I had to admit, Nick was a fascinating type of person, my attraction to her aside. Despite the obvious attempt to erase them, her thoughts seemed to be written clear as day on her face.

It was a cute little quirk, one that made this game I played extremely dangerous. I could already feel my interest in her developing and I knew myself well enough to know it would only escalate.

I wasn't the type of guy to mess around with anyone as I had just done with her but for some reason with Nick, it came naturally. I supposed this was how mom felt on a day to day basis with me and dad back home. You knew you shouldn't but it was entertaining to watch for a reaction.

Nick's gaze turned dark once again as she pegged me with a heated look. Looked like I upset her with my single harmless comment. No time like the present to see just how large of a firecracker she truly was.

"You're just like her." She scoffed in distaste before her eyes went wide.

So her filter wasn't as reliable as she tried to make it seem.

My brow arched in surprise at her insult even though to me, I found it more of a compliment. The difference in our personalities and parental relationships was as obvious as a donkey competing in a horse race. One clearly functioned the way it was designed to while the other was doing the best it could.

I couldn't decipher if she thought I'd be outraged by being compared to my mom or that is simply was a slip-up. Either way, I found it humorous. Whether she knew it or not I actually liked that she thought I acted just like her. For her, there was no win.

That aside, my interest in Nick had been piqued further as I realized that on the surface Nick seemed to be nothing like the Faith my mom talked so much about. My mother thought I was oblivious to her world but I knew more than I let on. I knew Faith was a bubble of unsuppressed excitement. I found it funny considering my mother was the exact opposite and saw the doom and gloom in any situation.

Their friendship had always been bizarre, to say the least, but it worked for them. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite sure a friendship would work between me and Nick at this point. She was an attractive girl and I wasn't stupid. I could see the way her eyes lingered just tad too long when she thought I wasn't aware. A mutual attraction was a dangerous thing, especially for me. I knew I needed to construct a wall between the two of us quickly and this was just more knowledge to help me. She belonged at least an arm's length away.

"Could be worse." I chuckled my attention back on my bag. "I could be more like my dad."

I heard Nick snort from behind me before the room went unnaturally quiet. I supposed this would be one of those relationships, the kind where she sniped snide comments from afar and I walked on eggshells. I could live with that considering the alternative wasn't an option.

"So... you're from around here right?"

Her words were hesitant and calmer than her previous ones. The way she spoke them made her appear to be unsure if she even wanted to ask them. Quite the one-eighty and an interesting development if I did say so myself.

It seemed she was more of a puzzle than the explosive firecracker I'd expected. Unfortunately, I enjoyed puzzles which meant it wouldn't take long for my previous choice to leave her be to dust in the wind.

"Uh-yeah. Down south in Kingstown."

I continued to pull clothes out of my bag and toss them on the bed. Silence once again fell between us that caused a pang of guilt to hang in my chest. Her attempt at conversation hadn't gone unnoticed by me. In the short time we had known each other I got the feeling that this wasn't something that came easy for her and if she was willing to try I had no excuse not to meet her halfway.

"Florida right?"

I could hear her fidget behind me as she shifted her weight back and forth between her legs. If I didn't know any better I'd say Nick was a little nervous, which only validated my previous hunch. She wasn't much of a people person.

"Yeah, born and bred. Land of sunshine and...oranges."

Her final word died in her throat. Thank God my back still faced her or she would have seen the grimace I was unable to hold back. She'd focused so hard on her nerves that she managed to embarrass herself in the process. It was painful to listen to. Despite the uncomfortable air between us now I did have to admit, she was the good kind of random.

Looked like I was incorrect, she was more like her mother than she probably realized. Not that I would be the one to break the news to her, she needed to realize it on her own. As it currently stood it was going to be a long and fascinating ten months.

Oh Clark, she's only going to break your heart!!!

Spoiler alert? lol