Setting Things Right [Nick & Kaylei]

The Wright Mansion was an impressive building, to say the least. Nick felt a little foolish, turning up like this, but hopefully it would change Kaylei's first judgment of him. He'd rather have her as a friend than an enemy, especially since they were being paired together in STC, and he got the impression she would be able to think of some pretty horrible revenges if he didn't try and make things better. So here he was, no piercings, dressed up in a smart dinner suit that covered all of his tattoos except the one Alex had chosen on his hand. His hair was slicked back and he had a white rose tucked in his buttonhole, matching the huge bouquet of the same flowers he'd bought for Kaylei. Even if most of the time he didn't seem it, Nick was a gentleman deep down. As he knocked on the huge, intimidating door he hoped that one, it would be Kaylei who would answer it, and two, that she liked white roses.

Luckily for Nick, Kaylei did indeed answer the door, "Hello?" she paused and looked the boy up and down, "Nick?" she chuckled, "You're unbelievable!" Nevertheless, she opened the door and motioned for him to come in. Smiling slightly she led him into the kitchen and more importantly away from her 'nanny'. "What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling a baggy sweater over her head to keep her warm. Today she was not wearing her usually 'school clothes'. Instead she was lounging around in some dark jeans and, now, her Sky High sweater. All in all, she looked pretty average - no make up, no jewellery. Her hair was tied back into a loose ponytail with a few straggly strands of hair falling around her face. "More importantly, what do you want?" she asked, her eyebrow raised and her hands on her hips.

He followed her inside, smiling slightly at her behaviour. "I came to give you these," he handed her the flowers. "And to apologise for my actions the other day. It was unforgivable, but I don't wish you to think that that's how I behave all the time. Despite my reputation, I'm really not all that bad." He paused for a moment and looked directly at her, unashamed to let her know that he was checking her appearance. It was, in his opinion, the sign of a beautiful woman if she could look just as stunning without make-up and in any clothes, not just those designed to make people attractive. Still, it made him feel even more overdressed, not that he showed it.

Kaylei took the flowers smiling, "Roses? Getting a bit soft aren't we?" she giggled, placing a kiss on his cheek, "Thank you, they're lovely." Laying them on that table she took out a tall glass vase filled it with water and proceeded to trim and place the roses into it. She then opened a secret compartment in the wall and threw the remaining foliage in the bin. "You look nice, by the way. Special occasion?" She asked sitting down at the old table. Most of the Wright kitchen was made of very old wood to give it that country house look. But everywhere else was very modern and up to date. Kaylei was glad her parents were obsessed with gadgets. She'd got through at least six iPhones already. The ends of her lips formed a smile at the mention of reputations, "No, I don't suppose you are. Except, y'know, throwing someone who loves you away for someone who doesn't. I'm sure you're a really nice guy. Deep. Deep. Deep down."

He shrugged. "The occasion was coming to see you, nothing more. And, yes, perhaps I am going a little soft, but isn't that better than being cold?" He followed her lead and sat down at the table, resisting the urge to rest his feet on the wooden top in the casual, lazy fashion he normally would have. "With regards to Alex, that's an unfortunate case that I can't help. I care for him, I try to look after him, I give him a roof over his head, I've promised him a fortnight of fidelity - which, as I'm sure you can imagine, is a lot for me - and I've had his initials tattooed onto my chest without his request. But he's my brother, not my love. And in any case," he continued, leaning forwards and regarding Kaylei more closely again. "Even if we were an exclusive couple, what would be wrong with me visiting you to apologise for my actions and become better acquainted with you?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering," she smiled handing him a drink which she had poured while he was talking, "See, there's something you should know about Alex. He'll hate me for saying it, but..." she paused and looked around as if making sure no one was there, "He needs you, because you're the only person who has given him hope. So, in my opinion, I say you should stop now, while the whole thing is still young. Giving him two weeks and then dumping him with hurt much more than if you just leave him now." Kaylei sighed and tucked her hands in her sweater pockets. "It's like you're leading him on, even if he's promised you he can do it...he can't." She leant back against he wooden chair and sighed again, "But I'm sure you didn't come here to talk about him."

"There's nothing to be done about Alex. I've told him exactly how it will be, but in his mind two weeks is better than nothing. I don't want to hurt him that way, but there isn't anything else I can do. That's the end of the matter. You're right - I don't want to talk about him. He's all I ever seem to talk about. I'm either talking to him or discussing him with someone else and it's dull. He's ever so nice, but you must understand how I feel? It's tedious to only have one topic of conversation, whatever that might be." He turned away, scowling, and instantly regretted his words. He'd promised to be nicer from now on, and now he was b*tching like a schoolgirl. "I came to see you," he carried on in a much calmer voice. "Primarily to apologise, but secondly to take my mind off things. To take my mind off Alex."

Kaylei smiled and moved round the table and sat on the edge, right by Nick. "I understand," she smiled, "So...how would you like me to take your mid off things?" she asked, reaching for a banana and ripping the skin off. She began chewing on the end, taking very delicate bites - savoring the taste. "Help yourself," she chuckled inclining her head to the fruit bowl as she continued to eat.

"Any way you'd like," he replied, his voice low and his eyes meeting hers in that way which made it impossible to tell whether he was being suggestive and inappropriate, or just plain conversational. He took an apple from the fruit bowl at her invitation and bit into it, smiling to himself at the satisfying crunch it made. He reached up and smoothed an unruly piece of his fringe out of his face - it had fallen out of the slicked back style he'd forced it into. It would have been more comfortable to come here dressed as he normally did, but the impression wouldn't have been the same. This way he was making an effort.

Kaylei slipped forward slightly, almost into his lap. Her legs were either side of his as he bit into his apple. Slowly he took the apple out of his hand and pulled on his very smart tie. "You're pretty good-looking whan you're covered up..." she began, hinting that it might be possible for him to look even better without his clothes on. But she remembered that she still had the 'nanny' in the house. Not good.

He looked away from her and thrust his hand deep into his trouser pocket, fishing about for the cold pieces of metal that he knew were there somewhere. Once he'd found them all he pulled his hand out and began to put them all back in their correct places; his lip piercings, his plug, all back where they belonged. "Well," he explained, "Now I've made my good impression, I see no harm in becoming a little more comfortable again." Suddenly his hand was on her knee without moving, it seemed, or at least he'd put it there so softly that it hadn't been apparent until now. "Tell me, Miss Wright, is there any way of getting your guardian out of the house? I feel as though I have to whisper anything that I might want to say to you."

"Hmm," he thought, not minding the hand on her leg in the slightest, "I could always ask her to go out and buy more milk. She's norimal, so she'd have to...wait. Why don't you just get rid of her? You can change into my mother and tell her that you're back and her services aren't required anymore and she'll go. Simple. She'd never know." Kaylei jumped off the table causing Nick's hand to travel up her thigh, she smiled to herself as she walked over and brought back a picture of her mother. "Think you can do that?"