"Where is Nick taking you?" Samantha asked sitting down on the bed.
"I don't know. All I know is to dress causally." Melissa said brushing her dark brown hair. "Okay, how do I look?"
"You look beautiful."
"Why am I so nervous? It's like I never been on a date with him before." She stated playing with her hair.
"You love him Mel and you haven't seen him in two years." Samantha pulled her knees to her chest. "It is like everything is new between you two."
Melissa sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. "I guess this will have to do. What time is it?"
Samantha looked at her watch. "Ten minutes till seven, he should be here soon."
"I feel like I'm sixteen all over again." She joined her friend on the bed. "On Nick's and mine first date we when to a drive in. He had a cooler filled with all my favorite snacks and drinks. He even brought a blanket so we could wrap up in together." A smile appeared on her face as she talked.
"I remember you were nervous then too."
"And you came over then too to help me get ready." Melissa sighed. "It is like I'm reliving the past."
"Don't let Jenny hear you say that."
"She would be so mad at me right now, giving Nick another chance."
"Why does she hate Nick so much?"
Melissa stood up and walked over to the vanity. "She saw me at my lowest point after the break up. She was there for all my tears and bitterness. Jenny loves me, I would be protective of her too if she was in my position."
"I guess, its just I think there another reason she's hates Nick."
Knock . . . knock
"That's Nick, are you ready?"
Melissa turned to look at her and smiled. "I'm ready."
"Hey Jenny, what's up?" Gavin asked over the noise coming from his family room.
"I was just seeing if you had called Mel recently, I was wondering how she was doing."
"Why don't you call her yourself then?"
"She's still mad at me over the whole Nick thing."
Gavin sighed. "No, I haven't talked to her. It has been crazy here."
"I can hear, what's going on?"
"It's Carly's birthday celebration. We have this week long party, I told you about this on the way home, remember?"
Jenny ran her hand through her hair, remembering Gavin saying something about his sister's party. She had been so focused on the fight with Mel that she hadn't paid much attention to him.
"You did, sorry Gavin."
"Why don't you give her a call?"
"I don't know."
"She told me herself that she hates fighting with you. Give her a call Jenny. Look, I have to go, sorry."
"That's okay, thanks Gavin. Wish your sister happy birthday for me." Jenny turned off her phone.
Jenny paced around her and Melissa's apartment, wondering if she should call her. Finally finding the courage, she dialed her cousin's number.
"Shit, it's her voicemail! Hey Mel, it's Jenny. I was hoping you would pick up so we could talk. Um . . . please give me a call once you get this message." She laid her phone back into its receiver.
"Her mother is at a spa and Gavin is here, so where could she be?"
"Okay, can I take off this blindfold?" Melissa asked as she sat blinded in the passenger's side of Nick's SUV.
"Not just yet. I forgot how impatient you were."
"I'm not impatient, I'm just curious." Nick laughed at her. "I feel like I'm being kidnapped."
"Well you are being kidnapped, but in a different way." He stated as he parked his car.
"Okay, what does that mean?"
"I'm kidnapping you, not to take you away, but to take you back to the past." He removed her blindfold.
Melissa looked around and realized instantly where they were, it was the place that Nick had taken her on their first date.
"Oh my gosh, we are at the drive in."
"I told you I was taking you back to the past. What better place to start than the site of our first date." Nick replied giving her that famous Carter smile.
"I thought this place was closed down years ago."
"It was, but I know someone who was kind enough to open up the place for me."
"I was just talking to Sam about our first date. I told her about the cooler full of snacks and that you brought a blanket."
"Speaking of food . . . " Nick reached into the back of the SUV and pulled out a picnic basket. "I hope you are hungry."
Melissa smiled at him. "I'm starving."
"That was delicious, so I guessing you ordered take out."
"Ouch, that's hurts Mel." He said with a grin. "But you are wrong."
"You cooked this?"
"Yes I did."
"Wow Nick, I'm impressive. I didn't know you knew how to cook."
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Mel."
Melissa looked away from him, thinking about the things she was keeping from him.
"Hey." Nick touched her cheek and made her look at him. "But that is going to change. You want that too, right?"
"Oh course I do, I want to reconnect with you . . . more than anything."
Nick smiled at her. "Good, come on, let's clean up. We have other places to go."
"Other places?" She asked picking up the plates and setting them in the cooler.
"Yeah, remember I told you that I'm kidnapping you to the past."
"I remember these halls, but they seem smaller now than they use to." Melissa said as she and Nick walked hand in hand down the hall of their old high school.
"I remember how every morning before school started; you and I would sit on the floor beside your locker and just talk."
"I remember those talks too; we would share everything with one another."
"Do you remember what we talked about the morning of that rain storm?"
Melissa smiled to herself as she shook her head. "I remember..."
"Mel, stop!" Nick called out to her as she turned down the hall.
"Just go away Nick; I don't want to talk to you." Melissa replied unlocking her locker.
"No I'm not going anywhere till you listen to me. Nothing happened between me and Paige; I just gave her a ride to school."
Melissa just ignored him and emptied out her book bag.
"Mel, come on. Talk to me." She continued to ignore him and took off her rain jacket.
"Mel, you know that nothing happened between her and me."
"No, I don't know that. God Nick, we are talking about Paige Harrison! She has made her rounds around this school and now she is after you." She turned away from him.
"I don't care about any of that. She means nothing to me." Nick ran his hand through his now wet hair.
Melissa turned and faced him. "Fine, she means nothing to you. Are we done?"
"No, damn it! Why are you acting this way?"
"I'm acting this way because . . . because I thought I meant something to you."
"You do mean something to me."
"You sure have a weird way of showing it." Melissa slammed her locker shut and faced him once again. "Go and have your fun with Paige, but don't expect me to be here waiting." She turned to walk away, but she felt Nick grab her arm and pull her to him.
Nick pulled her close to him and kissed her longingly. Slowly they pulled apart, but still leaving no space between them.
"I care about you Mel, don't you get that. I don't want Paige or anyone else, just you. I want you to be my girlfriend."
Melissa looked up at him and smiled. "I want that too."
"I haven't thought about that day in so long." Melissa stated as they finally reached her old locker.
"You were so angry with me." Nick laughed.
"You had giving Paige a ride and then add to the fact that I had no idea what we were to each other." She leaned against the row of lockers. "I thought that maybe you didn't have feelings for me."
"But I did . . . strong ones."
"But on our date, you didn't kiss not even at the end."
"I was too nervous and I didn't want to rush you."
Melissa smiled to herself. "I wouldn't have changed it, it was perfect."
"Our first kiss was perfect." He leaned into her, placing his hands on either side of her for support. "But then again every kiss with you is perfect." He slowly leaned in and softly kissed her lips.
"Alright, this is the last stop on our trip to the past." Nick said opening the door for her.
"Well, I know this place."
"You should, you practically lived here." He replied as they entered his parents' house.
"Hey, you were over at my parents' house a lot too." She stated walking through the living room. "Where's your dad?"
"He is out with some friends, having drinks." Nick walked over to her and reached for her hand. "Follow me."
Melissa placed her hand in his and let him lead her to the backyard. Nick shut the terrace door behind him as they entered the large courtyard. He led her to the wooden porch swing.
"Your parents still have this swing. I can remember playing on this when we were younger."
"What other memory do you remember about this swing?" Nick asked sitting down on it.
Melissa sat down next to him. "This is where you told me you loved me for the first time..."
"Nick, are you out here?" Melissa asked as she exited the living room and entered the backyard. She slowly walked out to the center of the large yard. "Nick, where are you?"
Suddenly the whole garden was lit up by white tingling lights. The lights radiated off the water from the pool and caused a romantic glow. Soft music could be heard in the background.
"Happy one year anniversary." Nick replied appearing out of nowhere.
"This must have taken you forever to do." Melissa said looking at all the lights.
"I had help."
"Still it must have take hours." She finally reached him.
"You're worth it." He pulled her in and kissed her. Wrapped in each other's arms, they danced slowly. They rested their foreheads together as their body flowed to the music.
"Come with me." He led her over to the patio swing and they sat down.
Nick placed a blanket over them and pulled her close. "Are you warm enough?"
"I'm perfect." Melissa rested her head on his shoulder. An ease of peace developed around them. She lifted her head, just enough to see his face. "Thank you for all of this. It is wonderful."
"You're welcome. I wanted this to be special for you."
"As long as I'm with you, everything will be special for me."
Nick softly brushed back a strand of hair from her face. His hand caressed her cheek, as his eyes never left hers.
"I love you."
A soft smile came to her face. "I love you."
Nick's hand cupped her face and pulled her to him. He captured her lips in a tender kiss.
"That night was magical."
"That was one of the best days of my life." He pulled her in closer.
"We just sat there for hours looking up at the sky, at the stars."
"I didn't want that night to end."
"I don't want this night to end."
