Saint Nicholas Read Free Page B

Nicholas. He wore a pair of beige cargo shorts and a white muscle top that clung to him like a second skin. He was tall and lithe, with defining muscles only made more prominent by the sweat glistening on his flesh. His hair was gelled in an organized mess and he wore just the right amount of cologne. Not overpowering, but enough to make me want to breathe him in forever, as long as it meant he didn’t have to go anywhere.
    “I love licorice,” he said.
    I blinked. Licorice? Then I remembered the bunch of it in my hand and looked down at the red strands sticking out my tightly clenched fist. I quickly took one and offered it to him, which he gladly accepted with that wicked grin on his full and plump lips. He ripped off a piece and chewed with his mouth closed, just staring, like he was waiting for something.
    “I’m Sarah,” I finally said.
    His smile widened and there were pieces of red licorice stuck between his teeth. I laughed. I didn’t know many guys, but the ones I did know were too cool to do something like that, to show off a mouth full of candy. It was charming, and the more he did it, the more nervous I became, because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt there was no way I was going to be able to resist him, and that could spell big trouble down the road if anyone ever found out.
    “Do I got something in my teeth?” he joked, making me laugh even harder.
    It felt good to do that. So much of my laughter these days felt forced, but with Nicholas it was just natural. Like we’d been friends forever and were just hanging out, having a good time.
    That feeling was soon replaced with dread though when Carmine came out to see what all the fuss was about. I quickly shut my mouth as panic overtook me, and watched as he and Nicholas looked at one another. Carmine was big. Not just tall, but round. A big ball of dough squished inside a pair of jeans and a button-up dress shirt. Nicholas was fit, but if anything happened it wouldn’t be too hard for Carmine to squish his head like a grape between his meaty hands.
    He turned to me and held up a sausage finger, saying, “Watch yourself,” before going back inside his shop.
    I wasn’t sure what he meant. Was he going to tell my dad that I was with someone? Or did he mean for me to be careful and make sure my father didn’t find out about it? So many conflicting emotions ran though me and my breathing became heavy. I was playing a dangerous game. Taking my life in my own hands, really, but then again, so what? If not now, when? For so long my life had belonged to other people. Was it so wrong of me to want to reclaim a little of it?
    I looked over at Nicholas, who stood there with a concerned look on his face. He knew something was wrong, and it actually pained me to see him worrying about me.
    He swiped his hand across his chin and without warning he took me by the wrist and pulled me away from Carmine’s. I didn’t protest, but rather just let him lead me down the street further away from danger. The feel of his hot fingers wrapped around my pale skin wasn’t lost on me. It was the first genuine human contact I’d had in many years, and it made my head feel fuzzy. It wasn’t supposed to feel good, I told myself, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t the best feeling.
    “Where are we going?” I asked.
    “I wanna show you something,” he said.
    Out of nowhere that song from Aladdin popped into my head, with the lyric I can show you the world , running through my mind.
    My pulse quickened and I glanced away so Nicholas wouldn’t notice me smiling.
    Show me , I thought. Show me the world.

    * * *

    We sat atop his apartment building on two lawn chairs overlooking the street. Off in the distance, the Hudson River gave way to New Jersey while the breeze blew strands of my hair every which way around my face, but I didn’t care. I felt alive for the first time ever, high above the world and with a guy I barely knew by my side, yet with him I felt safe, and that