Page 24 of Nolan
“I can snap a smaller model in half if I wanted to.” Nolan rests his arm behind me across the back of the bench. “Don’t worry.”
Suddenly, I get this slight twinge of guilt. Nolan has to be careful wherever he goes, whether it’s TerraPura or just following curfew laws. If I went home and told Apollo I was seeing his best bionic friend and that there’s nothing he can do about it, we could be hanging out at home, in the kitchen or in my bedroom, where he’d definitely be safe and not have to worry about these wackos trying to mold him into a weapon or kidnap him.
I’ve never had much of a poker face. Nolan brings me out of those thoughts with a gentle twirl of my hair between his sturdy fingers. “Mia.” The way he speaks my name is enough to anchor me again. “It’s really okay. I take all necessary precautions.”
Most people worry about losing their partner in a dangerous fire when they’re involved with firefighters. But not me. At least, not yet. “Promise?”
“Promise,” he says with a confident smile.
Reassured, I let my concerns fade. A soft breeze tousles my hair and carries his scent to me. He doesn’t smell synthetic; he’s wearing a warm, woody cologne that isn’t overpowering. All I want to do is bury my face against his shoulder, his chest, and let the rest of the world melt away.
But I don’t know where to begin, to tell him what I’m thinking. “Today was really amazing. I thought it was going to be nuts, but you made it manageable, and time flew by in a different way. Where I almost didn’t want it to end. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Not when you light up every circuit in my system,” Nolan answers, his gaze sweeping over me in a way that’s got me feeling like I’m about to float to another planet. “I had fun too.”
I feel like I need to address the thoughts that are currently hanging over my head. About Apollo. About TerraPura. About everything and anything. But they’re all so serious, and it’s so early for me to be thinking like this. I want to be open, forthright, but I also want to slow down, enjoy this moment.
“What do you think? Do we count this as our first date?” I ask.
“No, I want a do-over.” Nolan continues to toy with the ends of my hair, and I’m in real danger of either melting like butter on this bench or internal combustion. Or somewhere in between. “Today was great, but I think I can do you one better.”
“I look forward to it, then.” I stifle a yawn. I don’t have to glance at the clock to know it’s getting late.
“Tired?” Nolan asks me. “It’s been a long day for you.”
“A little bit.” I lean back, swinging my legs back and forth lightly. “Do you sleep?”
My heart skips another beat when Nolan flashes his charming smile. “Not quite like you. Just powering down into standby while my battery charge.” He leans a little closer to me. “Anything else you’re curious about?”
“Oh, tons of things. But I don’t want to scare you off just yet,” I reply with a coy smirk. “What about you? Any questions?"
“Have you ever gone on a date with an android before?”
“Nope, never. You’re my first bionic person.”
“Bionic person,” he repeats, impressed as he folds his arms. “Not a term you usually hear from people new to androids.”
“I have some pro-bionic friends, and androids are everywhere in SoCal. I’ve picked up on some of the lingo. I know droid is okay, depending how you use it. Android is fine. Bionic is preferred. Robot is kinda informal, but it depends.”
“You’re telling me things I didn’t even know.” Nolan shrugs. “I don’t typically go out of my way to immerse myself in the virtual cultures others have made. I’m just Nolan.”
I feel like the luckiest girl in New Carnegie right about now. I was so worried that canceling our original date, working, and dealing with shoplifters might spoil the mood.
“Shall we keep walking?” I ask, getting up.
“After you.” He rises too, towering over me.
I gently take his hand and squeeze it. We continue down the path, and I’m thinking about how I wish we weren’t in public. That I want to be as near to him as I can. I should be taking things slow, but goddammit, he makes it so difficult. When I spot a path that goes into a lightly forested area, I stop thinking anything completely. I pull him after me, encouraged by his soft, rumbling laughter, and find a big oak tree to lean against as I turn to him.
“Feeling adventurous today?” he asks.
“Maybe,” I answer just as playfully, wondering what it would take to get this man to kiss me. His lips look so soft and luscious, beckoning me. It’s like he knows. He closes all distance between us until we’re chest to chest. He tilts my chin up, brushing his fingertips along my jaw, my cheek. “Maybe I just wanted to get you alone.”
“Well, it worked.” By the way his gaze flits down to my mouth, I can tell he’s thinking about it too.
“I like you, Nolan,” I admit, glancing up at him. My back is pressed into the bark of the tree as he leans over me. Our noses could touch if I moved just a little, so I do, nuzzling him lightly. “I know we’re just talking, and I know we have to be careful, but . . . I really like you. But I don’t want you thinking I’m easy, or insane, or?—”
“I didn’t think any of that at all. Not once.”
