“Work,” he said, kissing her bottom lip, then her chin. “I know.”
“No, that’s my feed-Tomcat alarm,” she said, easing away with a slightly guilty look on her face. “To be continued?”
“Definitely.”
He watched as she climbed out of bed and got dressed. His phone vibrated beside him. Unknown again. He ignored it, threw on a T-shirt and pair of basketball shorts and followed her into his living room.
“I want to take you on a date,” he said. “A real one.”
She glanced over her shoulder as she slid on her shoes. “I’d like that.”
“Even better than your ideal date,” he said, walking with her to the door.
She smiled at him, picking up on the reference to their emails. “Just let me know the time and place.”
“I will.”
When he opened the door and Lily stepped into the hall, Violet was leaving their apartment, holding a cup of iced coffee. Her huge sunglasses were perched at the end of her nose.
“Oh, thank God,” Violet said, visibly relieved at the sight of them. She walked closer, her Cheshire cat grin spreading across her face.
“Sorry,” Lily said. “I should have given you a heads-up about where I was last night.”
“No, I meant thank God you finally got the D.” She paused. “I mean, that’s what I’m assuming, given the looks on both of your faces.”
“Violet.” Lily shot Nick an apologetic glance.
“Nick, does this mean you’re coming to my wedding as Lily’s date?” Violet asked.
Nick looked at Lily. A question. In answer, she squeezed his hand and nodded.
Violet grinned. “You two are so freaking cute. Okay, I have to run but I’ll call you later. Have a good day! Oh, and congrats on winning the bet, Lily!” She blew kisses to both of them, hustled down the hall and hopped on the elevator.
“I forgot all about the bet,” Nick said.
“I did too, honestly. Thanks for helping me win.” She kissed him quickly, then backed away. “I’ll see you later?”
“You’ll see me later.”
He watched her walk away until she slipped inside of her apartment.
He went back inside of his own spot, thinking hard about where he should take Lily on their first official date. They had a lot of time to make up for. He had to take her somewhere special. Perfect.
An idea suddenly popped into his head, and he pulled out his phone and did a quick Google search. The plan unfolded before him. In a way, it was too good to be true. Like the stars had aligned just for them.
He texted Marcus.
Can I borrow your car this Saturday?
22
On Saturday afternoon, Nick texted Lily very simple, yet cryptic instructions for their date.
Meet me outside of our building at 3:30. Bring your favorite Elena Masterson book.
At three thirty on the dot, Lily stepped outside, holding the first book in the Dragons of Blood series and Nick’s copy of The Nermana Chronicles. And she was surprised to see Nick parked in a red Jeep. When he spotted Lily, he hopped out and hurried around to open the passenger door for her.
“Hi,” he said, bending down to kiss her.
“Hi!” She kissed him back and pulled away slightly, looking at the car in a mixture of delight and confusion. “Where did you get this car?”
“It’s Marcus’s. He’s letting me borrow it tonight.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He smiled slyly. Lily was too swooned by the idea that he’d gone through the trouble to plan a secret date to ask additional questions.
She climbed into the passenger seat and Nick carefully closed her door before taking his spot behind the wheel. They drove through the city and soon left it behind as they merged onto the highway.
“So which books did you bring?” Nick asked. He placed his hand on the center console, palm up. It took Lily a second to realize that he was waiting for her hand to join his. Months ago, her fear of turning into a sweaty-handed monster would have ruined this moment. But instead, she laid her hand on top of his and relaxed as their fingers interlaced. There was no reason for her to be nervous or fearful. Holding hands with Nick felt like the most natural thing in the world.
“I brought Dragons of Blood book one,” she answered. “And your copy of The Nermana Chronicles.”
“That’s one of your favorite Elena Masterson books? I thought you hadn’t finished it yet?”
“I haven’t,” she admitted. “But it’s your favorite, so it’s still special to me.”