Page 30 of Meant To Be - Irresistible Bachelors

13

Nikki

The brisk morning air brushes against my cheeks, causing me to get the chills. I bury the bottom half of my face in my windbreaker jacket and bend over and touch my toes, stretching my limbs. I can smell the scent of fresh dew in the air, and the sun has just begun to show. Some mornings, I like to go for a run; it’s a way to clear my mind.

I’d forgotten that I promised Kenny last night that I would join him on an early morning jog today. When he sent me a text message a half hour ago and said he was on his way up to my room, I nearly panicked. I was still wrapped in Leo’s arms, satisfied from all the passionate sex we had last night.

I quickly jumped out of Leo’s bed and tossed my clothes back on. I looked a mess as I ran down the hallway to my suite with my garments on backwards and inside out, but I had to make it to my hotel room before Kenny did. I didn’t want him to question why I didn’t spend the night in my own suite last night.

Once I made it back to my hotel room, I quickly pulled off my clothes from the night before and put on a large T-shirt. I barely made it back to my suite in time. A few moments after I changed, Kenny was knocking on my door. I rubbed my eyes as I answered the door and pretended I had been there all night. Luckily, he didn’t suspect a thing.

I yawn as I pull my arm across my chest until I feel it stretch. Kenny bounces up and down to warm himself up. I hate that I can’t tell him about my relationship with Leo; after all, Kenny and I are best friends. I usually share everything with him, but I’m just not ready to open up about our relationship yet.

“It’s freezing out here,” Kenny says as he blows into his shaking hands.

“Yes, it is, but we’ll warm up once we start running,” I predict as I kneel down and tie my sneaker.

“I miss California. Vancouver is way too cold for this Cali boy,” he says.

“I miss home, too, but the tour is almost over. We only have three more weeks and fifteen cities to go,” I remind him.

“I can’t wait for tonight’s show. You and Leo are going to make everyone in the audience fall in love with your new duet.”

“I sure hope so. It’ll be our first time performing it together. Hopefully, both sets of our fans like it,” I say.

“They will, trust me. You two gave me chills when I saw you singing to each other in the studio,” he sighs reminiscently.

I can feel myself starting to blush. Hopefully, he thinks the reason why I’m turning red is because of the cold air around us. But it’s not; I’m flushing at the memory of our duet in the studio.

Leo had gazed into my eyes as he played his guitar, and I had wanted to kiss him, but I couldn’t, not in front of everyone. He’d charmed me with his enchanting voice, and I had felt myself falling deeper in love with him.

I hoped that no one else could sense the passion between us, and to my knowledge, no one had noticed. The remix we wrote together is a symbol of our love. I meant every lyric I wrote about him. Hopefully, the audience goes wild when we sing it on stage together tonight. Out of every Leo Colt song, this one is my favorite because I know for sure it’s about me.

“Thank you,” I reply, still blushing.

“No problem. Ready to run?” he asks.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say as we start to lightly jog.

The streets are practically empty, so I doubt anyone will run over screaming at the top of their lungs begging for an autograph. I don’t mind taking pictures with fans and signing my autograph for them, but sometimes, I just want to step out into the world like a normal person. That’s why I prefer early morning jogs at the crack of dawn instead of later in the day.

At this time of the morning, the only people who are out are the elderly men and women who come outside to collect their newspapers off their front porches. Teens are usually still sleeping, and young adults are busy getting ready for work. Besides, with the huge sunglasses I’m wearing, I doubt anyone will recognize me.

The wind blows in my hair as we jog down the empty streets. We’re both a little winded, but we keep pushing. All I can think about as I run is Leo. I wish I could have woken him up before I left and given him a goodbye kiss, but there wasn’t enough time.

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