But it wasn’t Nick that stepped out of the elevator. It was Yolanda and Henry. They were holding hands and laughing, gazing into each other’s eyes as they walked down the hall. Yolanda looked up and noticed Lily standing there.
“Hi, honey,” she said, then she glanced around. “Where’s Nick? Henry and I were on our way to dinner and thought we should come back and invite the two of you.”
“Oh.” Lily blinked. “He, um, he just left, actually.”
“That’s too bad,” Yolanda said. “Next time then. Your name is Lily, right? This is my boyfriend, Henry. We’re friends of Nick’s.”
“Nice to formally meet you,” Henry said, extending his hand, smiling.
“Nice to meet you too,” Lily replied, taking in his bright aura. Henry was positively beaming. He was nothing like the timid, unsure man whom she saw in the elevator only a few days ago.
Henry and Yolanda said goodbye and walked back toward the elevator. When the elevator arrived, they stepped inside, and Yolanda leaned her head against Henry’s shoulder. When Henry noticed that Lily was still watching them, he gave her a secret wink before the doors closed.
That pep talk that Nick gave Henry clearly did something to boost his confidence. Just look at how things turned about between him and Yolanda. Lily needed someone to give her pep talks and advice, to help her the way Nick helped Henry . . .
The sensible choice would be for Lily to go back inside of Violet’s apartment and lick her wounds after being rejected. But Lily wasn’t thinking sensibly. She was desperate.
She ran into the stairwell and hurried to catch up with Nick.
Nick raced down the stairs to the lobby, quite possibly on the verge of losing his mind. The book, the cat, hell, even the fact that she used to work at a bookstore could all be coincidental. But the tattoo on her foot confirmed it.
Lily from across the hall was Lily G. from his emails.
But how? How was that fucking possible?
Nick was rushing down the stairs so quickly he could hardly catch his breath. If he wasn’t more careful, he might slip and hurt himself. But he was too frantic to focus on his safety. He thought back and tried to remember the first time he’d seen Lily. It had been sometime last month. She’d been carrying a large stack of books as she’d stepped onto the elevator, and she’d peeked around the stack to ask if he could press 14. He’d glanced at her to say he’d already done so, but then he did a double take when he’d noticed her beautiful face behind all of those books. Her warm brown eyes and soft smile. Dumbstruck, he’d stared at her. That was the first moment he’d felt overcome with an inexplicable feeling in her presence, like a bolt of lightning had zapped him directly in the chest. Immediately, he’d thought, Who is she? How can I get to know her?
Well, the fucking joke was on him, because he did know her. She’d spent most of last year living in his inbox.
Not only did he know her, but now he knew that she smelled like the sweetest scent of vanilla. He knew how her skin tasted, and how amazing it felt to hold her soft body in his arms. He had proof that Lily was kind and smart and funny. All the things he knew she’d be. What were the odds that they lived in the same building? He had only himself to blame. He’d moved to Union Square to feel nearer to Lily. Little did he know just how near he’d get. He’d have to seclude himself in his apartment. He’d become a hermit until his lease ended so that he’d never have to run into Lily again.
He walked out onto the busy street and forgot where it was that he was supposed to be going. Oh yeah, IKEA, for unnecessary furniture. Just an excuse to get away. He hailed a taxi and as it pulled up in front of him, he heard Lily shout his name.
Nick whipped around to see her hurrying out of their building. He froze in the act of opening the backseat door of the taxi. What was he doing? He should get in the taxi and leave. But he was glued to the spot. Against his will, against his better judgment. His attention was fixated on Lily’s flushed cheeks and the way her chest rose and fell with each deep breath, slightly winded from running to catch up to him. She’d looked like that right before she’d pressed her lips against his.
He was staring at her. Gawking, really. She wore tiny gold hoops in each ear, and she had a small mole underneath her right eye. He’d noticed her beauty while standing near her in the hallway or the elevator but being this close to her and taking in her features all at once was a different story. He knew he should stop trying to commit everything about her to memory, but somehow, she was right here in the flesh. It was impossible. If Nick were a normal person, he would be thrilled at a second chance to start over with Lily. But Nick wasn’t normal. Every good thing he touched turned to shit. He couldn’t do that to Lily. He wouldn’t.