Chapter 19: The secret life of Sabrina Spellman
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Sabrina finally had a moment alone in her dorm, she went in front of the mirror and pull from under her shirt the locket Harvey gave to her what seemed like a lifetime ago, she held it in her hands for a moment and caressed the smooth surface absentmindedly.
She knew couldn't continue wearing it, not now that she was determined to end her romantic relationship with Harvey. He was always going be her friend and she hoped he understood that. Sabrina let out a sigh and with somewhat trembling hands she began to search for the clasp at the back of the chain that held the locket, she opened and removed the chain from around her neck.
Taking it off was a symbol of an end, not only of her romantic relationship with Harvey but also of a part of her life, a part of her own.
She let out another sigh before putting the locket in a safe place. She would keep it as a precious memory of a time in her life that she would never forget.
But now, she had to look forward.
She took a deep breath to control the tears that wanted to fall from her eyes.
Sabrina began to gather the notes she had left in her desk and put them in her satchel, then she put on her warmest coat and left the room. In the hall of the residence she greeted some girls with whom she shared classes and other she saw constantly around the building but didn't linger to talk with them. She had a place to go to.
Outside the air was cold that winter's afternoon. Sabrina breathed in the scent of wet grass and wood. She liked the aroma of the campus after the rain, it reminded her of home. Of the forest around the house.
What she had done made her feel a bit nostalgic but not the pain she felt before every time she thought about Greendale, her family and friends. She missed them, yes, but she also had a life here. Far from home.
The walk to the cafe was short and a smile spread across her lips as the small building came into view. When she entered, the bell on the front door chimed announcing her arrival with a cheerful sound, Sabrina let her gaze wander around the cafe looking for a table.
And then she saw him.
And he saw her too.
Nick smiled at her from the other side of the coffee shop and she couldn't help but smile back at him. A few weeks ago, he had started to work at the coffee shop again and between that part time job, his teaching assistant job and the occasional tutoring he gave, they didn't have much time to see each other and she was missing him.
She really missed him.
He walked over to her while she kept her eyes on him, she liked how he looked with the sleeves of his dark shirt rolled up and the green apron with the cafe logo over it. Although, she liked even more the smile he gave to her. It was that smile he only dedicated to her.
His special smile.
"Hi"
"Hi" he answered back "What are you doing here?"
She frowned slightly, trying to look offended.
"Don't take me wrong" he hastened to clarify when saw her face "I like that you're here, it's just that I thought you would spend the day studying for your exam"
"I have my notes with me, I can study here" she replied pointing to her bag "And I missed you" she admitted the real reason why she was there.
He reached out as if he wanted to caress her cheek but stopped halfway.
"I missed you too" he admitted "God, I would kiss you right now but I don't think it's appropriate to do it while I'm working"
Sabrina nodded in understanding.
"Later" Nick looked around "Do you want something to drink?"
"A coffee" she replied and he gave her a funny look. Coffee still wasn't her favorite drink but it was a necessary evil for her "I didn't sleep much yesterday"
"Coffee is it then. Go sit down, I'll take you a coffee right away"
Sabrina nodded again before heading to one of the empty tables. When Nick arrived with her coffee, she already had her notes on the table, ready to continue studying while she waited for him.
A few hours and two coffees later, Sabrina was still there, however, the words in her notes were starting to get blurry. She tried to suppress a yawn. It seemed that not even all the caffeine in the world could help her that day. She tried to focus on her notes again when she heard how something was left on the table, when she started to look up she saw a cup of what seemed to be tea and a muffin, when looking above, she saw Nick.
He couldn't hide his concern. It was written all over his face.
"I didn't order anything" she said.
"I know" Nick replied. Sabrina gave a significant look at the cup, then she looked at him. He understood that she was asking for an explanation "It seems like you need it. And you should go to rest, you are falling asleep"
Sabrina shook her head in denial but the yawn that she couldn't suppress betrayed her.
"Yes, you are," he insisted.
She shook her head again. And Nick couldn't help but sigh. He must not forget how stubborn she could be.
"Fine, stubborn. I only have half an hour left, then we can go"
She smiled satisfied with the small victory.
"I'll wait for you then"
Nick nodded, he knew he wouldn't make her change her mind and secretly he liked the fact that she stayed there waiting for him. It made him feel loved.
And he hasn't felt that way for many years. He liked the feeling.
Sabrina saw how he walked away to attend another table, she held the cup of tea in her hands and took a sip. It was those little details Nick had with her what made her fall for him a little more with each passing day.
Without realizing it she had begun to fall in love with him.
Her relationship with Nick was so different from the relationship she had with Harvey. It wasn't right to compare but she couldn't help.
Nick made her feel more intensely. But he was also sweet, always worrying for her, walking with her to her residence no matter the hour, sending her a message or calling her to ask how her day had been the days they couldn't see each other because of their busy schedules. He always had tea for her at home, even when he was a coffee drinker.
She had gotten used to send him a message to ask him if he had arrived well every time she knew he would be working till late. And more than one time she had fallen sleep listening to his soothing voice.
She liked how they could talk about everything and nothing, or how they were able to spend hours studying in silence, how he smiled at her whenever not-so-accidentally his hand brushed hers.
He made her heart beat fast with his kisses. And her skin burn with his touch.
She was determined, she was going to talk to Harvey. She was going to tell him the truth.
It was time to let him go.
"Ready to go?" Nick asked her shortly after and Sabrina nodded. She had already packed her things while he had gone to change, they left the cafe holding hands, she leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked "Do you want to do something or shall I accompany you back to your residence?"
"Why don't we watch a movie in your place?" she suggested.
"Aren't you tired?"
Sabrina denied.
"I just want to spend a little more time with you, don't you want too?"
"Of course I do, it's just that I'm concerned that you're not resting enough"
She raised her head to look at him, a smile was forming on her lips.
"Thank you" she said "for caring so much about me"
Nick stopped and she did the same, he reached out to caress her cheek before kissing her on the forehead.
"Of course I care about you" he replied "Now come on, I don't want you to catch a cold"
Sabrina couldn't help but laugh before she leaned her head against his shoulder again.
The walk to Nick's apartment was not long, when they arrived, Sabrina offered to prepare a tea for both of them since the walk had given them some cold while Nick looked for what they could watch. She took the cups to the small space that made up the living room and placed them on the table next to the couch before sitting next to him with her legs curled up in the couch.
She fell asleep almost instantly.
Nick noticed that she had fall sleep soon after the movie started, she still had her head on his shoulder and her hands on her lap, a strand of her hair had fall over her eyes, every time she breath it moved causing her to wrinkle her nose. He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear, he felt her warm breath against the palm of his hand.
A warm feeling spread across his chest. He had never felt like this before, the way Sabrina made him feel was still so foreign to him.
It was new to him that someone waited for him. Especially when she was so exhausted, she still spent the entire afternoon waiting for him, seeing him, simply because she wanted to be close to him. Because she missed him.
No one had ever done something like this for him before. People were looking for him for one thing only and he had to admit that he did it before, too.
He had never had a true relationship before, his way of relating with other people had always been limited to the physical plane. Nick was used to it, no feeling attached.
He had never looked for anything else because he didn't believe that there was such a thing as love for him.
And then Sabrina Spellman had come into his life like a tornado.
She made him want to be different. He realized he was already different from what he used to be since he met her. Nick sighed, he couldn't help but remember that when he first saw her he had intended to do with Sabrina the same he did with the rest.
To have a good time and then leave.
But now that he knew her, he couldn't imagine his life without her.
It was getting late, Nick knew he should wake her up and take her back to her residence, but she was so placidly asleep that he didn't feel able to do it.
But it wasn't very comfortable sleeping on the couch either.
Taking care not to wake her, he got up to scooped her in his arms and carried her to his bed, Sabrina stirred a bit when he left her on the mattress, Nick covered her with the blankets and was about to get off the bed when she blinked and opened her eyes slightly, her hand was holding his forearm.
"Don't"
"Shh..." He hushed her "Sleep"
"Stay" she asked him before closing her eyes again.
He couldn't say no to her, that was something he couldn't deny. Nick lay on his side looking at Sabrina, she had fallen asleep again almost immediately, shortly after he also fell asleep with thoughts of her in his mind.
Sabrina snuggled in a little more as her eyes slowly began to open. At first it was difficult for her remember that she wasn't in her dorm, the firm arm that held her around the waist reminded her of where she was and what had happened the day before.
She had fallen asleep in Nick's apartment.
She looked up a little, a small smile spread across her lips at the sight of him. He continued sleeping. She suppressed the desire she felt for running her fingers across his features and tried to get out of bed without waking him up but his arms held her a little tighter when she moved.
"Where are you going?" He asked a bit groggily, his eyes slowly opening.
"I didn't want to wake you up" she told him.
Sabrina rose slightly to give him a brief kiss on the lips, she pulled away from him to rest with her arms crossed over his chest. She looked at him with her head slightly bowed.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked and he nodded "I'm sorry I fell asleep yesterday… you probably were uncomfortable with me here"
"Nonsense, you were tired" he replied, with his hand he brushed off a strand of her hair that had just fallen on her face "Besides, I like waking up like this"
Sabrina couldn't help but smile, she raised her head to kiss him again.
This time she didn't move away immediately, her lips moved against his and as each time they kissed, she couldn't get enough.
And he couldn't either.
A soft moan escaped from her lips as Nick turned them over, he looked down at her before kissing her again.
Her hands grabbed him firmly by his nape when his lips slid down her neck a minute later.
His hands went up the sides of her body and brushed the sides of her breasts, Sabrina felt her breath catch in her throat when his fingers descended again to touch the delicate skin of her abdomen this time. He stopped but she urged him to continue with another kiss.
She had never felt like this before. The need she felt for him simply seemed to grow with every touch. The way her body came to life every time he touched her was something that never ceased to amaze her.
Sabrina brought her hands up to the front of his shirt, her fingers fumbling for the buttons, it was difficult to concentrate when his mouth was nibbling on the lobe of her ear. When she completely unbuttoned his shirt she slid her hands down his exposed torso. He moaned at her touch.
"We better slow down a bit, Spellman," he told her, his lips barely parted from hers, breathing hard just as her.
Sabrina nodded, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
They had nearly lost control. She knew she was about to lose control.
Nick rolled to get off her and she missed his weight over her.
"Sorry" she said suddenly. She was sitting on the bed, Nick looked at her. There she was, with her almost white hair a bit tousled and her lips red and slightly swollen as a result of his kisses.
He wanted her. Oh, he really wanted her...
Badly.
"Why do you apologize?" he asked softly.
She didn't look him in the eye, she kept her eyes on an undetermined point in the room when she spoke.
"I probably did something wrong" Nick looked at her with confusion all over his face but she didn't add anything else.
He sat up on the bed too and brought his hand up to her chin and gently turned her to face him.
"You have never done something wrong, why do you think so?"
She looked him in the eye, he didn't need her to say anything because he saw on her gaze what she couldn't say aloud.
"You think you did something wrong and that's why I told you to stop?" she nodded "Sabrina, you didn't do anything wrong. If I told you to stop, it's because I don't want you to feel pressured and... things were getting out of control."
She nodded with her eyes downcast again. Nick sighed.
"Sabrina, you have no idea how much I want you" she looked up, he was stroking her chin gently with his thumb "But we don't need to rush"
"But... aren't you disappointed that we don't do... certain things yet?"
She couldn't help but ask him and she couldn't help wondering what she was feeling. She and Harvey had had their moments but she had never felt that overwhelming need she felt every time Nick kissed or touched her but still didn't know if she was ready to take the next step in the relationship.
Nick denied with his head.
"No," he looked her straight in the eye "I'm fine with waiting. We'll go as fast or as slow as you want. No pressure, really"
She smiled and he couldn't help but kiss her softly on the lips.
"Well, how about breakfast?" he asked when he pulled away.
"Sounds good to me"
It was a lazy saturday afternoon, Sabrina was lying on her bed looking some photos on her phone, she was going to meet Nick later but for now she had nothing to do but to kill the time, she was looking at a photo of her and Ambrose when she remembered something she wanted to ask but never had the change.
"Can I ask you something?" she suddenly asked, she put her phone down, her fully attention on Prudence, who was sitting cross-legged on the carpet painting her nails, she lifted her eyes towards Sabrina with an interrogatory look in them.
"What do you want to know?"
Sabrina took a deep breath. Prudence looked at her with a raised eyebrow but waited in silence until she talked.
"I don't want to sound nosy..."
"Usually that's what all nosy people say before putting their noses where they are not called"
Sabrina looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"Can I ask you or not?" she asked.
"Sure" Prudence closed the nail polish bottle "Shoot"
"What happens between you and my cousin?"
"Nothing. We're just having a good time..."
"But… you like him...?"
"Of course I like him" Prudence replied rolling her eyes "If not, I wouldn't get near him"
"So... why aren't you two..."
"Boyfriend and girlfriend? I could ask you the same question, Sabrina..." Prudence smirked at her silence "Ambrose and I don't have that kind of relationship, we like to spend time together, we certainly have fun together but... no feelings attached. We're just having a good time"
Sabrina looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes, there was part of her that did not completely believe the words of her roommate. She felt that there was something else there, she had noticed the way Prudence looked at Ambrose when she thought nobody was looking. She had seen the longing in her gaze but said nothing, Prudence would surely deny it.
"So you are ok if he sees other people too?"
Prudence nodded but something in her eyes told her a different story. But she let her be, she wasn't the right person to point at Prudence's flaws, she had her owns, until recently she was in a similar situation, trying to hide her true feelings for Nick.
"Now can I ask you a question?" Prudence asked breaking the silence.
She should have suspected this would happen. Curiosity would be the death of her. She took a deep breath.
"What do you want to know?"
"Did you already break up with your other boyfriend?"
"I don't have other… Do you mean Harvey?"
Prudence nodded.
"It is complicated, Prudence..."
"It can't be that much..."
"Harvey is not having a good time... at Christmas, his father had an accident and now he is in a wheelchair, Harvey had to withdraw from Art School to help his brother take care of his him. And I... I didn't I want to hurt him more. I know I have to tell him but every time I try to do it I can't do it"
"But what about Nick?"
"He told me to take my time" Prudence looked at her enigmatically "What?"
"Nothing" she replied "But you haven't stopped to think that maybe he said it so you would feel good, not because he was just fine with it"
Sabrina thought that maybe Prudence was right, and she hated herself for not realizing it before. In her eagerness for not hurt Harvey she was unintentionally hurting Nick.
And she didn't want to.
Days ago she had made up her mind, she needed to break-up with Harvey but the precise moment never presented. Or was it just her making excuses again?
"You may be right" Sabrina admitted "I am the worst..."
"I'm not going to discuss that" she said smiling. Sabrina gave her a narrowed look "Sabrina..."
"Umm?"
"You should talk to him, tell him what's going on. You can't keep hiding the truth, it doesn't do you any good, it doesn't do Nick or your other boyfriend any good either"
"Harvey is not my 'other boyfriend'" Sabrina insisted.
"Oh no? Then what is he?"
"He is my friend"
"And does he know that? That he was already relegated to the position of friend?"
"I'm going to talk to him"
"You should do it and soon" Prudence wanted to said more but she held back.
Hi Everyone! I hope you are all well or as well as we can theses days.
I want to thank each one of you for reading this story!
Until next week
