“This is big for a cottage,” Nikki says.
“It is. It’s about two thousand square feet. Two bedrooms, two baths. A kitchen.”
“Oh.” She turns big eyes to me. “I was worried about staying in a hotel. But this…” She stops and I can see the relief in her eyes.
“Yeah.” I nod. “This works.”
“It’s perfect.” Her pretty eyes swim with emotion.
Yeah. She’s feeling things.
“It’s beautiful.” She gazes around as we walk through a screened-in porch which is too cold to use right now, but probably nice in the summer. The living room is furnished and decorated more like a home than a hotel, modern style mixed with antiques and interesting accents.
“It was built in the 1850s,” I tell her. “But you’d never know it.”
“The floors.” She admires the wooden floors. “And the doors and windows. So much character. But the kitchen—look, it’s gorgeous. And even flowers!”
A bouquet of white flowers and greenery sits on the small table.
“Amazing!” She skips to the bedroom and my heart clunks at the sight of her lighthearted energy. It’s such a normal Nikki thing to do, and I haven’t seen her do that for a long time. “A king-size bed! You’ll be happy!”
I follow her. “I made sure of that before I booked.”
She sits on the cream and white bedding. Masses of puffy pillows rest against the padded headboard, with a long cylindrical cushion in shades of blue and green in front of them. “Feels nice. Or did you get a two-bedroom cottage so I’d have my own room and you’d have the king-size bed all to yourself?”
“Oh, yeah, totally.” I drop one of our bags on the rug. Then I walk over to her, bend, and set my hands on the bed on either side of her hips. “You think I’d let you sleep alone now?”
Her lips part and her eyes glow. “I hope not. I sleep a lot better with you.”
“I know.” I kiss her, fast and hard. “And you need to be fucked for giving me a boner while I was driving.”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
19
NIKKI
Marek orders room service for dinner, and we drag ourselves out of bed to get dressed and eat. I pull on a pair of leggings, thick socks, and a sweater, kind of wishing I had something sexier to wear. I saw the flimsy undies Marek retrieved from my place and I think that means he’d like to see me in them. This sparks a flame of heat low in my belly.
We share a bottle of Finger Lakes wine, a dry Riesling, as I eat my halibut and he devours a steak. Then we go out onto the terrace in the snowy dark, a glass of wine in hand, to look up at the sky and study the twinkling stars. The chilly air feels bracing when I breathe it into my lungs, and I take a few deep breaths, letting the peace surround me, enjoying the quiet and the beauty.
I was afraid of the snow but right now, it makes the world bright even in the dark.Silver stars like diamonds bright scatter soft across the night… The world is quiet, my heart’s at ease… Yet in this chill, there’s something warm—beauty in the winter’s charm.
Ohhhh. I can hear the melody, quiet and clear, to go along with the lyrics.
I go very still and close my eyes. I love expressing my thoughts and feelings through music. I always have. I thought that was gone. Right now, I almost have that feeling of joy deep in my soul that music gives me, a hint of the happiness music has brought me in the past.
Maybe it’s not gone forever.
Maybe talking about music with Marek on the way here helped. He surprised me. Especially when he told me he sings my songs in the shower. I like how he gets that music is about emotions. I… like him. A lot.
I was skeptical about coming here, but a change of scenery, Marek’s company, and the quiet beauty are soothing my soul and freeing my imagination. I feel different. Lighter. It’s not that the fear is gone; I think the fear will always be there. But I can be afraid and still do this.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I say to Marek softly.
He looks down at me, his expression solemn, eyes steady. “Thanks for being brave enough to come.”
I didn’t feel brave. But now… maybe I feel a little brave.
