Chapter 10

She can't believe he is out of the country and he did try to call her. But her damn phone had died. Damn the dead foolish phone. How did she not realise that her phone was dead? She blows her nose.

It is very absurd that she is crying over a man whose number she deleted, but she had not deleted him in her...her mind, not her heart, it is too soon to talk about the matters of the heart about a stranger. But is he a stranger? She has known him for a few weeks now and officially gave him her contact yesterday after weeks of coincidental and planned meetups.

She takes a deep breath and heaves it out. He's just going to be out of the country for few days, not going to end up on his deathbed. She gets up from the closed toilet seat and thrashes the used tissue to the bin next to the toilet. She gets out and washes her hands. She glances at her image in the mirror and quietly observes herself. After a while, she walks out of the lavatory.

The car engine makes loud noises as it enters the estate and drove as fast as a flash of a light speed. She was giggling inside the racing car. The road was tarred and no car was seen. They drove on the long road leading to the spacious building seen in the distance. The car abruptly fastened its breaks still making roaring sounds. Then it ceases and they get off the car. Amica was giggling and smiles with Nick meeting her halfway on the car front side.

"That was one hella ride" She tosses her hands in the air joyously.

"You needed that, I am glad that you are smiling again" He grins.

They enter the house and it was quiet. It felt dead, without life, just the sound of the refrigerator in the kitchen.

They throw their bodies on the sofa in the lounge room and sigh with relief. Nick rest his body on the longer sofa leaving a quarter of his feet overlapping the sofa. Amica buried her body on the one person sofa and switch on the TV with the controller remote that was carelessly placed on the sofa she was now resting in.

He takes a breath. "So tell me, why were we driving to the Oregon Airport and you being sad after walking out of the lavatory? Who's the special person" He turns to face her.

"One question at a time Nick" She giggles like a child.

"Oh it's a man" He concludes with a teasing tone. He shrinks his eyes to search her the emotion in her eyes

"Yes...but not that kind of a man" She smiles

"Oh, what man then?" He gazes at her baffled and playful at the same time.

"Okay, okay" She sits upright eagerly. "So the thing is...I am not dating this man, but I enjoy his company" She smiled widely will her eyes sparkling with joy. He looks at her with a troubled face.

"What?" She eagerly glances at him waiting for a better reaction than the one she is getting. He pouts and creases his forehead.

She is becoming agitated with the prolonged silence. She is dreading this awkward silence.

"I am trying to find words to answer you" He explains himself.

"You know how I hate to be on the hot seat" She heaves a troubled sigh and jerk her back against the sofa.

"You know, you gave me the juice, but I don't know where does the juice come from" He shrugs his shoulders.

"I met him a few weeks ago, fast forward, I gave my contact yesterday and...He was supposed to call, he didn't, I deleted his numbers because a few of my feelings were invested in him and waited in anticipation for his call to confirm our date" She pauses and bite her lip.

"A little bit huh? Waking me up to drive you to Oregon and crying in the lavatory doesn't seem little to me, it seems big. You like this guy...don't you?" He asks thoughtfully. His gaze was soft and intense.

"Sort off" She retorts and curve my body into the sofa shyly. His gaze just becomes solemn. She can glimpse the worry and caution in his eyes.

"The question is does he?" He sits upright.

"Isn't it obvious? He left zillion voice calls and texts" I gape at him perplexed

"Any guy can do that. Any guy who sees a beautiful and wants to have a piece of her can do that. The second question is he worthy of your liking?" He raises his eyebrow.

"Ahhh!" She grunts. " Does it matter? I like him. That is what matters" Her facial expression was becoming grim.

"No, it matters. don't be swept off your feet just like that. These humans don't love as we do. Their love is fickle. Don't forget who you are. And just to remind__" She chips in on him while he's talking.

"Who are you to judge? Aren't you dating a human? Don't tell me about human love when you are having a taste of it" Her face was fierce and firey. She was losing her grip on her composure.

"Amica, I am saying all this because I care and I want you to get a great love" His gaze was a little bit teary, the words she had said left an impact on his heart.

"I don't need great or perfect love. And for heaven's sake, I said I like the dude not love him. Now you are going all protective mode on me. I know we are friends and brothers, but you won't marry me or love me like a man would" She gets up and walk away from him while rubbing her temple.

She is trying to ease her agitation and the tension in the room, because she can sense that, if they continued conversing under this topic, they will scar each other's hearts unintentionally.

Nick was left on the sofa lost for words. He is bewildered and dumbfounded by what Amica said to him. How could she react to his words and actions like that? All he is trying to help her with was to stay open-minded and not dive full in on love with this mysterious man that he has never seen or heard of.

He always knew things like this will strain their relationship but he didn't expect it to occur so soon and not over a liking feeling. He saw how she reacted when she went to Oregon with him, she was crazy and desperate. This is scary, especially for a feeling that has not matured to love. What will happen this feeling matures to love?

He got up and followed her to the kitchen where she was leaning against the kitchen scheme top and gobbling the water down on her throat.

"Take it easy you don't want to choke yourself" He tries to sound soft and alluring.

"Is that a metaphor or a literal meaning?" She glared at him with an intense gaze.

"Literal meaning" He keeps his silence.

They glare at each other quietly. She bit the top of the glass with her upper lip in the glass and the water covering a bit of her lip, while she glares at him, challenging him to speak first.

"I am sorry" He mumbles the words

"I am sorry too" She gulps the water and clings her hands on the glass. She smiles and he returns the smile. He rubs his nose.

"You are sly, you are a sly fox" Nick retorts to her behaviour and run his fingers on his sluggish curled hair.

"I was not going to let you win the staring contest" She giggles and then let her teeth stay on display.

"I tell you, I saw that you had turned it into that" He snickers lazily.

"You know me" She slowly let lips form a silent smile.

"But still you need to be careful with this lad" He gives her a warning stare. She burst a chuckle.

"A lad?" She giggles. "He is a man. A well built, strong, sexy and handsome man" She pouts and let out a swooning smile at the display.

"More reason I should worry about you. I need to meet this guy. He sounds like a dreamy man. Everybody's type of a man" He teases her.

"Oh, he is" She grins.

"You are in for it with your head" He shakes his head. She giggles at his annoyance.