Changed me

Cocky Are We?

   A/N:  Hey guys happy new year! I hope you all are having a great first couple of days! This story will end this year i promise! For those of you who comment and vote I LOVE It soo much. Please comment it encourages me more than you guys would know

             The iron grip on my waist was the only indication that Nile was still alive. His face held more shock than a little kid seeing Santa for the first time. His mouth was ajar as he stood staring at the man sitting on one of the stools. My dad stood at his side with a Kool-Aid man grin on his face. He must be feeling rather proud of himself at this moment. My father possessed a lot of qualities that I loved however; his determination and persistence were probably my favorites, except when it was being used again me of course. He literally never stopped until he accomplished what he set out to get done. This time it was locating Nile's uncle Mike. When I walked into the kitchen there before Nile and my dad I saw the man anxiously sitting there. He was fidgeting with a glass like a person anxiously waiting for a blind date to show up. You know the one who was constantly going over what would be the first thing they would say. He quickly told me his name, almost dropping the glass in the process, and I needed no further explanation. I wanted nothing more than to hug the man who was a great part of most of Nile's happy memories. The person who made him believe, even if only for a moment, that he was worth loving. He was the person who was responsible for some of the best parts of Nile. The slight pinching on my waist pulled me out of my thoughts and brought me back to this moment.                      Turning in Nile's hold I allowed my fingers to trace his jaw line before gently pushing his mouth closed his jaw clenching in the process. Snapping his eyes to me I watched as his gaze softened. Nodding I try to convey to him that this was real and that he should go speak to his uncle. As if understanding my unspoken communication he nodded along before giving my waist one final squeeze and taking confident strides toward his uncle. As I watched him stand before his uncle I felt my heart tighten a bit. Nile looked so innocent. His weight of the world carrying shoulders was slouched and his head hung low. Slipping my bottom lip into my mouth and gnawing on it a bit I analyzed the face I've memorized these few weeks. In this moment he looked different. It's crazy how important someone could become to you in a short amount of time. I have barely known Nile for about four months and he was already a large part of my life and it sounds crazy but it was true. Sticking his hand out a bit Nile took his first real look at his Uncle. That was all Uncle Mike needed. Grabbing his hand his Uncle pulled him in for a hug. I watched as he held Nile tightly almost as though he would slip away of he let him go to quickly.

                  "Come on panda lets give them some time alone." Dad said throwing an arm around my shoulder he led me out of the kitchen. Nodding in response I allow him to lead me toward the living room. For the first time tonight I was a bit relaxed. The tension was leaving my body with every passing moment.

         "Dad, how did you find him?" I asked as we took a seat in the living room. Honestly, this is not something I thought would ever happen. It was almost like a weird dream. Glancing over at Aria I made sure she was still sleeping soundly. Her soft snores added to the overwhelming feeling of peace.

"I got skills!" He shrilled mocking George Lopez. Instinctively I turned to see if his loud outburst woke Aria. I would hate him if he did. Stirring a bit she moved and then settled back into the couch.

"Shush. But no really how did you do it?"

" I combed the hell through his file sweetheart. That's what I have been doing all of those late nights in my office. I read every bit of his file and focused on the part when his uncle was his guardian. I looked for a last known address for him. I called the phone number of the apartment complex he lived in and had a long conversation with a sweet old woman named Agatha. Terrible name but he was a lovely woman."