Page 70 of Apple of My Eye
‘Promise,’ he whispers. He follows me diligently, even stepping over the third stair like I do, which is a small miracle because that’s the one that creaks the loudest.
‘So, this is your room?’
I nod, suddenly embarrassed at the state of things. There’s laundry covering a threadbare armchair and my vintage purple lampshade is tilted. I shift my weight from foot to foot.
‘I love it,’ he says. He takes a turn around the room, picking up the book I had left on the bed. ‘What’s this?’ he asks.
‘No.’ I go to grab it but I’m too late, his eyes are already widening.
‘Wow,’ he says, ‘I didn’t peg you for .?.?.’
‘It’s really popular,’ I whisper defiantly, fully aware that my cheeks are bright red. I was just reading a scene about a sexy warrior’s first tryst with a cursed prince and based on Nick’s face I’m confident he skimmed straight to the part where the warrior suggested they take things even further and explained what she was looking for in great detail.
‘It’s .?.?.’ He gulps. ‘.?.?. it sure is something .?.?.’ He places the book down gently and sits down on the bed.
I remain standing, feeling vulnerable being in such close quarters with him with no warning, suddenly wondering if I left moisturizer on my face accidentally or if my hair is a mess from getting ready for bed.
‘Do you want to sit?’ he asks. ‘Or I can stand?’ He gets up, his body rippling as he pulls himself to his full height. I forget how tall he is when we’re standing in the fields, not hemmed in by anything. But in my room he looks so large. ‘I’m so sorry for just coming over here.’
‘No, don’t be,’ I tell him. ‘I’m happy you did. Sit back down.’ I climb onto the bed next to him, so we’re facing each other but we’re not touching. The air between us is filled with tension.
‘Have you found out if your brother’s coming this weekend?’
‘No.’ I shake my head. ‘No idea.’
‘I hope he does. I’d like to meet him.’
‘I’m excited to meet Julian and Isaac.’
Nick rolls his eyes. ‘They’ll love you.’
I pick at a loose thread on my bedspread. ‘Are you excited to see them?’
He nods. ‘They’re my best friends .?.?. I don’t know if I told you this but right before I started graduate school I hit a rough patch. Just not really sure why I was going back to school, what my purpose was.’ He shrugs. ‘They helped me through it. Didn’t even need to ask them, they just picked up on something being off and started coming over. Isaac even called my mom at one point.’
I reach over and grab his hand, anything to help the sad expression that overtook his face go away.
‘They seem great.’ I rub a thumb over the top of his hand. ‘I can’t wait to meet them.’
‘Yeah,’ Nick sighs. ‘They’re different than what you’re used to around here, but they’re good people.’
We talk about everything and nothing for what feels like hours, our conversation evolving from Nick telling me about his college shenanigans with Julian and Isaac to me telling Nick more about Evan (although I don’t tell him how big Evan’s crush on him is). Before I know it, we’re lying side by side, staring up at the ceiling in the dark, one of my legs underneath one of his and my head on his chest. I can hear his heart beating, and by how fast it sounds I know he isn’t ready to go to sleep either.
I turn to face him, our noses brushing in the pitch-black night.
‘Eloise,’ he says softly, ‘I can’t believe how much I like you.’
I lean forward and kiss him,finally, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer. Our bodies press together, his mouth all over mine, and I feel his heart beat even faster. Somehow his lips get sexier every time we kiss, hungrier, softer, he bites my lower lip and I pin my hips to his. All I want to be is closer. All I’ve wanted, all day, all month, is to be closer to him. His hand slides towards the base of my neck and he gently teases his fingers into my hair, leaning my head back and pressing kisses to my throat, trailing them down towards my chest as I writhe with pleasure.
‘Nick,’ I murmur. As his mouth presses delicate kisses in a trail towards my breast, his other palm slides from my hips to the swell of my breast and his thumb circles around my nipple. His hand is calloused, rough from weeks of work, and feels desperately good against my skin. I arch into him and when he kisses my nipple, his tongue flickering the sensitive tip, I moan so loudly that we both freeze.
A barn owl hoots outside.
‘Eloise!’ he admonishes, but I don’t have to see his face to know he’s pleased.
‘I’ll be quieter,’ I promise, ‘just don’t—’
Before I can finish, he presses his mouth to mine, murmuring his words straight into my lips, ‘I wouldn’t be able to stop even if I wanted to.’
