Chapter 3: Talking Things Out
As Lu and Dana walked around looking for Nick, Dana began to lose confidence again. "What if he turns me away? What if he's avoiding me?" she worried silently. Lu noticed the faraway look in her eyes and put a hand on her shoulder. "Dana?" she asked gently, but Dana didn't answer her. Instead, she closed her eyes, waiting for the ache in her heart to stop.
"Dana?" Lu asked again. She was worried. This wasn't like Dana. She wondered what else was bothering her. She knew that it went much deeper than her breakup with Nick. After a few minutes, Lu
began to shake Dana's shoulders gently.
Dana opened her eyes quickly. "Lu, why were you shaking me?" she asked. Lu sighed. "You scared me. Dana." she replied. "I was talking to you, and you didn't answer." Dana shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lu." she apologized. "I didn't hear you. My mind was somewhere else." Lu nodded. "Were you thinking about Nick again?" she asked.
This time, it was Dana's turn to nod. "I don't think I can do this, Lu." she confided. "I mean, what if he's still bitter about the whole thing?" Lu put a gentle hand on Dana's shoulder as she said this. "You won't know how he feels til you talk to him, Dana." she encouraged. Dana nodded again. "I guess you're right, Lu." she said with a smile.
Lu returned her smile. "Good. I'm glad you've got your confidence back, because here he comes." she said as she pointed over Dana's shoulder. She turned quickly. Lu was right. Nick was coming straight toward them. "Here's your chance, Dana." she coached herself silently. "Take it. It's now or never." Nick had reached them by then. "Hey, Lu. Hey, Dana." he said brightly. "Hey, Nick." they replied on unison.
Dana was nervous, but she knew she had nothing to worry about because Lu was with her. "Nick, we need to talk in my office." she said firmly. "Sure, Dana. What's up?" he asked as they walked toward her office. "You'll find out in a bit." Dana answered mysteriously. When they reached her office, she held the door open for them, and when she'd closed it behind them, Nick asked, "So, Dana, what 'd you wanna see me about?"
Dana glanced at Lu, who gave her an encouraging smile. Then, she cleared her throat and focused on Nick, who had taken a seat on her couch. He patted the spot next to him, inviting Dana to sit down. She sat down slowly, clearing her throat again as she turned to face him. "What's bothering you, Dana?" he asked gently. "I feel really bad about what happened between us, Nick." she replied. "It was selfish of me to break up with you just because you weren't ready to have kids."
"My feelings for you are still there, strong as ever. I just wish I'd realized that sooner. If I had, it would've saved us both a lotta pain."
Nick took Dana's hands suddenly. He looked straight into her icy blue eyes as he said, "I feel the same way, Dana, but I was afraid you didn't. That's why I never said anything."
"Nick?" Dana said questioningly. "Yeah?" he answered softly. "Do you think we could, um, try to start fresh?" she asked nervously. He nodded, flashing her one of his most attractive smiles. "I'd love to." he replied, kissing her lightly.