She didn't expect the outing to be as much fun as it was. As Nadia quietly walked beside Spencer, she found herself smiling. After meeting at the library, the group, which included Anthony, Spencer's best friend and his date, Valentina, and Felix, Janine's pseudo-boyfriend, quickly decided to walk to the local ice cream parlor. There, they sat and enjoyed the largest sundae the parlor had to offer. Spencer found it cute when she took her time eating and went so far as to feed her when he felt she did not have enough. Nadia found the action adorable, especially when she watched the way he wolfed down as much ice cream as he could.
"It's a weakness of mine," he announced when Janine pointed out his enthusiasm, "I love ice cream."
They decided to go bowling, mostly because the alley was across the street from the parlor. There, Nadia became impressed by Spencer's skill. If he didn't bowl a strike, he only had two or three pins in the way. "You bowl a lot?" she asked him.
"No, I just have good aim."
He made sure to stay next to her while they waited for their respective turns. Nadia didn't get the shakes when with him, but she told herself that this was the first time they were together in a capacity that had nothing to do with school. Not all cases of romantic relationships began with instant attraction. "Why did you never tell me how you felt?" she asked him after he bowled another strike.
"I don't know. I guess I figured that if I never said anything, I'd never get shot down."
"Big risk grants big rewards."
"I know," he said with a blush, "I'm glad you came out tonight."
Nadia looked into Spencer's bright blue eyes and felt her stomach flutter at the sincerity in his gaze. "Me too."
Now, as they walked down the street, she felt her smile widen when Spencer's hand brushed against hers. She knew what the action meant, but decided against taking hold of his hand. It was not a good idea to move too fast. Glancing at the digital clock posted outside of the town bank, she blinked in surprise. It was nearly one in the morning. She had class at nine and though logic told her to call it a night, she didn't want to leave.
"You guys want to go to the fountain?"
Nadia looked at Valentina's round and excited face and found that she could not say no. There was something about the blonde's green eyes she found infectious, especially when she became enthusiastic. "The one on Spring?"
"Is there another one?" Spencer asked.
"Yeah, there's one on Merlin," Janine answered, "But that's a farther walk and it's smaller."
Looking at Nadia, Spencer said, "I'm in if you're in."
Nadia smiled as she nodded her consent. She remained silent as she walked next to Spencer, baffled by the way things in her life were quickly shifting. It seemed as if her luck improved the closer she go to uncovering the truth. She had to get back to that paper before the end of the week; there was still information of Forcas she needed to find and there was also information on The Brethren she still had yet to learn. Something told her that learning about The Brethren would no doubt bring her closer to the concrete evidence she needed.
She wondered what Andrae was doing. With the exception of when they were together, she never knew what he did. For all she knew, he could have been watching television in his apartment while enjoying a cigarette. He certainly wasn't thinking about her; his earlier actions made that perfectly clear. He was the kind of man who took what he wanted from a woman and then walked away without even a farewell when he was done. That's what heartbreakers did; she was lucky he showed his true colors before it was too late.
"Nadia?"
Nadia pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked at Spencer's concerned face. Smiling for his benefit, she said, "Sorry, I got lost in my head."
"What were you thinking about?"
Someone she shouldn't. "I was thinking that I've always wanted to play in a fountain. Ever since I was a little kid." She didn't tell him the truth of her thoughts, but she playing in a fountain had been a dream of hers ever since she watched a movie where a group of kids did just that. "It looks like it could be fun."
"Care to test that theory out?"
Nadia stared at Spencer's sparkling eyes and knew that he was serious. "It's the middle of autumn."
"And it's uncommonly warm for the time of year. We can keep each other warm in this pathetic chill." He looked at the rest of the group and caught their approving looks. They had no problems going through with the ridiculous idea. The only person to convince was Nadia.
"It's illegal."
"Only if we get caught." To prove his point, Spencer slowly began to strip out of his clothing. He smiled when the rest of the group quickly joined in and nearly laughed at the disbelieving look on Nadia's face. "Come on, let's go play."
Nadia stood and watched as everyone stripped down to their underwear and felt her face heat. Valentina and Janine were tiny stick figures. Compared to them, she was a whale... What a great way to ruin the mood for everyone; her fat rolls jiggling about was exactly what they wanted to see. "I..." She looked at Janine and Felix and watched as they entered the fountain and immediately began a small water fight. They looked so carefree, so fun, so...
"You know you want to."
She looked over at Spencer as he stood in his boxers. The mischievous gleam in his eyes made her pull her lower lip between her teeth. Common sense told her that they could get caught by the police, but common sense didn't make a bit of difference to her hands as they pulled her jacket off. Nadia felt her face heat at the cheers she received from the rest of the group, but their encouragement gave her the bravery to strip down to the white tank top she wore underneath the pale blue one and deep red boy shorts. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Come on, you're the only dry one here," Spencer laughed as he held his hand out.
Walking forward, Nadia took hold of his hand and said, "If I get arrested for this, you're paying my bail."
"Noted."
