Sara couldn't help but watch Nick as he slept. She knew she needed to wake
him up, but she wanted to watch him a while longer. She was thankful that
he was there beside her. Things could have turned out so differently. A
smile formed on her lips as he stirred next to her.
His eyes opened and his mouth turned up in a smile as he saw her staring at him. "Hey, Sar."
"Hey, yourself." Sara reached over and caressed his cheek with her fingers. "How are you feeling?"
"A little stiff, but my head doesn't seem to hurt as much." He reached up and took her hand in his. "Sara?"
"Yeah?" She studied him in the dim light of the bedroom.
"I don't want to sound fatalistic, but I think we need to talk about us, and where this is headed." His face looked contemplative.
Sara felt a flutter in her stomach, "What do you mean, Nick?"
He smiled again and began caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. "I really care about you. Things between us moved a lot faster than I think either of us planned on."
She smiled at the memory, "Yeah."
He squeezed her hand, "Waking up in the hospital yesterday I realized that life is too short and too precious to waste time on things that don't mean anything."
Sara looked confused.
Nick chuckled, "Sara, I'm not talking about you."
She raised an eyebrow at him and her lips turned up at the corners into a tiny smile. "Good, because if you were going to tell me that I don't mean anything, I'd have to kick your ass."
Nick raised both eyebrows at her, "There you go with my ass again." He chuckled.
Sara laughed in return.
His expression softened. "Seriously though. In our jobs we never really know what we're going to encounter. I've had a gun pulled on me twice, I seriously thought I was going to die both times. I could have died yesterday."
Sara looked away from him. "I know."
Nick reached out and lifted her chin with his fingers so that she looked at him again. "Sara, I don't want to have regrets in my life. I want to know that when I do die that the people in my life know how I felt about them. I don't want there to be any room for doubt." Nick caressed her cheek with his hand. "You're very important to me. Since the day I met you I thought you were amazing. You've become one of my closest friends, and I treasure that. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm extremely attracted to you."
Sara chuckled, "The feeling's mutual." She leaned in to kiss him briefly.
He smiled as they broke the kiss, "What I'm trying to say, Sar, is that I'm in love with you. I want to see where this thing between us is going to go. To see if it's the real thing. To see if it's a forever thing."
Sara looked into his eyes studying him as he talked. A smile slowly formed on her face and she reached over and traced his lips with her fingers. Sara leaned over and pressed her lips gently against his, cupping his face with her palm. As she broke the kiss, she looked into his eyes. "I love you too, Nick."
His eyes opened and his mouth turned up in a smile as he saw her staring at him. "Hey, Sar."
"Hey, yourself." Sara reached over and caressed his cheek with her fingers. "How are you feeling?"
"A little stiff, but my head doesn't seem to hurt as much." He reached up and took her hand in his. "Sara?"
"Yeah?" She studied him in the dim light of the bedroom.
"I don't want to sound fatalistic, but I think we need to talk about us, and where this is headed." His face looked contemplative.
Sara felt a flutter in her stomach, "What do you mean, Nick?"
He smiled again and began caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. "I really care about you. Things between us moved a lot faster than I think either of us planned on."
She smiled at the memory, "Yeah."
He squeezed her hand, "Waking up in the hospital yesterday I realized that life is too short and too precious to waste time on things that don't mean anything."
Sara looked confused.
Nick chuckled, "Sara, I'm not talking about you."
She raised an eyebrow at him and her lips turned up at the corners into a tiny smile. "Good, because if you were going to tell me that I don't mean anything, I'd have to kick your ass."
Nick raised both eyebrows at her, "There you go with my ass again." He chuckled.
Sara laughed in return.
His expression softened. "Seriously though. In our jobs we never really know what we're going to encounter. I've had a gun pulled on me twice, I seriously thought I was going to die both times. I could have died yesterday."
Sara looked away from him. "I know."
Nick reached out and lifted her chin with his fingers so that she looked at him again. "Sara, I don't want to have regrets in my life. I want to know that when I do die that the people in my life know how I felt about them. I don't want there to be any room for doubt." Nick caressed her cheek with his hand. "You're very important to me. Since the day I met you I thought you were amazing. You've become one of my closest friends, and I treasure that. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm extremely attracted to you."
Sara chuckled, "The feeling's mutual." She leaned in to kiss him briefly.
He smiled as they broke the kiss, "What I'm trying to say, Sar, is that I'm in love with you. I want to see where this thing between us is going to go. To see if it's the real thing. To see if it's a forever thing."
Sara looked into his eyes studying him as he talked. A smile slowly formed on her face and she reached over and traced his lips with her fingers. Sara leaned over and pressed her lips gently against his, cupping his face with her palm. As she broke the kiss, she looked into his eyes. "I love you too, Nick."