That entire day nick tried to get in contact with her. Trying her cell phone, home phone, two way, email, stopped by her house, he got nothing. Last place to look was her job which he was pulling up to. As always the place was fill to capacity with smiling workers. Their smile this time did nothing for him. Usually when he saw them smile, he'd smile. Not today, not after last night. When Sam saw him coming through the door he already knew.
"Hey Sam" he said in his calmest voice knowing he was the least bit.
"Hey Nickolas, what can I do for ya?"
"Is Kristina around?" Oh boy, she hadn't told him, making him the bad news bearer. Great. Sam nervously readied himself to deliver the news. From Nick's pitiful look he was sure he'd bust out in tears or something.
"Well um she's not here."
"Do you know when she'll be back?"
"Give or take 3 months."
"WHAT?!"
"Uh Kristina called in Lisa, the other owner and took leave. They do it all the time, that's why Kristina was here cuz Lisa was away." Given the news she had to have called in that favor as soon as she got in home from the party.
"Do you know where she went at least?"
"Sorry man, don't know." Crushed, Nick hung his head and slugged away from the bar. "Hey Nick take it from me, she's lying. She love you."
"Then why did she run?"
"Talk to Alexander." And he said no more leaving Nick to wonder what would Sam know about the A.J./Kristina connection. There was only one way to find out. Whipping his cell out, Nick called the familiar seven digits.
"Hey A.J. its me Nick. I'm on my way over there, we need to talk."
~*~
"So you knew she was going to do this?" he groaned keeping his eyes dead on A.J. on the other side of the room fixing a sandwich.
"Sorry dude….but I did." A.J. returned over to the table across from Nick.
"So why'd you introduce us if you knew this was going to happen?"
"I don't know…I mean I never thought that it'd go this far. You two were working on going to 4 months. I though for sure that it'd be like 4 weeks."
"Bullocks."
"Nick, Kristina is a cool chick but man when it comes to the love department it's a lose/lose situation."
"I refuse to believe that."
"Yeah? She told you about Jay?"
"Yeah."
"She tell you about us?" Nick froze in his tracks. Them? A.J. and Kristina? Muh? "I'll take it from that look plastered on your face that she didn't."
"No she didn't" he said stunned.
"That's how I know all about her. Remember when I got out of rehab and I just kind of needed to be alone to my own?"
"Yeah….?"
"Well I wasn't, I was with her. I met her through Linny who was once one of my clubbing buddies. Anyways everything you're feeling, I already felt. That feeling like you're on top of the world, that she can only make you laugh in that just certain way, that way she kisses you the embeds in your lips or the emptiness when she's not around. Been there, done that."
"But--"
"But when it comes to love….no dice."
"Did you love her?"
"I guess you could say I did or at least I was getting there. Not to the point of where you are because you spent a lot more time with her than I did."
"Oh….well has she done this to anyone else?"
"Three's a charm and you're number three. First there was Jay, that limey bastard, me and now you. I'm sorry man--if you want I can go grab that hundred bucks."
"No, no I don't want it."
"Huh?" Nick jumped up from the chair shaking his head. He wasn't giving up that easy just because she was.
"I said I don't want it. There's another thing I want you to do for me."
"And that is?"
"Help me find her."
~*~
A.J. sat in stillness staring at the white cordless telephone before him. The devil and the angel that sat amongst his shoulders continued to play with this thoughts.
"No don't look for her, she'll only cause him more pain" the devil snide.
"But she makes him so happy, if given the chance she'll come around" smiled the optimistic angel. He wasn't sure which one to pick because both were equally right. The poor boy told her that he loved her and what did she do? She bailed on him. High tailed it out of there as if her feet were on fire. Was that the kind of person he wanted his baby bro to be aligned with? Apparently she didn't want to stick around or she wouldn't have left. Then on the other hand he knew and understood her plight in it all. He had the very same reaction to love after Sarah mistreated him. Anyone who had ever been in a shitty relationship had some kind of chemical reaction in the brains that prevented them to ever let anyone close. Somehow that secretion that leaked in her head remained. She pushed everyone it seems like except Nick away. Nick…she hadn't really pushed him away until he told her that he loved her. If she let him get that close in the first place Maybe he could be the saving grace she needed. His eyes pleaded with A.J. for any kind of help.
"Damn you Nick!" he groaned. Thank God for sleeping pills. If it hadn't been for trusty old Unisom tabs he would've been up wondering where she was and if she was thinking about him for the past few hours like she had over the days. Unfortunately just as he was getting into the meat of his sleep the telephone he settled on the side of his bed just in case she called rung in his ear. Could it be her?
"Hello?"
"Hey man." It was A.J.
"Hey."
"I'm sorry that I'm calling late but I didn't feel like waiting till the morning."
"What's up?"
"She's in Kingston, Linny said that she went down there for some down time like she does every year around this time. She said if you go, you'll more than likely find her at the Radem's bar at night."
~*~
See me in me heels and ting
Dem check sey we hip and ting
True them no know and ting
We have them going and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

See me pon the road I hear you call out to me
True you see mi inna pants and ting
See mi in a 'alter back
Sey mi gi' you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Uptown Top Ranking

Nick walked into the close nit sweltering club. There weren't too many people there but enough to cause him to have to look around each corner of the room. Man it was hot in there. He hadn't even been in there for a few minutes and he could feel a trickle of sweat rolling down his back. Nick walked passed the small crowd dancing along to Uptown top ranking.
"She has to be here" he murmured to himself. Everywhere his blue eyes looked he lacked to find her.

See mi in mi Benz and ting
Drivin' through Constant Spring
Them check sey me come from cosmo spring
But a true dem no know and ting
Dem no know sey we top ranking
Uptown Top Ranking

Shoulda see me and the ranking dread
Check how we jamming and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

Another hot night was a stuck down on Kingston again. Pretty much every night was hot but tonight was just crazy hot. There was no other way to the describe it. It was one of those hot nights that made you hallucinate if you went too long without some kind of liquid refreshment. Liquid refreshment of choice was actually a bad one. Where people were downing down water, she was downing Jamaican beers that she hadn't had in since her last time there. Sitting back she watched a the dancers move along to the beat, smiling and laughing like she had before with Nick. Nick…sad to say she actually did miss him. That wasn't supposed to happen, she wasn't supposed to long for him like she had over the past week but she did. She missed the way he danced with her, the way he would playfully kissed her shoulder or the feeling of his hair against her fingertips. Missing him was just wrong.

Watch how we chuck it and ting
Inna we khaki suit and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

Love inna you heart dis a bawl out fe me
When you see me inna pants and ting
See me inna 'alter back
Sey me gi' you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Uptown Top Ranking

Nick's heart literally stopped in his chest when he saw her sitting in the far corner in the darkness. No wonder he couldn't find her, she was sitting under a light that wasn't lit but his blue eyes could still see her.
"What do I say? What do I say?" he thought. He didn't want to just come out and blurt something stupid but at the moment he was having a total brain fart. There was a million things he wanted to tell her. I love you, why did you do this to me, do you love me, oh there was more many more. Instead he opted to just let whatever he needed to say to come out when he approached her.

See mi pon the road and hear you call out to me
True you see me in me pants and ting
See me inna 'alter back
Sey me gi' you heart attack
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Gimme likkle bass, make me wine up me waist
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

"Nickolas?!" she gasped. What the-- Maybe it was one of those hallucinations from the lack of water but she could've just sworn that she saw Nick standing before her.
"Kristina…." Alright…that voice was more than real because it was. Nick was actually standing before her. How in the world did he find her? Two initials, A and J.
"Nickolas you shouldn't be here."
"I know all about the stuff that happened with A.J. I also know that you're scared. Ok I'm scared too but--"
"No Nickolas you're wrong."
"No I'm right on the money. Jay treated you like shit ok, I understand. I understand that you're frightened about giving your heart to someone because you've been hurt but--"
"Nick you don't need to be here."
"Why not?"
"Because you don't need to, plus you reek of America."
"Huh?"
"Blond hair? Blue eyes? They're not too accepting of that in these parts."
"Do you think I care? I love you!"
"Shut up Nickolas."
"Why? it's the truth, I do! I love you and I'll scream it out loud if I have to!"
"Nickolas…" Before she could say anything else, Nick jumped up on the bar table gaining everyone's attention. Then he had to go there and make things worse.
"Everyone I love this woman!" he screamed pointing right at her. Talk about being more than embarrassed. Nick just kept yelling louder and louder. A few people laughed, a few looked at him like an idiot, she looked at him with the look for mortification. Romantic in other way, thwarting in this way. Not wanting to withstand any more of this charade, Kristina walked out leaving Nick once again in the dust. "HEY!" Nick hopped off of the table.
"Go get her mon!" someone called out.
"I will." Nick ran out on a mission to catch up with her. "Kristina wait."

You shoulda see me and the ranking dread,
check how we jamming and ting
Love is all I bring inna me khaki suit and ting
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots
Nah pop no style, a strictly roots

"Why Nickolas?! Huh? Don't do this to yourself."
"Do what?" Taking a huge breath she turned around and looked him in the eyes. Those very same eyes that haunted her in her dreams the past few nights. Get through this, get through anything she thought. So with a deep breath she moved on hoping (although secretly not hoping) that she could convince Nick that this was all in the best.
"Nick remember the first night I met and I told you never to let a girl get close enough to ruin you?"
"You think you'd ruin me?"
"Perhaps."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know how to love Nick, I just don't."
"Kristina yes you do. All those nights we spent together, you didn't think those were expressions of love?" Kristina didn't answer his question, hanging her head breaking their eye contact. "Or how about all those times we'd just sit and talk to each other and I'd hold you, if that's not love then I don't know what is. Yes I remember what you told me, I remember you telling me not to let a girl get close enough to ruin me, instead I let a girl get close enough to heal me. Paris got close to ruining me into you came into my life. And Jay almost did the same to you. I would like to hope that I've healed you as well."
"Nick--"
"You've never called me Nick before."
"Yeah well" she scoffed.
"Look I don't want you to make a decision right now. I leave tomorrow at 9:00 in the morning. I'm at the Sheraton. I'll wait for you down in the in the lobby. If you want to take a chance on us be there. If not I'll leave you alone, I promise."
~*~
Impatiently he waited down in the lobby a lot earlier than 9:00 in the morning. He failed to get a wink of sleep that entire night wondering what was going to happen that morning. Would she come? Would she stay away? What would happened between the two of them if she happened to give them a chance? Damn why didn't he just take a sleeping pill to keep him up in the bed? Nick looked over to the clock that was just hitting 9. The countdown was now well underway. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, the sound of the clock vibrated so loud that he felt as if he was sitting right underneath it. He was actually sitting about a good 50 feet yet and still he could hear it clear as day. Like it was taunting, laughing at him as the time passed along. 9:00 became 9:15 and 9:15 became 9:39 and 9:39 became 9:55. She wasn't coming. She was sticking to her guns. When she left he should've just accepted that that was the way things were. But nooooo he had to put himself out there once more to get her hurt. Kristina was right, she would be the ruin of him even though he never saw it that way. Glancing once more at that clock that now read 10:07, Nick got up from the crčme chair of the lobby and called his driver to get him. Looking back once more he noted and accepted that she just wasn't coming. A black Mercedes pulled up to the curb of the hotel.
"Is that all of it?"
"That's all of it" he said handing him the two small bags he packed.
"Alright." Nick walked over to the car, ready to get in when a vision stopped him. There a few feet away there was she was. Everything was so picturesque, the sunlight sounded her, the soft wind blew her chocolate brown dress and chocolate brown hair. The flat sandals that dawned her feet only rose her to her full complete height of 5'3. Boy were his jaws gonna be sore tomorrow from all the smiling he was doing. It was like a dream come true, where he thought all had failed it hadn't. She had came and that at the moment was all he could ever ask for. Merrily she skipped towards him with a smile equally as big as his. Nick met up with her halfway there. Nick's lips crashed upon hers as if he'd never kiss her again. Giggles from the hotel staff were the only noise besides their kisses that filled the lobby room. Just like the time the kissed on the couch, Kristina's hands rested on the side of his face. Ultimately they had to break apart for air but didn't want to stay too long away from each other.
"You came" he said with bated breath.
"Yeah" she sighed before returning back to his lips. Pulling away again she looked him in the eyes with that same look of awe. "I love you Nickolas Carter."
"Say it again."
"I love you Nickolas Carter" she laughed.
"One more time."
"I love you" she spoke this time in more of a whisper.
"I love you too." Nick rested his forehead against hers, just feeling the comfort of being close to her again the way he had wanted over the past week. "I promise that I won't rush you into anything you don't want to be rushed into ok?"
"Ok."
"We'll take this one step at a time."
"Alright."
"Come on, we have a plane to catch."

Epilogue