5. Erica

five

Erica

" D o you want to come back to my place?" I can't believe I asked a virtual stranger back to my apartment. I wait for my brain cells to kick in and tell me this is a very bad idea, but the only thing I feel is a bond with Mike I can't explain.

"If you're sure." He hesitates, and I can't help wondering if he thinks I'm going to change my mind or if he is going to change his.

"I'm positive." I give him a reassuring smile. "Hop in." I motion for him to go to the passenger side.

The drive to my apartment doesn't take long, but suddenly, I'm feeling a little bashful at inviting him, a virtual stranger, to my home.

I busy myself flipping through the mail that my roommate Carrol left on the side table by the front door. My hand stills when it lands on a letter from the nursing board.

"Must be something important if it caused you to freeze like that."

Mike's teasing tone pulls me out of the trance of staring at the letter that holds my future, "It's my test results from the nursing boards." I choke down the butterflies, threatening to explode out of my stomach.

"Aren't you dying to see if you passed or not?"

"What if I didn't pass? I don't want to spoil tonight." I bite my lower lip, caught between wanting to know if I passed and wanting to enjoy the magic of tonight a little longer.

As if sensing my apprehension, Mike says, "How about this? If you open the letter and didn't pass, we can hang out on your couch and eat ice cream all night."

"And if I passed?" I raise a curious eyebrow, wondering exactly what he has planned.

"If you passed, we can do whatever you want to celebrate."

I pick up the letter, holding it tightly in my hand. This is everything to me. "I've always dreamed of becoming a nurse. I don't have a backup plan; there wasn't a reason to even consider anything else."

"Slow down and take a breath, Erica. No matter what the results say, at least you tried to accomplish your dream—it's more than I ever tried to do."

"What do you mean? Don't you like what you do for a living? I mean, I guess I don't know what you do—I didn't think to ask." I know I'm rambling, but I'm not ready to see my dream come to an end.

"Let's have a seat." He leads me to the couch and takes a seat next to me. "I'm not just a huge Billy Joel fan but also a piano player. I work in finance, but that's not my dream job. My dream job is to own my piano bar and play for the customers. Stupid, right?"

"No, I think that's a fantastic dream. It's not too late to make it come true." And I honestly mean that. Everyone should follow their dreams.

He smiles at me, and my nerves begin to melt away. "How about this? If you open that letter and you've passed, I'll quit my job and open my own piano bar."

He's so sweet to help me through this, and I can't help but to tease him, "Okay, but you have to name it after Billy."

"Deal." He takes my hand, the one not clutching the envelope, and shakes it, sealing the deal, before placing it on the letter.

"Here goes nothing." I take a deep breath and rip open the envelope. I scan the letter, my eyes landing on PASS, "I passed!" I throw my arms around Mike, squeezing him tight. "I did it!"

"I knew you would!" He picks me up and spins me around, causing me to laugh.

Our eyes meet, and our laughter stops. "Sorry, I shouldn't have spun you around like that." He lowers me so my feet are back on the ground, and our eyes never break contact.

My eyes drop to his mouth, "It's okay." It's the only words I get out before his lips crash into mine. Next thing I know, his tongue is in my mouth, and our hands are tugging at each other's clothes.

He breaks the kiss and pulls his head back, "If you don't want to do this, you have to tell me now. I'm not sure how I will do it, but if you want me to walk out that door right now, I'll do it."

I shake my head, "I want you to stay and make love to me."