<p><b>Chapter Seven</b>

<p>I shouldn’t have kissed him like that. I shouldn’t have let him kissed me that way either. I guess that’s what I get for looking into his eyes. I just can’t help it sometimes. I guess this is blowing my whole theory out of the water about how I don’t believe in love. I do believe in it, I really do. I just don’t believe in love at first sight. And I just, I’m not sure if I’ve found ‘the one’.

<p>Sitting here in this mall, sipping on this tropical smoothie drink, looking over some papers for the Tim McGraw special, and watching people walk by isn’t as good as standing there, simply kissing Nick’s lips for a few split seconds that seemed like they lasted for eternity. In fact, sitting at the mall is pretty boring today. I haven’t seen anybody interesting at all really. Of course there was the old guy walking in those really, <I>really</I> short shorts that showed things that, well, some people didn’t want to see.

<p>There was this one really cute old couple, that walked by. They’re always there, every morning, exercising by walking around the mall. They say if you walk around it twice that you’ve walked a mile and that’s what they do. I see them every morning. They’re names are Mr. and Mrs. Washington. Not George and Martha, but it’s all the same. Every time I see them I wonder what it must be like to have been with someone as long as they’ve been together. I asked them one time when they stopped to sit down at the table next to me, taking a break from the walk, how long they’ve been married. Guess.

<p>53 years.

<p>Can you imagine being madly in love with someone for that long? Now a days it always seems impossible because of all of the divorces and stuff. I wonder if it was simpler living in the old days. People had a lot more morals than they do now. They married for love, and not for money, jobs, or security. It didn’t really matter if they had nowhere to live when they got married. They had each other and as long as they had each other and the loved that they shared, it’s all they needed to make a smart and to make a nice home to share their love and start a family.

<p>It’s like when my parents got married. My mom was twenty and my father was twenty-five. He came from a wealthy family and her family didn’t have a lot. She mostly married him for security. Well that, and she was knocked up with my brother, only to later find out that my dad isn’t really my brother’s blood father. My father didn’t care because my grandfather was urging him to settle down and start a home with a family. They weren’t <I>in</I> love with each other. My father wasn’t my mother’s <I>one</I>.

<p>That’s why I’m not going to settle for less. I saw how my parents yelled and fought while I grew up. I didn’t want it to be like that when I had children. Of course, I have to loose my virginity first, but I’m not doing that until I find the right person.

<p>Like I said earlier, nobody has morals anymore.

<p>I never said that I’m going to wait until my wedding night. I mean, I may decide to do that, but then again I may not. My virginity is the one the one thing I’ve managed to keep to myself for 23 years. While all of my friends were off screwing the football players in high school and having sex with random frat boys in college, I stayed in, studying and working and that’s how I got to where I am today. I’ll know when the time is right and it’ll happen. I know it will.

<p>Until then, I’ll just dream about it until I find the right person who I want to share my life with.

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<p>Elisabeth sat there at a table, just a few feet away from her usual park bench. Some janitor lady was cleaning around it when she got there and she had decided to just sit at a table today since she had to look over some papers from work. Not that she had gotten any work done.

<p>Suddenly out of the corner of her eye, a young couple walks by and she turns her head, watching them while biting down on the lid of her pen. The guy who was a tall blonde had his arm wrapped around what appeared to be his wife since he had a wedding ring on. She smiled a little as they stopped a cookie shop across the way from her, watching them as they picked out several different types of cookies. They paid for them and turned around, taking a few out of the cookie bag.

<p>Then it appeared to be that they were fighting over a cookie, probably a M&M one since those were definitely the best. Elisabeth smiled when the guy finally broke the cookie in half, keeping one for him and giving her the other. The girl smiled in return, leaning up to give him a slow, sensual kiss.

<p>Elisabeth decided to look away and back down at her papers while crossing her right leg over her left. She didn’t want to intrude on their little moment if they were going to start having a make out session in the middle of the mall. But then she cut her eyes back over to the couple to see them walking off, giggling with one another while eating their cookies and smiled herself until she felt someone tap her on the arm.

<p>She looked over to her right to see a little blonde girl, with her curly hair in little pigtails standing there.

<p>”This is for you,” the little girl said, handing her a sky blue envelope as she ran back over to where her mother was obviously. Elisabeth looked back at her to see them walk off and she turned back around, opening up the envelope and pulled out the matching blue card that was inside of it. She opened it up to see Nick’s handwriting inside.

<center><p>
You and me
<p>
Your apartment
<p>
9 p.m.
<p>
Tomorrow Night
<p>
Romantic Evening
</center>

<p>Elisabeth put the card back inside of the envelope and looked over her shoulder again to see Nick, peeking around the corner, looking at her. She motioned for him to come over and reached over, putting the envelope in her bag.

<p>”For you,” Nick said as he walked up to the table, handing her long stem white rose. Elisabeth looked at it and smiled, looking back at him. It was her favorite flower. She thought red roses were too cliché, but loved white ones - since blue and white were her favorite colors.

<p>”Thank you,” Elisabeth said as she smiled at him, “Couldn’t stay away could you?”

<p>”I got bored. Bunny can keep me company only so long. He’s cute, but not as cute as you,” Nick said as Elisabeth smiled again, looking over to see the same couple, sitting down at a table a few feet from hers, “So what are you doing?”

<p>”Looking over some stuff for the Tim McGraw special,” Elisabeth said as she looked down at the papers, “Big night for me.”

<p>”I know. You love him,” Nick said as he propped his elbow up on the table and rested his chin in his hand, looking at Elisabeth. He watched her as she tapped the top and bottom of her pen on the table and then she looked back up at him, “You know what though?”

<p>”What?”

<p>”I’m proud of you. You’ve made it on your own with nobody’s help. I respect that.”

<p>”Thanks. It means a lot coming from you,” Elisabeth said as she put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, exactly like Nick, “So how’s your family?”

<p>”Busy as usual. Aaron’s recording an album, so it all surrounds that,” Nick said as he looked at her, “What about yours? We never talk about this stuff on the phone usually.”

<p>”Annoying. My father is burying himself in work and my mom has started dating some guy who is ten years younger than her. My brother has moved to Las Vegas to live with some guy and my sister is being a whore as usual,” Elisabeth said as she shrugged her shoulders, “My family’s gone to hell.”

<p>”Neither of our families have ever been normal,” Nick said as Elisabeth laughed a little, “You know it. I know it. We both know it.” Elisabeth smiled, looking back over at the couple, sitting at their table. The girl was leaning over, feeding the guy little pieces of cookie at a time. Then they would lean in to kiss each other and Elisabeth smiled in return.

<p>”One day someone is going to tell you to stop looking,” Nick whispered as Elisabeth cut her eyes over at him.

<p>”I’m slyer than that. They never catch me looking,” Elisabeth whispered as Nick laughed a little, looking down while shaking his head, “Can I ask you a question Nick?”

<p>”Sure,” Nick said, reaching over to take a sip of her fruit drink and then made a weird face while Elisabeth laughed, “That taste like shit.”

<p>”It’s healthy,” Elisabeth said as she looked down at her papers and back up at him, “So can I ask?”

<p>”Go for it,” Nick said as he sat up, giving her his undivided attention.

<p>”What exactly made you decide to buy that ring?” Elisabeth asked as Nick looked down at his hands and up, watching some older guy walk by.

<p>”I decided what I really wanted in my life, and that’s you. It’s simple as that,” Nick said as he looked over at her and picked up her fruit drink cup again, looking at it, “Just tired of playing games you know? You’re what I want in my life until the day I die.”

<p>”You know, that’s really sweet,” Elisabeth said as she smiled, looking at him. He looked back up at her and then over at her pen that she was holding, “Just remember that I never told you no last night.”

<p>”You never said yes either,” Nick said as Elisabeth laughed a little.

<p>”No, I never said yes either. But I never said no,” Elisabeth said as Nick smiled at her, “And it’s about time for me to get to work.”

<p>”Then your date tonight,” Nick said as he rolled his eyes, watching Elisabeth stand up and straighten her skirt.

<p>”Yes, but I won’t be out too late,” Elisabeth said as she put her papers in her bag, and put the strap over her body, “I’ll see you tonight okay?” and with that she leaned over, kissing him on the cheek.

<p>”Okay. Have a good day at work dear,” Nick said as Elisabeth smiled at him, and began to walk over to the doors to go out to the parking lot. Nick sat there, looking at her fruit cup drink and laughed at himself. Good day at work dear? He sounded like some stupid house wife.

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<p>”Hey Elisabeth,” Lance said that night after the show had gone off air. Elisabeth had already changed back into her clothes that she had worn to work so that she could go out with Joe Don when he came to pick her up. She had some weird feeling that this had something to do with that.

<p>”Yeah?” Elisabeth asked, closing out her e-mail on her computer and began to shut it down, “What’s up?”

<p>”I was wondering if you wanted to get together tomorrow night to go over things for the Tim McGraw special and -” Lance said as Elisabeth looked back at the computer and stood up from her desk, interrupting him.

<p>”Oh Lance, that would be nice, but I already have plans. My best friend is in town for a while and he’s already asked me out.” Elisabeth said as she smiled, putting her bag over her body, adjusting it.

<p>”Oh he?”

<p>”Yeah, Nick. You know, from Backstreet Boys. You met him when he came here once with me.”

<p>”Oh right, Nick Carter. Okay well that’s cool. I know you don’t get to see him that often,” Lance said as he started to back up out of the room when Joe Don walked up, and Lance ran into him, “Oh excuse me,” Lance said as he turned around to see Joe Don standing there, “Joe Don.”

<p>”Lance,” Joe Don said as they shook hands, “What’s up man?”

<p>”What are you doing here?” Lance asked as he looked back at Elisabeth who took her car keys out of her bag.

<p>”Meeting up with Elisabeth because we’re going to dinner,” Joe Don said as he smiled at her, “Ready?”

<p>”Yeah I’m ready,” Elisabeth said as she walked past Lance, going into the hallway, “See you tomorrow Lance.”

<p>”Later Lance,” Joe Don said as him and Elisabeth started walking down the hallway, leaving Lance standing there confused.

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<p>Nick sat there on the sofa in Elisabeth’s apartment, looking at the clock. It was only 8:30 p.m. She probably had just left to go out to eat with this Joe Don guy. What kind of name was Joe Don anyway? Some redneck name? Obviously if he was a country singer.

<p>”You know,” Nick said as he pointed over at Bunny, Elisabeth’s huge white cat, who was sitting on the other end of the sofa, staring at Nick, “I’m going to show her just how much I love her tomorrow night Bunny. She’s totally going to forget about this Joe Don guy or any other little country singer that comes into the picture. She’s going to realize how serious I am tomorrow night,” he said as Bunny walked up to him, rubbing against his leg, “Yes I am.”