I Choose You (5 page)

             
That image alone should have sent warning bells off in his head; but instead, he raised his hand and knocked loudly.

             
“Where’s the fire?” Roni asked when she opened the door. “Jeez, Kent, it sounded like you were bustin’ down the door.”

             
“Is Nic here?” Kent asked quickly, hoping to bypass his sister and get the groveling over with.

             
He should have known better.

             
Roni leaned against the doorjamb and grinned up at him, leaving him no choice but to continue to stand there awkwardly in the hall.

             
“Oh, you’re here to see, Nic, huh?” Roni teased. “Did you get my texts?”

             
Kent rolled his eyes at her and said, “Yeah, all nine-hundred of them.” Then he put his hand up and easily moved her out of his way.

             
He walked inside and looked around their living space.

             
“Is she here?” He asked Roni, turning back to her as she closed the door.

             
“Yeah,” Roni replied as she went back to the couch and turned the volume on the TV up. “She’s in her room. Don’t disappoint me, Bro.”

             
Kent decided to ignore her taunt, instead walking over to the closed door and raising his fist to knock again.

             
“Come in,” Nicole called from inside her room.

             
Kent took a deep breath and opened the door. He stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind him, watching Nicole with every move he made.

             
She sat in the corner of her room at a small wooden desk. She was facing her laptop and typing furiously. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she had on running shorts and a Nike t-shirt.

             
She looked amazing.

             
Kent cleared his throat loudly, hoping to get her attention, but Nicole seemed oblivious to anything except whatever she was working on.

             
He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and whip her head towards him.

             
Her mouth formed a pretty O, and Kent noticed that she was wearing pink glasses.

             
It took her a moment to process what was happening, and he could tell the moment that it registered.

             
She flung her glasses onto the desk and rose quickly, hitting her hip on the desk as she did.

             
“Shoot.” She yelled, rubbing her hip and looking at him warily. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was you at the door.”

             
“That’s alright,” Kent chuckled. “You okay?”

             
Nicole nodded and took a step back, suddenly all too aware of the fact that she was alone, with Kent, in her bedroom.

             
“What’s up?” She asked nervously.

             
Kent gestured to the reading chair she had next to the window. “Do you mind if I sit?”

             
Nicole shook her head no, then sat back down in her desk chair, seeking safety from the desk that stood between them.

             
Kent started to sit, then realized that he was still holding the flowers.

             
“Oh, I um… got these for you,” He said awkwardly as he thrust the bouquet towards her. He cursed himself for acting like a freaking schoolboy, but couldn’t help but feel happy at the look of pure pleasure that crossed her face as she accepted the daisies.

             
“Thank you,” Nicole said softly, burying her face in the happy blossoms.

             
“Sure,” Kent said absently, his body tightening swiftly as he looked at her. He backed up to grab a seat and told himself to just spit it out already.

             
“Look,” he began, “the last couple times we’ve met up I’ve really made an ass of myself. First, that night at the bar when I man-handled you in front of Bree, then last night. I acted the way I always act with girls I’m interested in, but I know that I need to treat you differently.”

             
“What?” Nicole tried to deny what he was saying, while in the back of her mind, the fact that he’d said he was “interested” in her was making her insides go haywire. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. You don’t have to treat me differently.”

             
“I do, Nic. You aren’t just one of the girls that I usually pick up in the bar. I know you, I like you, and you’re my sister’s roommate. I should have treated you with more respect, and I apologize.”

             
“I like you too, Kent, just the way you are. I don’t want you to think you have to act differently around me. I’m nothing special, honest.” Nicole said worried that he was already putting her in the friend zone, and that she would never get a chance with him.

             
Kent stood abruptly and walked over to her, bending down and lifting her chin so that he was looking directly in her eyes.

             
He wanted her to see that he was telling her the truth, and to make sure that she heard him.

             
“You are special, Nic. You aren’t just looking for a good time, and you don’t deserve to be treated like you are. I swear that when I asked you to come to my place, I wasn’t expecting you to hop into my bed; I just wanted to get to know you better. I approached it totally wrong, and I don’t want to make that mistake again. I came by today to make amends, and to ask if you’d like to go out on a date with me.”

             
Nicole blinked slowly, her brain working hard to catch up with her pounding heart.

             
“Yes,” She said breathlessly, caught by the intensity of his grey eyes. “I’d like that.”

             
Kent’s grin was swift and broad.

             
“Great. When’s your next evening off?” He asked softly, his gaze dropping momentarily from her eyes to her lips, as he released his hold on her chin.

             
“Um, Thursday,” She replied, licking her lips to moisten them. Her mouth had gone dry under his perusal.

             
Kent stood upright, pausing to brush a disheveled lock of hair behind her ear before he turned to walk out of her room.

             
He paused at the door and turned to her before exiting.

             
“I’ll pick you up at six.” Kent promised with a smile, then he walked out, leaving Nicole sitting at her desk, smiling softly at the empty doorway.

Chapter Six

              Nicole was so nervous, she felt like she might be sick. Her clothes were strewn across her bed, chair, and desk. She couldn’t find anything to wear on her date with Kent.

             
Roni stood in the doorway, watching Nicole search frantically through her belongings, and couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her.

             
Nicole turned quickly at the sound; the look on her face betrayed her nerves.

             
“It’s just Kent,” Roni assured her. “He won’t care what you’re wearing.”

             
Nicole threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

             
“I’ve seen the way he dresses, I know he cares… And besides, I care,” Nicole argued. “I want to look nice for our first real date.”

             
“Nic, you look great in sweats. Plus, you have
amazing
clothes. I would kill for your wardrobe.” Roni walked in and started going through the clothes on the bed. “What are you thinking? A dress? Or maybe jeans and a cute top?”

             
“I don’t know,” Nicole wailed as she threw herself atop her clothes and covered her eyes with her hands.

             
Roni picked a pretty navy blue dress off of the pile and held it up. “This.”

             
Nicole uncovered her eyes and peaked out at Roni.

             
“You think?” She asked.

             
“Yes. I love the tiny flowers and the neckline. I bet it looks great on you.” Roni held it out to her and nodded, encouraging Nicole to put it on.

             
Once she put the dress on, it was easy to accessorize and finish getting ready. She just finished putting her makeup on when she heard Roni letting Kent in the apartment.

             
Her stomach started to jump and dance at the sound of his voice on the other side of the wall.

             
Nicole took one last look in the mirror and smiled. She couldn’t believe she was actually going on a date with Kent.

             
She took a deep breath and opened her door. Kent and Roni were talking in the kitchen; he turned at the sound of her approach, and smiled broadly at her.

             
“Wow,” he exclaimed, looking her up and down with appreciation. “You look beautiful.”

             
He walked out of the kitchen to take her hand. She couldn’t help but melt a bit when he brought it to his lips.

             
“Thank you,” Nicole replied softly.

             
“Oh, Lordy.” Roni stated.

             
They both ignored her as Kent guided Nicole to the door, by placing his hand at the small of her back.

             
“See you later,” Kent said to his sister as they left.

             
“Don’t stay out too late,” Roni called after them with a chuckle.

             
As they slid into Kent’s truck he said, “I hope you like barbecue.”

             
Nicole turned to look at his handsome profile with a smile.             

             
“I
am
from Texas.”

             
Kent chuckled at that and pulled away from the apartment.

             
Nicole realized that neither Roni nor Kent had ever mentioned where they were from, so she figured it was the perfect time to ask.

             
“I grew up in Dallas, where are you from?” She prompted.

             
Kent didn’t reply right away, but debated with himself about how much he was willing to reveal. He didn’t usually talk to people about his family. Not even Bree knew about his upbringing that was knowledge shared by him and Roni alone.

             
“Detroit,” he said finally.

             
“Really?” She asked, surprised. “I never would have guessed. I’ve never been, do you miss it?”

             
Kent bit back a bitter laugh, instead shaking his head.

             
“No.” He realized how abrupt he must sound, so he tried to shift the conversation to Nicole. “How about you? Do you miss Dallas?”

             
Nicole looked out the window, realizing that Kent didn’t know anything about her. She had discussed her past with Briana and with Roni, but this was her first real conversation with Kent. She knew she would have to tell him everything eventually, if she hoped to have any sort of a real relationship, but she wanted to keep it light tonight.

             
“No, I’m happy here,” she replied.

             
“Me too,” he admitted. “I never planned to settle down here, and have been putting my resume out, but I have to admit this town is growing on me.”

             
“Are you applying at newspapers, or are you looking for a different line of work?”

             
“Newspapers. I ‘ve applied to all of the big city papers, but it’s a rough time to get hired in journalism right now.”

             
Nicole’s stomach dropped at the thought of Kent getting hired on somewhere else and moving away, but she didn’t say anything

             
Kent pulled into a parking spot and turned to her. “Have you ever been here?”

             
Nicole looked at the barbecue joint and shook her head. “I’ve heard its good, though.”

             
“Let’s go find out,” Kent said, and they got out of the car.