Nina

It’s been a couple weeks since I got the keys to the house and thankfully, Niki gave me the time to get it cleaned up before I moved in. Plus, I needed to save money. Even though I’m staying rent free for the summer, I still need things. Furniture for one.

Deciding to take a break I head up to the coffee shop to see Jen, but as I walk in, something catches my eye.

The couple.

Walking out of the same door that I’m going in is the couple from a few weeks ago, but today instead of looking afraid and uneasy, she’s smiling and laughing.

Was I going crazy?

“Hi.” I wave, trying to catch her eye, but they both act as if I’m not even there.

Did he threaten her?

Did I imagine it?

Hurrying inside, I run to Jen, who I know is working a double. “Who was that couple?”

“The one that just left?” she replies.

“Yeah, are they regulars?” I ask, hoping she has something that could put me at ease.

“Not really. I mean I’ve seen them, but not like the others.” She grabs a cup and starts making an order. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Just something I’ve noticed, but I’m not sure if I’m being crazy or not.”

She pushes the drink toward me. “Six eighty-five.”

“What?”

“I’m going on break. You’re buying us drinks.” She holds out her hand.

“You’re a mess.” I dig in my purse, pulling out a ten.

“That is neither here nor there.” She rings me up, handing back the change. “Corner booth. Gossip session.”

“Got it.”

Balancing the coffees, I head toward the corner, taking a seat, waiting for Jen so I can get her input on a few things for the house.

It’s kind of crazy if you think about it. Just a few weeks ago, it took everything I had to step through those doors, but today, I live for the unknown. I crave it. Each day is a new adventure on the quest to finding myself, to finding where I belong.

Kyle

“I have to tell you, Lee, I think you’re alright.” I give him a firm clasp on the back.

“I bet you do.” He shuts the tailgate. “You couldn’t have got all that,” he points his thumb over his shoulder, “without me.”

“Fine. You have me there.” I reach into the cooler and get him a water.

“I helped you do all that and this is what I get?” he jokes, taking the bottle from my hand and chugging it down.

“Help me take it over to Nina’s and I’ll buy you dinner and a round of drinks.” I throw the cooler over the side and round the truck.

Heading towards the passenger side, Lee opens the door, and stalls. “Dinner, drinks and you stop giving me hell at work.” He dares me to refuse.

“Deal.” I wave my hand. “Now get in.”

Climbing in, he buckles up. “Does Nina know you did all this?”

“Not exactly. She’s expecting me though.”

“Don’t you think it would have been helpful to tell her?” He starts fiddling with the radio.

“Don’t touch that.” I smack his hand away. “It’s called a surprise for a reason. Plus, this stuff is just to get her started.”

“That’s cool.” He scans the area. “This is a nice neighborhood.”

“It’s a quaint little subdivision”

I turn onto her road and see her unloading some things from Niki’s car, looking damn hot in cut-off jean shorts and a barely-there tank.

“And here she is.” I pull into her drive.

“Holy shit! She’s even hotter out of uniform.” Lee’s leaning forward checking out what I have seen so many times in the past week.

Throwing my arm out. I push him back. “That…” I nod over to Nina who is totally oblivious to how sexy she really is. The little sway in her walk, in those short shorts, is a huge turn on. “Is not for your viewing pleasure.”

My eyes only.

“So you’re the alpha male type?”

“What? No! I mean, I don’t think so.” I’m trying to figure out what he meant. “Nina takes care of herself.”

“Chill, Lewis. I was just giving you a hard time.” He holds out his fist for me to bump.

“Just help me get this unloaded.” I hop out, catching Nina as she’s coming back out.

“Kyle! What’s all this?” She walks up, hand shielding her eyes.

“Well, this is a table for the kitchen and that’s a couch for your living room and behind that over there is a box of supplies that I thought you could use.”

I stand waiting for her approval, nervous that maybe Lee was right. Is this too big of a gesture? Did I take it too far?

“Please tell me you didn’t pay for all that?” She steps around me and looks over the side of the truck bed.

“Nope, it’s all borrowed or donated.” I stand beside her, wrapping my arm around her waist to bring her in. “Drew had an extra table and couch when he moved in with Aubrey and the supplies are random from me.” I wink.

“You shouldn’t have.” She looks at me, blocking the sun. “Oh.” She laughs, dropping her hand. “I should have had you here all day. Put you to work as my built-in sun blocker.”

This girl. Sometimes she says the quirkiest things, but damn if it isn’t as cute as hell.

“Let’s get this unloaded so we can send this guy home.” I signal toward Lee.

“Standing right here.” He raises his hand.

Nina gives me a sideward glance and walks over to him. “Lee, nice to meet you. I’ve seen you in Java Talk a few times and this guy only says great things about you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” He takes her hand, a wicked smile plastered across his face.

Count that dinner goodbye, kid.

“Nina, you’re going to build the kid’s ego,” I tell her over the truck.

“Kid? He’s what?” She looks him over. “Twenty-three?”

“Yeah, but he’s right. I got to get this unloaded before my ride comes to pick me up.”

“At least let me fix you guys dinner.” She begins to worry her bottom lip. “Well, by fixing, I mean picking up the phone to order a pizza.”

“He has to leave,” I bark, stressing to Lee that he better not mess with our plan.

“He’s right. I really do.” He looks at his watch. “We have twenty minutes to get everything unloaded.”

“Then I guess we better get a move on it,” she agrees.

“You just grab the door and tell us where you want it.”

“Alrighty then,” she says as she takes off for the house.

Pulling down the tailgate, Lee jumps up and starts to push the couch to the edge. “Kyle, man, you are one lucky son of a bitch.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“I can’t believe you did all this.” She comes out of the kitchen with two red plastic cups. “Tea?”

Taking one from her hand, I down it. “Lipton?”

“Of course. I went to the store beforehand and bought what I needed to make sure I had it on hand.”

“I could have drunk water.”

“And I could have sat on the floor,” she says plopping down on the couch.

“Touché.” I follow her down.

“Kyle…”

I can already tell she’s letting something bother her. Not saying a word, I lay my hand out, palm up.

Watching my movements, she grins from ear to ear, taking my hand. “I don’t have the money to pay for those supplies right now.”

“You don’t have to.” I give her hand a little squeeze. Laying my head back, I roll it to the side to see her reaction.

“I wanted to do this on my own.”

I shift to look at her. “Consider it a house warming gift.”

“Gift?”

“Yeah. A gift.”

“Gifts are good.” She gives me a lazy smile. An accepting one.

“They are.” I stand and walk over to an unopened box and cooler. “I also have this.” I pull out the new air mattress and set of sheets. “And brought us some dinner.” I slide the cooler over and open it.

“Ohhhh! Real food!”

“I made subs and a few sides. I thought with the temps being record high, this would-be kind of nice.”

“It is.” She pulls out a sandwich.

“Nope.” I grab it and return it to the cooler.

“Hey!” Nina claws for me to give it back.

“Let’s call it a night. The rest of the stuff we need to do can wait till tomorrow.” I search for the bag that has a couple towels. “Here they are.” I throw one at her. “Let’s take a nice cool shower, get into clean clothes and veg out on this thing while we eat.” I kick the mattress box over to her.

Her eyes are wide and I can see the wheels turning. “Separate showers.”

“Oh?”

“It’s better that way…well maybe not better, but necessary.”

“Oh.”

“Do you want to go first or me?”

“I guess me.” She stands and heads toward the hallway.

Bending down, I pick up the mattress and begin to set it up.

“Kyle?” I look down the hall and see Nina, still fully dressed, with tears in her eyes. “Thank you for all this. For being you. Just…thank you.”

“Always.” I bring my fist up to my chest and rub the spot that now beats for her. The constant pounding reminds me that I will always do anything for her.