29. Nicole
Chapter twenty-nine
Nicole
I ’m grinning. I’m grinning and I can’t stop. And I don’t care. I’ve never felt so swept away. I reflect on every romance book I’ve read, the phase when the heroine is so enamored with her paramour that she can’t focus and can’t concentrate on anything else. To be honest, it always sounded like a bunch of rubbish to me. None of my personal experiences with romance up to this point have ever felt like this—so light, so hopeful, so full of promise.
Adam and I text all through the weekend. Memes, of course, but just idle chatter, too. He sends me a meme that says:
Good Flirts: I’m enjoying getting to know you and don’t want it to stop.
Better Flirts: I’m trying so hard not to kiss you right now.
Me Flirting: Did you know, according to NASA, 1993’s Jurassic Park is the 7th most scientifically accurate film ever made ?
I answer with a laughing emoji and then a kissy face emoji and the words “Obviously your brand of flirting works for me.”
I know. We’re disgusting. And I don’t care.
You know when you’re down about something, a breakup maybe, and you just wallow in your cruddy emotions? Eating your feelings and bumming around watching comfort movies? My Saturday is the opposite of that. Instead of wallowing, I’m luxuriating in my giddy emotions. Forgetting to eat and sighing dreamily through my romance books, my heart jumping every time my phone pings.
On Sunday, Adam has my favorite sandwich delivered to my door. With a side of tater tots.
I call him after the delivery guy leaves. When he answers, I just say, “You sure know the way to a woman’s heart.”
“Yeah?” he asks, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Yeah,” I reply. “Tater tots.”
His rich laugh echoes over the phone line. “I’m glad you like them,” he says. “But listen, can I come over for a couple of hours this afternoon? I want to talk to you.”
With his change in tone from flirty to serious, my stomach clenches. “That doesn’t sound great,” I say.
“No, Nicole, I promise. Nothing like that. But if you’re free…” He trails off.
“Yeah, sure,” I say, trying to sound breezy.
“Okay. About two o’clock?”
“Sure,” I answer .
“But, seriously, Nicole,” he says softly. “I know this is the exact wrong thing to say to you, but please don’t worry.”
“Worry is my default setting,” I joke weakly.
“I know,” he murmurs. “But you don't need to with me. Ever. You'll see.”
Over the next couple of hours, I try “not worrying” as Adam requested, but I’m going a little stir crazy. I’m writing a mental list of anything and everything this talk might be about. I think I’m up to one hundred items. Maybe he likes me, but like, doesn’t think he has time to date right now. Or maybe after spending more time with me, he doesn’t like me as much as he thought he would and figures it will be easier to break things off now. Oh, maybe he’s moving. I gasp aloud. Maybe he’s dying!
Promptly at two o’clock, a knock sounds on my door. I open it to reveal Adam, looking delicious in basketball shorts and a white T-shirt that’s tight across his chest and arms. He hasn’t shaved, and the scruff covering his jawline makes my fingers ache to scratch against his chin. He’s holding a small bouquet of flowers and several leaves of paper. He holds out the flowers and I take them as he kisses me softly on the cheek, his stubble scraping against my face.
“Hi,” he says in my ear. He takes a step back, closing the door behind him. “I brought the flowers as a romantic gesture,” he explains, “because I recognize that the main reason for my visit today is very, uh…” he grimaces, “not romantic.”
“Oo-kaay,” I respond.
As we move further into the living room, I realize this is the first time he’s really been inside my apartment. He looks around the space curiously, drifting over to the bookcase and skimming the titles on the spines.
“You read romance?” he asks.
“Yeah, some,” I downplay.
“Hmm,” he vocalizes with a tilt of his head.
“What?”
He locks eyes with me. “Just a lot of pressure,” he teases with a grin.
I roll my eyes and gesture for him to sit on the couch.
I curl one leg underneath myself as I sit on the cushion opposite Adam. “Your not-romantic reason for visiting?” I prompt.
“Ah, right.” He frowns and squints his eyes. “I’m not sure how to say this so I’m going to just say it.” He thrusts the papers toward me and as I take them from his hand, he blurts, “We need to fill out this paperwork for HR.”
Um. Okay, not even on the top one hundred list of what I was expecting. I study the papers and see that they are, indeed, official-looking forms labeled with the heading “Amorous Relationship Disclosure.” I stare at the forms. Then, I lift my head and stare at Adam.
I huff out an incredulous laugh. “Is this for real?”
Adam rubs the back of his neck, his ears red. “Yeah,” he says. “Harkness HR allows um, you know, ‘amorous relationships’ among employees, even in the same department, as long as there’s no conflict of interest relating to, uh, reporting structure. And as long as the employees submit the proper paperwork. ”
I’m biting back a smile now, but I keep the stern expression on my face.
“How long have you been sitting on these forms?” I ask.
He shrugs, dipping his chin down to look at his hands clasped in his lap. “A couple of months? Just in case.” He flinches.
I can’t keep holding it in; I burst out laughing. I let my shoulders fall against the back of the couch and pull both legs up toward my chest as I convulse in a fit of giggles. Adam watches me cautiously, his expression moving from dubious to bemused.
Finally, I compose myself, and wiping the water from my eyes, startle Adam even more by climbing onto his lap. When he recovers, he shifts his arms to loop around my back, pulling my body into his. Cupping my hands around both sides of his face, I gaze into his eyes and say, “In your own, very Adam-like way, this is actually incredibly romantic. Get me a pen and I will sign your forms, sir.” I punctuate this decree with a peck on the tip of his nose.
“Thank you,” he says dryly. Then, he clears his throat and shifts underneath me. “But there’s more.”
“Uh huh,” I say warily, transferring back to my own couch cushion. “Tell me.”
“Well,” he starts, then hesitates. “I know our jobs are important to both of us. And I know, for me, that means that there’s a certain level of professionalism I expect of myself when I’m at work. So, even though it’s not strictly against the rules at Harkness, I would like to request that you and I, um, refrain from … anything … unprofessional while we’re on campus.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Meaning? ”
His face flushes. “No PDA at work,” he clarifies.
“Are you serious?” I blink at him.
He grimaces. “Yes?”
“So, what if I kiss you at work? You’ll push me away? You’ll be like ‘Ew, gross, don’t kiss me’?”
“Nicole, please just don’t kiss me at work,” he pleads.
I fold my arms across my chest. “Listen, I’m a very affectionate person. I don’t know if that’s going to work for me.”
He swallows. “Trust me, I appreciate that about you very, very much, but I’m just saying at work .”
“I don’t understand why it’s a big deal,” I argue.
Adam heaves out an exasperated breath. “I’m concerned about the perception, Nicole. We have coworkers who might not take us as seriously if we’re going around the library being … ‘affectionate’ with each other. I don’t want anyone to think I’m some kind of office floozy, or worse, that you are.”
“Office floozy?” I totally lose it again. Like, tears streaming down my cheeks, stitch-in-my-side laughing fit. “Oh my gosh, Adam!”
His eyes narrow. “You’re making fun of me,” he says flatly. “Can you please be serious about this?”
“How am I supposed to be serious?” I ask between howls of laughter. “When my new boyfriend brings paperwork to my house and says we have to do some sort of relationship agreement and lectures me about PDA at work? I’m going to start calling you Sheldon. Sheldon Cooper!”
“In my defense,” Adam sighs, “if we didn’t work in the same place, I would never…” He trails off as a smile spreads slowly across his face. “Wait a minute. Back up a second. What did you say? Your new what?”
That sobers me up. “Uhhh,” I stall. “Boyfriend?” I ask questioningly and then rush ahead. “Unless you think it’s too soon, but I kind of thought that’s the direction you were going with this whole paperwork thing.”
“It’s not too soon for me," Adam says and leans in to kiss me.
I back away. “No sir,” I say, shaking my head and smirking. “No kissing. We agreed.”
Adam rolls his eyes. “That’s just at the school, like while we’re working. As long as we’re not on the Harkness campus, I’ll kiss you wherever and however you want.”
I tsk. “Big promises,” I tease.
His eyes darken and glitter. “And I mean them.”
“Guess what my new boyfriend had me do this afternoon,” I text my sisters after Adam goes home.
Olivia:
eww nobody needs to think about that
Nicole:
Get your mind out of the gutter, Liv [eye roll emoji]
Molly:
Wait. New boyfriend? Does that mean…
Molly:
You and Adam? [heart eye emoji]
Molly:
I just squealed so loud you probably heard me all the way in Florida
Molly:
Which isn’t great since I’m at the lab…
Nicole:
You’re at the lab? On a Sunday evening? By yourself?
Molly:
No, Jonathan is here for some unknown reason
Molly:
Oh, he heard me squeal
Molly:
He’s coming over here. Hold on a sec
Molly:
Okay, I’m back. God, he’s so annoyin g
Olivia:
anyway
Molly:
Anyway. What did your NEW BOYFRIEND have you do this afternoon?
Nicole:
HR paperwork about our relationship status [laughing emoji]
Olivia:
omg
Molly:
Practical and responsible. I like it
Nicole:
You would
Molly:
But how are you feeling about everything?
Nicole:
Really good. Peaceful and happy
Molly:
[heart emoji]
Olivia:
i’m really happy for you sis [heart emoji]