I wonder if he’s ever lived here with a girlfriend.
It’s the first time I’ve thought about Nico with other women. Which is ridiculous, because he’s probably worried plenty about me with other men. But for some reason, I’ve never thought about his personal life outside of me. I just assumed the only thing he does is train and see his brothers, I guess.
Wow. What a self-absorbed view of the world.
Jealousy burns sudden and hot in my blood. I have no claim to him, no reason to ask about his dating history.
“Here, drink this,” he says, handing me a glass of ice water. “Might make you feel better.”
“Are you seeing anyone else?” I blurt out.
His lip twitches with a smile he doesn’t let appear. “I am not, no.”
My cheeks burn hotter. “Oh,” I say weakly, bringing the glass to my chest.
But then his hidden smile falls, everything in his body going tense. I know he’s thinking about reciprocating the question, but he already knows the answer.
I should tell him, anyway. He’s done so much to put me at ease, the least I can do is return the effort. I could tell him I’ve cut back on my bookings, too thrown off by my dates with Nico to be able to stomach certain clients.
But…I can’t tell him that. Because what would it accomplish? It’s not like I’m quitting my job. Ican’tdo that. What else would I do? And it’s not like I’d be saying it to behisgirlfriend. Who would ever want to date an escort?
“Can I get you something to eat?” he asks, still stiff. Still not meeting my eyes. “It might settle your stomach.”
I cough into my fist to cover the rumble of my stomach at the mention of food. I should definitely eat something, but I’m still not letting go of the idea of going out tonight, so I’ll pass for now. “I’m good, thank you,” I say politely. I pat the couch next to me. “Just sit with me for a little. I’ll drink this, and then we can go do whatever you have planned.”
Seemingly soothed by my words, he drops next to me with a genuine smile. “Okay. Take your time; there’s no rush.”
I take a sip of my water. “Whatdoyou have planned?”
He grins. “Oh, I have big plans for us.”
I smile into another sip. “So mysterious. Any hints?”
His excitement is palpable. “Well,first, we’re going over to the Art Museum. Whether or not you want to go in, there are incredible views of the city from there.” His voice drops to a whisper. “Also, the Rocky statue is right there, which is purely a selfish stop.”
I chuckle at that, turning slightly in my seat so I can face him better. “And then what? A sports bar to watch the Phillies game? Will that give me the real Philly experience?”
“That and a Philly cheesesteak would undoubtedly give you the Philly experience, but no, that’s not what we’re doing. We have tickets to the Hans Zimmer concert tonight.”
I perk up at that. “Oh my gosh, really? Ilovehis music. I’ve always wanted to learn theInterstellarpiano piece.” But then my age-old need to please comes roaring to the surface, momentarily weakened by the roiling of my stomach. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? I don’t want you to be bored. We could do something else; I don’t mind.”
Nico gives me a small smile in return. “Scarlett. We’ve been over this. I want to do thingsyouwant to do. Watching you enjoy them is whyIenjoy it.”
My brain is too foggy to fight him on this. I take two more big sips before putting the water down on the coffee table. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“You feel better?” he asks, clearly skeptical.
I nod and force a smile. “I told you, I just needed to sit for a minute.”
In reality, I still feel exhausted and like my stomach is churning, but whatever; Nico is paying for a date, so he gets a date. Even if I don’t understandthisdate.
After a moment, he stands and pulls me to my feet. “Okay. Wait here, I just need to grab my wallet.”
I have to fight not to sag as he walks off. By the time he comes back and takes my hand, I’m channeling every bit of steel my mother instilled in me during my childhood.Stand up straight. Smile. Don’t bother a man with your problems.
But on the elevator ride down, the metal box starts to spin. By the time the doors open, no amount of parental lessons could stop me from stumbling forward.
“Whoa, whoa.” Once more, Nico wraps an arm around my waist. “I thought you said—” He tips my chin up, his eyes roving over my face. “This isn’t from the ride here, is it? Are you sick?”
