Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sophia
I ate the salmon first and now as I pick at the sauerkraut salad, I stare across the room at the roses that Nicholas sent to me.
I'd brought them home yesterday after work.
Lugging the heavy vase and flowers on the subway wasn't an easy task.
I'd carefully wrapped them in the packaging they'd arrived in and after considering hailing a taxi outside my office building, I decided that the subway would work just fine.
My stop is less than a block from my apartment, so I made it home with the vase still in one piece.
"Nicholas Wolf sent you those," Cadence says matter-of-factly. "I noticed them when I came in. I hope you don't mind that I read the card."
I don't mind. Why would I? I had every intention of telling Den that I had dinner with Nicholas at his place. I was going to tell her when we first sat down to eat lunch but she'd started talking about her wedding and hadn't stopped. The only time she wasn't speaking was when she was chewing.
"I had dinner at his place." I place my fork on my plate. "He made me tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches."
She uses both hands to seamlessly switch our plates by sliding mine in front of her and vice versa. She reaches over to grab her fork from the empty plate that's now in front of me. "I'm going to finish this if you don't mind."
I'm grateful that she's offering to eat it. The salad brought tears to my eyes when I took that first bite. It wasn't because I hated the taste, even though I strongly disliked it. The heavy dose of vinegar in it made my toes curl. "It's all yours."
"It's adorable that he cooked for you, Soph." She bats her eyelashes. "He's crushing on you, isn't he? Do you feel the same way about him?"
I owe it to Den to be honest. She's always been with me, even when her relationship with Tyler was confusing, she confided in me how she felt. I knew she was in love with him before she did. "I like him. There's something about him that I really like, Cadence."
"Don't sound so cheery about it," she jokes on a smile. "You're frowning, Soph. You look miserable. If you like him and he likes you, what's the problem?"
She knows my dating history. I've never gotten close enough to any man to even consider marriage, but I did love someone once.
His name was Jeremiah. I met him during my second year of college.
He was an associate professor and although he never taught me in the classroom, the lessons he left me with have been long lasting.
I was drawn to him because of who he was around campus.
He was bold and sexy. His approach to teaching was aggressive.
He was granted tenure at just thirty-years-old and during the months before we broke up, he invested almost every waking minute working on a short film.
It was a documentary, about repressed memories, a subject he'd always been fascinated with.
After the film's local release in Florida, it caught the attention of people nationwide.
With every compliment and rave review he received, his interest in me waned until he finally dumped me on a rainy Wednesday night because he thought our relationship was impeding his pending fame.
The entire experience left me with a bitter taste in mouth.
"What if he ends up being like Jeremiah?" I ask aloud, even though I know the question has no merit. Nicholas has already found fame and fortune. That part of his life is firmly in place and what we are nurturing doesn't hinge on his success.
She scoops the last bite of salad in her mouth and chews.
Her eyes stay trained on my face until she swallows.
"You know I dated that idiot Brendon before I met Tyler.
They're both chefs, but that's where the similarities end.
If I would have had a no dating chefs rule, I never would have fallen in love with Tyler and little Firi wouldn't exist."
I know that punishing Nicholas for a brief failed relationship in my past is wrong. It's not his fault that I once fell in love with another creative person. "Tyler's pretty cocky, isn't he?"
"Very cocky." She rolls her eyes. "He has every right to be. He's a wizard in the kitchen. I'm amazed by his talent.
"Does it ever bother you?"
"That he's cocky?" she asks with a chuckle. "It used to but I realized that I'm insanely attracted to that part of him. I love that he gets how good he is. He owns it. It's hot."
It is hot. The more I learn about Nicholas, the more I see that he's proud of his gift. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that he's built an empire that has essentially been born from his own thoughts. It's an accomplishment that not many men can stake claim to.
"I don't want him to hurt me, Den." I shake my head. "He's the kind of guy I could fall hard for."
She moves both our plates aside before she reaches for my hands. "I know it's not easy to just put yourself out there but if you like him, I think it's worth the risk."
"Will you come over and console me when he dumps me?"
"I will," she concedes. "For the record, I don't see that happening. You're strong, Sophia. Give yourself some credit. You can let yourself feel things and if it doesn't work out between you two, it won't destroy you. You still have me and you'll always be a kick ass designer."
I know she's right. I'm stronger than I was when Jeremiah ended our relationship. I can let myself feel things with Nicholas and if it all goes to hell, I'll pick myself up, brush myself off and still become the next big name in the fashion world.