BONUS CHAPTER
Want to see what happens on Nate and Gigi’s first date back in Barcelona?
The best night sleep I’d had in a while, after a few rounds of hot hotel sex and being cuddled up in Nate’s arms. I had woken up, as the sun shone through the transparent drapes, ready to welcome the day. I rolled to the side to feel for Nate but the bed was empty. My heart leapt from my chest in panic feeling the cold sheets beside me, it was as if he hadn’t been there, no trace of him. I bolted upright looking around the room, hoping it wasn’t some sick twisted dream, listening to the sounds around me.
“Nate!” I called out to see if he responded, my brows knitted together in confusion as I had no response. I huffed as I climbed out to bed to search for him. Nate was always beside me in the morning, even before we were officially together.
The panic set in as I opened the heavy balcony doors, thinking he was enjoying a morning coffee with a view, but nothing. I was greeted once again by the Barcelona heat, the sound of the city and a soft breeze. Then I remembered his confession from last, had this scared him away? Uncharted territory for him, maybe using the ‘L’ word was too much and he regretted saying it.
Crazy scenarios about Nate’s absence floating in my head. I ran to the bedside cabinet and checked my phone but nothing. No messages. I ran my hands through my hair, frustrated.
Calm… Gigi, he’s probably on a coffee run. I tried to convince myself, before my eyes drew to the coffee machine in the room “FUCK!” I spat when my brain debunked the excuse. I needed a shower to try and calm the anxiety that bubbled in my chest at Nate’s whereabouts.
I wandered into the bathroom and froze in place, my eyes drawn to the set up. On the bathroom mirror was a post-it note. ‘I’ll pick you up at 2pm’ in his scrawny lawyer's handwriting. On the counter there was another one ‘Now you can return the watch to the rightful owner’ and beside it he had left his Rolex.
I chuckled that he was creating an alternate universe from the last time we were here. I had been panicking over nothing. Nate wouldn’t confess his love then leave me the next day. I picked up his watch remembering the first time I had found it; the feelings that surfaced. Shit… It was 1pm. I had to get ready and fast.
I waited in the lobby, my hair curled as it was the first time we met, the signature red lipstick of mine and I wore a casual midi dress. It was ivory with a mustard yellow, floral print all over. A split up to my mid-thigh, to add some sexiness, that I knew Nate would appreciate, and a square neckline and sleeves that were like bubbles. I wanted to be comfortable in this heat and this summer dress was perfect, the cotton giving a cooling effect against my skin.
Nate walked in through the doors, not in a suit this time but chinos and a linen navy-blue shirt, this was the first time I had seen him in something completely different and he looked so good. He was holding a handful of flowers in bright summer colours; orange, pinks and yellows. He stopped in front of me, roaming his eyes over me and nodding in approval.
“You look beautiful” he confessed, his lips coming to mine before he handed me the floral arrangement.
“You too” I blushed, returning the compliment. “So where are we going?” I asked, excited that this was our first official date. I had been wanting this for a long time and now it was here I couldn’t contain my excitement. He placed my hand in his and led me to the hired car, where a driver was ready to take us to our location. Nate held my hand and the comfortable silence settled any anxiety I’d had earlier.
“Oh, while I remember.” I broke the silence and searched my bag, he watched me carefully. I pulled out the watch he had left on the counter and a low rumble of laughter escaped from his lips. “I believe this belongs to you.” I smiled holding the silver metal band in my palm. I blushed, remembering the trouble this watch had gotten me into. The butterflies this stranger had given me and the obsession of wanting to find him and now I finally had.
He took the watch, slowly, from my hands and placed it on his wrist. With the same hand he took my chin and guided my lips to his, planting a passionate kiss. His hand ran up my leg and under the split of the material. My breathing hitched as he got closer, thinking about his hands all over me. He chuckled, pulling back to look into my eyes before he reached into his pocket and pulled out some small fabric. I looked at him, confused, until he opened it up to reveal a silky blindfold. I shook my head at the boldness of this man. I leaned into him so I could whisper in his ear. “Not here, people will see us.”
He squeezed my thigh moving his hand up ever so slightly to make me squirm.
“Baby, we can use it for that later. Right now, I need you to put this on so you don’t ruin your surprise,” The seduction in his voice made me tingle.
The excitement of using the blindfold later would be in my mind all day, that I wanted it now, just so I could focus on the surprise ahead. He pulled back to look at me, a small blush forming as I bit my lip at him and looked at him through my lashes. Nate swallowed the lump in his throat.
I took the blindfold from him and let the silk glide through my fingers a couple of times, watching his reaction, the hunger that flared in his eyes, his fingers tightly gripping my thigh, the noticeable arousal of his package. I smiled to myself before placing it over my eyes, ready to be led to the secret surprise he had planned.
After a 10-minute car journey from the hotel, we arrived at the location. Nate helped me out of the car and walked me to the destination of our date. I focused on my surroundings to see if I could work out where he had brought me. We were outside, that's all I could make out, I could hear some kind of water, maybe a fountain, birds chirping in the sky, a soft breeze that gave the leaves on the trees a soft rustle. The heat of the sun kissed my skin as we walked down what seemed like a stone path.
We came to an abrupt stop and Nate stood behind me. His warm breath on my neck as he instructed that I could remove the blindfold. I took a deep breath, reaching for the silk and gently peeled it from my eyes allowing the sun to blind me as my sight adjusted and returned. We were standing in the middle of a beautiful park, in front of a waterfall that was right by the lake.
“It’s called the Cascada Monumental,” Nate told me as we looked up at the picturesque monument. “It’s loosely modelled on Rome’s Trevi Fountain, that gold sculpture up there is of Aurora from Roman mythology, to symbolise light and freedom. She is guarded by winged dragons,” he explained, his voice low, that the information pouring out of him was rather romantic.
“How do you know all this?” I said, impressed by his tour guide experience.
“I may have googled it,” he chuckled, tightening his arms around my waist and pulling me close, planting a delicate kiss on my shoulder. I laughed at his response but it didn’t stop me from being impressed. We let the calm of the fountain wash over us, it felt like heaven just being here with Nate.
“You remind me of Aurora” he said. “You freed me from myself, showed me that I could love someone and that I could be loved back. You set my heart free, more than you will ever know. And as for the light…” he chuckled, “you brighten up my dark days. You have always lit up every room you walk into. I wanted to be around you all the time because whenever you were near, no matter how many personal demons I battled, your light got me through it,” he expressed. I couldn’t believe the words I was hearing. “I love you more than you will ever know,” he kissed the top of my head.
What he didn’t know is he did the same for me too. We stood in silence for a bit enjoying the view and being in each other’s arms.
“Come on,” he said, lacing his fingers in mine.
“This place is incredible” I stated as I looked around at this whole place taking in the beauty.
“It is but this isn’t the best part”
“Are you sure?” I asked sceptically.
Honestly I couldn’t see what could top this, until we approached a greenhouse, but it wasn’t just any greenhouse. Orange bricks created an arch, large windows on the side with a range of plants growing half way up, a beautiful glass ceiling. It was stunning and I loved plants. I couldn’t keep them alive but I took pride in admiring them. I looked at him confused as to why we would be at a greenhouse.
“This is the best place. It’s one of the jewels of Parc de la Ciutadella and I thought we could have dinner here. It’s not been open to the public for a while but I know someone and we can go in.” His favourite phrase, he really did have friends in high places. “I donate to it every year to keep the heritage and research going.”
“Have you been here before?” I asked, curious what made him have such an interest in this place.
“I have, whenever I’m in the city. It’s one of my favourite places on this earth. The peacefulness and tranquillity of a hidden gem. The peace from the chaotic world, the environment of a plant is what decides if it blooms or dies. It’s the same with the world, my grandmother used to tell me this, she lived here in the city and I used to visit her some summers. We used to come here a lot as she was on the heritage committee.” He confessed, a memory clearly resurfacing.
“That’s beautiful, Nate.” I was overwhelmed by his story. He squeezed my hand and dragged me inside and it was honestly breathtaking; a pathway curved around the centre flower bed, which had trees almost to the ceiling. To the sides of the path were more flower beds, with hundreds of different botanicals, all in bloom. The fresh floral and earthly scents filled my nostrils, and even though it was hot in here, a small fan blew a soft breeze, mimicking nature outside these walls.
I was led to a table where a single candle was lit, two meals covered with a metal cover and wine chilling in a bucket filled with ice. “Nate this is incredible,” I complimented. He had really put a lot of thought into this date.
“Well, it is a first date. I wanted to impress you so you would agree to a second date,” he blushed.
“I am really impressed. And a second date already? Are you planning ahead?” I teased, knowing we were already enjoying life beyond a first or second date. He pulled out my chair for me and poured me a glass of white wine before pouring himself one. I was blown away by the amount of effort Nate had come up with, just this morning. He only proposed the date last night, or maybe this had been his plan all along. He took his seat and removed the lids from our food to reveal one of the dishes I had longed to try; paella.
I chuckled when I saw it, knowing this was on my bucket list, the fresh mix of seafood and saffron hit my nostrils making my mouth water. I couldn’t wait to dig in. It smelled amazing and the steam from the dish mixing with the smell of the plants was like heaven. We toasted to us and enjoyed the moment, talking and laughing. I got to know Nate’s biggest fears and wildest dreams and he got to know mine too. It was the perfect first date even if we had done things in the slightly wrong order.
“This is honestly the best date I’ve ever had,” I confessed.
“Even better than the one where I made your date leave?” Nate raised an eyebrow.
“The one with Zak,” I smiled, taking a sip of my wine.
“Fucking Zak,” Nate muttered under his breath, I watched him, smirking as I held the glass to my mouth. He hated Zak and it was funny how much Zak had gotten under his skin. I waited him out, not giving him an answer.
“Don’t fuck with me, Gi” he stated, before looking up to meet my eyes and chuckling, as he now knew I was just winding him up and not actually dodging the question.
“It’s a thousand times better, Nate, you want to know why?” I asked, as he shovelled in a spoonful of paella. “Because I’m with you and that’s what I wanted all along. I didn’t want anyone else. I didn’t want Zak, I needed a distraction from you,” I admitted, taking him by surprise.
“You’re telling me you were never interested in man-bun?” I laughed at the nickname Nate had used. And I shook my head, I never wanted anyone else. I wanted Nate, it had always been Nate. “Well, that’s a fucking relief.”
“And why is that?” I asked, my eyes seducing Nate.
“Because, if I ever thought he had a real chance with you, I would have to kill the poor soul.”
“Mmmm” I mumbled “I thought you liked a little competition.” My eyes never left his.
“I do, but not when it comes to you.” He placed his fork down and gazed into my eyes.
Satisfied with his answer, I got up from the table and walked round to him. He allows some space and pulls me onto his lap, his hands caressing my cheek and my jaw, his eyes staring deeply into mine. He guides me to his lips again and kisses me.
“Shall we go back to the hotel room?” he asks.
“I don’t fuck on the first date” I whisper on his lips, teasing him.
“You’re a liar, sweetheart,” he chuckles and the nickname sends goosebumps over my body.
“Are you going to sit here and call me a liar, or are you going to take me back to the hotel and show me how much you love me?”
A challenging look flares in my eyes. In less than a second Nate is on his feet, flinging me over his shoulder and carrying me to the car, so we can go back to the hotel room and worship the shit out of each other. Over and over and over again.