Out of breath and huffing deeply from her long jog, Nadine was more than worn out by the time she reached her apartment building. Her blonde hair hung in her face as she tried to negotiate her key into the lock while dancing around in time to the Paramore song blaring from her iPod. Taking the stairs two at a time, she ignored the elevator in a last minute effort to get cardio in. She was doing anything to keep her mind off Nikolas and finally getting back to running regularly seemed to be a good idea. However, when she reached the top floor and headed down the hallway, all of her good intentions were thrown out the window.
Bouquet upon bouquet of flowers lined both alls of the corridor and surrounded her doorway. There were vases of soft pink gerber daisies, perfect ivory calla lilies, yellow and blush tea roses. There were dark red tulips, bright yellow sunflowers and fragile purple lilacs. There were white and magenta orchids, deep fuchsia gladiolus and orange tiger lilies. The narrow hallway was overwhelmed by the floral fragrance, and Nadine couldn't help but smile. Taped to her door was a single card with her name carefully written in Nikolas' familiar script. She peeled the thick envelope from the wooden surface and pressed it over her heart.
No one had ever really sent Nadine flowers before except her aunt the day that she got into nursing school. The only other flower she had received was a nearly dead pink carnation corsage for her senior prom. While some people might say that Nikolas had gone a little overboard when he ordered, but she absolutely loved the way he apologized. It was going to take more than flowers before things were going to be good between them again but these flowers were a start. Picking up the vase of mixed roses, she left the door open to her apartment and sat on the floor next to the sofa. She looked at the flowers again, her smile growing even bigger as she imagined him choosing each arrangement just for her. She knew Nikolas well enough to know that he would want it to be impeccable, perfect and personal. He had achieved that and much more. It was pure romance, absolutely adorable and incredibly sweet. As she pried the flap on the envelope open, she could only hope that his words matched the display.
Nadine,
This is only the smallest symbol of just how sorry I am for the unforgivable way I acted the last time that we were together. There are a million words I could express to say how sorry I am for my behavior, but I won't waste them on you. I've always been a big believer that actions speak louder than words, and if you will allow me, I will spend the rest of our lives trying to show you exactly how much you mean to me. I will be waiting at our spot at two o'clock if you are willing to give me another chance.
Yours if you will still have me,
Nikolas
A single tear drifted down Nadine's tear as she read over the letter another time. Now that was an apology. He could have left just that card and Nadine would have showed up to forgive him. She had only needed him to ask, and now that he had, she couldn't wait to be in his arms again. After only a handful of kisses and one almost perfect dance, Nadine was addicted to Nikolas. She had been hooked after the first time she touched his hand so many months ago, and being able to kiss him in his sitting room had only deepened her need for him. Being without him these past few days had sent her body into harsh withdrawals. His apology was just the hit that she needed. Feeling as high as she had ever been, she glanced at her watch and noted that she only had an hour before she needed to meet him at the clearing. Deducting for the half-hour of travel time it took to get out to Spoon Island, she quickly jumped up and dashed around her apartment to get ready.
After her too short shower, Nadine stood in front of her closet just as she had a few days before when getting ready for the perfect date with Nikolas. There had been too much pressure on both of them that time, so this time she just wanted to keep things light between them. Things would happen as they were meant to, and she couldn't keep putting these ideals on the situation. If she didn't have expectations for the way things should go, she couldn't be let down. She knew Nikolas would come through for her in the way that she needed if she could just let him do it in his own way. With that goal in mind, she pulled a simple sage green sundress from a hanger and threw it over her body. She elected for a simple pair of leather sandals and decided to leave her hair loose around her shoulders. There wasn't any need for all these accessories or makeup or expensive perfume. She just needed to be her.
The driver over to the launch took longer than it usually seemed to, though Nadine suspected she actually got there faster because of her complete disregard for the speed limit. Leaving her car in the gravel lot at Nikolas' private docks, she smiled at the captain as he helped her step onto the launch. The uniformed man told her that it would be ten minutes across the harbor, and Nadine took those last few minutes alone to think about what she would say. She didn't want to over think the situation, but she also didn't want to just give in. As much as she was willing to forgive Nikolas, she still needed to know why he had pushed her away. She needed to hear him say the words. If he was going to let her in, he needed to be completely and brutally honest. It was the only way she would know that all of this was real.
When the small boat finally made its way to Spoon Island, another uniformed guard was waiting on the other side to help her onto dry ground. She was immediately escorted into a small passenger car and driven to the opening of the woods. Nadine thought about going back to the stables to get Starlight but when she caught sight of the time, she just headed into the trees. The walk to the clearing hadn't felt so long the other day when she was riding with Nikolas and Spencer, but as she carefully trekked along the path, she felt like she would never get there. With every step, she grew more desperate to see him. It had been a long time since she had felt such anticipation. Finally, growing restless, she pulled off her shoes and started to sprint barefoot through the cool grass. She knew that her feet would be muddy by the time she reached him but she didn't care. She just wanted to hold him.
Nadine didn't even bother to slow down when she reached the clearing. She just kept running at full speed, her eyes locked on Nikolas until she was finally wrapped in his arms. He caught her with an audible gasp and enveloped her tightly in his embrace. Lifting her slightly off the ground, he buried his nose in her soft blonde hair and inhaled her gentle scent gratefully. Her face was pressed into his shoulder as she locked her arms around his neck. They were both silent in the emotional moment. The only sound was the faint wail of a songbird and their heavy breaths intermingling in the crisp fall air. Nadine finally pulled back slightly to look into his coffee brown eyes and slid easily back to the ground. She started to step away from him when he reached out and pulled her back to him. "Don't let go," he implored in a whisper as he pressed his forehead to hers. "Just, please, whatever you are going to say, don't let go."
Threading her arms around his waist, Nadine hugged him tightly for a moment, thankful once again for his words. He wanted her to be here. If there had any doubt before, it was now gone. "I'm here, Nikolas, I am not going to let go of you," she promised as he rested his face against her shoulder. "You mean too much to me to walk away now. We mean too much."
Nikolas reached down for her hand and guided her over to the bench where they had sat only a few days before. Their fingers entangled together as they sat down so close that not even a breath of air could escape between them. "I was so afraid that you weren't going to come. I tried not to think like that, but I would have been devastated if you hadn't shown up," he confessed softly, reaching up with his free hand to tuck a golden tendril behind her ear. "You didn't have to come, I really didn't deserve it. I'm just glad that you could see past that and come here. I have so many things I need to tell you."
"There are so many things that I need to hear," she agreed before running her hand over his smooth cheek. Nikolas turned instinctively to rest his face in her palm. It was such an intimate gesture, one that showed him that they were still there. Despite what had happened the other night, Nadine was there for him. "So, you are going to talk and I am going to listen. When you are finished, we will decide what is going to happen next. There's no pressure here. I don't need you to make any promises. I just need for you to tell me the truth. As long as we are honest with each other, I know that we'll make it through this."
Nodding slowly, he tried to find the right place to begin. "That song the other night, it was the same one they played at the Black & White Ball. It was actually the waltz that the orchestra performed right after Emily and I announced our second engagement," he explained. "I haven't heard it since that night, but when I did, it took me immediately back to that moment. The only difference was this time you were in my arms instead of her. My head knew that but something in my heart finally clicked. A small part of me still felt like I was betraying Emily. It still believed that she was going to come back. Hearing that song reminded me that was never going to happen. I was happy with Emily for many years and we had a love that I will always remember. However, her death was not the end of my life. I thought it was for a very time until I met you. Now I understand that losing Emily was just another new beginning. My time with Emily was another lifetime, and I can't live in the past anymore. I don't want to. I want to live in the present, in the here and now…with you. I want to make plans and think about a future…with you."
A long moment passed before Nikolas continued. "I have run away my entire life when things got too difficult. I've always found the easiest way to deal with something is to not deal with it at all. Even Emily couldn't change that about me, and we missed out some precious time together because of it," he admitted. "However, for the first time, I don't want to keep doing this over and over again. I just want to stand still with you and figure this out. I don't want to give the situation time until I am absolutely sure about the way this should go. I'd only be wasting time without you in my life. You deserve so much more than that."
For the first time since Nikolas began speaking, Nadine cleared her throat to say something. "We deserve more than that," she told him patiently. "I am not any more important in this than you are. We are in this together. I don't want you to forget that. Even before you decided that you cared about me, I knew that you were someone I couldn't just walk away from. I won't let you run from me, Cassadine. If you do, I'll just have to chase after you."
"Promise?" he asked with a teasing smile. Nadine nodded as his hands drifted up her bare arms and over her shoulder. She shivered involuntarily under his touch, anticipating even the slightest graze of his fingertips against her skin. "I called Lucky and Elizabeth to the park yesterday. I talked to them about Emily and about you. They both really like the person I am when I'm with you. It's a powerful thing to have your two best friends give you their blessing. They helped me let go of Emily. I've said my final goodbyes. There are still going to be days when it's going to be hard, but I won't push you away anymore. Instead, I am going to ask you to help me get through them. I don't need you to do that, but I want you to be there. Knowing the difference there makes all the difference in the world. I mean…"
Nikolas trailed off as Nadine launched herself onto him and captured his mouth with hers. She didn't even let him finish the thought as she pressed her body fully to his. Angling her body toward his more, she tilted her head slightly to give him better access. Nikolas ran his tongue along her bottom lip, begging for entrance between her naked lips. Nadine opened her mouth willingly and tangled her fingers in his black locks. He moaned against her mouth and pulled her closer to him. His hands traveled beneath the hem of her skirt to caress her bare thigh, tracing random patterns on her silky skin.
"Perfect," she sighed contently when they separated. Nikolas didn't remove where they were holding her face. Nadine turned her head slightly and laid a soft kiss on his palm.
"Hmm?" he murmured in response, still dazed from their interlude. Nadine giggled as she leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his jaw. "You didn't even let me finish. I have some serious apologizing to do."
Shaking her head, Nadine kissed him again. Her breath tickled the underneath side of his chin as she pulled away reluctantly, languishing in the open affection between them. "You don't need to say anything else. I forgive you," she assured him. "The only thing you need to do from here on out is be this open with me whenever you start to feel this way again. I will never get angry at you for missing Emily."
"You're incredible, you know that?" he mused as he looked into her eyes. She told him that she knew because he had told her so many times but that she never got tired of hearing it. He laughed in response before pulling her into his lap. Nadine rested her head on his shoulder as he trailed his fingers soothingly through her hair. "Do you want to come back to the house with me? I am going to give Spencer his snack before he goes down for a nap. I'm sure that he would love to see you."
"I'll make you a deal," she offered with a wide grin. "I will come back to Wyndamere with you for a snack if you will lay down for a nap with me afterward. Spencer isn't the only one who needs rest. I haven't slept very well since that night, and by looking at you, I don't think that you have either." The thought of having Nadine in his bed for the first time, a first for anyone since Emily, was a little scary for Nikolas. She must have read his mind because she immediately spoke up again. "We're just going to sleep, Cassadine, get your mind out of the gutter."
Running his hand up her calf, he winked cheekily at her before nipping playfully at her ear. "It's just a natural progression when you are so close to me like this, talking about taking me to bed," he teased, his voice gruff in her ear. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all. You're the first to even see the inside of my bedroom since Emily died. It's not that I don't want to, I do more than anything. I'm just scared."
The thought of a royal prince being scared of a simple girl from Texas made her blue eyes dance with delight. "I don't bite," she pointed out. "Well, unless that's what you're into."
"In due time," he commented before pecking the tip of her nose.
Lifting her off his legs, he stood up and reached out for her hand. Nadine and Nikolas started along the path, walking slowly and aimlessly, in no hurry for the rest of the afternoon. As they neared the house, Nadine stopped and looked up at him seriously. "You don't have to be scared," she said. "We'll find a way to make this okay for both of us."