Nick is the ultimate male slut, at least for Ingrid. Breaking up with him was the best thing she has done for him, and for herself. But why the attraction when they saw each other again in his sister's wedding anniversary? Surely, it's only lust. She knew better than to end up with the guy she's in love with since she was young - because Nick will never submit himself to a serious commitment.


Preview ...

"There's a party over at Ingrid's place on Friday. Wanna go?" Brix asks.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Who's she? Your new girlfriend?" He chuckled. Brix would never ran out of girlfriends. Well, so does he. Recently, he had three girlfriends at the same time and when they found out, they went to his house. When they didn't find him there, they threatened Natalie that they will destroy Kristin's beloved plants. It was crazy and while he could still laugh about it, his family thought otherwise, especially Leigh. She's his most protective sister and he always felt close to her too. Her opinion matters so he told himself that he will not do it again.

"No. Don't you remember? She's the one who threw a party last month."

Nick closed his notebook and gathered his things back inside his bag. Yes, he remembered it now. Ingrid Russ, that cute Psychology major from a nearby university. "Oh yeah. Why is she throwing a party again?" He feigned disinterest but in truth, he grew excited. When he first saw Ingrid, he was instantly attracted. She is not the typical woman he would meet in a party. She's different in so many ways and it got his attention. How come that he forgot about her?

Brix and Matt shrugged. "It's probably her new year's resolution." Brix said and chuckled. They stood up to leave the library. Nick took his cellphone from his bag and looked up for Ingrid's number. Then he realized that he didn't ask for it after they shared one heated kiss inside her bathroom. How could he forgot those things? Focus next time, Nick, his thoughts said.

His friends began talking about their performance later. Brix and Matt are also his bandmates. Unlike his desire to become a performer, the other two do it just for fun. They are his two bored friends who only wanted to indulge his obsessive need to be onstage.

"I heard about your three girlfriends." Matt laughed. "Good thing, your dad didn't kick you out of his diner."

Nick smiled at the thought of his recent naughtiness. He received a sound reprimand from his father and he assigned him on noon shifts at the diner during weekend for three months. Hardin knows how he hate working during the peak hours. It was a sure punishment for him.

Brix shook his head at the memory. His best friend is a playboy in the making. He saw Nick's naughty smile. He knows that Nick received an act of retribution for that and he's paying for it. Nick's family is very concerned of his recent actions.

"Dad put me on noontime shift." Nick only said. They reached the corner of the street. On the next block is the bar where they will perform. The Ric's is a famous hangout of students from the nearby schools. When Nick's band started performing there a few months ago, they earned a following. Thursday and Friday nights were always jampacked with their local fans and Nick had most of them.

They reached the bar and started putting up their set. Setting aside his bottled water, Nick checked on his bass guitar while Matt sampled the organ. Brix is the one behind the drums. Depending on the song, they would alternate their instruments. Nick can also play the electric guitar while Matt does the saxophone. Brix can play the violin. But Nick is the only one who can sing really good among them.

"Hi, Nick!" A woman from the crowd called him. Nick only smiled and there was some cheer from the audience. In and out of the stage, Nick is the hearththrob. The band made a short soundcheck. They planned to go pop-rock that night. They collected their fans' requested songs and made a two-hour program for it. They usually play rock or alternative music.

Nick drank his water and looked at the audience. Their program has now began. "Good evening, everyone. Can I hear a 'yeah' from the ladies in the crowd?" He received a wave of loud screams. He winked at the band. He turned back to the audience. "Thank you for coming tonight. Weekend is coming again. Don't forget to visit Hardin's Diner. I changed my shift. Guess what time will I be," He chuckled. He heard his friends behind him laughed. It's a simple strategy to get customers to his father's diner. His father only shook his head in amusement when he watched Nick's performance once and heard him promoting the diner.

The screams from the women in the crowd came again. Nick looked around. "Wow, we're surely jampacked again." He saw Keith, the bar's manager and Kevin's best friend, who is smiling so wide. "Keith, I think we deserve a raise." He joked and Brix slammed on the cymbals of his drumset. Laughter came into the crowd. They began chanting 'raise, raise' too.

"Alright, let's start the night. We're going to play your requests tonight," Nick clapped his hands and the audience followed. He looked at his setlist that was clipped on a small board beside the lyric stand. He looked at the crowd again and his heart seemed to stop for a moment. He saw Ingrid and their gazes stuck with each other. "This one is for you." He said, eyes never leaving hers. If people will wonder who he is referring to, they will not know. It was dark in the audience and the spotlight is on stage.

When Matt pull out the first notes, the crowd cheered. And as Nick sang the words, he felt as if he is sending the message to Ingrid. When he struck on the chorus of the song, he realized what is that feeling that was trying to gnaw him since the time he met this amazingly wonderful woman.


I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you
I'm living for the only thing I know
I'm running and not quite sure where to go
And I don't know what I'm diving into
Just hanging by a moment here with you*


Ingrid never wavered her look from him as he sang the song. And he's sure that he felt goosebumps all over.


* Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse

Chapters

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | Epilogue

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