Nick was her mother's student from years ago. He had recently taken up a job in the same city as Janet and her family and her mom had invited him to put up lodging with them. No-one was happier by this more than Janet.
Her birthday went by pretty normal. There was a cake cutting ceremony and then she got gifts from her parents and her two siblings. Janet was turning 23 so it was no huge event. It wasn't as if it was her sweet 16 or 18th birthday. Let me define Janet a bit, she was no supermodel. She was fairly healthy though she had a great height and flawless white very fair skin. She had waist length brunette hair and had light brown captivating eyes. She was a bookworm and so was her dressing style.
On that day, she was hoping for a really good present from Nick. However, he ended up just telling her that he would give her the perfect gift "when it was the right time." This was one of the rare things about him that irritated Janet at times. But if she were to put this aside (which she did almost always), she could not resist him. He was the perfect example of tall, dark and handsome in her eyes though he was convinced like her mother that he didn't look good at all. Having served for a short period in the army, he had always been fit and well maintained. He was witty, smart and could make her laugh for hours at end till her stomach hurt.
After that day ended, life was normal around the house. That is, up till two days before she had to return to college. It was a Friday evening. Janet was alone at home as her family had gone out of town and Nick was on an official field trip. As she was winding up for the night she got a message from Nick that he would be arriving home in an hour as his trip had been cut short. That got Janet excited and daydreaming. She hoped that it being just the two of them would give her a chance to get closer to him.
