20. tallulah #2
Nick was like a lion. For his hunt—his hockey games—he was a fast player, unafraid to get into people’s spaces for what he wanted, easily scoring goals, easily winning games.
Off the ice, things slowed down. He loved naps, and lazy make out sessions.
Every lunch I had with him was at least an hour long.
The only thing we did was talk, talk, and talk.
I was convinced Nick would be bored. Oddly enough, he never seemed to be.
Coming from my parents who were always go, go, go—always something to do, somebody to see—Nick’s way of life was something I had to adjust to. And, surprisingly, I enjoyed it.
The restaurant was gorgeous, no doubt expensive, and mildly busy for lunch. Everyone was in business casual for important meetings. Everyone except us.
Nick brought me to the hostess’s podium. “We’d like a rooftop table.”
She gave an apologetic smile. “We have a private business event in an hour. Unfortunately, we’ve closed it—”
I shook my head. “That’s okay.”
Nick slipped out his wallet and passed her a few colorful bills. I didn’t know Canadian money yet, but I knew those couldn’t be the coins I’d collected in my purse. He threw her an easy smile. “We’ll be out in an hour.”
The hostess blinked. “Um, I’ll talk to my manager.”
“What was that?” I whispered to him. “Was that money?”
“Uh-huh.”
“There—there’s other—”
“Gladiator money.” He grinned, sliding his wallet into his pocket again. “So many people bought my jersey last season, how could I let that go to waste?”
“I don’t need a rooftop table—”
Nick took me by the elbow, bringing me to where the hostess directed us past curious onlookers. Other diners craned their necks, obviously wondering why two college kids were allowed beyond the barrier. Everyone else could’ve afforded it. Nick was the only one to go ‘fuck it’ and offer.
The rooftop was separated from the main dining area with thick glass windows. Gorgeous dark red seating arrangements sat under low umbrellas, the view over the water silencing me into speechlessness.
“Oh…” I whispered.
“The view’s for you,” Nick remarked. When I turned his way, he gave me an appreciative glance. “I brought mine.”
My cheeks warmed with the blush, and when our waiter arrived with sparkling water, I hurried to take my seat. Nick was already relaxed in his, legs stretched out, nonchalant as always. Of course he was.
“How much did you pay for this?” I asked, my voice low.
Nick ordered drinks off the menu. “Pick another topic, Tallulah.”
I flushed. “How does the dress check off something from both of our bucket lists?”
“Pick another topic.”
“Why aren’t you answering my questions?”
“Don’t you like the mystery?”
“Honestly? Your mysteries drive me crazy.”
Nick watched the waiter leave and arched an eyebrow in my direction. “You edged me over the phone.”
Memories of that phone call made my stomach tighten with arousal. I couldn’t stop blushing around him. “That wasn’t edging—”
“Yeah, it was. I deserve a reward for putting up with it.”
“Putting up with it,” I muttered, flustered. “It was thirty seconds, maybe. Maybe.”
Nick picked up my hand. His fingers laced through mine, quickening my heartbeat.
“If you really want to know, I’ll tell you.
It’s your first and last chance to find out.
" His eyebrows raised, he was serious about this being my only opportunity to push him for the answer. "If not, wait, Tallulah. You’ll see. And we can celebrate that paper you’ve worked your ass off for. ”
Embarrassed by the compliment, I dropped my eyes
Did I want to know what he had planned for today?
Mm…no. I didn’t. I liked that Nick put this lunch together. As tempting as the mystery was, I wanted to play along even more.
I smiled, letting him know the mystery could remain a secret. “I met my interviewee this morning.”
“Yeah? Are you ready for the second project?”
“Mm-hmm. I already turned in my paper—”
“Of course you did,” he murmured.
I bit back the smile. “I know it’s early. I just don’t want it hanging over me anymore.” Why were we on a rooftop, discussing an internship I didn’t even like? I shook my head, purposely taking in the gorgeous view. “I don’t want to talk about the internship. I want to enjoy this.”
The waiter returned with our drinks, a beer for Nick and a pretty mocktail for me in a martini glass, some apple cider concoction that was so delicious, I had to stop myself from drinking the whole thing at once. It was way too expensive for that, and Nick had already passed him his credit card.
“Tell me the drink’s good,” Nick prompted, grinning.
“It’s so good,” I murmured.
“I know it’s good. That’s why I ordered it for you.”
His self-satisfaction made butterflies flutter inside me. The waiter left with our lunch orders, and I danced my fingers across the back of Nick’s hand, very pleased with him.
“I’ve been thinking about your bucket list,” I said softly, like we weren’t the only two people on the rooftop. Nick slid his phone in front of him, watching me. “I’m trying to figure out what to do for our date, and—”
A sharp buzzing vibrated against me, and I jerked up so fast, my breath caught in my throat. My body burned with the blush. That was a buzzing—a vibration against—
“Calm down, Tallulah,” Nick murmured. “We have an audience inside.”