I looked at my phone and saw that there was a message, but my heart sped up when I saw that it was from Nate, not Ivy.
Nate:Have a great day. Hope to see you at the library, but left you something in the third bedroom too.
Curiously piqued, I turned and headed to the other room. Nate said he didn’t use it, so I hadn’t checked it out yet. The door had been closed, and I hadn’t wanted him to think I was a snoop. I reached the door quickly and opened it, wondering what he could have possibly left me.
I stepped in and took in the space. The room was roughly the size of the guest room I’d been staying in. At first, I didn’t see what he could be talking about. There were some shelves and a couch on one wall. Nate had mentioned it when we’d talked about his place, saying that it also folded out to be a bed when he needed two beds for guests, but that didn’t happen often. Turning, I looked on the wall perpendicular to the sofa where there was a long desk.
I moved to it. The desk itself was nothing special, gorgeous dark wood, but it was simply a desk. It had a large work surface and a cushioned chair. What called to me, however, was what was on top. There was a long, narrow bulletin board leaning back against the wall. Pinned to the board were several images and words. Over the past six weeks in talking to Nate, I’d described the story taking up space in my head. And the images on this board? It was like they’d been plucked out of my mind. Somehow Nate had found images to match my inspiration: for the dark-haired Peter, the girl next door Thea, the Parisian catacombs in the ’20s, some gorgeous old libraries, and more. He’d printed them out and pinned them to the board.
There were also quotes. Some were writing inspired likeThe scariest moment is always just before you startorA writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world.There were also quotes, I believe, just for me.You are enoughwas at the top of the board.
And then I saw a quote that I told Nate I was printing on a T-shirt.Take care of the shit that’s weighing you down.My sister had sent it to me in a text the other day when I was lamenting the issues going on with work. Nate had typed it up and had a gorgeous mountain in the background.
On the desktop was a note from Nate.
E-
FYI, it took less than twelve hours to sell my condo once I put up your listing. There were three bids, and I got it sold above my asking price. You know your shit and are damn good at your job. But here’s a place for you in case you also want to explore that dream of yours. Who’s to say you can’t do both? I believe in you. I think it’s time to make that leap.
N-
“Whoa.” Crushing his note to my chest, I plopped down in the comfortable swivel chair and sat back. My brain was running in so many different directions. One, Nate had set up a space for me in his house to pursue my dream. Maybe he wasn’t as anxious for me to get out of his way as I thought. Two, the space he did set up? This was the shit you find in a romance book. Maybe that was the advantage to having a guy in your life who read them. It was crystal clear he’d been listening to me as we talked about my story. And three? I couldn’t deny that having someone see me as a talented writer was an ego boost.
Could I do this?
I was beginning to think I could.
I dropped the note and picked up the phone. My stomach fluttered with nerves, but I channeled my inner confidence and typed out a quick message.
Me:I found the office and note. You are unreal and beyond kind. But why would you set up this space when you know I can get back into my apartment soon? And by soon, I think it’s ready today.
The library must not be super busy because I immediately saw that he was typing a reply. The butterflies continued to ricochet around my belly as I waited for the text to come in. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for or what I was worried about.
My phone lit up, and I quickly looked down.
Nate:Trying to give you a reason to stay, if I’m being honest. Or at least a reason to spend a lot of time with me.
I really,really, wished Nate was there right then because what did I do with a text like that? So he wasn’t tired of me being there? I mean, he’d given me no indication he was, but part of me had worried he’d offered to let me stay just to be nice, and then we’d escalated our relationship at warp speed. I felt lost and unsure as to what this was between us.
If I was being honest, I was terrified to hope for what I truly wanted.
Nate:I’m serious, Elle. I wish I was there right now because I bet your beautiful brain is swirling.
Me:Not sure about that beautiful brain comment, but I’ll admit that I’m a bit blown away.
Nate:Seriously, it’s time to dream big, babe. Let’s visualize. You’re sitting at that desk in the spring. Your laptop is in front of you. What’s on it?
I spun to face the desk and closed my eyes. Tears welled up, which was just ridiculous, but Nate was being sweet. The least I could do was work through the visualization with him.
Before I could text, my phone rang. I looked down to see Nate calling. Small blessings, at least it wasn’t FaceTime. Before I could click on it to answer, he hung up.
What the hell?
And a FaceTime call immediately came in from him because of course it did.
I wiped away the errant tears as quick as I could before clicking to answer. Nate was there, clearly in the back nook in the kitchen at the library.
“Impatient much?” I asked, trying to go for a light tone so he wouldn’t see how rattled I was.
