Ch. 7 Erstwhile

Erstwhile

- in the past

Origin: English 

7

NICK'S POV

EIGHT YEARS AGO

My bedroom door opens wide all of a sudden and I had to hurriedly exit the porn site I was looking at and I quickly fixed my pants, pressing my boner down on the bed. Damn it mom, could you at least knock? I was almost on my peak. 

"Nick will you look after Tracy for me tonight?" She says while she was fixing her earrings and not looking at me. 

I exhale. 

"Mom, she's already twelve." I whined. 

She slapped my ass, "And you're older than her. Don't go anywhere tonight."

I quickly pulled myself up from the bed with my plow covering my boner and my face fell. "But mom it's Friday and I'm going out to Alec's."

"Goodness Nicholas you're already sixteen! At least be responsible here at home. You're always out with your friend Alec!" She starts to nag. 

I sighed. "Mom that's what teens do. I always go out cos it's fun."

"And I'm going out with Danny tonight. So you have to look after your sister for me. Plus her friend is sleeping over."

Danny her suitor. 

I scratched the back of my head. "You're going to pay me for this."

"That's why I'm not hiring a nanny cos you're here. I'm not paying you to guard your own sister. I love you honey." she leans over and kissed my forehead. 

I watch her as she heads out of my room. I lay back down on my bed and texted Alec that I couldn't come over tonight. We were suppose to watch a football game. Friday is always football night. 

Damn it. 

•••••

By seven in the evening, Tracy and I were battling over the channel to watch. She wanted to watch movies but then since I'm here to guard her, I need to watch the football game instead. There came a knock by the door. 

"It's probably Jenna." Tracy chimes. 

I stood up and marched to the front door. As soon as I swing it open, a very beautiful blond girl appeared before me. Her eyes were flashing blue, like mine. But hers was more bluer. She was smiling at me and looked insanely pretty. She's the prettiest girl I've seen in this town. I was out of words for a few seconds cos I was obviously fascinated by her beauty. 

"Hi." She speaks so cutely. 

I noticed her hands were holding onto this little girl's shoulders before her who was also smiling at me. I bet this little girl is Tracy's friend and I'm sure this woman could be her.... Mother? Oh god please let this beautiful woman be her sister. I would get totally broken if she was this little girl's mom. 

"Uh, hi." I answered. 

"My little sister is here to sleepover with Tracy." She smiles. 

My little sister. 

She said my little sister. 

I was trying really hard to hide my smile after what she said. I think I have a chance. I was hoping my looks, height and body built were enough to impress her. After all, I was the campus' heartthrob since women always come to me. I'm not bragging or anything but I'm just telling the truth. I had my father's charismatic appeal when it comes to women that's the reason why my parents are divorced now. Dad's always out with women behind mom's back and when she found out about everything, she quickly filed for a divorce. Me and Tracy wanted to go with mom of course since dad was a terrible drinker. 

"Oh. You must be... Jenna." I gladly remembered her name. I hope it was Jenna. But then they didn't corrected me so I guess I was right. 

"Tracy's expecting you inside." I said to the little girl. I widened the door for her and she hurriedly got inside. 

I turned my attention to this lovely woman before me. She had this long straight blond hair and an amazing beauty that I wouldn't forget forever. Her small face was just perfect for her not so slim body. She wore a red Sunday dress and a pair of white flats. 

"I'm Tracy's brother by the way." I said. 

She smiled. God she's so very beautiful when she smiles like that. 

"It's nice to meet you." she says. 

"I'm Nick." I extended a hand. 

She accepts it and goodness her hand was so soft and small. I don't want to let it go now. I don't want her to leave. Can it just rain pretty hard just for tonight so she can't leave my house? God make it rain!

"I'm Catherine." She says. 

Catherine. 

Catherine. 

Catherine. 

A name I won't forget. A beautiful name perfect for a beautiful woman that I will not want to forget. 

I pulled my hand back to me so she won't suspect that I'm enjoying too much even just holding her hand. 

"Wanna go inside for... Coffee? Do you drink coffee?" I asked. 

She shakes her head. "But juice will do."

I nodded and gestured for her to come inside. I closed the door right away when she was walking along the foyer. I guided her to the kitchen as I gaze at the little girls in the living room watching the dvd covers they are exchanging each other. I pulled a chair for Catherine and she sits down quietly. Primly. 

"Orange juice?" I asked cos it's the only juice we have. 

She nods with a smile. "My favorite."

God she looks like an angel. 

I started making her juice and as for me, I had to make juice to myself too. I don't really like orange juice but not I think I'm starting to force myself to like it. When I was done, I headed to the table and sat down right across her. I placed the glass before Catherine. 

"Thanks." She said with a smile. 

Oh please don't stop making her smile. 

"So are you new here? It's the first time I've seen you around." I said before taking a drink on my juice. 

"Yeah. It's summer so I wanted to spend my summer here. The city is always so busy." She answered. 

"Oh. I see. How did your sister know Tracy?" I asked. 

"Jenna and Tracy are going to the same school in here, I think."

I didn't know. Tracy didn't tell me that her friend had a beautiful sister. 

We talked about a lot of stuff together, just anything that I could open up to her and she seems to be so interested about it too. I think we've already stayed at this table for an hour now and just talking about anything we could think. I know I was just to offer her a glass of juice but then she's enjoying too much with me and I'm taking this opportunity for her to like me. She laughs casually as if we've known each other for a long time. We laughed together and of all the women here in town, she's the only one who got me interested of her right away. 

I don't believe in love at first sight cos that's totally bull, but I think this is it cos everything she does makes me smile like a total idiot and the first time I saw her a while ago standing before the doorway, I know she's the one for me. 

I love looking at her when she smiles. I love seeing her laugh. I love hearing her laugh too. I love watching her when she talks. I love how she covers her face when she stutters and how she gets embarrassed by it. I love talking to her. I love talking to Catherine. 

"Are you two enjoying too much right there? Cos we're both hungry."

I hear Tracy speaking by the doorway with Jenna by her side. "What do you want to eat then?"

"I want to have pizza." Jenna says. 

"Oh, I can order for them." Catherine offers right away. 

"But you're my guest. I'll order it." Shit mom didn't leave any money. 

She smiles. "Don't worry. It's my sister who's asking for it. I wouldn't want you to pay for that. I'll buy for us."

Us. 

She said us. 

Is she going to stay a little longer then?

The night went on as we ate the pizza Catherine ordered. We finished it right away and I didn't know she was a pizza eater. She seemed to love the pizza. Well, who doesn't love pizza? The little girls enjoyed watching this love flick movie while we were at the veranda. She sits on the swing of the front patio while I was right across her, sitting down on the wooden railing of our house. 

"So you're a sixteen year old city girl who has never tried being in a carnival?" I asked her. 

She nods shyly. "There are amusement parks in the city but I would want to try being in a town carnival."

"There's a carnival next week. It usually happens here every summer."

"Really? Will you go there? Can you go with me?" She chimed. 

I just smiled at her. 

"I mean... Sorry. But I would really want to tag along." She shies. 

I nod. "Yeah. We can go there if you want to. I'm not really a carnival fan but I'll take you there."

She smiles happily. "Thanks. I don't really have much friends here yet so this means a lot to me."

"I know I just had to drop my sister here, sorry for intruding too." She says out of the blue. I think she noticed that already. 

"No worries. At least I have someone here to talk with. You can stay here for a night as well, it's kind of dangerous going home alone." I smiled. 

"I can always text my driver to come pick me up but I think I'll stay for a night."

Driver?

"Is your name really just Catherine?" I asked her. I really wanted to know her family name. 

"No. I'm Catherine Regine Forster."

Forster. 

She's a Forster. 

She's a goddamn Forster.

She's from that wickedly richest family in town. Her family owns a lot of lands around here, they own one of the richest mining corp in America too. So she's the Catie Forster everyone in school talks about. We've never seen her, but just heard about her a lot. She's the sheltered, caged life girl after the death of her brother, Martin. He died of cancer and Alec knows him too well. Her father is known to be strict, very strict, and now I think my hopes are crashing down even though I haven't even tried pursuing her yet.

No chance. I'm sure she's got that perfect boyfriend back in the city that her parents approve of. A kind of guy that is perfect to be with her. A rich guy like them.

"Yours? Is it just Nick?" She asks. 

I shake my head. "I'm Nicholas Stanley Wilde."

"Stanley." She snorts. 

I pulled my head a little back and laughed with her. "I know it's such an ugly name. I know."

She smiles. "I haven't met someone who's name is Stanley. It sounded like an old name. Sorry."

I smirked. 

As the night goes by, the little girls went up to their rooms while Catherine was on a phone call with someone, probably her dad or any person related to the Forster. I hear her saying that she wants to stay for the night and she says that she's safe here. 

Of course she's safe here. 

When she was done having that call in the kitchen, she walks back to the living room and I was just acting as if was busy scanning through the channels. She takes a seat right next to me on the couch. 

"What are you watching?" She asks. 

"I don't know what I want to watch either." I admitted. 

She pulls all the DVDs right in front of us while she watches each of the titles eagerly. "These are all love flicks." She says to me while gazing. 

"You wanna watch some?" I asked her. 

She pulled one out. "Let's watch this."

"The Princess Bride. Why are those twelve year olds watching a 1987 movie?" I say out. 

She laughs softly. "I think it's just a beautiful love story about fighting for love against all odds."

I smiled at her. 

"It's perfect for us. We have shared interest on this. Princessy stuff for me and sword fight scenes for you." She examines the dvd. 

"Alright. Let's watch it then." I grabbed the dvd and pulled myself up from the couch. I inserted the cd inside the player and went back down next to her. 

As soon as the movie started, she was giddy about it. She grabbed a pillow and was just seriously watching it. I wasn't really paying attention to the movie, I was just looking at her. She smiles when there's something funny that comes up and she jumps when there's fight scenes. 

I watch as the lights on tv glimmers on her eyes and how she's so serious watching it. All of a sudden she ties all her hair up into a messy bun and she was still effortlessly beautiful. I was enjoying watching her than watching the movie. 

I'm falling...

I'm falling...

I'm falling...

For Catherine. 

Catherine Forster.

__________

SFTC:

Chocolate - The 1975