. At least I''m teasing Nick right now. I started taking off my dress and his eyes


    never leaving me. I ced it on top of his wet clothes as now I''m left with my white underwear.


    "It has gotta be white. Nice." He says.


    Nick walks towards me with the ball in his hand. "One on one?" He asked.


    I smirked. "Do we have to strip?"


    "It''s too unfair for me. You''ve got two left on you. I only have one. How about loser''s have to end up


    doing anything the winner''s have in mind."


    "Three points."


    "Okay. Three--"


    I quickly stole the ball from his hand, cutting him off from what he was gonna say and ran to the board


    as I dribble.


    "Hey that''s called cheating!" Nick calls out.


    Iughed as I did anotheryup. "In your face, Wilde. Let''s base on one point each shot. 1-0."


    As the one on one game kept going on, my wet skin against his wet skin and I loved it. He''d ce his


    arms around me then steals a kiss but he''s the one that gets distracted easily when I kiss him. I kind of


    a little bit cheated. Nick is good with basketball. His height and huge hands were a big potential for him


    to win this but I want to win this. Cos if ever I win this, I want him to tell me everything about Catherine.


    That''s why I need to cheat so I could win. Even though I was clearly cheating, we still tied in two points.


    Now I''m panting, he''s panting.


    The ball''s on his hands, he''s dribbling it. I have to steal it or else he''ll win. I reached for the ball, he did


    a crossover so quickly and ran so fast to the ring that I couldn''t catch him. He leaps up below the ring


    and banks the ball inside the basket.


    I sigh and then he looks at me. He knows I''m sad that he won. I really wanted to win this.


    "Didn''t see thating." He chuckles.


    I smiled ruefully. "Whatever."


    Nickughs and starts grabbing our clothes. He hooks his arm around my neck and I looked up to him.


    He nted a three-second kiss on my forehead.


    "It''s just a game. Let''s go get inside and heat up. My balls are freezing." He says.


    I chuckled.


    ?????


    Around ten in the evening, when I was done having a hot shower with Nick, literally hot cos we had


    lukewarm water to warm us up. I quickly changed to Nick''s loose shirt and pulled my dolphin shorts up


    with no underwear on me since the one I had was wet cos of a while ago. I grabbed a towel and


    headed to Nick''s room as I rubbed my hair.


    "Nick?" I called out to him.


    The door opens and he was already on his ck jogging pants with no shirt on. He was also rubbing


    his hair.


    "Hey." He greets.


    "So, what do I have to do now?"


    He smirked and opens the door wider. Both of us headed inside his room with the lights all on. I sat


    down on the bed while he grabs a grey sleeveless on then puts it on him.


    "Since you were so bummed about my win." He trails.


    "I wasn''t bummed!"


    "Ohe on that crestfallen look when I made that dunk for my final point."


    I rolled my eyes at him.


    "And because it''s my birthday, I''m giving you my win." He added.


    "No way?" I chimed.


    "Go on. You can tell me what you want me to do. I''m your ve, mommy."


    I gaped and thenughed softly.


    "You like that? Mommy?" He teases.


    "Stop it. Please. It''s disgusting and I''m not that old." I chuckled.


    He''s just smiling so handsomely.


    I paused. "You''re not taking it back? Make a promise."


    "Promise." He says.


    "Put your right hand up and say you promised." I watch him.


    He didn''t.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    "Go on Nick. Put your hand up and say it." I demanded.


    He does it, "I promise. There."


    I exhale while I watch him rubbing his towel on his hair. I nced at the frames and the solo picture of


    Catherine wasn''t there anymore. I moved my eyes back to Nick and he''s also looking at me.


    "I want you to..." I trailed off.


    He raised his eyebrows up.


    "I want you to tell me about your past... Your past with... her." I pointed out to the picture as he looks at


    it over his shoulder.


    Nick looks back at me. "Anything but not this Savannah. Please."


    "No Nick. I wanna know. I wanna know about her. I wanna know about you and her. I wanna know


    everything about you. Let me in, please."


    "No! I''m not gonna let you in! Why do you want so much to butt in in my past?! What''s so important that


    you need to know about it?! What''s--"


    "Because I want to know why you loved her so much that you can''t love any other woman anymore!" I


    raised my voice.


    He looks at me ruefully.


    "I wanna be better than her! For you! I wanna show you that I can be better than Catherine! Why is that


    so hard to do Nick? Why?" I sounded like almost a cry.


    He closes his eyes and exhales. The room was quiet and so were we. I look at him but his head was


    still bent down low. His eyes weren''t still looking at me. I waited for him to speak but he didn''t. I exhaled


    heavily.


    "Fine." I blurted.


    He slightly pulled his head up as I stand on my feet. "Never mind Nick."


    I started turning my back to him and walked away but he grabbed my wrist. I halted when he pulled my


    wrist back.


    "I met her on the summer of 2008." I hear Nick starting to speak.


    I looked at him over my shoulder but he''s not looking back at me. I turned to face him again and sat


    back down on the bed. He''s still not looking at me. I glued my eyes on him cos I wanna look at him


    while he talks about her. I wanna look at him and how he talks about Catherine. I wanna listen to his


    voice on how he talks about the only girl he loves even though this will hurt me and rip me apart.


    "I was sixteen and so was she. She was new in this town." He says.


    This town.


    "That night my mom went out for a date, yeah my parents were divorced, I was left here in the house to


    guard over Tracy and her friend that wasing for a sleepover. That was Jenna. Jenna was


    Catherine''s little sister. Catherine was the one who apanied her here that night. Catherine was...


    Catherine was truly captivating. The moment I saw her standing right outside the doorstep, I told myself


    right away that she was the one. She was perfect to me. She''s so beautiful." He says with so much


    adorn in his voice.


    He pulls his head up and looks at me. "Do you really wanna hear this? I don''t wanna hurt you."


    "I do." I choke a sob.


    I honestly don''t.


    He exhales.


    "We spent the entire night together here, she slept over here too. We just talked...a lot andughed a


    lot. After that night, we were..." Heughed humorlessly. "We were inseparable. We always spend the


    day and night together. Always together on that entire summer. I loved her with all my heart and she


    loved me back. It was that time when I confirmed that I wanted to be with her and only her. She--"


    He looks at me. "You''re crying." He says.


    I quickly wiped my tears with the back of my hand. "No. No. No. Go on Nick."


    "No Savannah. I don''t want to hurt you. It''s hurting both you and me." He says.


    "Nick please I need to know about her."


    He wipes another tear that escapes my eyes. "When you and I are both ready for this, I''ll tell you."


    "I''m ready."


    He shakes his head. "You''re not. You''re saying you are but you''re not. I don''t wanna hurt you


    Savannah. I really don''t wanna hurt you again afterst night."


    I look at him and he looks back at me with so much concern in his eyes. I know Nick is concerned of


    me. I know he doesn''t wanna hurt me anymore but even the thought of Catherine and those times they


    spent together makes me feel like I''m in so much in pain.


    "Don''t sacrifice too much for me cos I''m not worth it." He says.


    He taps the bed. "Let''s sleep?"


    I nod.


    Right now, there are things that I''ve realized after what he briefly said to me, he doesn''t want me to talk


    about his past cos Catherine owns it. He doesn''t want me to expect for a future out of this thing that we


    have cos he doesn''t see it with me, he only sees his future with Catherine.


    ?????


    The following Monday morning, I woke up way db early in Nick''s bed but I was alone. He wasn''t beside


    me. I quickly pulled myself up and sat down on the mattress. I looked around and I was really alone.


    "Nick?" I called out his name.


    I hurriedly slipped myself off the bed and headed out of his room then stumbled my way down the


    stairs. As I was about to call out to Nick, I saw him talking to Mr. Moore right outside the the front door.


    Mr. Moore was just nodding and they were having a serious conversation. Nick handed him money and


    then Mr. Moore started heading back to his car. I slowly stepped down thest step of the staircase and


    Nick marches back inside the house.


    "You''re up." He looked surprised.


    I stared at him eagerly. "How long have you been up?"


    "Two hours ago."


    I nod as I gaze at the clock, 7:30AM


    We were both quiet. He heads to the kitchen and I followed him there too.


    "What was Mr. Moore doing here?" I asked him as I grab a banana from the fruit basket.


    He gazed at me. "Nothing."


    "He doesn''te here this early." I said.


    Nick stared at me eagerly while I was waiting him to answer. He quickly looked away, "Yeah."


    He nced at me. "You''re hungry? I made waffles before we''ll leave."


    I nod at him.


    Why do I sense it that he''s hiding something from me?


    __________


    SFTC:


    Violin - Amos Lee