Nick woke to a strange sensation. Or at least one he certainly didn't
expect. His hand was resting on bare flesh, and it wasn't his. As his
eyes opened in the dim morning light, he realized that he'd fallen asleep
on the bed and that Sara lay next to him, or rather on him. Panic began to
surge through him as he realized Sara's state of dress, or lack thereof,
and the fact that his arm was wrapped around her bare waist. The last
thing he wanted to do was jolt her awake so that she sat up abruptly and
flashed him. Ok, actually, he wouldn't mind that, but he was fairly
certain that she would be completely mortified at having exposed herself to
him and he wanted to keep certain body parts safe from any wrath she might
expend his direction.
Nick contemplated what to do. As much as he really wanted to stay there
with Sara in his arms, he knew they needed to get up, and he needed to find
a delicate way out of this situation. Hopefully, before she woke up. As
he considered his options, he felt her stir against him. He decided that
maybe the best option would be to close his eyes and pretend to be asleep.
Sara opened her eyes before he had the chance. As the reality of the situation dawned on her with as much force as the hangover she was experiencing she let out a panicked squeak. "Nick."
"Sara, don't move." Nick tried to soothe her with his tone. "Uh, I haven't seen anything, so maybe if I just close my eyes you can find something to put on."
"I'm gonna throw up." Sara moaned as she tried to figure out the best way to stumble to the bathroom without flashing Nick.
Neither one of them dared to move, and then circumstances forced them to. Sara threw up on Nick.
Sara looked completely mortified as Nick swung into action. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her with him off the bed, guiding her towards the bathroom, trying to avert his eyes, so he wouldn't see anything he wasn't supposed to. All the while, Sara whimpered. "I'm so sorry, Nick." Traces of the drinks she consumed the night before dripped down the front of his shirt.
"Shh, Sara, it's ok. It looks like someone had a little too much to drink last night." He was somewhat amused at the situation, despite the fact that he smelled like regurgitated Tequila.
"I'm sorry." Sara continued thoroughly embarrassed at the situation.
Nick reached over and grabbed a towel, offering it to Sara as he let go of her and turned around, making sure to keep his eyes on the ceiling. "I'll just go find you some clothes, if you want to put that towel around yourself."
Sara sat down on the lid of the toilet, holding the towel against herself. She felt like hell. She had a vague recollection that she'd had a few drinks and then the rest became a little hazy. Well at least she didn't throw herself at Nick, or at least she hoped she didn't throw herself at Nick. In any case, his demeanor didn't indicate that she had, he seemed to be just as embarrassed by the situation as she was. She couldn't believe that she'd crawled into bed with him half naked. She wanted the floor to swallow her up. Anytime a catastrophic earthquake wanted to hit would be ok with her. It would at least provide some distraction from the current situational disaster she was experiencing.
She made a mental note to go to the mall and buy a pair of pajamas similar to what her grandmother might wear, she still had to buy a wedding present anyway, anything would have been better to sleep in than what she had on at the moment, at least under the current circumstances. If she and Nick were actually dating or married it wouldn't be a big deal. Where did the 'm' word come from? Why did that even enter her mind? Marry Nick? Ok, so maybe the thought had occurred to her subconsciously about a few million times, but this was the first time it had ever penetrated her conscious thoughts. It was amazing what a little liquor could do to loosen you up. Of course then there was that kiss. She let out a deep sigh. She couldn't deny it any more. She was very consciously in love with Nick.
Nick returned a few minutes later, softly knocking at the door. "Are you decent?"
"I'm covered if that's what you mean." Sara had a waver in her voice that made Nick think that she might throw up again.
Nick opened the door and offered her a T-shirt and a pair of his boxers. "I didn't want to go through your suitcase, so I grabbed some of my clothes. Besides, if you have to throw up again, they wash easily."
She glanced up at him and took the clothes from his hand. She noticed that he still wore the puke stained T-shirt. "I'm really sorry, Nick. I didn't mean to throw up on you. I didn't mean to fall asleep like that. This is just so incredibly embarrassing."
Nick just flashed her a smile. "Don't worry about it, Sara. I have to say I think this is the first time I've been thrown up on by someone over the age of three, but I understand." He turned around and left, closing the bathroom door behind him to give her a little privacy.
Sara decided that she needed a shower. She set the clean clothes on the counter and turned the facet on, stepping under the spray. After she fell sufficiently clean, she stepped out and dried herself off. As she pulled the T-shirt on over her head, a faint smile tugged at her lips as she detected a scent that was uniquely Nick. She had to chuckle at his boxers. She was pretty sure that the rest of her coworkers would find it strange if they found out she had worn Nick's underwear. She pulled them on and rolled the waistband a couple of times so they fit better before heading back out into the bedroom.
Apparently, Nick hadn't expected her to emerge so soon because Sara caught a full back view of his birthday suit as he was pulling a clean pair of boxers on.
Sara stood there for a moment and just stared and then realized what she was doing, quickly spinning around and clearing her throat to announce her presence.
He chuckled softly as he turned around with a T-shirt in hand. As he held it in his hand he quipped. "Well, it looks like one of us was destined to be a flasher today."
Sara couldn't help but laugh as she turned back around. "I'm just glad it wasn't me."
Nick just grinned and gestured toward the bed. "I think going back to sleep is out." Sara glanced over and noticed that the bedding had gotten about as much puke on it as Nick's shirt had.
She groaned and sat down on the couch. "I feel like crap."
Nick raised an eyebrow at her as he pulled the comforter off the bed. "Just how much did you drink last night?"
She looked up at him and wrinkled her brow. Damn he was distracting without his shirt on. "I don't know. I lost count after about four. I really intended to only stay for one drink, but Kelly and Chloe were grilling me about you."
Nick tried to restrain his smile. "Oh, they wanted to know about me, huh? What did you tell them?"
Sara bit her lip. "I don't remember." She really wished that Nick would put his shirt on. Well, not really, but if they were going to continue their conversation, it would be a really good idea if there was less skin showing.
Nick chuckled. "Oh, this could be fun." There was teasing in his voice.
She raised her eyebrow at him. "Hey, I wasn't the one who decided a real kiss was a good idea. That's all Kelly could talk about. She wants to know if you have a brother by the way."
Nick grinned. "Sorry to disappoint her, but my brother Mike is married with four kids and a baby on the way."
Sara giggled at the thought of what Kelly's face would look like at receiving that little bit of information.
"By the way, you're a pretty damn good kisser, Sidle." Nick crossed his arms in front of his chest as he regarded her sitting on the couch.
Sara couldn't help the smile that flitted across her face. "You're not so bad yourself."
A mischievous smile played at Nick's lips. "You know, we might just have to do that a few more times if you want to keep up this little charade."
Sara's eyebrows shot up and she looked almost indignant, except for the smile and the pink that infused her cheeks. "I wasn't the one who started the charade in the first place. You were the one who told Chloe we were dating."
"True." He flashed her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head and smiled. "Don't be. It's easier this way. Besides, if Kelly thought you were available, she'd be throwing herself at you."
Nick glanced over at the clock. "Do you want to grab something to eat?"
Sara grimaced at the thought. "I don't think I can right now." Sara's head was pounding and all she wanted was coffee and aspirin. "How about a very large cup of coffee and some form of pain killers for my head."
Nick nodded. "Why don't we get out of here for a while, the wedding isn't until tonight."
"Can we go to the mall?" Sara queried him.
Nick laughed. "Sara Sidle at the mall. I might just need to call Catherine."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I haven't bought a wedding gift yet, and I thought I might buy some pajamas to wear rather than have a repeat of last night."
Nick tried to swallow his grin.
Sara chuckled. "I take it you didn't mind the view."
"Truthfully, I rather enjoyed the view, but I didn't think you'd appreciate it if I saw any more than I did." Nick answered a bit cheekily.
Sara blushed. "Well, I'll remember not to drink so much the next time I have to share a hotel room with such a hunk, as Kelly puts it."
"Speaking of all that drinking, I think I need to take a shower. I smell a bit like recycled Tequila." Nick grinned.
"Yeah, and somehow, as much as I appreciate the use of your clothes, it might raise a few eyebrows if I went to the mall in your underwear." Sara smirked.
"At least I'm not wearing yours." Nick teased as he disappeared into the bathroom.
"This isn't Vegas, Stokes." Sara called out good naturedly, but a little too loudly for her headache.
By the time Nick emerged from the bathroom, Sara had gotten dressed in a knee skimming khaki skirt and a white button down shirt; her sunglasses were shoved up on top of her head. Nick couldn't help but smile, and Sara raised her eyebrows at him. "I do wear skirts you know."
"Oh, I believe you. I just hardly ever see you in them." Nick replied pulling a pair of khaki slacks out of the closet and pulling them on over his boxers. He pulled on a light blue short sleeved button down shirt and tucked it in.
They made their way down to the lobby to wait for the valet to bring the SUV around. As they stood there, a shrill voice called out.
Sara muttered under her breath, lowering her sunglasses to cover her eyes. "Anyone but her, please."
Nick chuckled at Sara as Kelly made her way over to them. "You guys sure are up early."
Sara turned toward her. "We're going to the mall to pick up the gift for the wedding."
"Oh, that's so great, I was just thinking how I needed to go there too. Now we can all go together. Isn't that just great?" Kelly was gushing again; too loudly for Sara's head.
She climbed into the backseat of the SUV with them and started quizzing Nick about whether he had a brother. After he found out that Mike was married with kids, she started quizzing him about his friends. Sara couldn't help but laugh at the situation.
When they arrived at the mall, Sara quickly picked out a wedding present and as it was being wrapped they had a little time to kill.
"Oh, let's go to Tiffany's. I bet Nick here would love to know what kind of ring you want when he's ready to propose." Kelly didn't pick up on the sputter of protests from either of them as she dragged them over to Tiffany's & Company. Kelly took charge of the situation and before they realized what had happened, Nick and Sara were looking at engagement rings. The whole situation felt completely surreal to Sara as she looked at a spectacular ring on her finger, still in a slight fog from her hangover.
"The lady seems to like that one." The salesman smiled and discretely slipped Nick his card with the ring size, price, and stock number . Rather than protest and let out the secret that they were in fact not dating, Nick put it into his pocket. Nick stared at the ring on Sara's hand. The salesman had said it was a princess cut diamond flanked by sapphires in a platinum setting. It looked like it was made for her hand.
Sara opened her eyes before he had the chance. As the reality of the situation dawned on her with as much force as the hangover she was experiencing she let out a panicked squeak. "Nick."
"Sara, don't move." Nick tried to soothe her with his tone. "Uh, I haven't seen anything, so maybe if I just close my eyes you can find something to put on."
"I'm gonna throw up." Sara moaned as she tried to figure out the best way to stumble to the bathroom without flashing Nick.
Neither one of them dared to move, and then circumstances forced them to. Sara threw up on Nick.
Sara looked completely mortified as Nick swung into action. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her with him off the bed, guiding her towards the bathroom, trying to avert his eyes, so he wouldn't see anything he wasn't supposed to. All the while, Sara whimpered. "I'm so sorry, Nick." Traces of the drinks she consumed the night before dripped down the front of his shirt.
"Shh, Sara, it's ok. It looks like someone had a little too much to drink last night." He was somewhat amused at the situation, despite the fact that he smelled like regurgitated Tequila.
"I'm sorry." Sara continued thoroughly embarrassed at the situation.
Nick reached over and grabbed a towel, offering it to Sara as he let go of her and turned around, making sure to keep his eyes on the ceiling. "I'll just go find you some clothes, if you want to put that towel around yourself."
Sara sat down on the lid of the toilet, holding the towel against herself. She felt like hell. She had a vague recollection that she'd had a few drinks and then the rest became a little hazy. Well at least she didn't throw herself at Nick, or at least she hoped she didn't throw herself at Nick. In any case, his demeanor didn't indicate that she had, he seemed to be just as embarrassed by the situation as she was. She couldn't believe that she'd crawled into bed with him half naked. She wanted the floor to swallow her up. Anytime a catastrophic earthquake wanted to hit would be ok with her. It would at least provide some distraction from the current situational disaster she was experiencing.
She made a mental note to go to the mall and buy a pair of pajamas similar to what her grandmother might wear, she still had to buy a wedding present anyway, anything would have been better to sleep in than what she had on at the moment, at least under the current circumstances. If she and Nick were actually dating or married it wouldn't be a big deal. Where did the 'm' word come from? Why did that even enter her mind? Marry Nick? Ok, so maybe the thought had occurred to her subconsciously about a few million times, but this was the first time it had ever penetrated her conscious thoughts. It was amazing what a little liquor could do to loosen you up. Of course then there was that kiss. She let out a deep sigh. She couldn't deny it any more. She was very consciously in love with Nick.
Nick returned a few minutes later, softly knocking at the door. "Are you decent?"
"I'm covered if that's what you mean." Sara had a waver in her voice that made Nick think that she might throw up again.
Nick opened the door and offered her a T-shirt and a pair of his boxers. "I didn't want to go through your suitcase, so I grabbed some of my clothes. Besides, if you have to throw up again, they wash easily."
She glanced up at him and took the clothes from his hand. She noticed that he still wore the puke stained T-shirt. "I'm really sorry, Nick. I didn't mean to throw up on you. I didn't mean to fall asleep like that. This is just so incredibly embarrassing."
Nick just flashed her a smile. "Don't worry about it, Sara. I have to say I think this is the first time I've been thrown up on by someone over the age of three, but I understand." He turned around and left, closing the bathroom door behind him to give her a little privacy.
Sara decided that she needed a shower. She set the clean clothes on the counter and turned the facet on, stepping under the spray. After she fell sufficiently clean, she stepped out and dried herself off. As she pulled the T-shirt on over her head, a faint smile tugged at her lips as she detected a scent that was uniquely Nick. She had to chuckle at his boxers. She was pretty sure that the rest of her coworkers would find it strange if they found out she had worn Nick's underwear. She pulled them on and rolled the waistband a couple of times so they fit better before heading back out into the bedroom.
Apparently, Nick hadn't expected her to emerge so soon because Sara caught a full back view of his birthday suit as he was pulling a clean pair of boxers on.
Sara stood there for a moment and just stared and then realized what she was doing, quickly spinning around and clearing her throat to announce her presence.
He chuckled softly as he turned around with a T-shirt in hand. As he held it in his hand he quipped. "Well, it looks like one of us was destined to be a flasher today."
Sara couldn't help but laugh as she turned back around. "I'm just glad it wasn't me."
Nick just grinned and gestured toward the bed. "I think going back to sleep is out." Sara glanced over and noticed that the bedding had gotten about as much puke on it as Nick's shirt had.
She groaned and sat down on the couch. "I feel like crap."
Nick raised an eyebrow at her as he pulled the comforter off the bed. "Just how much did you drink last night?"
She looked up at him and wrinkled her brow. Damn he was distracting without his shirt on. "I don't know. I lost count after about four. I really intended to only stay for one drink, but Kelly and Chloe were grilling me about you."
Nick tried to restrain his smile. "Oh, they wanted to know about me, huh? What did you tell them?"
Sara bit her lip. "I don't remember." She really wished that Nick would put his shirt on. Well, not really, but if they were going to continue their conversation, it would be a really good idea if there was less skin showing.
Nick chuckled. "Oh, this could be fun." There was teasing in his voice.
She raised her eyebrow at him. "Hey, I wasn't the one who decided a real kiss was a good idea. That's all Kelly could talk about. She wants to know if you have a brother by the way."
Nick grinned. "Sorry to disappoint her, but my brother Mike is married with four kids and a baby on the way."
Sara giggled at the thought of what Kelly's face would look like at receiving that little bit of information.
"By the way, you're a pretty damn good kisser, Sidle." Nick crossed his arms in front of his chest as he regarded her sitting on the couch.
Sara couldn't help the smile that flitted across her face. "You're not so bad yourself."
A mischievous smile played at Nick's lips. "You know, we might just have to do that a few more times if you want to keep up this little charade."
Sara's eyebrows shot up and she looked almost indignant, except for the smile and the pink that infused her cheeks. "I wasn't the one who started the charade in the first place. You were the one who told Chloe we were dating."
"True." He flashed her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head and smiled. "Don't be. It's easier this way. Besides, if Kelly thought you were available, she'd be throwing herself at you."
Nick glanced over at the clock. "Do you want to grab something to eat?"
Sara grimaced at the thought. "I don't think I can right now." Sara's head was pounding and all she wanted was coffee and aspirin. "How about a very large cup of coffee and some form of pain killers for my head."
Nick nodded. "Why don't we get out of here for a while, the wedding isn't until tonight."
"Can we go to the mall?" Sara queried him.
Nick laughed. "Sara Sidle at the mall. I might just need to call Catherine."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I haven't bought a wedding gift yet, and I thought I might buy some pajamas to wear rather than have a repeat of last night."
Nick tried to swallow his grin.
Sara chuckled. "I take it you didn't mind the view."
"Truthfully, I rather enjoyed the view, but I didn't think you'd appreciate it if I saw any more than I did." Nick answered a bit cheekily.
Sara blushed. "Well, I'll remember not to drink so much the next time I have to share a hotel room with such a hunk, as Kelly puts it."
"Speaking of all that drinking, I think I need to take a shower. I smell a bit like recycled Tequila." Nick grinned.
"Yeah, and somehow, as much as I appreciate the use of your clothes, it might raise a few eyebrows if I went to the mall in your underwear." Sara smirked.
"At least I'm not wearing yours." Nick teased as he disappeared into the bathroom.
"This isn't Vegas, Stokes." Sara called out good naturedly, but a little too loudly for her headache.
By the time Nick emerged from the bathroom, Sara had gotten dressed in a knee skimming khaki skirt and a white button down shirt; her sunglasses were shoved up on top of her head. Nick couldn't help but smile, and Sara raised her eyebrows at him. "I do wear skirts you know."
"Oh, I believe you. I just hardly ever see you in them." Nick replied pulling a pair of khaki slacks out of the closet and pulling them on over his boxers. He pulled on a light blue short sleeved button down shirt and tucked it in.
They made their way down to the lobby to wait for the valet to bring the SUV around. As they stood there, a shrill voice called out.
Sara muttered under her breath, lowering her sunglasses to cover her eyes. "Anyone but her, please."
Nick chuckled at Sara as Kelly made her way over to them. "You guys sure are up early."
Sara turned toward her. "We're going to the mall to pick up the gift for the wedding."
"Oh, that's so great, I was just thinking how I needed to go there too. Now we can all go together. Isn't that just great?" Kelly was gushing again; too loudly for Sara's head.
She climbed into the backseat of the SUV with them and started quizzing Nick about whether he had a brother. After he found out that Mike was married with kids, she started quizzing him about his friends. Sara couldn't help but laugh at the situation.
When they arrived at the mall, Sara quickly picked out a wedding present and as it was being wrapped they had a little time to kill.
"Oh, let's go to Tiffany's. I bet Nick here would love to know what kind of ring you want when he's ready to propose." Kelly didn't pick up on the sputter of protests from either of them as she dragged them over to Tiffany's & Company. Kelly took charge of the situation and before they realized what had happened, Nick and Sara were looking at engagement rings. The whole situation felt completely surreal to Sara as she looked at a spectacular ring on her finger, still in a slight fog from her hangover.
"The lady seems to like that one." The salesman smiled and discretely slipped Nick his card with the ring size, price, and stock number . Rather than protest and let out the secret that they were in fact not dating, Nick put it into his pocket. Nick stared at the ring on Sara's hand. The salesman had said it was a princess cut diamond flanked by sapphires in a platinum setting. It looked like it was made for her hand.