Nick met Danielle in the driveway when she arrived at his house after class the next morning.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked him as she got out of the car.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your car?" he asked standing at the hood of the car with his arms folded in front of him.

"Um, no, but thanks. I love this car," she told him, admiring the car, standing next to Nick at the hood.

Danielle owned a 2000 white Camaro convertible. She bought it with part of her inheritance from her mother. She was fortunate to have a hefty inheritance, as it also afforded her the ability to buy her condo. Not outright, but with a nice down payment. She tried to be careful with her inheritance so that it would be there to fall back on for many years. But the car and the condo were her indulgences. She knew her mom wouldn't have objected to her buying them.

"Can I drive it," Nick asked sounding like a 16 year old who just got his license.

Danielle laughed, "Ahhh, no. No one drives this car but me. And, no pouting. It doesn't work on me."

Nick pulled his bottom lip back in, "Fine, fine. C'mere and give me a hug, girl."

She was surprised by his request but she didn't object. She immediately obliged by settling into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck. He squeezed her and lifted her off the ground a bit.

"I missed you, Nick," she told him while in his embrace.

Nick smiled and squeezed her again. "I missed you too, Dani."

They separated, "Well, are you ready?" he asked.

"Yup!" she answered excitedly.

"Did you bring any sunscreen?" he asked.

"No, I thought for sure you would have some," she said.

"Damn, I don't know where any of that stuff is! Maybe there is some on the boat," he added.

"I hope so, or we are gonna fry out there," she said.

"C'mon, let's go," he said leading the way.

Out on the boat, in the ocean.

Nick got them settled in a spot and then joined Danielle near the rear of the boat.

Danielle stared out into the sea, "I used to love to go out on the water. My mom was the first person to take me out here. It was a chartered cruise. I immediately fell in love with the water. Brought me to another time and place."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said staring out at the water with her.

"Like right now, don't you feel like you are in a completely different world?" she asked him.

Nick looked at her, "Why do you think I like coming out here so much? It's a nice escape. It's like; I imagine there's nothing else out there. That right now, this very second. . .it's just you and me. And the water. And the boat," he paused in his thought. "No screaming fans, no hotel room walls, no one to tell me what to do or when to do it."

"That's what my mom used to say too. Not the screaming fans stuff, but the ocean is the one place where you can just be. Be yourself, with yourself. Total peace," she said quietly.

Nick looked at her again and saw a tear forming in her eye.

"She's out here you know," she said still staring at the water.

Nick kept watching her as she spoke.

"We spread her ashes out in the ocean. She loved it down here so much. I think that's part of the reason her and dad didn't make it. She dreamed of this. . .life. She always said she was meant for bigger things. She had dreams that my dad. . .well, just didn't," she explained.

"No wonder you love this ocean. She's a part of you. You are a part of her," Nick said.

"I feel so much closer to her out on the water," Danielle said her eyes welling up with tears.

Nick moved closer to Danielle and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Then I'm glad I brought you to visit her," he said.

Danielle leaned her head over sideways and rested it on his chest as her tears started falling freely. Nick held her shoulder a little tighter.

"I really miss her, Nick. It's been so hard not having her here with me. Especially this year. Sometimes a girl just needs her mom, you know?" she sniffed.

"I know," he said quietly. He thought for a moment about what it must be like for her. He thought about his relationship with his own mother. As turbulent as it has been, he never thought about what he would do if she were all of the sudden just. . .gone. No, he didn't want to think about that. He wrapped his other arm around Danielle, almost trying to console himself through embracing her, at the mere thought of losing his own mother.

Danielle regained herself a bit and pulled away from Nick to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin our time out here."

"No, no, it's okay. It's okay to cry. Some people go to cemeteries, you have the ocean. It's beautiful place to rest. I'm glad that I was here to share this with you," he consoled her.

Danielle looked up at Nick. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. Was he too good to be true? Probably. "Thank you for being here with me," she told him.

"I'll always be here for you, Danielle," he said softly.

Somehow, hearing those words come out of his mouth gave her chills. Because deep down, she knew he really would be.

Danielle took a deep breath of the ocean air and sighed as she exhaled. "Wow, I'm gonna miss the ocean."

"Miss it? It ain't going nowhere," he told her.

Danielle squinted her eyes at Nick. "Oh, that's right. You don't know."

"Know what?"

"Well, after graduation. . .I'm moving back to Minnesota," she said.

"What? Did I just hear you correctly? Did you just say you're leaving Tampa?" he asked, his voice rising.

Danielle looked back out at the ocean, "Yeah, I decided when I was home this last time."

Nick took a moment to bring his words together then with frustration asked, "Dani, why? I mean, don't you like it here?"

"Nick, I love Florida. But I don't belong here. There's nothing for me here. My mom is gone. Joey is out of my life." She paused when Nick turned his attention from her to the water, glaring at the waves.

"Nick. My family is there. My roots are there," she explained.

Nick chimed in quickly, "And there's NOTHING here? Nothing?"

"Oh, Nick. I didn't mean it like that. But I can't stay here just because we're friends. We'll still be friends with me in a different location. You're hardly here anyway."

"Friends," he repeated after her. He turned away from her and walked over to the other side of the boat, "That's GREAT!"

Danielle watched Nick's mood turn in an instance. "Nick, what is wrong?"

He turned his head around to look at her as he leaned against the railing on the other side of the boat. "Danielle? No. . .wait. . .forget it." He dismissed his thought and turned his attention back to the water. She went over to him and placed her hand on his back.

"Nick?" she asked timidly.

He turned abruptly to move away from her touch. "You know what?" he snapped. "Just don't."

"Nick! God! What is wrong?" she exclaimed, clearly confused with his behavior.

"What's wrong?" he asked back at her. He starting biting the lower inside of his cheek and Danielle could see the anger in his expression. "This hot and cold thing, Danielle!"

He walked away from the railing and put his hands on his head. "It seems when we are getting closer, you do something. . .say something, to keep us further apart."

Danielle was speechless; she just stood there with her mouth open and watched him as he continued.

"And now. . .we're FRIENDS," he said putting an emphasis on the word 'friends'. He turned away from her not wanting to hear anything she had to say.

"But Nick, we ARE friends!" she yelled.

He half turned to look at her. He tilted his head and lowered his tone a bit, "Dani, we could be so much more than that."

What did he say? More than friends? Her stomach began to hurt. The idea of dating him scared her. She didn't think she wanted to date another entertainer. Too many worries, too much time apart.

"Dani?" he said softly snapping her out of her thoughts. He moved in closer to her, "Dani, did you hear what I said?"

He placed his hands on her upper arms and started to gently caress them up and down. She was frozen in place, she couldn't move, and she wasn't sure she could speak.

"Um. . .umm. . .yeah, I heard you," she barely said. "But, I'm not sure that I understand."

"It's simple Dani. It's about me and you. You and me. US. Together," he told her.

She shook her head slowly and broke away from his gaze, "Oh, Nick, I don't know. . ."

"You came to me Danielle! After Valentine's Day. You. Came. To. Me," he said softly. "Now, tell me why, Dani."

The tone in his voice was hypnotizing. She looked into his eyes as he brought his hands up to cup her face. Danielle just kept staring at him, his gaze slowly breaking down her defenses. "Tell me why, Danielle," he said again.

"Because," she paused. "Because. . .I. . .I. . .I needed to see you."

"And?" he prodded gently.

"And. . .because my heart was telling me I wanted you. Wanted us," she whispered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked just above a whisper.

"Because, I'm afraid Nick," she told him. He inched closer to her face with his. "But, we can't. I can't do this again, Nick."

"I'm not Joey," he told her. "This is me, Danielle. I want US too."

He moved in to kiss her, and she pulled back and whispered. "I'm scared, Nick."

"It's okay, Dani. Let it happen. Let yourself go," he whispered.

With those last words, she felt her heart give in. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb as he felt her relax. He moved in again and saw that she was tilting her head up, waiting for his lips to meet hers. She saw him close his eyes as his lips came closer to hers. Her eyes closed their lips met. She brought her hands up to his face and held it in the same fashion as he held hers. Their kiss deepened as she allowed his tongue to meet hers. She could feel her knees becoming weak as their tongues circled each others.

When their lips slowly parted, he whispered, "That was better than I remembered."

She smiled at him, "What are you doing to me, Nick? I can barely stand."

"I'm making you mine, babygirl," he said warmly. "That is, if you'll let me."

"I don't want to get hurt Nick," she said.

"Neither do I," he told her. "But, we can't walk away from what we're feeling either."

She shook her head, "No, I don't think we can."

"I'm just as scared as you, Dani," he told her. "But, we owe it to ourselves to give this a go."

She nodded, "Yeah, I think we do. Man, what am I getting myself into?"

He grabbed her around the waist and playfully pulled her to him. "A whole lot of trouble!" He laughed and kissed her again.

The next morning. . .

Danielle brought Nick to the airport so that they could spend some extra time together. She ended up staying at his house overnight after the boat ride. Despite Nick's best efforts she stayed in the guest room. The two sat up for hours talking and Nick had to force himself to say goodnight so that he could get SOME sleep.

Nick met up with Billy at their gate and soon it was time for him to leave. Nick had been holding Danielle's hand the entire time they were at the airport. He slowly turned to face her and squeezed her hand. "How come I don't want to let go of your hand?"

"How come I don't want you to?" she added.

He looked into her blue eyes and through her tired eyes he could see a sadness. He had seen this look so many times, it was all too familiar. He used to see it in Mandy's eyes, and now here it was in Danielle's. He could feel a pit forming in his stomach. Saying goodbye to her this time had a much different feel. He was afraid to leave her behind. Afraid that he was going to wake up some morning with a report that she was back with Joey. Afraid that he was going to come home someday and see that she had moved back to Minnesota. Afraid that if he left her behind, she was going to re-think things and make herself believe that she changed her mind about their relationship.

"God, Dani, it's so much harder saying goodbye to you this time," he told her.

She nodded, "I know, it is for me too." And it was. As much as she wanted to get on the plane with him, she knew better than to fall into the same routine that she had with Joey. She was so close to graduating, she wasn't about to let anything get in the way. But she was scared. Scared that he was going to get on that plane and fly back to a life that he had grown accustomed to, which for the most part was a life with other women. He had become quite the playboy. She wasn't sure if she expected him to be faithful; she wasn't sure what she expected from him. But, he had become such a strong figure in her life, it scared her that she had become so dependent on him. But, was she dependent? Maybe not, maybe he really was the person who was meant to fill the void in her heart. Maybe there was a reason she felt she needed to be with him.

"You know, it's not too late. You can still come with me," he said.

She shook her head slowly, "No, Nick, I can't. You know that. It was bad enough that I took that week off to go back to Minnesota. But, I'll tell you what. . .if it all works out, I'll come out this weekend to see you."

"Yes, definitely! You can bring your homework and study while I'm working and then we can do stuff when I'm free," he said excitedly.

"That sounds good. But just so you know, I won't ALWAYS be able to fly out on the weekends," she explained.

"I know, I know," Nick finally let go of her hand and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm glad we're giving this a try, "he told her. This is scary for me too, Dani. But I have a good feeling about this."

He wrapped his arms completely around her waist and rested his head down on her shoulders, burying his face in her neck. He wanted to hold onto her, that moment, the way she felt, and take it all with him.

As he pulled away from her he brought his hands up to her face. "You be good," she told him. "And take care of yourself."

"I will, I'll call you later, okay?"

She nodded, "Be safe."

"I will," he leaned in and kissed her lips gently. She returned his kiss with a couple extra little kisses.

"I'll talk to you later, babygirl."

"Okay," they let go of each other. Nick began to walk away and Danielle gently tugged on his arm as she was still holding onto it. He turned quickly and she pulled his arm closer to her. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him another quick kiss.

"Bye Nick."

"Bye Dani," he smiled. Then they parted. Nick met Billy at the breezeway entrance.

"What's the story with this one?" Billy asked.

Nick clapped his hands together and gave Billy a grin, "I'm jumping in head first Billy. I think I've officially got a new girlfriend."

Chapter 12
Chapter 10
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