Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Nick teased Kate. But Kate didn't want to believe him. She was still dazed from that good few hours of nap that she had. She is actually finding it hard to believe that Nick is being playful with her.

Nick, on the other hand, was feeling guilty when he recalled that Kate was sad in her sleep because she thought Nick hated her. He wanted to make her feel she was wrong to think so, but his words may find it hard to come out of his stubborn mouth to tell her. His strained playfulness would send the message better if he is not mistaken.

"Do you wanna know what you said in your sleep?" Nick pretends to defend that he is not a lair. Although he was not lying, he feigned to feel annoyed that Kate makes it sound that he is lying. So he wanted to prove to her his words. Again, pretentiously.

"What did I say?" Kate glared at Nick.

She was trying to hide her embarrassment by glaring at him quickly. She could not let her glare last even more than ten seconds as she worried her facial expressions would betray her.

Nick almost lost his fierce-look pretense as she looked so cute with her face still a little puffed from that sleep she peacefully had earlier.

"You said you weren't able to sleep last night," Nick answered in a very casual voice and tone. Not upset, not kidding. As if he was just telling her something of the most normal thing in the world. That was a fact he wouldn't know if she did not tell him.

Kate's eyes bulged.

"You even told me why," Nick was enjoying looking at her face, which seemed to change reactions so rapidly from upset to embarrassed to horrified. Now her eyes are dangerously bulged. They might pop out of their sockets.

"You said it was because of me," Nick frowned as he looked at Kate straight in the eye. He was playfully intimidating her, but her reaction was so funny that Nick had to take a deep breath to control his laughter.

Kate seemed to remember this conversation that happened in her dreams. But how come Nick knew if it was really in her dreams. She even said she loved him in her dreams when he asked why, but unknown to Kate, she did not say it while she was asleep. Soon they reached the basement floor where the car was parked.

"Do you know what else you said?" asked Nick again, walking out of the elevator.

Kate walked faster. She did not let Nick see her face. She can feel it burning. She pretended she did not hear him say anything.

They were now heading to the car. Nick told the driver he could go home when he realized it was time to get off work, but he wasn't finished work yet. He decided he could drive Kate home, so he did not need to keep the driver waiting.

Nick smiled widely, knowing Kate would not see his face as she walked ahead of him when he asked her if she wanted to know what else she said in her sleep. He could feel Kate had now realized that Nick was telling her the truth. He unlocked the car with a remote, and Kate quickly got into the passenger's seat. Nick followed silently. He was inwardly smiling as he was enjoying teasing her. He had never done this before with her, so it was quite refreshing and fun.

"Don't you want to know what else you said while you were asleep earlier?" Nick asked again as he settled himself in his seat. He needed to adjust the mirrors and seat to his convenience before driving, and he checked if she was buckled up.

"No. I don't want to know," Kate answered, looking out the window.

Nick did not restrain his laughter and leaned forward to reach her seat belt and buckled it up for her. Kate was startled when she felt Nick too close. Her heart was already pounding with how he was boisterously laughing. Now that he was literally inches away from her, Kate closed her eyes tightly. She was scared he would hear the loud beating of her foolish heart.

"Relax. I just thought you needed help to buckle up," Nick spoke when he was about to reach out for the buckle to Kate's right. Nick was seated on the left, so he had to extend his arm across her body to reach for the seatbelt. Leaning over his face was too close to Kate's, who had her eyes tightly shut. Then a silly thought crossed his mind. He paused in his position and whispered to Kate's ear.

"You said you...mmm... mmm..."

His words were quickly muffled!

Kate moved back as far as she could and hurriedly lifted her hands to cover his loud mouth.

"Please, please... whatever it was I said, I take them back or please don't take them seriously," Kate begged. She was so mortified to think that Nick heard what she said in her dreams and now he was telling her about it. Nick would surely laugh at her or despise her even more. Her fear overwhelmed her that she could not notice Nick being playful with her intentionally to cheer her up.

"Why would I not take them seriously? What if I want to? Can you do anything about it? Besides, subconscious minds are always more honest than the conscious ones," Nick started to drive when he was sure she was safely seated.

"You're wrong," Kate argued. But she had no detail to support her claim, so she did not say anything anymore.

"Anyway, I take them seriously, and I want to believe at whatever I have heard from the sleep talking Kate," Nick declared. "Whatever you said, and I heard, I won't say it again or to anyone else, but..."

Kate looked at Nick, who was looking straight to the road as he was driving cautiously. She waited for what more he was going to say.

"But what...?" Kate nervously asked. She was confused at what this cold-hearted man was trying to say.

Nick paused. He bit his tongue while he was thinking if he should say whatever he was going to say or shut his mouth, knowing he might scare Kate. Nick was thinking to say he heard Kate said she loved him and claims her words to be her true feelings for him. And since she said so, he wants her to wait for him. Wait for him to tell her mom and his stepmom, Kelly, about his feelings and formally take her hands with Kelly's approval, marriage, or just dating, they need to have Kelly's consent about everything.

"I'll tell you about it later. We have another thing to talk about before we get home," Nick exhaled loudly. He wants to think things over thoroughly, wisely, and without mistakes. They need to have the same answer if Kelly asks why they came home together and were late today.

Kate did not insist. She also wanted the topic to be changed as she was worried about what he might say next.

"Uhmm, okay...?" Kate answered hesitantly. She wasn't sure what he was talking about, so he should elaborate.

"Do you want to tell your mom about what happened at school today?" Nick softly asked. He was going to let her decide.

"Is it possible not to?" Kate nervously asked.

"There is, and I actually would prefer if we do not give her anything to worry about since we can handle everything about it," Nick answered with assurance.

"How?"

"I told her I was summoned to see the Principal in my old school, Rosa Parks. It's your school now. And I saw you, so I offered you a ride home. But I had to drop by the office and do something then forgot the time," Nick told Kate about the whole conversation he had with Kelly before waking her up to get home. "We can keep it that way, or we can tell her everything. What do you think?"

"Don't you think she will get upset if she finds out later?"

Kate had never lied to her mom ever, but they both know she is still in her emotional recovery time after Elijah's death.

"We can tell her after we settle things, so she won't have to worry about anything anymore," Nick gently answered.

Kate thought for a while.

"Think about it, but you have to tell me your decision before we enter the door. Mom's waiting for us to have dinner together, she will surely ask questions, and we should have the same answers, you know that, right?" Nick reminded Kate.