Chapter 23
Blakely
I stomp into the kitchen and toss my phone onto the table.
Nicholas looks up from his bowl of sugar-frosted cereal with a hiked brow. “You okay there, Princess?”
Ignoring the effervescence I feel in my blood when he calls me that, I flop into the chair across from him. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I say. I have a throng of ‘first-world problems’. Nothing he would possibly be interested in.
He kicks me under the table. “C’mon. Spill. What’s wrong?”
I don’t want to unload my superficial grievances on him but it sure would be nice to get things off my chest. The softness in his eyes tells me that he’s willing to listen.
I sigh. “We had a really hectic day at the spa today. People cancelling at the last minute and demanding that I reschedule them at impossible times. Plus, I got a few bad reviews on Amazon. Some really insensitive reviews. And to top it all off, my best friend Annaleigh is still on her honeymoon so I was supposed to go to the spring festival down by the river with my other friend Evangeline tomorrow but she had to fly back to Europe for a modeling gig. Basically, I have no one to go with. I actually really wanted to go. For the cotton candy, if nothing else.” I giggle, feeling like a vapid fool rambling and complaining like this. (I stop myself from reminding him that I’m on my period, too. He already made that awkward discovery when he tried to get me in his bed this morning.) “There. You happy? I just spilled all of my superficial problems to you. Now you can make fun of how petty I am.”
“Not petty at all, Blakely. You have every right to vent if you’ve had a bad day,” he comforts me, leaning back in his chair, “and I’ll go to the Carnival with you tomorrow.”
My insides spark when he makes the offer. A thrill whooshes through my stomach. “You’d go with me?”
He lifts a shoulder. “Why not? We’re roomies. We can hang.”
I chuckle at his choice of words. “We can ‘hang’?”
“Yup,” he says on a nod like it’s the simplest thing in the world.
I consider his offer for a second. Of course I want to go with him. I like spending time with him. He’s funny and sweet and staring at him is not an adversity. But a little voice in me asks if his offer means something more. I quickly smother the stupid thought. Of course it doesn’t mean anything more. He’s just being nice. Can’t a guy be nice to you without wanting to be your boyfriend, Blakely?
“Okay,” I grin. “We’ll hang. We’ll go to the carnival together.” I feel dizzy from the rush of excitement.
He gets up from the table with his empty bowl and rinses it out in the sink. His neutral expression is a reminder not to get too carried away. It’s not a date. We’re just hanging out. He all but said it himself.
“Hey, I’m about to throw some popcorn in the microwave and watch some anime. Wanna join me?”
Before I’d met Nicholas, I wouldn’t have even considered watching cartoons. What a waste of time. Especially when I have writing to do. But right now, his offer is as irresistible as he is.
And I’m thrilled that he wants to just chill out with me, even though I’m on my period. Most guys avoid you like the plague until you’re done with all that menstruating stuff.
“I’d love to watch anime with you.”
He grins excitedly. “You’re gonna really enjoy this,” he says. “Dwarf Warriors is a masterpiece.”
I’m sure I won’t but whatever.
“Grab some sodas,” he instructs me, “and I think there’s Jello in the cupboard.”
“Jello? I haven’t had Jello since I was a kid.”
“Which is exactly why you’re having it tonight.”
I giggle as I peer into the pantry for the goodies. I glance over my shoulder, sneaking a peek at him while he puts the popcorn in the microwave.
I’m really starting to enjoy his company. A lot.