Nicks POV

As I turn around to the light tap on my shoulder I see Sophia and says to me the same sentence when we were first met. We met almost a month ago, but I still remember her exactly as I had the night of our kiss. She is still the shy, nervous girl that bit her lip in front of me.

"Need more pennies" I shrug my shoulders.

"She hands me a 10.00 dollar bill and says this should be enough to pay you for an hour of thoughts right?" and grins.

I grin and give her a sideways glance and hand her the ten dollar bill back. "Its nice to see you again, you did really good tonight.

She takes the money back and puts it back in her jean shorts pocket. I couldn't help but look at her legs and then they wandered up further and I noticed freckles on her nose that weren't there before.

"Thank you" she plays with the lime green beaded braclet that was on her wrist.

"So how do you feel? I remember A.J telling me that he felt a lot better after a meeting more relaxed and at peace with himself."

she stopped playing with the bracelet and looked up at me I watched her chest move in and out as she took a breath searching for the right words.

"I don't know if at peace is a way that I would describe it, but it feels good to stop pretending. I don't pretend when I am at the meetings. I find I can be more myself. I still feel lost, but this place makes me feel more like I am found again you know."

"I know what you mean, sometimes its hard pretending to be something that your not. I know that all to well."

"I know" She blushes " I have been researching you on you tube mostly. I needed to know more about you. I can't believe you dated Paris Hilton." She laughed.

"Not you too" I shake my head "It was a bad point in my life and I learned from my mistakes."

She grinned " I know you did, I can tell from your interviews. You grew up a lot."

We both didn't really say anything for what seemed like an eternity, in reality it was probably only a minute.

"Im sorry Sophia for everything you know." I pushed out a gray plastic chair and sat next to her.

She sighed "I know you are Nick, Im sorry I have been so cold to you. I know you came to my appartment complex I got your message, Im sorry I didn't call you back." She takes a drink of the punch that has been swirling around a white paper cup.

"Well were both sorry so lets move on. I know this place that has the best hot chocolate."

"Sophia, your changing the subject. We should really talk about this."

She looks around the room and sees a bunch of people standing around, talking chatting amongst themselves. "Not here, okay"

I nodd and scan the room for A.J and notice he isn't anywhere to be seen, why do I feel like he planned this.

"Okay Soph, lets go lead the way my lady" I follow close behind her as she puts on a hat and sunglasses and grabs her sweater from a hook.

"Okay, so where is your car"? I smile down at her.

"Ohh I don't drive, not since the accident, I can't bring myself to"

I protectively put my arm around her and take of her hat and sunglasses "You don't need the disguise Sophia. I am not ashamed to be walking with you."

She grins up at me "How did you know?"

"I feel like I know you pretty well in someways. I also know that your blaming yourself for something that you can't control. You know its not your fault right? You know that you didn't kill your husband and that it was just a really bad accident and life circumstance."

She mumbled something all I caught was "No-I don't know that."

I pulled her closer and neither of us said anything, I noticed some well known paparazzi following us around, I didn't want to upset Sophia further so we just walked in silence.

we walked until we came to a small hole in the wall place called 'Grandmas Kitchen'. When we walked in I was immediately taken back by the vibe of the place. It was a very warm atmosphere that smelled of warmed baked chocolate chip cookies and coffee.

When we walked in there was a bell on the door that chimed when we walked in. The place was packed though it was small there were about ten tables and they were all taken except for one in the back. There was a small round table with carvings of past, present and future lovers with their names in the table. This place was great and the hot drinks were even better.

We were sitting there I was drinking my coffee and watched Sophia blow on her drink waiting for it cool down.

"So why Hot Chocolate?" I push I wanted to know more about her, I wanted to know everything about her. Me putting my arm around her in public wasn't something I would normally do. I wanted the world to know I really cared about this girl. I really wasn't sure where my realtionship stood with Lauren, Or Sophia for that matter...I know I wasn't going to let Sophia slip away, thats all I know. She is the only one that can make me smile lately. I am not sure knows the effect she has on me.

She grins up with me and has whip cream on her nose, and the candle in the center of the table flickers with my movement to whipe it off her nose "Thanks" she blushes.

"This Hot Chocolate is amazing, and I don't drink coffee and don't care for tea unless it is iced and has lots of sugar. I have a huge sweet tooth." She grins "Do you want to try some?"

She passes the mug to me and I take a sip and make a mental note to have this next time. The hot chocolate mixed with real whipped cream, and chocolate shavings and drizzled with carmel was heaven.

I pass it back to her "Your right this is delcious. I will have to bring Lauren here to try this sometime."

I instantly regret the words that come out of my mouth as I see Sophia's frame become distant and rigid.

"Im sorry Sophia its kind of a habit."

She looked at me and half smiled "You don't have any reason to be sorry Nick she is your wife."

"She doesn't act like one" I take a drink of my coffee and try to hide the hurt."

"I know Nick- But she is still your wife, I have been avoiding this topic all night."

"I know you have...We need to talk about it, and we need to talk about us." I grab her hands.

"I care about you, I feel something between us. You make me smile and you make me forget about her."

She pulls her hands away from mine "Nick your married."

"I know and so are you." I grab her hands again "Look at me Sophia"

Sophia looks at me " I-Care-About-You" She looks away "Keep looking at me Sophia don't run away this time.

She looks into my eyes and I squeeze her hand tighter "I feel a connection with you Sophia. I don't want to lose you. I need you to know I really care about you, and haven't stopped thinking about you, and the night we spent together talking. I tried to make it work with Luaren I can't forgive her for cheating on me. we went to counselling this past week. I can't stop thinking about you. I tried to go on like you never existed. I can't stop thinking about you.

"Nick, its getting late we should go and you should go home to your wife."

"Sophia, I know your scared and I know you feel it too." I grab her hand as she stands up to leave.

she gives in to my hand and links her fingers with mine "Nick, I care about you to but I think we should just be friends- its just enfactuation."

"Sophia stop running away- maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I would like to have the oppurtunity to find out- would you sit down and talk to me please."

She sighs and takes a deep breath "Why me?" She asks as she sits down.

"I don't know, I feel a very strong connection with you. I don't know maybe we are soulmates, or have been together in another life time. I am not sure but I haven't felt like I needed someone in my life like this in a long time. Do you feel it too?"

She bit her lip and grabbed my hand "I do, I feel some strong feelings for barely knowing you, but this crazy Nick. Your married."

"So are you Sophia, and I am married but we are seperated. We agreed this wasn't working. She admitted she loved Rodderick."

Sophia shook her head "Nick, no. I can't be your rebound."

"Its not like that Sophia" I rub circles on her hand.

"Nick we barely know each other, your acting crazy."

Nick smiled "Not crazy Sophia, Im passionate. I know I couldn't just be your friend. I can still feel the heat from your kiss three weeks ago. Im not saying I love you, but I can't lose you. I really care about you, and there is this un-deniable spark between us. I feel like I can be myself with you, and tell you anything."

"Nick, are you drugs?" I feel his forehead

"Funny- no I just like I said I can't explain something I don't fully understand but. I think we should be in eachothers lives as more than friends."

Do you remember my hands moving up and down your back, the kisses I trailed along your neck. I can't stop thinking about it, and you.

"So friends with benefits then?" Sophia asks "See where this takes us."

"Friends with benefits and you can't see anyone else and neither can I."

She chuckles "Nick, thats a realtionship,  this is absurd and surreal."

I grin up at her "I know I am coming on strong. I know I just can't be your friend. I want so much more than that from you intellectually and sexually. I couldn't handle seeing you with another man, thinking of another man holding you. I have trust issues." I chuckle "This seems really crazy to me too, but it seems even crazier to not try."

She leans in closer and whispers "Okay, Nick but I give this realtionship 30 days and If I want out, im out. This is nuts."

"Okay- I will make this 30 days you won't regret. I promise you wont want to run away."

I smile at her. Stand up and whisper in her ear "lets go"

"Okay where are we going?" I bite my lip

"Its a suprise." Nick smiles and hails a cab. "Sophia, I promise you wont regret this. Thank you for letting me in."

"Don't make me regret this Nick."

"So should we kiss or something to make this offical?" she asks me.

"I thought you would never ask." I say and give her everything I have in the kiss. We both break away breathless.

"Nick-I want to take this slow okay?" she bites her lip

I lean in and kiss her slower "better" I ask she playfully hits me on the arm "Not what I meant."

I smile "We can take things as fast or as slow as you want as long as I can make these 30 days the best days of our lives. I am going to show you how to love again.

"Deal- Nick if you want to go back to Lauren please let me know."

I pushed a stray of hair off her forehead as she rests her head on my shoulder

"I put enough of my energy into someone, who didn't return it back."

"Lauren and I are done. I admit falling for you as fast as I did its not in my character but I know you think its just in the past 3 weeks we had problems, but it has been in the making all year.

"Nick-just let me know okay, if in thirty days you want to go back. Its fine."

"Okay, I wont want too. But okay." I lean down and kiss her.

"So Thirty days we can make us offical, if we both want too?" I ask her and she nodds.

She looks out the window "Why are we at my apartment?"

"Your going to invite me in I need to see where my girl lives, and sleeps..." I wink at her.

"Slower Nick remember" She says as we step out of the cab.

I hug her from behind, she smelled so good and it felt great to have my arms around someone who appreciated me."I know, can't blame a guy for trying."

We walk up the stairs to my apartment and Nick takes off his flip flops and flops on the bed next to my dog Goldie and cuddles next to him "I want to know everything about you like starting with this dog, whats the story behind Goldie" I ask looking at her name tag.

"Its a long story Nick."

"I have thirty days." He grabs my hand and leads me to the couch. "You need to talk about your past, you have one as do I we need to embrace it."

I smile up at him "Wouldn't you rather make out?"

"Sophia, stop talk to me."

"I don't want to talk Nick. What if you sing to me?"

I wrap my arms around her and sing 'Ill Never Break Your Heart'. It seemed fitting. I felt her body un-tense around me. I could feel her inhale and exhale of breath. she fell asleep. I knew in my heart this was crazy not even divorced and on to another realtionship but this feels right. It feels like maybe this is where I am supposed to be right now. It doesn't feel wrong, it feels right. After talking to the other guys and A.J about this previously. They told me to go for it.

So I went for it...I know its fast but I couldn't live with the always wondering what if. If she isn't the person I know and feel she is well I have 30 days to see that. Instead of waiting seven years for someones true colors to come out.

I just hoped she didn't break my heart like all the others.