I narrow my eyes, trying to decide whether curiosity or sleep will win. Neither does.
“Top ten favourite nights, huh?”
“All of them were with you,” he says, lowering his mouth to mine. I sigh, completely wrapped up in the pleasure of his touch, his presence, his words.
***
“You’re going to see interior designers?” my mother asks as I pack my bag.
Nero wasn’t joking. In one week, he showed up with a list of no fewer than ten interior designers’ portfolios for me to choose from—the ones whose style I liked best.
I refused, of course, but he really does know how to be persuasive. A shiver runs down my spine, and I feel terribly perverse for thinking about sex while my mother is standing right beside me.
“I’m just going along for company,” I explain, though I very much doubt Nero will allow me to remain a mere observer. He’s truly committed to making me feel extremely comfortable in his penthouse.
His exact words were:I want you to see this place as your second home.And there was, of course, a suggestion in his eyes I didn’t bother to interpret—too scared of what I might find there.
“That still sounds serious,” my mother says as I head down the stairs, her following close behind.
“It’s not.”
“Nina.”
She calls my name as she steps into the kitchen, and I open the fridge in search of a glass of water.
“Yes?” I glance at her over my shoulder.
“I don’t want to be annoying, my daughter.”
I blink and straighten my posture. I close the fridge, abandoning the water. “I just can’t help worrying. It’s only been a few weeks, and you were crying all night long.”
I sigh.
“That was as much my fault as Nero’s, Mom. I thought you were okay with him—with us. The dinner here was so much fun,” I say, because it really was.
After reconciling with me, Nero made a point of doing the same with my mother. And although she told him that all he needed to do to stay on her list of good people was treat me well, I’m sure she loved the gesture. Since everything began, it was the first time he came to our houseofficially—not just to pick me up or while my mother was away.
“It was. And I don’t doubt that you’re fine together. My concern now is that you’re moving too fast. It hasn’t even been six weeks since Christmas, and you’re seeing decorators together. I worry that tomorrow you’ll come home telling me you’re moving out.”
I throw my head back, laughing.
“For God’s sake, Mom!”
“It’s not that exaggerated from where I’m standing, Nina,” she insists.
I open the fridge again, take out a bottle, and set it on the kitchen table. I pour myself a glass of water and drink slowly, refilling it once I empty it.
“What do you need?” I ask, returning the bottle to the fridge. “A guarantee that won’t happen? Consider it given.”
“Oh, just like you guaranteed that whatever happened between you and Nero would be temporary?”
I open my mouth, then close it, thinking better of my answer.
“How did you fall in love with my father, Mom? Was it a fully conscious, calculated choice—or unexpected and overwhelming?”
“That’s a very low blow, Nina.”
“I’m just proving my point.”
