Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Nikolas
“You say the sweetest things, Niko. You’ve got me swooning,” Leyla said, pretending to faint, her breathing slowing down.
“There’s more where that came from,” I promised. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”
“I’ll be waiting,” she said with a peck to my lips, both hands on my cheeks. “Good night.”
“Good night,” I answered as she blew me a final kiss before shutting the door.
As I stood outside her closed door, I closed my eyes and thanked God for answering my prayer. When I finally drove away, my heart was buoyed by all that had happened that evening.
What we had shared was as much a love confession as you could get without saying the words, and knowing she felt what I did carried me home, my thoughts filled with how to make her mine soon.
I had just opened my front door when I saw her name flash on my phone. A wide smile split across my face as I stepped in.
“Hey,” I said, words betraying me again.
She chuckled lightly. “Hey, again. I called to see if you’re free tomorrow afternoon. Sofia and Vicky were blowing up my phone as soon as they found out I was home. I hope you don’t mind I told them we were, you know, together.”
“Mind? I want to shout it from the rooftops, but I’m afraid my neighbors will call the cops.” She laughed heartily, making me laugh.
I tossed my keys onto the table by the door and slipped out of my shoes.
“Well, good. They want to get us together at the beach after church. Low-key. Tacos for lunch, maybe frisbee or volleyball, and a bonfire in the evening. I’ll just ride with the girls while the guys get the tacos, so I’ll meet you there.”
“If you’re there, I’m there. But if Mike knows we’re all getting together, he’ll pout if I don’t invite him. He needs a break from staying home anyway. He can’t swim, but he can hang out.”
“Absolutely. He’s part of the group now. I’m excited to see you again so soon. And Monday, I guess we’ll have to see HR, but it won’t be a big deal.”
I nodded and sat in my favorite chair. “I hadn’t thought that far yet. Just tell me what to do and who to see. I’m in. I’m all in.”
She whispered, “Me, too. See you tomorrow. Oh, and I’d like to visit your church soon.”
Smiling, I answered, “That would be great. Good night, Leyla.”
“Night.”
The following afternoon, Mike and I headed out to meet the group near the pier in La Jolla.
“Can’t tell you how happy I am for you, man,” he said, holding his arm that was in a cast as we drove.
Running my hand through my hair as the wind from the open window blew it, I said, “I woke up this morning fearing it had all been a dream. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
“She’s a wonderful woman. And she’s lucky, too, you know?”
I smiled and nodded. “Thanks.” Looking over at him at a traffic light, I said, “And how about you? Wasn’t there anyone you wanted to invite today?”
Mike looked at me and shook his head, his signature wide smile in place. “Nah, I’m taking a little break right now. You know I date a lot and keep things casual. But I don’t know? Maybe seeing you fall in love and get all gooey on the inside has made me want something different.”
I was shocked to hear my best friend admit this, especially after his cryptic comment recently about not getting serious with a woman because he was the guy they only wanted to have fun with. I hadn’t known how to bring up the subject again but had been praying about it.
Our faith bonded us more deeply than all the years of friendship we had shared, and Mike was a strong, deeply committed Christian. I knew that he became intentionally celibate after becoming a believer several years ago.
Since his encounter with God, he enjoyed being out and having fun, either in a group or with a woman on casual dates. It didn’t matter whether that meant a movie, a beach day, or disc golf in the park. He was always up for a good time and seemed to hate being alone.
When we pulled into a parking spot at the back of the lot, I said, “There’s a woman out there for you, Mike. I know it without a doubt.”
He just shrugged, so I let it go. He carried our beach chairs in his good hand while I handled the cooler of drinks. Weaving in and out of families dotting the beach, we found where Leyla and the group were waiting.
Her wide smile and enthusiastic wave greeted me from a distance, and I held back from dropping everything, running to her, and kissing her.
She must’ve had the same thought as I watched her run toward us, her green eyes shining with joy.
Wow. What a sight. There was no way to ignore the racing of my heart and how much I wanted her in my arms again.
Several feet from where the group had spread out multiple blankets, we met, and I did exactly what I’d wanted to do.
I unceremoniously dropped the cooler, picked her up by the waist, and kissed her.
That elicited catcalls and whistles from her friends and Mike. Breaking our kiss, I leaned back as we both smiled.
“Hello again, handsome,” she said, our foreheads touching, smiles wide.
“Hello, hyatim,” I answered, my voice deep and clear. Her breath caught in her throat, and I wanted to kiss her again, but I decided to set her back on the sand.
“You need to warn a girl when you’re going to say that,” she said, her hand on her heart.
“You were warned last night when I first called you that.” We walked to where the group was sitting, their curious looks and smiles tracking us the whole way.
“Hey, Leyla, bet you don’t think Vicky and I are so gross with our PDA anymore, now do ya?” Sofia called out, making Luke and Miles laugh.
“Little ears,” Vicky warned, pointing to her daughter and Sofia’s young son, Dean.
Shielding her eyes from the sun, Leyla said, “I will concede the point. Just don’t talk about Luke’s moves and we’re good.”
Luke blushed and swung his head to look at Sofia, who just shrugged.
Miles jumped up and shook hands with Mike and me, Luke following after, glaring at his wife. “Glad you could make it, guys. The girls put this together in about fifteen minutes last night, with obvious ulterior motives.”
“It’s called being nosy,” Leyla joked as I stepped back to pick up my stuff and headed to the blanket.
“Thanks for the invite. Needed some sun after being locked up,” Mike said, lifting his cast.
“Sorry to hear about your arm, man. That’s tough,” Miles said. “Casts are the worst. MJ needed one in first grade. Had to get creative when it started itching. MJ, come meet Mr. Mike and Mr. Niko.”
MJ waved but went back to playing with Dean.
“She has her hands full keeping him from eating the sand,” Leyla explained, her hand tucked into mine.
“We got enough food for an army, guys. Help yourself,” Sofia said, laying out containers on the blankets.
Leyla and I had filled our plates with tacos, street corn, and rice, then sat together hip-to-hip.
“I can’t stop looking at you,” I confessed. She blushed and leaned her head on my shoulder. We ate and talked with our friends, watching Dean and MJ run around us.
“You’ve made me very happy, Niko.” I could feel my chest swell with overwhelming happiness. She adjusted to face me. “But do you think we might be moving too fast? I mean, is this too fast for you?”
My eyes roamed over her lovely face as I continued smiling. When I didn’t answer right away, she bit her bottom lip and looked down.
“Come with me,” I said, standing and holding my hand out. Without questioning me, she took it, and I brought her to her feet.
“We’re going to take a quick walk,” I announced to the group, making Mike whistle loudly like the maniac he was.
“Where are we going? Did you need a break from everyone?”
“No, I just wanted to show you something. Alone.” We walked further down the beach, and when I found a place somewhat empty, I pulled her toward me. “I want to answer your question.”
She squinted up at me. “About moving too fast?”
I nodded and slowly pulled my T-shirt up and off.
Her eyes roamed my face, likely trying to figure out what I was doing. Then her eyes snapped to the ink on my chest, and she gasped.
“My wave,” she said, grabbing her pendant. Her thumb rubbed the raised design as her other hand traced the identical wave on my chest. I took a deep breath when she made contact.
“Niko. That’s my wave. I, I don’t understand,” she stuttered, looking into my eyes with confusion.
I hadn’t intended to show her my tattoo right away, but I didn’t want a moment to pass without telling her what she meant to me.
“When I met you in college, on that very first day of class, it was like a thunderbolt had struck me. As the weeks and months went on, I was in awe of how you moved through the world. You were sunshine and joy, laughter and love. Everyone was drawn to your light. No one was immune to it.”
She teared up and shook her head. “Niko.”
Slipping my shirt back on, I said, “When I finally got lucky and was assigned as your lab partner that junior year, I felt like I’d won the lottery.
Talking to you, debating with you, learning from you, and sharing our love of science gave me hope, Leyla.
You didn’t even know I was neurodivergent, yet you accepted me.
“Your sunshine affected me. I figured that if you could accept me the way I was, there was hope that God could bring a woman into my life who would love me for me, just like I said to you last night.”
Leyla’s tears were falling, and her lip quivered as she took my hand.
“I never thought for a second I’d have a chance with a woman as wonderful as you, no matter how much I wanted it.
Even after things fell apart with us and all that mess happened, I wanted to keep the feeling with me.
Hope, joy, your sunshine. So after we graduated, I got the tattoo. To remind me of what was possible.”
She dove into my arms with a sob. “You beautiful, wonderful man.”
I pulled her in close and held her until she quieted, whispering words of adoration in her ears.