I Choose You (9 page)

             
He turned to each of the girls and gave them a kiss on the cheek before he walked away and got into his mustang.  Nicole was left staring after him, as the other two girls looked on.

             
“What was that?” Roni asked Nicole.

             
“I’m not sure,” Nicole replied. “Ready, Kara?”

             
“Sure thing, girl,” Kara replied with one more smile for Roni before she got into the car.

             
“See ya,” Nicole said as she got into the car, then waved as the pulled out of the parking lot.

             
Nicole looked out the window and thought briefly that getting away for a few days might be the best thing for all of them.

Chapter Ten

              It only took about two hours for them to arrive at Briana and Colin’s apartment in downtown Austin.

             
When they pulled up to the apartment complex, Briana noticed Kara’s car and started jumping up and down. Kara pulled up alongside her and rolled down the window.

             
“Hey, pretty lady, can you put us up for the night?” Kara asked, followed by a booming laugh.

             
Briana jumped in the backseat and told Kara how to get into the parking garage.

             
“I’m so excited that you guys are here,” Briana squealed with delight.

             
“Me too!” Nicole said, turning around in her seat to look at Bree while she spoke.

             
Briana looked as pretty as ever, her long chestnut hair was pulled back in a fat braid and her brown eyes sparkled with excitement.

             
When Kara parked they all jumped out of the car and gave each other a round of hugs. When Kara and Nicole hugged each other, they all laughed at their exuberance.

             
“Do you need help with any of your bags?” Bree asked.

             
“No, we each only brought one bag,” Kara assured her as they got their bags out of the car and followed her to the elevator.

             
“This is a beautiful complex,” Nicole observed.

             
“Oh, my gosh, we love it!” Briana gushed. “We looked around a lot, and decided to go with a loft, just so we could have the other amenities that this building offers. It has a gym and a pool, there is a Trader Joe’s next door, a hiking trail nearby, and we are within walking distance to 6
th
street.”

             
“What’s 6
th
street?” Nicole asked.

             
“You’ll see,” Kara and Bree said with a laugh.

             
When they reached her floor, Briana walked them down the hall and let them into the apartment. It was a large open space with wood floors. Briana and Colin had decorated it in country style, and managed to reflect their personalities. There were sports memorabilia scattered amongst the pictures and wall hangings, and the kitchen looked like a chef’s dream.

             
“I hope you don’t mind, the sofa is a sleeper, so the two of you will share that.” Briana mentioned as they set their bags in the corner.

             
“That’ll be fine,” Nicole responded.

             
“Where’s Colin?” Kara asked Briana.

             
“He’s at work. They had evening practice, but he’ll catch up with us later. I have to admit, with him working and me going to school, we don’t get much chance to socialize, so I’m really looking forward to going out tonight. He’s going to meet up with us later.”

             
“Let’s get ready then,” Kara exclaimed, unzipping her bag and pulling out her make-up case.

             
“Yay,” Briana said happily.

             
They all put on fresh make-up and fixed their hair, then set out for a night on the town.

             
Nicole hadn’t been in a city since she’d left Dallas, so she was looking forward to hanging out somewhere other than the bar and grill.

             
They walked down 6th street, and Nicole was surprised how many people were milling around.

             
“Wow, this is a lot different than being home,” She observed with a laugh.

             
Bree nodded her consent, then ushered them into a bar that already had a crowd on the floor, dancing to a local band.

             
They made their way to the bar and Bree spoke loudly so they could hear her. “They don’t have a cover here and have a special on pitchers, so this is where we usually hang out. Is beer okay with you guys?”

             
Kara and Nicole both nodded and Kara said, “Sure, but let me get the first round.”

             
They each had to show I.D. in order to get a glass, but they were quickly given their pitcher and Briana led them to a booth in the back of the bar. Close enough to see the band, but far enough away that they could still talk.

             
At the first sip of the cool brisk ale, Nicole smiled and licked her lips.

             
“I’m so happy to be here. Thanks for inviting me, Bree.”

             
“Of course, I’m excited that you could come. I have been begging Kara to come out ever since we left. It was perfect that you guys had the same days off.” Briana said with a smile, as she reached over to give Kara’s hand a squeeze. “So, fill me in on all of the gossip.”

             
“Well, Pete and I are doing great, “Kara said with a big grin on her face. “He has given up all pretense of living in your room and has moved all of his belongings into mine. Bree, he’s just the sweetest thing!”

             
“Aww, that’s great, Kara,” Briana gushed happily. “I knew you two would be perfect together.”

             
“I know you did, but I never imagined that I could love that red-headed stud the way I do.” Kara was practically glowing as she spoke.

             
Nicole and Bree both giggled at that.

             
“How’s everything going with you and Roni?” Bree asked Nicole. “You guys are officially roomies now, right?”

             
“Yeah,” Nicole answered. “It’s been great. Thank you so much for telling me that she was looking for a place, she really is the perfect roommate. I like her a lot.”

             
“But not as much as she likes her twin,” Kara divulged to Bree, causing Nicole to blush with embarrassment.

             
Briana looked at Nicole with obvious curiosity. “Really? You like Kent?”

             
Nicole was worried that Briana would be mad, or things would be awkward, and she really wished that Kara hadn’t said something about her and Kent already. She’d wanted to tell Briana when they had a little more privacy.

             
“Um, well, yeah… We’ve been out a couple times.” Nicole admitted sheepishly.

             
Briana smiled broadly and reached across to hold Nicole’s hand.

             
“Nicole, that’s great!” Bree assured her. “Kent is a terrific guy. The best. I can really see you two together. In fact, I remember him checking you out back when I was there. He’s had a thing for you for a while now.”

             
“Really?” Nicole asked with surprise. “You did?”

             
“Yeah. I think it was at our place at one of the parties and at the bar. I totally saw that he was interested in you.”

             
“Are you sure it doesn’t bother you?”

             
“Totally sure,” Briana exclaimed. “Kent was never really mine, not in that way. I promise that I’m truly happy for the both of you.”

             
“Awesome,” Kara said loudly as she downed her beer. “Now what do you girls say we go tear up that dance floor, huh?”

             
They nodded and finished their drinks, then went out on to the dance floor to move to the music.

             
They danced until they were exhausted. That’s where Colin found them when he walked into the bar.

             
He caught the stares of many of the male patrons, as they watched the three beautiful girls dance together on the floor. They were laughing, absorbed in each other and oblivious to the people watching them.

             
Colin walked up behind Bree and put his arms around her, matching her moves with his own.

He nuzzled her neck and was pleased to hear her intake of breath.

              “Mmmm,” Bree purred. “You really shouldn’t do that; my boyfriend could be here at any moment.”

             
She giggled and he spun her to face him and kissed her soundly on the lips.

             
“Hey, Baby,” He whispered in her ear. “I missed you today.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes, his dimples flashing as he smiled at her.

             
“I missed you too,” Briana said, returning his smile full force.

             
Colin tore his eyes from Briana’s and turned that heart-stopping grin on Nicole and Kara.

             
“How’s it goin’, Ladies?” He gave them each a hug, then asked, “You want me to grab another pitcher?”

             
They all nodded and made their way back to their table to wait for Colin to join them.

             
“You guys look like you’re doing great,” Kara said to Bree once they were seated.

             
“We really are,” Briana gushed. “I couldn’t be happier.”

             
“That’s so wonderful, Bree. You both deserve it.” Nicole chimed in, a little envious at Colin’s obvious adoration of Bree. She wondered again about Kent’s recent less than affectionate behavior.

             
Colin poured them each a glass of beer before he sat, then settled in to enjoy a pint of his own.

             
“So, how’s everything back home?” Colin asked.

             
They filled him in on the same things they had already told Briana, but Nicole also mentioned Rich helping Roni move in and the fact that he was on track to graduate in December.

             
“Yeah, he mentioned something about that last time we spoke, but it’s been a few weeks. I’ve been so busy at work that I haven’t had a lot of time to keep in contact with everyone.”

             
“Kent also said that Rich is planning to come down for Halloween. I’m sure he doesn’t want to miss the Halloween bash at the bar,” Nicole added.

             
“Oh, Babe, we should totally try to go home for that,” Briana said to Colin. “Halloween falls on a weekend this year, and it would give us a chance to see our folks. Plus, it’ll be great to see Rich again.”

             
“Yeah,” Colin agreed. “We’ll see what we can do.”

             
“Yay!” Bree exclaimed.

             
They finished the pitcher and decided to head back to the loft to drink and talk in a quieter environment.

             
When they got back, Colin excused himself and said he had to get up early and would give the girls a chance to catch up. He promised he would see them for dinner tomorrow and wished them a goodnight.

             
“I’m gonna go tuck him in,” Bree said with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “There are beers in the fridge. Help yourselves and I’ll be right back out.”

             
Kara went into the kitchen to grab them each a beer, while Nicole went to the bathroom to change into her comfy clothes. When she was done, Kara went in to do the same, and Nicole sat down on the couch and took a sip of her beer.

             
She looked around the loft and thought about how much she would love to be at the point in a relationship that Bree and Colin were in. They were so obviously in love, it made Nicole’s heart ache.

             
Kara came out of the bathroom in her flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt, with her hair piled on top of her head. She grabbed her beer and settled across from Nicole in a comfy looking oversized chair.

             
They were sitting there talking about how much they loved the loft, when Bree came walking out in her pajamas. She grabbed a beer from the fridge and joined Nicole on the couch.