“I love you, baby.”
She snuggled deeper into me. I knew she wasn’t able to say it back yet, which was fine. I knew she loved me—I could feel it as she hugged me closer to her. She felt small and fragile in my arms, and I wanted to protect her. I kissed the top of her head.
“I’ll never stop fighting for us. We’re going to have our ups and downs, but the important thing is we work through it. Together.”
She sniffed and nodded. “I agree.”
Time passed as I held the love of my life in my arms. Nikola held me closer as an icy gust blew. She began to shiver. “Hey, baby, can we go inside? It’s fucking cold out here.”
She giggled. “Come on in.”
I let her go as she turned. As she reached the door, she paused. “You know there’s nothing between Wesley and me, right?”
“Yes. We can talk about that later.”
She furrowed her brow, but we continued inside. Wesley walked to the door dressed in his jeans.
“I’m going to head out. My parents wanted to talk to me about Diane. They may have found a longer-term facility.”
“Keep me posted. I’m a phone call away if you need anything.” She hugged him. They did seem to have that brotherly-sisterly friendship, though I was kind of raw at seeing her hug a man that I was still unsure about.
He let her go. “I will. Call me if you need anything again.”
“Will do.”
Wesley nodded at me as we exchanged goodnights. With Wesley gone, I walked in and looked around her place. It was tidy and modern. I knew everything was new since she’d left everything at our old house. A lime green sofa sat on a white shag rug. Brightly colored modern art hung on the wall. The walls were a light, steel gray. It suited Nikola.
“I like your place.”
“Thanks. It’s slowly becoming home.”
The fact that it wasn’t home yet was a good thing, for me. I walked toward her slowly, stopping when several feet still separated us. She took a deep breath, her eyes darting to my lips. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but we needed to talk. I needed answers. I hoped she’d tell me what was wrong as I sat on the couch next to her.
I touched her cheeks, and she closed her eyes. “Why were you scared, Nikola?”
Her eyes opened. Dark pupils darted back in forth between my eyes as in distress.
“What did Wesley say?”
“He said to ask you. So I’m asking you. I know something is bothering you. I saw it on your face in Anne’s kitchen and on the night we went to the airport. Please, tell me.”
She swallowed hard. “It’s not a big deal, but I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
“It is a big deal to me if something is bothering you. We have to be honest with each other, like you were with me at the bar. It’s the only way we’re going to make it, and I want us to make it more than I’ve ever wanted anything. You calling Wesley to come stay the night tells me it’s a big fucking deal.”
My words seemed to soften Nikola even further and she nodded. “The guy I dated for a month won’t leave me alone. He’s been making me nervous.”
“Is this the one you slept with?”
I saw the answer in her eyes. I couldn’t be mad, but it hurt. If she felt like I had after sleeping with someone else, it was an acute torture that I wouldn’t make worse.
Her voice was quiet. “Yes, he is. When I broke it off, he got a little crazy.”
“What do you mean, he got crazy?”
I knew my voice grew harder as I thought about some asshole not only having Nikola but also scaring her. My blood simmered.
I repeated myself, “What do you mean he got crazy?”
Nikola looked tired as her shoulders drooped. “He texts me all the time, wanting me back. He sent one tonight asking why I hadn’t been home when I was headed to the club. On my way back, I got spooked thinking about it, so I called Wesley. Grandmama had sent me a goodnight text, and I didn’t want to wake her since she’s been sick. I didn’t know where you and I stood at the time, and I wasn’t sure if it would stress you out too much, so I called Wesley. I’d planned to tell you everything tonight, but then…”
We’d address the rest of what she’d said in a minute. “What’s his name?”
I was about to put an end to this prick. He needed to know Nikola was with someone who could beat his ass if he didn’t stop his shit.
“Lance.”
Lance was about to get a wake-up call.
I SAT ON the couch, watching the protective side of Brandt emerge. A feeling of warmth came over my body. His blond hair hung loose as he ran his hands through it.
“Can I have your phone?”
Tentatively, I picked it up from the side table. Under Brandt’s tight long-sleeved shirt, his muscles tensed. His presence filled the small room. I ran a hand over the soft suede of the couch as I tried to read Brandt’s emotions.
“Are you going to call Lance?”
“Yes.” His one-worded, no arguments tone had me handing over my phone. “Do you have him under Lance?”
“Yes. But, Brandt, please don’t do anything rash. I’ll be okay.” My voice cracked and I focused on the green splatter in the painting on the wall. My toes dug into the white shag rug as I attempted to stay calm.
He tapped a few numbers. “Nikola, don’t bullshit me. Remember, I know you. And I know that, if you called someone to come stay with you, you were more than spooked. This shit stops now. We’ll talk about everything else later.”
He punched the screen with his index finger then held up his phone. He walked to the big window and peeked out of the closed blinds. Brandt always had been one to take in all his surroundings. Lance must have picked up, because Brandt began to speak.
“Hello, is this Lance?” He paused. “Well, it’s not Nikola. It’s her boyfriend. You need to lose her fucking number or we’re going to have problems. No, it’s not a threat, asshole. It’s a promise.” He paused again and looked out the window. “I think I’ve said all I have to say. She won’t be here for long.”
Brandt hung up the phone and muttered a curse word under his breath before looking at me. The blue took on a sapphire hue as he penetrated me with his gaze. “He lives in your complex?”
Shit. I forgot to let Brandt know about Lance living here. “Yes, it’s why I can’t do anything about it. Wesley has had a friend look into it. There’s nothing I can do until he crosses some arbitrary line. Sometimes I get spooked, but that’s it.”
The scowl on his face deepened. “I want you to pack a bag and come stay at my place.”
I started to protest.
“Nikola, we’ll stay in different rooms. Or I’ll drive you to Anne’s. You fly out tomorrow afternoon, and I want to spend as much time with you as possible. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, but this shit with you staying here and being scared isn’t going to happen. You know I don’t mess around with those I love. I know we’re still figuring out what we are, but I don’t want you scared.”
I looked at the time. It was late. “I’ll stay at your place tonight.”
Part of me was relieved. I hated staying here. My lease wasn’t up for another six months, and I couldn’t afford two places with all the expenses that came with living in downtown Atlanta. I was a mess. Maybe more time together would be good for us.
Brandt was still staring at me, relief flooding his face. “Thanks for not arguing with me on this. I want you safe.”
“I feel safe with you.”
I stood, and Brandt pulled me into an embrace. His scent enveloped me and my nerves settled. I am safe. He kissed the top of my forehead.
“I know. Let’s get you packed. Grab a few days’ worth of clothes for after you get back from your trip, in case Lance is still a problem.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t follow me into my bedroom.
Following Brandt in my car, we pulled up to his place about twenty minutes later. My headlights flashed
on the house. I could see the dark-bricked home with shutters on the windows. It was smaller than the place we’d shared. The two-car garage opened and Brandt pulled in on the left. The other spot housed his old, ’63 split-window Corvette. The silver paint sparkled in the light. This was the car that Brandt had been restoring with his father before he passed away. After his dad’s death, Brandt continued the work then drove it when he turned sixteen.
We had good memories in that car—happy memories. I grabbed my duffle bag and walked inside to meet Brandt standing at the hood of the car. Instinctively my hand touched the soft paint as a memory came without warning.