Chapter 67
1830words
'There would have to be some ground rules," I began cautiously. 'If this thing has even a shot in the dark at getting off the ground, we need to get a few things straight."
He set down his cup deliberately and folded his hands upon the table.
'Fire away."
I bit my lip, considering for a moment, before blurting out the first thing that came to mind. 'You don't cheat on me."
His eyebrows lifted in surprise, and I blushed to high heaven. Whatever he had been expecting me to say, it certainly wasn't that.
'Of course I wouldn't—"
'I'm serious, Nicholas," I interrupted, suddenly quite relieved that I'd picked that particular thing to start with. 'I don't care whether this is a fake relationship or not, I don't want to be made a fool of in front of the entire Western Hemisphere."
He looked a little shocked.
'Avy, I would never—"
But I had basically lived with him for two years. I knew his track record. The man was as distractible and restless as they came. And three months was a long time.
'Just...promise me..."
All the automatic defenses and explanations died on his tongue, as he closed his mouth and stared at me across the table. For a second, he looked almost sad. Then his face sobered to look as serious and solemn as I'd ever seen.
'I promise."
We held each other's gaze for a moment, before I looked away—nodding curtly.
'Good. Uh, next thing..." I trailed off, thinking on the fly and feeling a bit strange to be giving him orders when it was usually the other way around. 'I want to split amicably."
'You know, Avy," his eyes twinkled teasingly, 'we actually need to get together before you can try to break up with me."
'Are you making jokes?" I raised my voice threateningly, but beneath it all, I was relieved. This whole night had spun off the rails to such a drastic degree—we needed a little levity if we were going to find our way through it. 'When I'm doing you this massive favor?"
His dimples flashed as he bit his lip—trying to hide a smile.
'No ma'am."
The old woman behind the counter swooned at the very sight, and I shook my head with a rueful grin. 'When the time comes, we'll just say that things fizzled out. Part as friends."
'Sounds good to me."
'I will, of course, remain your publicist when this is all finished."
'Of course."
'My team will handle things for me back uptown."
'Whatever you like."
'And I want a new espresso maker for the office."
There was a sudden pause in the quick back and forth. Then Nicholas threw back his head and started laughing. It echoed brightly through the little shop, bouncing off corners, and making everyone who heard it smile as well.
'So that's what you think you're worth, huh?" His eyes sparkled with unrestrained merriment as they stared back into mine. 'One espresso maker?"
I cocked my head sweetly to the side.
'No, darling—that's what I think you're worth. That's my price for dating you."
He laughed again, tossing back his messy hair as he twirled his empty cup.
'Well sweetheart, I've never had to pay for someone's company. But in your case, I think I can make an exception. The espresso maker's yours."
Score!
I could picture my entire staff cheering at once.
My face glowed in triumph, but I hid it quickly behind my hair. In spite of all my reservations, a strange feeling of excitement had started stirring in my stomach. An anticipation I didn't fully understand, and trusted even less.
'Well, then I think that's it," I concluded in my best professional voice. 'We can fly back to New York in the morning, and work out the strategy on the plane. My best guess would be to say that we'd always harbored some kind of feelings, and they blossomed on this trip to—"
'Hang on," he lifted a finger in the air between us, 'I have a few conditions myself."
I paused in surprise, wondering what in the world could be going through that head of his. This was his idea. He was the one asking me. Now he had conditions?
'You do?" I asked in open astonishment. 'What are you—"
'Don't worry," he interrupted, 'it's actually just one." With that, he leaned suddenly forward, gazing intently into my eyes. 'If this is going to work, if this is going to be believable...then you have to let me treat you like I'd treat any of my other girlfriends."
A sudden shiver swept through me, as a whole host of other implications to this little scheme fell suddenly into place. We were trying to stage an entire relationship, after all. That meant a little more than just posing in front of the cameras...
'Okay," I began uncertainly, 'I can...I can do that."
Nicholas cocked his head to the side, eyes twinkling at me appraisingly.
'That means letting someone else take care of you, for once. That means letting yourself get pampered and fussed over. Accepting gifts bigger than a bag."
'A purse," I corrected automatically, but his look made me fall silent.
'I have a reputation of spoiling my women, Avy." A smile was lurking just below the surface, but he kept up an admirable poker face. 'A reputation that must be maintained."
My eyes danced with a sudden Dior flashback, but I kept a careful poker face myself.
'Fair enough. But don't ever refer to me again as one of your women," I quoted dryly. 'I didn't sign up for a haram—got it?"
A sudden grin flashed across his face, but he pursed his lips and nodded.
'Got it."
'On that note," I continued suddenly, 'that also means that you and Ayla have to pause your...Pilates for a while."
He mock saluted.
'No more Pilates."
I eyed his mischievous face warily, and decided to clarify for my own peace of mind.
'Nicholas, you know that by Pilates, I mean—"
'—you mean fucking," he laughed, 'yeah, I got it. No more Ayla."
I nodded, satisfied. But just as he went to stand up, another thought flashed through my head. One that was so obvious and serious, I felt as though both of us had been dancing around it on purpose. Compartmentalizing it away, because we didn't know how to deal with it ourselves.
'Nicholas," I said softly, reaching for his sleeve to stop him, 'about...all the other stuff."
He froze in his tracks, and looked down at me without a trace of humor. His face was nothing but sincere. 'I'll never cross any line you don't want me to. You have my word."
I nodded quickly and released his arm, but found myself in no way reassured.
Who were we kidding? This entire thing was crossing a line. A line that we'd worked hard to create, even under the most extreme circumstances, for the last two years. How could we possibly go back to the way things were after this? After what we'd have to do?
It wasn't just pictures and shopping sprees. A relationship implied a physical component as well. Those were the pictures that sold. How was that possibly going to work? How could we possibly go back to working with each other after that? How could we even be friends?
'Hey." He knelt down suddenly in front of me, as if I'd been saying all of my worries out loud. For a moment, he just stared at me. Then he swept back a lock of my hair with a gentle smile. 'You know that whatever happens...it's just you and me. Nothing can change that."
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to so badly.
It's just...hadn't things changed already?
The necklace, the bar in New York, the moment in my apartment. We'd seen each other almost every single day for the last two years, and not once had anything like that ever happened before. And now tonight? The moment at the nightclub?
If I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could still feel his lips on my skin. The heated flush they left as they kissed my forehead, then my cheek. Then the other. I could still see the look on his face as he looked down at my mouth. All that unbridled passion and adventure wrapped up in a single glance.
A single moment before he closed his eyes and leaned down to kiss me.
No. It was not just ‘you and me' anymore. Things had already changed. Spun off the rails so fast, I wasn't sure if we could ever catch them.
But I couldn't say any of that. Couldn't seem to find the words. I left it up to him instead.
'About tonight...?"
A sudden flash of uncertainty froze his features, betraying his true colors. He was just as mixed up about all this as I was. Just as confused. Neither one of us knew what came next.
His brow tightened for a moment, before he deliberately smoothed it clear.
'I'll never cross any line you don't want me to," he repeated softly.
I considered this. Considered it for a long time, as he knelt before me on the broken tiles of the run down coffee shop. The night around us was still in full-swing. The streets of Barcelona had come alive, and the two of us were caught in the middle of it. Smudged nightclub stamps on our wrists. Thin, dampened shirts. The smell of sweet liquor and coffee on our breath.
It was only then that I realized our fingers were laced together. At some point, during my silent contemplation, he'd reached over to take my hand. For a second, I simply stared, baffled by how strange a sight it was.
Then...baffled by how natural.
'Okay," I said suddenly, surprising both of us at the same time, 'let's do it."
His entire face lit up, but he fought to keep it under control.
'Avy—you won't be sorry. I swear it."
'Don't be ridiculous," I pushed to my feet, 'I'm sorry already. You and I are both nuts if we think this whole thing isn't go down as some colossal mistake."
The two of us shared a grin. Then, after a hesitant pause, he leaned down and kissed my cheek. My eyes widened in surprise, but he simply shrugged—flashing a mischievous grin.
'What? You are my girlfriend now. I might need some practice." He winked. 'We want it to look real for the cameras, after all."
Like I said...a colossal mistake.
