Nick says he isn't mad at me, but I know he is.

I understand why. I shouldn't have agreed to the dinner after he had already said no. I told him I didn't know why I said yes, but I think a part of me wanted to know more about his dad and if he's as awful as I thought he was.

Now I feel bad for being so selfish.

On his way out, Nick gave me a chaste kiss on the lips and told me he loved me before he headed to school, rather normal, but there was no smile and he didn't stay a little later to cuddle Charlie and to give me a few extra kisses. It was like he couldn't get away fast enough, and it's been bothering me all day.

But despite the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach about tonight. I still fretted over my outfit like I was going to dinner with the president (forty-four not forty-five). My room was a mess, clothes were scattered all over the floor and no drawer was left unscoured.

"What the hell am I going to wear?" I asked myself, hands on my head. The dinner was at his house, so I didn't need something too formal but I didn't want Nick's dad to think I was a slob.

Then as I sat in the middle of my bedroom floor a small voice in the back of my head asked, "Why do you care?"

And I couldn't come up with an answer. I don't know why I was so worried about what this man thought about me--he leaves his son alone for months at a time and doesn't care about it. He's not someone that I want to like me.

So I stopped.

I stopped caring about whether Ryan Ainsworth thought I was a slob, and instead I focused on what I felt good in and what I thought Nick would think I looked pretty in. Of course, he would think I looked pretty in an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. He does think I look beautiful in an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, he's told me so.

It was in that moment, that I knew what I was going to wear.

I found my bag of newly thrifted clothes and pulled out my new blue sweater and a black skirt that I had bought on a whim. Normally I didn't wear skirts. I didn't like how my thighs chafe when I wore them. But this skirt, I don't know, I just needed it.

No strange beading or weird prints, just rich black suede. I was shocked when I saw that it was in my size because not many things are and it was only five dollars so what did I really have to lose.

Once I picked out my outfit I instantly felt better.

Going back into my room, I found Charlie rolling around in a pile of clothes just having the time of his life.

"Charlie, you're going to get fur all over my clothes," I said looking down at him. He laid on his back stretching his with his little pot belly up in the air. "Aw," I sighed, he is the cutest. I looked at the time on the clock, it was two p.m, I still had a few hours until we had to meet for dinner, and an hour before Nick would be back.

I could spare a few minutes to play with Charlie.

****

I checked myself over in the mirror. Maybe I should put on some lipstick or something.

I don't even own any lipstick.

Chapstick would have to do. I adjusted the cobalt blue sweater so it fell slightly off my shoulder, I loved it. Thick and soft, it felt like I was wearing a blanket. I turned around and checked myself from the back, the skirt hit mid-thigh and hit high on my waist. I felt beautiful.

I had just pulled on my boots when there was a knock at the door. I knew it was Nick but a ball of nerves bounced around in the pit of my stomach.

My boots clicked against the hardwood floor as I went to the door. He must have forgotten his key otherwise he would have let himself in.

A cold breeze rushed over me when I opened the door. Nick stood on the other side his school blazer folded over his arm. His face stubbly and dark shadows cloaked his under eyes.

"Wow," Nick said looking at me. "You look amazing."

"Really, you like it?" I closed the door behind him when he came inside.

Pulling me by the waist, he captured my lips between his. "I love it. You look so beautiful, baby."

His compliments made me feel warm and fuzzy all over. "Thank you," I smiled wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Are you going to get changed?"

"Yeah I have the sweater I bought yesterday in my bag, and I left some jeans here last night," he said.

"Do you still want to go? We can cancel and do something else."

He exhaled. "No, we should go. Besides, I'll never hear the end of it if we don't." He placed his hands on my face. "I'm sorry if I was short with you earlier. He always gets me worked up."

"I understand I should have never said yes in the first place. I'm sorry," I apologized. "I would never do anything to make you uncomfortable."

"I know you wouldn't. You wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt me, and I think," he hesitated. "I think that's why I love you so much."

I grinned, saying, "I thought it was because I was so pretty."

"That too." Charlie came up to us and began pawing at Nick's legs demanding attention. "Hey, Nubs, did you miss me?" Charlie answered him by rubbing himself against his face and giving him little kisses on Nicks' nose. I was starting to think that Charlie loved Nick more than me.

Nick chuckled Charlie's whiskers tickling his nose. "I'm going to get changed it shouldn't take me long."

"Okay."

****

"Don't let him scare you away."

"Never," I promised. We stood in his garage. Nick had stopped me before I could open the door leading into the house.

He kissed the back of my hand. "I love you."

"I love you too." He exhaled trying to calm his nerves before we walked in. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and silently prayed that this night wasn't a total disaster.

Nick pushed open the garage door that led into the long hallway that then led into the kitchen. A mouthwatering aroma came from the kitchen, and I knew better than to think Nick's dad had cooked it himself.

We entered the kitchen, but Ryan wasn't there, a short grey haired woman stood at the stove. She was doing the cooking just as I had expected. He probably doesn't even know how to use a stove.

The woman turned to look at us her eyes widening with surprise when she saw Nick. "Nick! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Hi, Martha," he smiled, just as happy to see her. "How are you?"

This woman, Martha, came over and hugged Nick around the waist. "I'm great, even better now that you're here." She turned to me with the same bright smile. "Hi, I'm Martha, the Ainsworth's housekeeper."

Ah, the woman who buys the condoms. "It's nice to meet you, Martha. I'm Nick's girlfriend, Maya."

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you!" She squeezed his cheeks. "Isn't he just the most handsome thing you've ever seen?"

Nick's face turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Yeah, he is," I laughed.

"Martha, stop, you're going to make me jealous," Ryan said coming into the kitchen. Martha's smile faltered when she saw him. His outfit was more weather appropriate today. He wore a dark red sweater and black slacks. He came up to Nick and me with a smile on his wax-like face.

He spoke to me first. "Maya, you look beautiful." His eyes lingered on my legs a little too long, and it made me immediately want to cover up. Maybe I should have saved this outfit for another time.

"Nick, you look--" he laughed, "Well you look like me."

I felt Nick tense up as soon as his dad walked into the room. "You wish old man." I put my hand to my mouth to keep from laughing in his face.

"Hah," Ryan scoffed, "My son's always been such a charmer." He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "Martha how long until dinner's ready?"

"Another half an hour, sir."

"Would you two like to join me in the living room?" Ryan asked us already knowing the answer. "Come on I'll pour you a drink."

"I'm not much of a drinker," I told him, remembering my poor experience with peach vodka.

"Something virgin, then?" he asked with a raised brow.

"That sounds great, Dad. We'll take two virgin drinks," Nick replied for the both of us.

"I hope you two don't plan on being a drag tonight." When we entered the living room, Nick's dad headed straight for the bar cart.

If by drag, he means sober, that's exactly how I plan to be. Nick made a face at his father's turned back making me smile.

We sat next to each other on the large white leather sofa. The whole living room was white and sparkling clean. Not even a speck of dust on the large white marble coffee table. It was gorgeous but it was a little too clinical for my taste.

"So Maya, Nick told me that you graduated from high school early. How did you manage to do that?" Ryan asked handing us our drinks. Vodka Cranberry minus the vodka.

"I didn't do it on purpose, actually." Crossing my legs I took a sip from the cranberry juice in my glass. "I took a lot of summer classes, so they added up pretty quickly."

He sat in a wingback chair across from Nick and I, questioning me, "Do you go to college? Do you have a job?"

For someone who's known to be absent, he sure was asking me a lot of questions. "I work at a record store called Spins it's inside Crest View mall."

He got a wistful look on his face. "I can't remember the last time I went to a mall. I think I might own part of one somewhere." He shook his head, "I can't remember."

How can you forget owning a mall? "What do you do?" I asked.

"Oh, Nick hasn't told you," he said, a prideful grin coming across his face. "I own Ainsworth Industries."

"What is that?" I asked genuinely curious. We'd never discussed what his dad did for a living, I knew it was something that made him enough money to change his car out every week.

"I own hotels, nightclubs, resorts, yachts," he counted all the things he owned off on his fingers. "Restaurants, gyms, beach clubs, maybe a mall."

I think he expected me to be impressed, but I wasn't. Any rich guy could buy a building and slap his name on it, but did he actually do any work.

"I thought Nick was going to join the family business, but he wants to work at a gas station, so I guess that's out the window."

"I want to be a mechanic, not a gas station attendant, Dad," Nick said setting his half-empty drink on the table.

"What's the difference?" he asked throwing his hands up.

"There's a big difference," Nick corrected him. "One helps people pump their gas and sells them snacks, and another fixes their car."

Ryan wrinkled his nose. "They both sound horrible."

"I think it's a great idea," I said looking at Nick. "He's great at it."

"Thank you," he smiled at me.

"I'm sure it's not that hard," Ryan huffed. "Anyone could do it."

I gave him a sidelong glance. "I doubt it."

Nick chuckled, covering it with a cough. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." He pressed a kiss to my temple before he stood up. "I'll be right back," he whispered to me.

For a moment after Nick left Ryan and me sat in silence, him looking at me, me looking anywhere but at him.

So," he started, "Were you the one that put him up to this mechanic thing?"

"Uh, no," I replied. "He was already doing that before I met him."

"And when did you meet, exactly?"

"A few months ago." It's crazy how quickly things have progressed between us. As insane as it all is I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't change what Nick and I have for anything.

"Hm," he hummed. "Do you spend the night at my house often?"

"I've never spent the night before." I didn't know if he was genuinely curious, or if he was trying to psych me out. Either way, I answered his questions the same as I would anyone else.

"I have to say I was surprised to know you and my son were so serious. I was still under the impression that he was with Diamond."

"Crystal, you mean," I corrected him.

"You've met her?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure I will." She is dating my best friend. "I've heard a lot about her."

"That doesn't make you jealous?"

"No," I replied honestly.

He clicked his tongue on the back of his teeth. "He's so ungrateful," he said suddenly. "How could he choose to change oil over making millions a year? It makes me wonder why I've spent so much money on that damn school for so long. It hasn't seemed to make him very smart."

My jaw dropped. This man has lost his fucking mind.

"You don't deserve him." If it wasn't for the uncanny resemblance, I wouldn't even know they were from the same family. There's no way Nick could be the child of someone so....disgusting.

"Excuse me," he coughed. "If it wasn't for me there'd be no him. He wouldn't have any of this. This house, the cars, the clothes, none of it."

"And you don't deserve any of that stuff either," I said bluntly. "Nick is way too nice and giving, and loving. Which doesn't make any sense because I mean look at you, you're as selfish and self-indulging as they come, but he manages to be anyway. You don't deserve a son like him."

He cocked an eyebrow in challenge. "And you do? You deserve to be with him."

"I don't," I shrugged. "I'm closed off, and a bitch most of the time. And he wants to be with me anyway, and I'm not going to be stupid enough to let him go."

He rolled his eyes. "That's a sweet speech, dear, but we both know this won't last. He's just...experimenting, and once he's found whatever he's looking for he'll break up with you. But maybe you'll get gifts out of it."

"I'm not with him for gifts," I snapped.

He laughed hysterically. "Well of course you are. Isn't that what girls like you want."

"And what do I want?"

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "You want a sugar daddy, money, a quick way to get rich and famous. I've been with plenty of girls just like you, and sure you are a great time, but at the end of the day, you're only after one thing. And if that's tricking a dumb kid, that thinks with his dick and not his brain, so be it. I bet if I offered you two million right now, you dump him and take it."

I was speechless. This man, I don't even want to call him a father, is the biggest piece of shit I've ever met in my life. And I've met a lot.

I can't do this. I can't sit with this man any longer.

I stood up and said, "I would never do that."

"That's not enough money for you?"

"He's priceless, you fucking prick."

"So fiesty, I like that, maybe when you're done fucking my son, we can fool around. I have way more money than him."

I felt the bile rise in my throat, if I don't leave right now I'm going to be sick or worse, I'm going to throw my glass of cranberry juice at his botoxed forehead.

"In your fucking dreams." I had to go.

I felt the tears spring to my eyes as I stormed out of the living room. I ran straight into Nick as he was coming out of the bathroom.

Frantic, I said, "I want to go home."

"Wait, what?" He asked confusion all over his face. "We haven't even eaten dinner yet."

"I know. I just, I just don't feel well," I said blinking back tears. "I want to go home."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but I stopped him with a single word.

"Please."

He didn't say a word. He just nodded. Martha stopped us in the kitchen. "Are you two leaving so soon? I just finished dinner."

"I'm sorry, Martha. Maya doesn't feel well, so I'm going to take her home," Nick explained.

She took one look at me and one down the hall. And with a sad nod, she said, "Okay, I hope you feel better and I hope to see you again."

I gave her a meek, "Thank you," before letting Nick lead me into the garage and helping me into the car.

He had only just pulled out of his neighborhood when I started crying. I hated that I was crying over that idiot, he didn't deserve my energy.

I tried my best to hide it wiping my tears as fast as they came, but the sniffling must have given me away.

Nick kept giving me concerned looks out of the corner of his eye. "Maya. Maya, are you okay?"

Wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my sweater, I gave a watery reply, "Yeah, I'm fine."

He didn't buy it. Rolling to a stop at red light, he said, "Look at me."

I didn't do it at first. Keeping my face turned towards the window.

"Maya Scott," He said more assertive this time. "Look at me."

Putting on the bravest face I could I looked at him. It only took half a second for him to know something was wrong. "Are you crying?"

I shook my head my lips pursed together.

"Oh my God, what did he say to you?"

"Nothing," I said, denying it. I didn't want him to know the awful things that his father had said. I didn't even want to repeat them.

"You're lying to me," he said. The light had turned green but he hadn't moved the car behind us honked his horn loudly.

"Nick the light is green." He drove forward only to pull over on the side of the road.

Turning towards me, he said, "Okay, tell me what he said to you."

I bit my lip hesitantly.

He grabbed my hand. "Maya, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

I nodded tears flowing freely down my face. I wasn't crying because the things he said hurt my feelings, even though it did sting a little. But it was that I was angry and I couldn't do anything about it. And also because he would hurt Nick that way.

"So tell me," He wiped my tears holding my face. "Tell me what happened that's made you so upset."

And I did. I told him everything that his Dad said to me, crying the whole time.

"I just don't want you to think that I would ever do something like that to you," I sobbed. "I wo-would never be with him and I would never take his money."

"I would never think that about you, baby." He held me so my head rested on his shoulder. He did his best to soothe me, whispering kind words in my ear and rubbing his hand over my back. "I'm sorry that he said those things...that he offered you money. I should have known he would do something like this."

"I should have listened to you," I said my voice still shaky. "We should have never gone."

He didn't say anything. I let the smell of his cologne and the sound of his rapid heartbeat soothe me.

We sat there for a few more minutes, silent except for my sniffling. Nick was quiet on the drive home, his one hand tight on the wheel the other holding my hand. He didn't have to say a word, but I knew he was livid. I've never seen him so still and angry, it was so unlike him. He wasn't my Nick, in those moments. My Nick is warm and goofy, and so open to me. But this Nick is completely closed off, so closed off I couldn't even imagine what he was thinking.

He whipped into a parking spot outside my apartment. In a flurry, he opened my door for me.

When he walked me upstairs, I thought that he was staying. But I was shocked to find out that he wasn't.

"I'll be back," he said as I took off my jacket.

Puzzled, I asked, "Wait, you're not staying?"

"I won't be gone long, I promise," he said. "I can't let him get away with this. He can say whatever he wants about me, but he cannot talk to you that way."

"I'll go with you," I offered.

"No," he shook his head, "No, I want you to stay here."

"But--,"

He stopped me. "Maya, I'm going by myself." His blue eyes were stormy, and I knew that this was going to pretty.