Nick chuckles, slipping his arm around my waist. “She’s the keeper.”
The drive back to his cabin is comfortable, filled with easy conversation about nothing important. I help him unload the bags and put everything away.
“This place needs some life,” I say, arranging the fruit in a bowl.
“It’s a rental.”
“Still, you’re here for over a month. Might as well try to make it feel like home.”
His smile slightly fades. “I haven’t been anywhere that feels like home since I moved out of my mom’s house when I was eighteen.”
This hurts my heart. “Why?”
He shrugs. “I’m not sure. Maybe because I haven’t been happy in a long time. Nothing has ever felt permanent.”
“Are you happy now?”
“I’m working on it,” he admits.
“Well, if I were staying here, I’d have already hung string lights and bought a stack of fun throw pillows.”
He’s smiling at me in a way that makes me forget everything. “Tomorrow, I made reservations to do sunrise yoga in the square.”
“You’re joking. Iloveyoga.”
“Autumn told me.” Nick licks his lips. “Fake boyfriends love doing yoga with their girlfriends. It’s a very coupley thing to do.”
I laugh. “Fine. But it’s going to be hard. You have to promise not to complain the entire time.”
“Are you kidding me? My stamina … unheard of. I can do planks forhours,” he says.
“I look forward to it,” I tell him as we load into the Range Rover and he drives me home.
After parking on the street, Nick walks me to my condo, and there’s a moment where we both pause. In a real relationship, this would be when he kisses me goodbye. The air between us crackles with that knowledge.
“Thanks for today,” he says instead.
I unlock the door but hesitate. “See you at dawn.”
“It’ll be fun.”
“That’s what you’re saying now. The instructor, Jessie, is a beast.”
He leans forward and gives me a tight hug. I walk inside and look in the peephole, watching him walk away. He’s grinning, and so am I.
I move to my kitchen, needing water because I feel parched.
Autumn
Saw the grocery store pics. You two are ADORABLE.
Blaire
Linda says he called you a keeper!!!
Autumn
WHAT?! Details. Now.
