Planning on Forever (13 page)

Oh
my god, they're from Nolan? Eeek! I run over to grab the note that is sticking
out of them, smelling the flowers before reading it.

Overwhelmed
with excitement, and in my own lala land, I forget that my mom asked me a
question. “Alexa! Who is Nolan sweetheart?” my mom asks again, snapping me out
of my gaze.

“Huh?
Sorry, I didn't hear you. What’d you say?” Still smiling like some lovesick
puppy.

“Are
you going to tell me who this Nolan is?” she repeats with a chuckle.

“Only
the most amazing guy, ever! Amanda and I met him yesterday afternoon, and he
met us at the club last night with some friends.”

My
mom sighs with a concerned look on her face. “Honey, just be careful. I’m sure
he is a nice guy, but you just got out of a serious relationship. Don't you
think it’s too soon to start dating again?”

Maybe,
but that doesn't mean I’m going to just walk away from something that feels
unbelievably good.

“I'm
good, mom. Don't worry so much,” I tell her, giving her a hug.

Scooping
my flowers up, I run back to my room so I can call Nolan to say thank you.
Lying down on my bed, I dial his number. He answers on the second ring. “Hey,
doll.” I smile to myself, loving the sound of his voice and picturing his face
and sexy grin when he answered.

“Thank
you for my flowers, they’re stunning.”

“You're
very welcome, I’m glad you like them. I had a great time with you last night.”
He even sounds hot over the phone.

Two
hours later, we finally hang up. We make plans to go out to dinner tomorrow
night since it’s already getting late. I have to work the mid shift tomorrow,
but I should have enough time to come home and get changed before he picks me
up
.

– COLLIN –

It’s
been two days since I saw Alexa in the club. Although she didn't deny whether
she loved and missed me still, she did say that it didn't matter anymore. How
can she say that? It's hard to forget someone that gave you so much to
remember. I don't think I’ll ever get over Alexa; she’s
always
on my
mind.

What
confuses me even more is that she has been posting things on Facebook about
loving again, and not denying feelings. She hasn't posted anymore pictures and
her relationship status still says single, so are these words meant for me?
This girl is definitely screwing with my head. She tells me she needs space and
that our feelings for each other don't matter anymore, but then she posts
comments like that.

WHAT
DO YOU WANT ALEXA?

Workouts
have been going well; we don't discuss Alexa at all. After the night at the
club, I think the guys are afraid to. They had the pleasure of watching me beat
the shit out of my punching bag that night when we got home. Along with being
anti-Alexa, we’ve been doing a lot of fishing and things we use to do back in
the day, when girls didn’t rule our lives. My focus remains on football; it’s
the only thing in my life right now that I have complete control over.

We
decide to go back to the bar that Troy works at tonight. Apparently, Monday
nights are dead so we should be able to just chill and play pool without a
crowd.

Walking
into the bar, we see Troy wasn’t lying; there’s maybe a handful of people sitting
at the bar. Snagging a pool table, Troy joins us carrying a pitcher of beer and
four glasses. Being that the bar is so slow, he volunteers to be our fourth
player.

“Yo,
Collin. That girl Summer from the other night was asking about you,” Troy says
to me.

“Oh
yeah, you know her?”

“Yeah,
man. She works here...nice girl.”

Huh.
And, she’s pretty cute, too. Probably thinks I’m a prick though for running off
on her, thanks to another weak Alexa moment.

“What'd
she have to say?” Maybe I still have a chance.

“She
asked what your story is.”

I
chuckle, wondering exactly
what
my story is. That's something I’d like
to know myself.

“I
just told her you grew up with my brother, big into football, no girlfriend.”
Showing him a sign of relief, he continues. “I didn't say anything about Alexa,
man. That's not my story to tell...She seems interested though, I can get her
number for ya if you want it?”

I
wouldn't mind getting to know her a little better. “Yeah, bro. She’s a cute
girl.”

“She's
bartending tomorrow night, I'll ask her.”

– ALEXA –

At
exactly seven o'clock, Nolan pulls in my driveway. He told me to dress casual,
so I have a pair of khaki shorts on with my favorite black halter top that
makes my boobs look big, and a pair of black flip flops. My mom knocks on my
door and peeps her head in. “Honey, you have a very handsome man waiting out
here for you when you're ready.”

Oh
no, I hope my parents aren’t grilling him.
It’s been so long since I’ve
brought a new guy around; I have no clue how they’re going to respond to Nolan.
They’ve been so used to Collin–the all American boy. Nolan has a more edgy look
to him, and I have no clue if he is into sports which seems to be of importance
to my dad.

Walking
down the hallway, I see the three of them sitting together in the living room.
Nolan is talking about school and his major.
Yup, they're grilling him.
He doesn't look nervous though. He looks comfortable and unaffected by it, and
of course, gorgeous; I could stare at him forever. He has his blonde hair slicked
back as usual, and a tight white t-shirt that showcases his defined biceps on.
I can see tattoos peeking out of each sleeve, some kind of black artwork on
both sides. He has on faded blue jeans with frayed holes on both knees, and
black boots to complete his outfit. Coming up beside the chair he is sitting
in, I rest my hand on his shoulder. Looking up at me with his mesmerizingly
blue eyes, he places his hand on mine.

“Hey,
doll,” he says in his husky voice that I love, making me smile from ear to ear.

“I
hope they haven't scared you away yet,” I reply, hoping that my parents weren't
bad enough to send him running.

“Not
at all, they’re very nice people,” Nolan says, giving them a friendly grin.

“Well,
we should get going then,” I urge, eager to see what he has planned for us.
After Nolan shakes my parent’s hands, we walk out the door.

Just
as I suspected, he has a “mans” car, a 1976 Chevy Camaro. I only know this
because he told me. Noticing how well taken care of it is, I know it’s his
baby. I don't know what it is with guys and their cars, but you can tell that
this car is important to him. He reaches over and squeezes my hand. Grinning,
he winks at me, making my face turn a shade of red.

“So,
what's on the agenda tonight?” I ask, breaking the silence.

“You'll
see,” he says, smiling at me with a mysterious look.

The
weather is really crappy tonight. It’s been raining all day and is muggy out,
so I’m hoping that whatever we're doing is inside, otherwise, my hair is going
to be a frizzy mess. Minutes later, we pull into the parking lot of his
sister's club. Not exactly what I was planning on doing tonight. I notice there
are no cars in the parking lot and no one standing at the entrance, which is
weird. Opening my door like a gentleman, he takes my hand and leads me to the
entrance.

“Is
it always this slow on Mondays?” I ask. He pulls a key out of his pocket and
unlocks the door. Turning to me, he grins. “Nope, it's closed on Sundays and
Mondays.”

Okay,
so what are we doing here then?

After
opening the door, he motions for me to go in first. My mouth immediately drops
open when I walk in. He has a blanket in the middle of the dance floor, set up
like a dinner table for two, complete with champagne glasses. The disco ball is
spinning above us, making the whole place twinkle like stars. It’s the most
romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. Forgetting that he is standing next
to me, he touches the bottom of my back, startling me.

“You
like it? I was going to set this up outside down at the park, but the weather
wasn't really on my side today, so this is Plan B.”

It
is perfect. I could cry with how touched I am that he did all of this for me.
“It's beautiful, Nolan,” I tell him truthfully and reach up to kiss him.

“Make
yourself comfortable, I'll be right back.”

I
sit down at one of the place settings on the blanket. He returns with two
plates of food and a basket of bread. It is penne pasta with a creamy cheese
sauce over it. It looks delicious.

“This
looks amazing.”

“I
have to be honest with you. I ordered this from this wonderful Italian
restaurant down the street. Trust me, you do not want me cooking for you,” he
jokes.

I
giggle, thinking about the planning that went into this. He pops open the
champagne, pouring us both a glass. We cheer to a wonderful night; that is
exactly what this is, wonderful. We have normal dinner conversation talking
about our days and what we did, like we’ve known each other forever, and do
this every night. Once we’re finished, I help carry everything to the kitchen.
He tells me to go back to the blanket while he prepares my second surprise. The
next thing I know, I see pillows and cushions falling over the balcony of the
second floor.