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Autumn in Middleton is like drinking a cold glass of apple cider. Even Nick realizes this. He can’t help but admire the town’s decorations and excitement for the season, as he and Grace walk from their school to Nick’s house. During their walk on this brisk October afternoon, Nick also admires Grace’s beauty. He found her attractive from the first moment he laid eyes on her, back when he was determined to dislike everything and everyone in this quiet New England town.
If he was his carefree self like how he was back in New York, he would have asked Grace out on a date already. But he was stubborn. He couldn’t allow himself to actually like someone in this irrelevant town his dad Sam dragged him to. Then, months went by and his desire to give in and get closer to Grace grew. He knows he has to say something. As the pair enters Nick’s house, Nick’s heart rate increases. What if she doesn’t like him back?
“Alright, let’s take a look at that test,” Grace says.
He takes a seat next to her on the couch. Digging through his backpack, he finally finds his recent math test, sporting an aggressive red “C-” in the upper right corner. He shamefully hands it to her. As she takes a look, he scans the living room. The only fall decorations are a couple of faux pumpkins and a witch’s hat at the center of a side table. This is nothing compared to how Cassie decorates her house.
Nick glances at Grace as she finishes reviewing his test. Her brown waves fall gently over her army green jacket. He just wants to push a fallen lock back over her shoulder. Frowning, he looks down at his leg that is bouncing slightly due to nerves. He’ll have to make a move soon.
“Okay,” Grace begins. “It seems like you’re struggling with the quadratic formula.”
As she explains his mistakes, Nick can’t help but feel a sense of awe at her intelligence. “How can you be so smart?” he asks. She looks up at him and blushes. “I’m not that smart.”
“Yes, you are,” he urges.
She bashfully looks down at her lap. “Well…thank you.”
A silence falls over the room. Nick looks over the notes Grace took. “This weather is making my skin so dry,” she says, pulling out a pumpkin spice-flavor chapstick from her backpack’s front compartment. Nick tries to avert his gaze as she applies the chapstick to her lips. Sighing loudly, Nick realizes that he can’t take this anymore. “Grace?”
She puts the chapstick back into her bag and looks up at him. Her soft, pink lips are now shiny. “Yes?”
“Can I kiss you?”
Her eyes widen and, for a second, Nick fears he made a mistake. But before he can say anything else, Grace nods. “Yes, I’d like that.” Nick can hardly believe it. Slowly, he moves his head closer to hers. She leans in. Their lips meet. With closed eyes, Nick navigates her lips, enjoying the pumpkin spice taste transferring to his own lips. Grace puts a hand on the side of his head, moving her fingers downwards. Their kissing intensifies and soon, Grace lets out a slight groan. Footsteps enter the room and Nick breaks away from Grace.
“Dad,” he mutters.
Unbeknown to the pair, Sam arrived home after a long day at work. His expression is unreadable. “Grace, I think you should go now,” he says calmly, continuing to stare down Nick as Grace rushes to collect her things. Nick looks at the witch’s hat on the table. He knows his face is bright red; he can feel its heat. “Bye, Grace,” Nick whispers as she rushes out of the house. Everything was going so well before his dad had to ruin things. Having his embarrassment turn into frustration, Nick narrows his eyes at his dad. “Really?”
“Really?” Sam mocks, raising his pitch slightly. “Yes, really,” he continues, normally this time. He steps closer to the couch and Nick jumps up. Sam points a finger at him. “What were you thinking? Making out with Cassie’s daughter?”
Nick rolls his eyes. “So, that’s what this is about? You’re worried that I’m going to ruin your chances with Cassie?”
Sam is taken aback. “What? No, I just—”
“You don’t want me to break her heart or whatever and have Cassie hate us. I get it.” Nick crosses his arms and shoots daggers with his eyes.
“That's…part of it.” Sam motions for the two to sit down side-by-side on the couch. He clasps his hands together. “That wasn’t your first kiss, was it?” He poses this as a fact.
“It wasn’t.”
“Was it your first kiss with her?”
“Yes.”
“You were all over her.”
Silence hangs in the air. “I don’t know what to say to that,” Nick finally answers.
“Do you like her?”
Nick scoffs. “What kind of a question is that? You saw us kissing.”
Sam leans back on the couch. “If you like her and were smart about it, you would take things slower.”
“I don’t need your advice.”
“Son, don’t go breaking that girl’s heart.”
“Why do you think I will?” Then, in a lower voice, “Do you think I’m not good enough for her?”
Sam sighs. “You’re a good kid and I know you wouldn’t hurt her on purpose. Just, please, take things slow. It’s better that way.”
Nick considers this. “I’ll try my best, dad.”
“That’s all I could ever ask of you.”
At the end of the day, Nick realizes how much Grace means to him. He’s determined not to break her heart. He’ll apologize for the embarrassing afternoon right away.