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Chapter Twenty-Four
Point of View: Narrator


Later that evening, after dinner, Krystal and Nick loaded the dishwasher together and went out to the living room together. Nick sprawled across the couch and Krystal pulled his head onto her lap and stroked his cheek as he fell asleep watching an I Love Lucy rerun.

"I was born in the same hospital she was," he murmured just before konking out.

Krystal laughed and wondered why he knew where Lucy was born.

He looked so peaceful when he'd fallen asleep. She sat staring down at him for the longest time, the TV's glow flickering across his motionless face. She could see his eyes moving under his eyelids and knew he was dreaming. She wondered what he was seeing...

Then his face clouded and his knees shifted up, curling towards his chest in a fetal position and he whimpered. His arms, which had been wrapped around her waist the entire time, tightened and he clutched onto her shirt as a tear snuck out of the corner of his eye and traveled swiftly across his cheek.

Krystal's heart ached at the sudden change - he'd been so sweetly sleeping just an instant ago, it seemed tragic somehow that had changed. She wondered if she should wake him up or let the dream play out.

She'd just decided to wake him when he woke himself, sitting up quickly and gasping for air. He sat there, back-to her, breathing heavily and staring off at the wall for a long moment. Finally, Krystal asked, "Nick?" and reached out a tentative hand, which she laid on his back. He didn't respond, but she could feel his body shaking. “Nick,” she whispered.

He reached up and wiped the tears from his eyes, forcing the dream from his mind. It was, after all, only a dream…

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“Are you all right?” Krystal’s concern echoed through her voice.

Nick nodded, even as his mind said no.

Krystal leaned in and wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek against the flat expanse between his shoulders. He closed his eyes. She waited until she felt a little bit of the tension release from his muscles and she whispered, “I have something for you.”

He sat up straighter and she felt his back flex as he turned his head to try to look back at her. “You do?” he asked.

“Mmhm,” she answered.

“What is it?” he asked, curious now. He shifted and wiggled until he was facing her on the couch, his knees tucked under him. “What’cha got for me?” his eyes swept the length of her body in anticipation.

“You’ve already had that,” she laughed. “Wait a second, I’ll be right back.” She jumped up off the couch and pranced upstairs happily, humming loudly to herself. Nick rotated again on the couch to watch the doorway she’d disappeared through, staring at the base of the stairs. Several moments passed before she came running back down, clutching something behind her back. She carefully walked around him, keeping it hidden, and he craned his neck trying to see behind her.

“What’cha got? Lemme see,” he pawed at her as she sat down and she laughed.

“You’re like a child,” she snorted.

Nick pouted, “I just wanna see,” he whined.

“Close your eyes,” she whispered. Nick hesitated. “Do you wanna see or not?” she asked. He closed his eyes. “Okay, now keep’em closed, Nick,” she said.

Nick listened closely as she moved, shifting her weight and laid something in his hands. Something heavy and square… “Can I look yet?” he begged.

“Not yet.”

Krystal did something that redistributed the weight of the square in his hand just a little bit and she took in a deep breath. “Okay, Nick,” she said slowly, “You can open your eyes now.”

He opened his eyes and gasped.

“How did you – why did you—“ He looked up at her, dumbfounded. In his hands was a box, and in the box, settled in dark green velvet lining, was the watch he’d pointed out at the jewelry counter earlier that afternoon. Krystal grinned as he blinked between it and her, shocked.

“When you went outside and I went to the bathroom, I actually went and got the watch for you,” she answered, smiling.

“I can’t believe this,” he whispered, “Incredible… What on earth made you do this?” he asked, unbuckling the metal wristband and tugging it around him. He stared at the dark green face of the watch and smiled at the little Roman numerals.

Krystal smiled, “You’ve just done so much for me, I felt like I needed to do something for you.”

“You didn’t have to,” Nick answered, in awe, “This must’ve cost you a small fortune…” he muttered, looking it over.

Krystal laughed, “Yeah, it did.”

“Where on earth did you get the money?” he asked, looking up at her. “You didn’t use your family’s money, right?”

Krystal shook her head, “No, I didn’t use their money. Relax.” She leaned forward and kissed his mouth gently.

“So how did you –“

“You know what you can give me?” she asked, her mouth still close to his mouth.

Nick blinked into her eyes. “What’s that?” he asked.

Her hand ran gently across his thighs, “I think you know,” she whispered.

Nick laughed, “Can I wear my watch?” he held up his arm.

“Yeah, but nothing else.”

“Okay,” he kissed her, then jumped up, “To the sex cave!!” Nick bounded out of the room and up the stairs. Krystal laughed and put the watch box onto the coffee table. That smile, she thought, was worth it.