13. Nico
CHAPTER 13
NICO
“ P apa!” Louis shot into Nico’s arms like a cannonball. His school backpack was slung over his shoulder and he was wearing his uniform of dark blue pants and a white shirt, but from the flushed excitement on Louis’s face, Nico would have guessed he’d spent the day having a grand adventure instead of sitting in class.
“Louis!” Nico gave his son a hug, then gently set him down. “How was school?”
“Good. Are we meeting Lauren tonight?”
“ I am.” Nico smiled at Louis. “But you, my little man, are having a sleepover at your grandmother’s house.”
“Oh.” Louis’s shoulders slumped. “Okay.”
“We love hanging out with you, but so does Mémé,” Nico reminded him. “She’d be sad if you didn’t come for your sleepover.”
“I know. But I wanted to give Lauren my present.”
“Your present?”
“Yeah!” Louis’s eyes lit up again and he let go of Nico’s hand to swing his backpack off his shoulder. Inside was a mess of papers and notebooks that made Nico wince — he really needed to have a good deep clean of all Louis’s school things. From the mess emerged a small paper box.
“What’s this?” Nico asked when Louis handed him the box.
“It’s a present for Lauren,” Louis repeated in a slightly annoyed tone.
“I know, I know, but what’s the present?”
“Oh. I drew her a picture of the three of us together eating ice cream. And I made a frame with macaroni and glue. I know her birthday isn’t until next week, but I finished it today and I’m too excited to wait!”
Nico paused. “Lauren’s birthday is next week?” She hadn’t mentioned anything to him about a birthday coming up.
“Yeah. It’s on Wednesday. I asked her how old she was and she said she was going to be twenty-eight soon. And I said how soon and she said on Wednesday.”
“Wow.” It was going to be Lauren’s first birthday since her grandfather had passed away, and her first birthday in a foreign country. Nico had to imagine that she might feel lonely or homesick on such a special day so far from the people who loved her. He bit his lip in thought.
“Did you get her a present, Papa?” Louis asked.
“Not yet. But I will. Also, I’m wondering if we should plan some kind of celebration for her. Maybe a nice dinner at our house or at a restaurant.”
“We should take her to Amazing World.” Louis began to vibrate with excitement. “She’d love it! And I don’t think she’s ever been!”
“Don’t you think Amazing World is a little more in line with your interests than Lauren’s?” Nico asked. Amazing World was an amusement park on the edge of Paris. Nico and Louis went occasionally, and Louis was always over the moon about the fun and scary rides. This year he had finally been tall enough to ride the Haunted Elevator, which he’d been wanting to do for years.
Louis shook his head firmly. “Lauren will love it. She loves fun things, just like me.”
Although Nico wasn’t sure he agreed, a plan was starting to take shape in his mind.
“Let me see what I can do, buddy.”
That Wednesday, Nico was waiting for Lauren outside her first classroom.
“Good morning, beautiful.” He smiled and handed her a single red rose. Lauren grinned, but she looked a little confused.
“What’s this about?” Then her expression cleared. “Oh, no. Did Louis tell you it’s my birthday?”
“Why ‘Oh, no’?” Nico asked.
“I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to feel like you needed to make some kind of fuss. I know we’ve only just started dating.”
“Don’t worry; the fuss is very minimal. Come with me.”
“Nico, I can’t.” Lauren grinned at him. “Remember, I have classes?”
“Not today. I spoke to Céline, and she offered to cover your classes. One of the other French professors is doing the same for me.”
“Oh.” A blush was creeping over Lauren’s cheeks. “You really didn’t have to…”
“I know, but I wanted to. And you don’t even know what we’re doing yet. But it’s up to you — a fun day with me, or a normal day of teaching?”
Lauren grinned and took Nico’s hand. “I think the answer to that question is pretty obvious. Let’s go.”
They hurried down the hallway and into the fresh outside air, as giddy as two children skipping class. And speaking of children skipping class, Louis was standing in the center of the quad, holding a second red rose.
“Happy Birthday!” he called. Then he presented Lauren with the rose.
“Oh, thank you, Louis. This is so sweet.” Lauren looked a little teary, and Nico wrapped his arm around her and hugged her close. She smiled at him. “It’s really sweet. Thank you,” she repeated.
“This is only the beginning. Are you ready?” Lauren nodded and Nico took her hand. “Then let’s go.”
Nico had decided to take the bus to Amazing World, since they’d only get stuck in traffic in the car. So, he led Lauren and Louis toward the bus stop.
“Where are we going?” Lauren asked.
“It’s a secret,” Nico replied, at the same time as Louis announced, “Amazing World!” The little boy looked sheepish, and Lauren ruffled his hair.
“Don’t worry — it’s better if I know about it now so I can get excited. What exactly is Amazing World?”
“Only the coolest place on earth. You’re going to love it. There are the world’s best roller coasters and a huge Ferris wheel and a haunted elevator, and you can play carnival games and win a big stuffed animal, and there’s a lot of food, like French fries and doughnuts, and…”
Louis chattered for most of the bus ride. Lauren and Nico listened politely, and when he briefly fell silent, Nico kissed Lauren on the cheek.
“Happy Birthday, sweetheart.”
They spent all afternoon at Amazing World. Just as Louis had predicted, Lauren loved the theme park. She and Louis held hands and whooped on the Haunted Elevator, then spent most of the Mini-Coaster taking funny selfies. Watching them, Nico’s heart felt warmer than he knew was possible. No one could ever replace Léa, and Lauren wasn’t trying to, but it was nice to see Louis with a maternal figure.
Nico enjoyed himself, too. He wasn’t as enthusiastic about flying through the air in a metal contraption, but he loved the excitement on Louis and Lauren’s faces as they planned which rides to go on next. They shared a plate of French fries and a burger each for lunch, while Nico gently teased Lauren about how American her choice of a birthday lunch was.
The afternoon was filled with rides on the Ferris wheel and bumper cars, followed by an adrenaline-filled repeat ride of the park’s biggest roller coaster. By the time they left the park, Louis was so exhausted that he dragged his feet and yawned all the way to Rose’s house.
“What are we doing here?” Lauren asked.
“Louis wanted a sleepover with his grandma,” Nico explained. “And we can have a special birthday evening. There might be a few less rides, though.”
“What about my present?” Louis asked suddenly as Nico knocked on his mother’s door.
“You can give it now.”
So, Louis handed over his framed drawing. Lauren exclaimed for several minutes over it, Louis swelling more and more with pride with each word she said. Then they handed Louis over to Rose, who wished Lauren a happy birthday as well, and began to stroll toward the metro station.
“Are you ready for a nice dinner?” Nico asked. “It’s still a little early, but we can start with appetizers.”
“I can’t wait.”
Nico had made dinner reservations at a small restaurant in downtown Paris with a view over the city lights. When they arrived, he pulled Lauren’s chair back for her, and she smiled at him.
“Such a gentleman.”
When they received their menus, Nico quickly selected one of his favorite dishes of roast beef and potatoes. Lauren took her time, though, her lips moving slightly as she read the French words. Nico sat back in his chair and watched her. He didn’t want to rush her, and he knew she could figure out most of the menu items herself.
Plus, this gave him a little time to look at Lauren. Usually, she became embarrassed if he admired her for too long and would wave him off with a self-deprecating comment or a change of subject. Now, though, she was focused on the menu and Nico could just look at her.
Lauren looked gorgeous, as always, in the restaurant’s muted candlelight. Her blond curls were slightly mussed from a day of roller coasters, and there was a little pink in her cheeks, perhaps from the sun. Her blue eyes sparkled in the light. And the dress she was wearing, a light-blue number with short sleeves, hugged her curves perfectly and accentuated her feminine form.
As attractive as Lauren was physically, though, it wasn’t the only reason Nico found her so compelling. Her kindness, her intelligence, and her enthusiasm drew him to her like a magnet. Lauren had turned his whole life upside down in a matter of weeks. He’d never have imagined that he’d be so completely, head over heels in lo?—
Nico cut himself off abruptly. He cared about Lauren, deeply, but love was a step too far. They were taking things slow. As much as Lauren fitted perfectly into Nico’s life, as much as he wanted to be with her all the time, he shied away from the word “love.” Amour. It was an essential part of Nico’s life, both the love he felt for his son and the love he felt for his mother and the rest of his family. Yet what he was beginning to feel for Lauren was different from anything he’d experienced before. It was like a tsunami or a hurricane, something destructive that turned everything he thought he knew on its head — then put it back together again, even better.
“You look thoughtful.” Lauren closed her menu and tilted her head towards him. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. You just look beautiful tonight.”
As expected, Lauren shifted in her chair and blushed crimson. She was adorable when she was embarrassed.
The waiter came to take their orders, and they fell into an easy conversation about birthdays past. Nico told Lauren about his best ever childhood birthday, when his mother had organized the party at an indoor climbing gym with all his friends and Nico had gotten to spend the whole evening afterwards curled up with all the new books he’d received as gifts.
“That sounds just like you.” Lauren grinned. “I can’t tell if you were more excited about all the cake and running around or the pile of books.”
“Oh, the pile of books, definitely.” Nico winked. “How about you? What was your best birthday when you were young?”
Lauren bit her lip thoughtfully.
“I have two that come to mind. One, when I was thirteen, was when my grandfather drove my three best friends and me to my favorite theme restaurant, then we went over to my friend’s house and soaked in her hot tub. While we were there, it started to snow, even though it was well into spring. It was magical.” Lauren pressed a hand to her chest and smiled. “The other is when I was nine years old. It has a sad start, because I had a falling-out with my friends at school and they didn’t want to come to my party. But my grandfather saved the day. He set up a scavenger hunt for me that took me all over our town and reminded me of all the people who loved and cared about me, from the librarian to my friends in gymnastics to my grandfather himself.”
“That’s lovely.” Nico smiled at her. “And I was so proud of myself for putting this together. I could never live up to your grandfather’s birthday legacy.”
“There’s no need to. You never need to be anyone but you.” Lauren smiled back. “I don’t know if I’ve said this yet, but this day means so much to me. I can’t believe you did all this for me.”
I didn’t even hesitate. I would do anything for you, because I love you.
Of course, Nico didn’t say those words aloud. Instead, he managed something about how it had been his pleasure to arrange the day for her and how Louis had been excited, too. The words felt somehow hollow, because they fell so short of the truth.
A truth that Nico couldn’t hide from any longer. He loved Lauren. He’d loved her for a while. This day was just the icing on the cake of his affection for her.
Nico felt, for a moment, as though he was standing at the edge of a wide ocean. The sandy, dry beach behind him was his past, his years of refusing to open his heart to love. The future was the dancing water in front of him — his chance at happiness with Lauren. If he took one step forward, if he spoke the words that he’d tried to deny, everything would change.
But Nico didn’t step forward. He didn’t admit his feelings for Lauren. Instead, he stayed safely at the edge of the water and looked out over his future. He’d take that step another day. After all, there was no rush.