Holiday Chapter 12 -- Leigh's Stories

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Date Posted: 19:25:46 09/13/01 Thu
Author: Leigh
Subject: Holiday Chapter 12
In reply to: Leigh 's message, "Holiday" on 22:56:37 09/12/01 Wed

The music ended and, feeling a need for a moment alone, Nikita excused herself from her father's presence and headed for the exit. She took a moment here and there to exchange pleasantries with employees and friends but politely declined any invitations to visit longer.

She needed some air. The sight of Carla and Michael laughing and smiling at each other on the dance floor had had a powerful effect on her. One that, more than anything else, surprised her. She was no fool, she recognized the sharp stab of pain in her chest as disappointment and perhaps even jealousy.

Her stomach churned in self-disgust. Wasn't she the one who had pushed Carla toward Michael? She'd told her about how handsome he was and that he was an artist like her; she'd even paired them up for dinner hoping that they would connect. And now that her plan was working, Nikita felt, well, sick.

There was a door out in the foyer that led to the terrace. During this time of the year people rarely ventured out onto it because of the cold, but Nikita welcomed the icy blast of air. She shivered involuntarily and her skin prickled with the sudden drop in temperature as she stepped further out. She was surprised to see someone else out there in the cold, a man smoking a cigarette, and then he turned and she saw who it was.

"Chris!"

He frowned at her, his eyes taking in the way her arms were folded tightly over her chest. He flicked the rest of his cigarette away and began to unbutton his coat. His eyes admonished her. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same." Nikita retaliated, her teeth beginning to chatter.

Chris swung his coat over her shoulders and pulled the lapels close over her arms. "At least I had the sense to put something on," he muttered.

Nikita grinned thankfully up at him. "I wasn't planning on staying out here. I just needed to get a little air."

Chris rewarded her with a slant of a smile. "Festivities getting to you too, huh?"

"A little," she said, and then took a deep breath of air and looked up into the night sky as Chris lit another cigarette.

Not a single star could be seen. Of course not, this was New York City. Besides, who needed the stars when you had the city lights to admire? She wondered for a moment if one could see stars in the sky above Paris. And then, realizing that her thoughts were once again straying towards an unwanted subject, Nikita turned her attention to Chris.

He was standing with his profile to her. His left hand was shoved into his pocket; he held his cigarette with the other. A frown furrowed his brow as he stared out into the night.

"You've been very quiet tonight," she said, tilting her head to one side.

Chris glanced at her, momentarily surprised, as if he'd drifted off to some far away place and had forgotten she was there. "What? Oh." He gave a small little laugh. "Sorry. A lot on my mind."

"Work?"

He laughed again, this time the smile reaching his dark eyes. "Not everything is work related, Nikita," he said.

"Yeah." The image of Michael smiling down at Carla flitted through her mind and Nikita scowled. "Unfortunately, that's true," she huffed. Chris arched one brow at her but Nikita shook her head and waved his look of concern away. "So if it's not work that's bothering you, then what is?" she continued.

"What makes you think anything's wrong?"

Nikita pulled the coat tighter around her, shivering a little. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that your face looks even more pinched than normal and you barely said a half dozen words during dinner. That's the same way you get when you're trying to solve a problem at work. You get that, 'do not disturb' look and everyone avoids you."

"Almost everyone," Chris corrected, giving her a pointed look, and Nikita grinned.

"Yeah, well, I'm your boss. It's part of my job requirement that I not be afraid of you. Besides," she continued, "I've known you long enough to know when something's bothering you. You want to talk about it?"

His smile faded a little, his eyes becoming distant again. Then he shook his head and took another long drag. He took his time exhaling. He watched the smoke rise and mingle with the cold air before dispersing. "It's nothing" he said at length.

"Honest?" Nikita asked.

Chris nodded once, the twinkle returning to his eyes as he looked at her. "Its nothing. Really." Before she could ask another question, he reached out with one arm and turned her toward the door and gave her a little push. "Come on. It's getting cold out here."

*

Carla had one arm linked possessively through Michael's as she led him off the dance floor. She'd seen plenty of women eyeing him up and knew that the moment she left him alone, they'd pounce. Well, uh uh. Sorry ladies, this man was already spoken for.

She craned her neck, searching for Nikita in the crowded room. Where the hell was that girl? Trust Nicky to disappear when she needed her to do the very opposite.

"Are you looking for someone?" Michael asked.

Carla blinked innocently. "Me. No. Why?"

Michael opened his mouth to speak, then, thinking better of it, he shook his head. "Nothing," he said.

"Sure?"

"Yes."

Carla smiled up at him. "Good. Hey, did you see the paintings out in the hallway?" she asked, and turned him in that direction. Maybe Nikita was out there�

Just as Carla and Michael exited the main ballroom and entered the foyer, the door leading out to the terrace opened and a laughing Nikita -- hair windblown and with a man's coat draped over her shoulders -- stepped inside followed closely by the ever serious looking Chris.

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Replies:

Holiday Chapter 13 -- Leigh, 09:44:38 09/14/01 Fri

Re: Holiday Chapter 13 -- LJ, 21:40:53 10/22/01 Mon

Leigh to LJ -- Leigh, 23:30:52 10/22/01 Mon