Nicole and I sat next to each other awkwardly. I mean, we were just upstairs, about to kiss, and now we're downstairs with my aunt and uncle. Gus served our plates and we ate in silence for a few minutes, until Gus decided to speak.

"So... Nicole?" She asked.

Nicole looked up at her and smiled. "Yes," she responded.

"You go to school with Waverly?" Gus asked.

Nicole nodded. "Yeah. I'm new, actually. I met Waverly on my first day," she answered.

"That right? How did you two meet?" Curtis asked, joining in on the conversation.

I smiled a bit as I remembered the first moment I saw her. So beautiful... The most beautiful girl in the whole school, in my opinion.

"I literally ran into her," I told them, smiling.

Gus looked at me, studying my expression. "Really? Now, what on Earth were you doing running, Waverly?"

"I was mad at Champ," I answered, shrugging.

Curtis nodded slowly, chewing his food. He swallowed and then shook his head.

"Hardy James is a piece of work, isn't he?" Gus asked, shaking her head.

"He ain't showed up for work today. Little shit," Curtis muttered.

"Oh... Yeah. That might be my fault," I confessed.

Gus and Curtis looked up, eyes wide. I knew immediately that their minds went into the gutter.

"Oh, God, no! That's- that is so not what I meant!" I told them, shaking my head.

Nicole snickered next to me, and I returned it with a gentle elbow.

"So what did you mean, sweet pea?" Curtis asked.

"I meant that I broke up with him. And then he was kind of a dick about it-"

"Language, Waverly!" Gus scolded.

"Sorry..." I grumbled. "Anyways, he was a... uh... poor sport about it-"

"Well, that's putting it mildly," Nicole interjected quietly.

I rolled my eyes and looked at her. "Can I talk? Please?" I asked.

"Right. Sorry," she replied, glancing at me.

I sighed. "As I was saying. Champ was upset and started being really mean. Wynonna threatened him with a bat and chased him off," I said, finally finishing explaining what had happened.

Curtis snorted, grinning proudly. Of course he was proud of Wynonna. I smiled.

"Curtis, come on," Gus said, disapprovingly.

Curtis shrugged. "What? It's not like he didn't deserve it," he responded.

"Oh, I'm not sayin' he didn't," Gus replied.

I looked down at my food, continuing to pick out the mushrooms Gus had added. Nicole watched me.

"You don't like them?" She asked.

I looked at her. "Oh. No, not really. Do you want them?"

"Sure," Nicole said.

We smiled at each other as I began to give her the mushrooms that were on my plate. Once I'd given her all of them, we both went back to our own food. I looked up and noticed Gus and Curtis watching us. I began to get nervous.

"What?" I asked.

Gus shook her head. "Oh, nothin'," she said.

Her and Curtis shared a knowing look with each other and continued eating. The rest of dinner continued like that, with me and Nicole occasionally talking, but mostly just Gus and Curtis watching us with just a knowing look on their faces. It was like they knew that we had almost kissed or something.

Once dinner was over, and Nicole tried to leave, we saw that it had snowed a lot more since the last time we looked outside.

"Oh, Nicole, dear, why don't you just stay the night? I don't think it's a good idea to drive at night with all that snow," Gus suggested.

"Are you sure?" Nicole asked.

Gus nodded. "Absolutely. I mean, Waverly, your new bed is big enough for the both of you, right?" She asked.

I blushed. "Um- uh... y-yeah. Yeah, it is," I said.

"See? You two can just sleep up in her room. Maybe she has some clothes that could fit you," Gus said.

"I can see what I can find," I offered.

"Oh, thank you. I just have to call my grandma," Nicole replied.

I nodded as Nicole walked out of the room to get some privacy. Gus looked me, smiling a bit. Curtis had gone to bed earlier, so it was just the two of us alone in the room as Nicole called her grandmother. Gus was looking at me like she knew something. I swallowed nervously.

"Waverly, is there somethin' you wanna tell me?" Gus asked quietly.

I shook my head quickly. "I... don't think so..." I responded.

"You and your "friend" don't have nothin' goin' on between you two?"

"No," I said quickly. How did she know? "Well- I- I mean- I don't think so..."

"You don't think so?"

"We, um, had a moment... Upstairs before dinner. At least, I think it was a moment."

"Sounds to me like you two need to have a talk."

I shook my head. "No, no, definitely not." I could not talk to Nicole about this. I mean, what if she rejected me?

"Well, why not?"

"Because. What if we do and the conclusion is that she doesn't like me that way?"

Gus snorted. "Oh, honey. That girl is head-over-heels for you."

She is? "Really?"

"Yes! Have you seen the way she looks at you?" Gus said, shaking her head at me like I should have known.

I couldn't help but blush at the idea of Nicole having feelings for me. I opened my mouth to reply to Gus, but closed it when Nicole came back into the room.

"Everything good?" I asked her, ending my conversation with Gus.

Nicole nodded. "Yeah. I'm all clear to, uh, spend the night." She answered, waving her phone before putting it back into her pocket.

"Cool," I replied.

I hoped she didn't notice how nervous I was. I mean, I was very nervous, especially since I'd just had that conversation with Gus.

"You okay, Waverly? You seem kinda nervous," Nicole observed, seeming slightly amused.

"Oh, yeah, no, I'm fine!" I said, shaking my head at her and laughing awkwardly. "What would I be nervous about, silly?"

Nicole shrugged. "I don't know, I just-"

I cut her off, not wanting to continue the conversation further. "Hey! Why don't we go upstairs?" I asked.

Nicole blinked. "Um... Okay?"

I thanked Gus for dinner before grabbing Nicole's hand and leading her back up the stairs, to my bedroom. As soon as we were in there, and the door was closed, I felt even more nervous. Just being alone in the same room as her was nerve-racking. Nicole took her jacket and shoes off once more, since she was now staying.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nicole asked me.

I turned away from her, worried that if I were looking her in the eye, she would see that I was lying. "Um, yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

"Because you're acting kind of weird."

"Oops."

"Oops? Waverly, seriously?"

I turned around to face her, my confused feelings manifesting themselves as frustration and anger. "I don't know what you want me to say. Sorry I'm acting weird? There's nothing wrong, so I don't know what else to say, Nicole," I snapped.

Wow, I'm turning into Wynonna.

Nicole made a face at me. She looked hurt and shocked. Confused, even. I felt bad for snapping at her, but I didn't know what else to do. The look on her face made me feel so guilty.

"What's your problem? I don't understand why you're-"

I kissed her. Hard. She stumbled back, falling into the door, but still returned the kiss. I had my hands on the back of her neck as I kissed her, one of her hands gripping my wrist, the other on my back.

Despite the fact that I practically just assaulted her with my mouth, the kiss felt better than I had imagined. Not just sparks, but fireworks. Big, beautiful fireworks. My heart was pounding.

Nicole pushed me back a bit, not in a bad way, but to stop the kiss.

"Waverly, what-"

"I don't wanna be your friend, Nicole. I wanna be something more," I confessed.

Confessing that felt better than when I told Champ he was bad at sex.

"So you're saying that you like me?"

"I mean, if my borderline physical assault kiss didn't tell you that, then yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Nicole smiled, but then frowned. "Is that why you broke up with Champ?"

I shook my head. "No. Well, I mean... Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"I mean, my feelings for you helped me realize that I didn't have feelings for him. I didn't love Champ. No matter how hard I tried... Everything came back to you." I mean, since I was confessing everything already...

Nicole smiled again. "Wow... And here I was worried that you would never have feelings for me..."

I gave a small smile. "Um- does this mean you feel the same?" I asked her. I was so hopeful, yet anxious to hear her answer. My heart was pounding a million miles per hour.

Instead of answering, Nicole pulled me in for another kiss. The kiss was less rough, and more... sweet. I smiled into the kiss before Nicole pulled away and smiled at me.

"Does that answer your question?" She asked me quietly.

I nodded and kissed her one more time, stepping backwards with my arms still wrapped around her. I turned her around and moved us toward my bed. We fell onto it and Nicole pulled away only to adjust herself so that she wasn't hanging halfway off of the bed. I was now straddling her waist and my heart was still pounding. We kissed each other lustfully, pulling at each other's clothes.

Oh, wow, is this really happening?

Nicole's hands were all over me and I loved it, but I wanted to feel her hands on my skin. I pulled away and sat up, looking at Nicole. I took her hands and slipped them under my shirt.

"Are- are you sure?"Nicole asked me.

I nodded. "I'm sure," I told her.

I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up and over my head. Nicole ran her hands over my body, and I closed my eyes. Her hands felt just how I'd imagined. I leaned down to kiss her again, when suddenly the door opened before I could move off of Nicole.

Gus peeked her head into the room and I moved to sit next to Nicole, covering myself with my shirt.

"Oh. Well. I was just comin' up here to see if you girls needed any extra blankets," Gus said.

"Uh- we- we weren't-" Nicole stuttered.

Gus stepped into the room, two thick blankets in her hands, and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I understand teenagers... Hormones raging and whatnot. Just- for Christ's sake, Waverly, put your shirt back on." She spoke as she set the blankets down. She gave us both a look before leaving the room.

I blushed madly as Gus shut the door, slipping my shirt back on reluctantly. Nicole and I looked at each other. Nicole chuckled quietly and I laughed.

"Oh, God, that was embarrassing," I said.

Nicole laughed quietly. "Maybe it was a sign that we should probably wait for all that stuff," she suggested.

I shrugged, still hot from our make out session. "Maybe... But I kinda don't wanna wait." I leaned in and kissed her.

She smiled into the kiss and then pulled away. "Oh, I can tell," she replied, biting her lip.

We looked into each other's eyes. I knew that her lust-filled gaze reflected the exact look in my own eyes. I kissed her again, pulling her closer. We laid down, not breaking the kiss. Nicole parted her lips and I slipped my tongue into her mouth. She moaned quietly, apparently enjoying the kiss as much as I was. We pulled away again and looked at each other.

"Are you as turned on as I am?" I asked. Usually I would never ask something like this, but honestly, I was too horny to care at this point.

Nicole nodded, her face a bit flushed. "Yeah, I am. But we shouldn't-"

I groaned. "I know..." I wanted desperately to pretend that I didn't know that we shouldn't because I was so sexually frustrated right now that I just wanted to, well... you know.

Nicole kissed my cheek and I felt so happy. Happier than I've been in a very long time. I used to think I was at my happiest with Champ, but since meeting Nicole, I realized that that wasn't even close to being true. I smiled at her.

"Are you tired?" Nicole asked me quietly.

I shook my head. "No. Just cold," I told her. I sat up. "If we're going to go to sleep, we should change into pajamas or something."

Nicole nodded. "Okay."

We got up and I walked over to my dresser as Nicole started to get the bed ready, adding the extra blankets Gus had left for us. I glanced back at her as I went through my clothes, trying to find something for her to wear. I smiled a bit to myself, happy that she was there.

I turned back to the dresser and found some sweatpants and an oversized hoodie for her to wear. I pulled out my usual pajamas (my nightgown and my other pair of sweatpants), and turned around to face her.

"Here." I said, holding the clothing out to her.

Nicole took them and smiled. "Thanks. Where's your bathroom?" She asked.

"Just outside the bedroom," I answered. I smiled at her as she thanked me before making her way out of the room. She closed the door behind her, and I continued to smile to myself as I got undressed.

I pulled my shirt, bra, and pants off before pulling my sweatpants on. I was about to pull the nightgown over my head, when Nicole walked back into the room. I quickly covered myself as she looked away and then went back out of the room, muttering something that sounded like "sorry".

I sighed, blushing more than I ever have the entire time I've known her. I pulled the nightgown over my head and then pulled it over my body before opening the door to tell Nicole that she could come back in.

"I didn't see anything." Nicole insisted after she walked in and closed the door behind her.

I giggled. She was so cute. "It's fine if you did... I mean, it's not like I hadn't been prepared to show you earlier anyways," I told her. Which was true. I had been prepared to take my bra off in front of her when we were getting each other all hot and bothered. "I'll be right back," I told her.

I left the room and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair and wash my face. After I'd done all of those things, I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't expect myself to look different, but in a small, very subtle way, I kind of did. I flashed a small smile before heading back into my room.

Nicole was already under the covers when I returned and I smiled at her. Every time I saw her, my heart rate sped up. Every. Time.

I walked over to the bed and got under the covers with her. She smiled at me and I leaned in to kiss her. She kissed me back before pulling away and pecking my nose. I giggled. The peck on my nose made me feel flustered and I had butterflies in my stomach.

"Thank you for coming over," I whispered.

Nicole smiled. "Thank you for inviting me," she whispered back.

I smiled and cuddled into her side. She wrapped her arms around me and held me tightly, resting her cheek against my head. I closed my eyes and buried my face in her neck. I breathed in her smell and smiled.

Vanilla-dipped donuts.