LOVE STORY(THE PAST)

Ashley sat by the window looking at the scenery, it was cold out and it looked as if it was going to snow. She had to see Nick, she needed to explain to him her reasons for leaving and that she still loved him. Nick did not want to see her and she could not blame him. “I need to find a way to see him,” she thought.

Carrie was on the phone when Nick grabbed her from behind. She stopped him before things got out of hands; he sat down, pouting like a child and Carrie smiled at him and continued her conversation. Nick stared at her from behind. He liked what he saw and desire rushed through his body -he wiped his forehead and sighed.

Nick arrives back at his office to see the light on his answering machine on; he ignores the light on the answering machine and deletes all of the messages. He is happy and he does not want anything or anyone to damper his mood. “Nick,” a voice said from behind him. He stood there; he could not, nor wanted to, turn around. He recognized the voice. “Ashley,” he said. He turned, not wanting to see her, his heart was pounding, wanting to escape his chest. “What are you doing here, Ashley, you should have known not to come!” He finally saw her, nothing about her has changed and he felt the hole in his heart and the pain that he tried so hard to get away from resurfaced as if it was yesterday. “Nick, I’m sorry if I am here unannounced but you wouldn’t see me. I’m in town for a while and I needed to see you.” “Ashley, please go!”

Ashley walked out, she felt the tears burning her eyes - she expected his reaction. The look in his eyes, the pain, she never meant to hurt him. Ashley thought about the day she left, she had to leave if she had stayed. She knew that she would have married him and put her dreams on hold. In the end, the love she felt would have turned into resentment, but now she is ready for the life he wanted for them, but will he ever forgive her?

Carrie was drinking a glass of wine when Nick arrived, his face pale and by the way he looked, she knew something was wrong. “We need to talk, something happened today and I think you should know about it.” Carrie sat down, a look of concern on her face, “Nick, is everything alright with you?” Carrie was concerned; she has never seen Nick this way before. Nick told her everything that happened that afternoon. Carrie felt a sigh of relief. He is physically well and nothing was wrong at work. Nevertheless, she had bigger things to worry about now. Carrie was wondering what this meant, is her relationship in trouble now?

LOVE STORY (WALK IN THE PARK)

A week passed and Carrie was busy with all of the arrangements for Nick’s party. They had spoken maybe once or twice since they last saw each other but it was business. Carrie was confused and upset, but she was not about to ask him anything about that night. Nick was in his office when his secretary told him there was someone to see him. When he asked who it was, he made up some excuse - he did not want to see his visitor, “Ashley”. He stood in his office frozen, not able to move. The memories of their last night together came back to mind as if it was yesterday - he had asked Ashley to marry him - the next day she was gone.

He had to leave; he needed to clear his head. At that moment, Carrie too went for a walk. Nick was walking - his thoughts were about Ashley. He didn’t know what to do, he was angry and had many questions to ask her but was he ready to face her, ready to face a past he’s been trying to forget? He walked for hours, not realizing how late it was when he notices Carrie walking towards him. Carrie’s face went blank; the last person she wanted to run into was Nick. He was walking right towards her and her heart was beating fast, but she kept walking. Before she knew it, he was standing in front of her. “Hello Carrie.” Carrie looked at him and said “hello”. “Can we talk?” Nick asked her “Nick, if you want to talk about the ball, you can come by the office tomorrow morning, I have some things to take care of and it’s getting late.” Carrie replied. Carrie felt awkward; she was wondering what he wanted to talk about after what had happened between them. “Please Carrie; it will only take a minute.” Nick looked at Carrie, his eyes were damped. “Carrie, I want to apologize for the other night, I don’t know why I left the way I did, well actually I do know why I left. I was scared. Carrie, I have so many feelings running through my body, I do not know what to do. I think I am falling in love with you; it may sound crazy and maybe I am crazy for feeling this way; we’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks and with all that happened in my last relationship, I am freaked out! I have been driving myself crazy, not knowing what to do about us, about the feelings that I feel. I know that I love you, but am I ready? Can I trust you not to hurt me the way that Ashley did.” Carrie was there listening and crying because what he didn’t realize was that he had hurt her, that he did the same thing that Ashley had done. Nevertheless, she did not say a word - she just looked at his face full of agony and held him because she too had fallen in love with him. They sat in the park for awhile; they held hands and just sat there. The wind was cold but it did not matter because they had each other’s warmth to keep them warm and from that moment on, they knew that their life would never be the same.

LOVE STORY(ASHLEY)

Nick was looking at the crumbled piece of paper he had left on top of his desk, “What are you doing here? Why now and what do you want?” he thought. He kept pacing back and forward, not knowing what to do. He looked at the piece of paper again then threw it out. Nick was lost in thoughts. “She left me without a single explanation; she just packed up her things and left.” Nick went back to work but all he thought about was Ashley.

It was dark out when Nick looked out the window. He was tired, had the worst headache imaginable, and hungry. Nick picked up the phone and to his surprise, Carrie was on the other end. “Hello, Nick, it’s Carrie.” “Carrie, I was just about to give you a call but from the looks of things, you beat me to it.” “You were?” Carrie asked. “Carrie, I was wondering if I could stop by and see you, if it is not too late, that is.” “No, of course not, come on by.” Carrie heard herself say.

Trying to look your best in less than twenty minutes suddenly became impossible. She picked up a pair of jeans, a white shirt and put on her sneakers. She did not want to be overdressed and did not want to look like she was going to sleep either. Carrie heard the doorbell - she stops in the hallway, looks at the image in the mirror, then proceeded towards the door.

“Hello Carrie,” Nick walked in and gave Carrie a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Hello Nick, how are you?” Carrie smiled “Would you like anything to drink?” she offered. “I brought us a bottle of champagne; I hope you do not mind.” “No, not at all, thank you, that was thoughtful of you. Let me get the glasses.” Carrie said as she walked towards the kitchen. From there she talked to Nick. “Nick, since the Ball is going to be a black and white affair, I thought that maybe you would like White Calla Lilies or Red Roses for the centerpieces, tall ones in a crystal vase. Now for the food; we can start with stuffed mushroom, shrimp, salmon, or whatever you would like us to serve and I thought that maybe.” Nick walked over to Carrie and placed his finger on her lips, “Do you mind if we talked about something else for a moment?” “I thought you wanted to discuss the plans for the party?” Carrie was nervous; she felt a lump in her throat and had to swallow. “It’s been a very long day and I just want to relax, let’s talk about us for a while.” Once again, they engaged in a conversation not about the reason for his visit but about them. This time Carrie learned about Ashley and she felt a bit of jealousy; she could not explain why, but she did. “I’m so sorry to hear that, I don’t think that I could have survived something like that.” Without realizing it, she placed her hand on top of his. He looked in her eyes - they sparkled like two stars in the night. He smiled at her and kissed her hand. He could not explain what was happening but he felt so at ease around Carrie, he felt whole. “Carrie, you are an amazing woman, I haven’t felt this way in a long time. When I’m with you, nothing seems to matter, I feel complete and alive.” Without another thought, he kisses her, with a desire so deep and beyond his control. He was hungry for her; he kissed her gently. Carrie laid there wanting him, willing to be his and not fighting what she too was feeling. “Carrie,’ Nick said as she looked at him, “I’m sorry, I can’t, and I have to go.” She stood there wondering what just happened.

On his way home, all Nick thought about was Carrie, she was special. It was an attraction that pulled at him and he knew that he could fall in love with her and that frightened him

LOVE STORY (DINNER FOR TWO)

The next day Carrie walked into her office and was surprised to see the roses on the table. She picked up the note and it said; “if the roses were as beautiful as you, I would have a rose garden all around my house. Have dinner with me tonight. I have some ideas for the party and I want to share them with you.” She took the card, placed it on her lips and smiled, then picked up the phone.

It was a long and stressful day for Nick; it was meeting after meeting, all he wanted to do was sit down, relax and have a glass of scotch. He reached over for a glass when he then noticed the two messages. The first one was from Carrie - she thanked him for the flowers, but declined the dinner invitation. The next one blew him away. He was surprised but more than anything, hurt. He was not expecting to hear from this person ever again and his anger got the best of him.

Nick, not giving up, calls Carrie every day, “How are the plans going?” one day, “Do we have a meeting today?” another day. Carrie and Jessica both giggle and continue working. Late that evening Carrie was walking out of the office when Nick approaches her. He smiled and gave her a single rose and a note, then left, no words spoken. Another dinner proposal, this time she accepts.

It was seven-thirty when Carrie arrived. She walked into the waiting area when she noticed Nick walking towards her. His smiled lit up the room and he said” You look lovelier then I had imagined you to be.” He took her hand and escorted her to their table. She looked up at him, her eyes danced with excitement and she smiled in returned. Her heart was beating fast,” I need to keep my cool. Do not let the emotions that are running within me take charge, relax, breathe. C’mon Carrie, you can do this.” She thought.

Dinner went well. They talked for hours, about her business her interest and even about her childhood. Nick smiled as he studied her; he, as well, talked about his life, his business, his accomplishments, and his downfall. They laughed; danced, everyone around them could see the attraction sparks flew everywhere.

Nothing could have gone wrong - two worlds have combined into one. Who would have thought that they met weeks ago?

It was close to ten o’clock when he dropped her off. He walked her to the door and before she could say a word, he grabbed her and kissed her. She was out of breath but the desire was mutual. As she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment, it was a moment she will never forget. Her heart leaped with joy and from that moment on she knew things between them would never be the same again.

The next morning Carrie did not want to get out of bed. She wanted her dream to go on. She thought about Nick and the wonderful evening they had shared. She smiled to herself but the smile faded just as fast. She just broke one of her own rules -- never mix business with pleasure, although she was excited about last night; she was disappointed too.

LOVE STORY (THE MEETING)

Chapter one

The sun was shinning but it made no difference. It was twenty degrees outside and the wind cut right through you. I was on my way into the office when I received a call from Jessica that my nine o’clock appointment was running late. Good, I thought, that gives me enough time to grab a muffin. Jessica walked into my office and could not help herself and laughs; she stares at the welt on my head - “it gets bigger by the minute” Jessica said. I grab my handbag and pull out my compact. I looked at the image in the mirror and saw the horror in my eyes. “Oh my!” were the words that came out of my mouth, “Mr. Andrews will be here shortly and I look like I’m growing an antler - Great!” I was going through some papers when Jessica announced that Mr. Andrews had arrived. “Give me a minute, and then let him in.”

“Good morning Miss Peters.” said the voice from behind her. As she turns around to greet her client, she saw the eyes - the same eyes she saw that Sunday afternoon. “You!” she said. They both knew who the other one was. She was the girl he had knocked down by the market place. “I can’t believe it’s you,” he said, “I’ve thought about you constantly, even walked by the market place but never saw you again. Did I do that?” Carrie was motionless - she could not believe it was him. She could not breathe, could not talk but she had to make a motion. Carrie never answerd his question, she did not see the point in it. Carrie replied with a smile. “Let’s sit down; we have a lot to discuss.”

It was a quarter after two when Nick left the office and Carrie was exhausted.

Once the meeting ended, Jessica walked into the office. They went over some of the requirements that Mr. Andrews had in mind. “Jess, call Andy and see what he will have available for the month of June. We also have to” “Carrie” Jessica interrupted her.

“What did you think of Mr. Andrews?” Carrie smiled “What is there to think of” she winked and walked out of the office. “C’mon Carrie tell me, I noticed the way he looked at you, and you also forgot to mention that you two knew each other.” “Correction, he knocked me down two months ago - that doesn’t mean we know each other.” Carrie continues with her reading and ignored Jessica; she knows just what to say and do, to get to her sister. A few minutes later Carrie heard the door close and looked up to see Mr. Andrews standing in front of her. “Mr. Andrews, is there anything else that I can do for you?” Carrie asked, “Indeed you can” he replied, “Will you have dinner with me tonight?” “Mr. Andrews,” “Nick, call me Nick,” he replied. “Mr. Andrews, I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Carrie, not impressed by his dinner proposal, excused herself and walked him out.

Carrie went back to what she was doing but in the back of her mind, her thoughts were about Nick.

LOVE STORY-THE BEGINNING

I remember the day we met; it was not your usual fairy tale story; girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, it was more than that. I knew right at that moment that he was the one, the one I have been waiting for. He would be the one that would embrace my heart like no other, but also tear it apart.

It was a cold November afternoon; I was out running some errands when out of nowhere he appeared. I fell flat on the floor and my bags were all over the place. My head was pounding and I was furious, never looking at the stranger who had knocked me down. When finally I stood up and turned to face him, his beauty blew me away. His eyes were the color of the sky; soothing, inviting and mesmerizing, he had gorgeous black hair and a smile that would weak anyone’s heart. He helped me up, apologized, took my hand gave it a gentle squeezed and then left, I just stood there frozen and for the first time I was lost for words.