I shuffled around in bed, not knowing what to do with myself because obviously, after that conversation, I couldn't sleep. If you're wondering what he said to my question, here's how it went... 

"I want time, Nick. Can you give me that?" I knew he was tempted to know how much time I was asking for exactly but I wouldn't know the answer to that question anyway. 

"If you say yes, then you can take as much time as you need." 

I didn't know if I was saying yes or no to his proposal. 

"I'm going down to the bar, find me when you have an answer," he said before grabbing his jacket that he threw on my bed and leaving. 

I don't even know what I'm saying yes to. Am I saying yes to trying again? To being his girlfriend? To keep this relationship alive? I literally have no idea. All I know is that I'm saying yes. 

I stood up and threw my flip flops on before standing up and grabbing my key, heading out to the elevator. I pressed the button, tapping my foot on the ground impatiently. The doors opened and Liam and Rachel came tumbling out. 

He had a lot of lipstick stains and her lipstick was smudged. They didn't notice me seeing I had stepped aside. They headed to his room and I got into the elevator, pressing the button before leaning against the bar, tapping my foot impatiently and nervously at the same time. 

It dinged open eventually and I got out, speed walking to the bar. If I ran I'd just look crazy. 

I walked over to the bar to see the bartender clearing up while Nick was sitting there with his arms on the counter, and his head resting in his arms. I sat down on the barstool beside him while the bartender left after finishing up. I watched him for a moment, trying to read his body language. 

He seemed tired, exhausted, frustrated, sad, defeated, all at once. 

I grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head up while he whined from the pain. "Hey," I said, resting my arms on the counter and my cheek on my arms. 

"Hi," he sighed, mirroring my actions. 

"So, I found you," I said while staring at his eyes that seemed a little brighter from the light from the counter which illuminated and lit up his face. 

"You found me," he said. 

"Before I tell you my answer, I wanna know what exactly I'm saying yes to," I sighed. 

"You're saying yes to trying again. If you say no, then I don't need to give you time. If you say yes, then I will gladly give you all the time you need," he said while his face softened when I felt my eyes tearing up. I don't even know why I'm about to cry. "Are you crying?" he asked while sitting up. 

"No," I lied while turning my head the other way so he couldn't see me. 

"Em," he said while spinning my stool around before pulling it closer to his till I was sitting right in front of him. 

"I'm not crying," I lied while wiping my cheek. 

"Why?" he questioned while tucking my hair behind my ear. 

"Because suddenly, I'm very aware of what I might be losing," I mumbled while staring at the bottles lined up on the shelves. 

"You're not about to lose anything, I can promise you that," he said while grabbing my hand, pulling me up to my feet. I stood between his legs while he looked at me, scanning my face. "I love you," he whispered while wiping away a tear that fell. 

"And I love you," I mumbled, "Which is why I have to say yes," I sighed, feeling the weight lift off my shoulders. 

"Emma, you don't have to say anything unless you want to," he said, giving my hands a squeeze. 

"I have to Nick," I sighed, "Because I want to." 

"Okay," he nodded with a smile before standing up, "We should probably head upstairs," he said. 

I nodded in response before we walked to and into the elevator in silence. As it slowly passed each floor, I could feel his gaze burning through me. 

"Em?" he asked. 

"Hmm?" I hummed in response. 

"Please don't be mad," he said hesitantly. 

"Why? What did you-" 

He cut me off when he slammed his hand over the stop button of the elevator and picked me up, managing to seat me on the bar as he stood between my legs, pulling my lips down to his in a desperate, aggressive, and needy kiss. I didn't kiss back and first because I wanted to see how he'd react and what he would do or say. 

He didn't say anything, he didn't pull away, but he did bite my bottom lip which was enough to make me suppress a moan and kiss him back. Neither of us wanted to pull away but we did when we ran out of oxygen. He set me back down while pulling away slowly before pressing the button again so the elevator started moving. 

"Why did you just do that?" I asked breathlessly while tracing my bottom lip, still feeling the heat of his lips on mine. 

"Because I know you're not gonna kiss me anytime soon," he said while catching his breath quickly. 

"I have a question," I said while staring at the ground, "Is there a camera in here?" I asked curiously. 

He chuckled before answering. "Probably. Does it matter?" he asked while I felt his eyes on me. 

"No, I'd just like a copy of the tape," I said sarcastically. 

"I can get that for you if you'd like," he laughed. I shook my head while rolling my eyes at his words. 

Idiot. 

I woke up the next morning to my alarm that I had set for ten am. The wedding is taking place at three pm. That gives me two hours to unwind and then three hours to get ready and help Madeline get ready. I'm surprisingly in charge of her hair as well as her makeup. 

So what exactly is Zoey doing? Nothing. She's supposed to help but I doubt it. Apparently they like the way I do their hair and makeup. 

I wasn't in the mood to eat breakfast today so I just stayed in to unwind. We fly back out tomorrow while Madeline and William will head out for their honeymoon right away. I wish them all the luck in the world. I truly am happy for them. 

-----

I knocked on her door which opened almost right away. "Hey," she said nervously while sitting down in her robe. 

"Look at you, you've got that wedding glow," I teased while plugging the curling iron in. I decided to get ready after getting her ready because she is the priority here, not me. This is the most important day of her life and if I can help make it perfect then I will. 

"Okay, work your magic," she sighed. 

"Yes ma'am," I laughed. 

I was almost done curling her hair when someone knocked on her door. Zo got it and let whoever it was in. 

"Hey, um- Will's not allowed to see her till the wedding but he left his watch, I'm here to get it." Of course, it's him. I know that voice from anywhere. He walked in and halted when he saw me. 

"Hey, Nick," Madeline and I greeted in sync. "It's at the very top of his suitcase if you open it," Madeline said. 

"Right," he nodded before grabbing it and then turning back to us. "I'll see you later," he said while staring at me. 

I bit back a smile while he turned to leave, crashing into the wall. Once he left, I turned my attention back to Madeline, continuing to work on her. 

"You two are gonna get married one day," she chuckled. 

I hissed, burning myself as I comprehended what she had just said. "Are you okay?" she asked. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," I mumbled. Once I was done with her hair which took about forty-five minutes, I got started on her makeup. Her, Zo, and I talked the entire time having a lot of fun. In about an hour, I was done. 

"Oh, thank you so much, Emma. You have no idea how much this means to me, seriously, thank you," she pulled me into a tight hug. 

"I'm glad I could help," I grinned, "Well, I will go get ready now, see you at the wedding," I said before heading out to my own room. I went in, hopped into the shower quickly, getting out and getting started on myself. 

I did my hair first, straightening it out before putting it into a half up half down like Madeline had suggested, making sure all my hair was slicked back before I got started on my makeup, making sure it matched the dress with the red.

Once I was done, I got my dress and spent a solid minute just staring at admiring it for its boldness and its simplicity. 

I can't wait for this wedding. 

I slipped the dress on, followed by the wedding heels I brought. I left my phone where it was and grabbed the key card, deciding to hand it to my dad to keep for me. 

I stepped outside the same time that Nick did. 

"Holy shit," he mumbled while his eyes raked me.

Good god, I love this idiot.

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Chapter thirty-nine