Page 6 of Ready or Not (The Nape #I)

We talked the entire subway ride.

Seated by one another, we shared details about our childhood, our work lives, and personal hobbies… even seemingly trivial details that we felt held no importance—yet made the conversation intimate.

With each topic, I found myself opening up to him in a way that I hadn’t done before with a stranger. His easy smile and genuine interest in what I had to say put me at ease, despite the nerves that had been fluttering in my stomach ever since we first met at Elsie’s.

For once, I didn't feel the need to guard my heart or put up walls. Instead, I let myself just be vulnerable, letting the words flow freely without overthinking. It was strange how comfortable I felt with someone I had only just met, as if we had known each other for years. His presence was reassuring, and the way he listened, like really listened, made me feel heard in a way I didn’t know I needed.

In just a small amount of time, he achieved something that took my ex months to do.

“So let me get this straight,” he tried not to laugh, taking deep breaths to compose himself as my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “You did what?”

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “I thought my friends and I could fix the hole Nell’s sister made in the ceiling by painting on top of it! I was not gonna get my ass whooped for her not knowing the difference between the soft part and the hard part.”

“And this is why you don’t let seven-year-olds play hide and seek in the attic,” he took another deep breath, which resulted in him throwing his head back and laughing. I couldn’t help but join in.

“Okay, Mr. Art Director,” I groaned again, still laughing. “You can chill out now. Not everyone can be as artistic as you.”

“Just know that the next time I need a paint job done on set,” he said in between fits of laughter. “I’ll call you.”

I playfully elbowed him. “I’ll have you know my painting skills improved since then.”

“I’ll be the judge of it,” he said, still chuckling under his breath.”Gotta see it with my own eyes first.”

“I swear. I’ve gotten better and even painted my—” I paused, the memory of my ex flooding my mind, threatening to overshadow the warm moment Desi and I were having. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the unwelcome memories aside and smiled. “Enough about me, tell me about yourself.”

“Sensitive territory?”

My brows furrowed.

“If I summoned up something too painful to talk about, I apologize.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just—” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, biting my lip. My fingers began to play with the fabric of my dress as the train made another stop and the door slid open, letting out the only person who occupied the cart with us.

I took a moment to compose myself before meeting his gaze. “The last person whose place I painted—well, helped paint his room—was my ex.”

“Oh… I see how that could be a touchy subject. I ain’t mean to?—”

“He was bound to be brought up in conversation tonight, so I shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “Might as well rip off the band-aid now, right?”

He took my hand into his, his thumb gently rubbing circles on the back of my hand. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

I didn’t know, but something in me trusted him enough to share.

“I’m sure,” I nodded, releasing a slow breath as the stress in my shoulders gradually dissolved with each motion.

"He was... I guess you could say he was my high school sweetheart. My first everything. Dated senior year, then we broke up second year of college and then got back together again, only for the pattern to repeat.”

He gently squeezed my hand as if to offer comfort in his touch.

“Things were… complicated, to say the least,” I continued.

“We—well, I thought we could make it work, but in the end, it just wasn’t meant to be.

Too many differences, too many expectations.

Too many times, he was caught up in his own world, leaving me to fend for myself.

I was always trying to fit into his life, his plans, his dreams, and I lost sight of what I wanted along the way.

Eventually, it all fell apart. Now, at twenty-six years old, I realize that my happiness shouldn’t be dependent on someone else…

That I accepted for less because… he was my first… love.”

“Woah…”

Letting out a bitter chuckle, I blinked away the tears that wanted to fall.

“It’s funny how you think you know what love is supposed to feel like at such a young age because the movies always make it seem so easy, only to realize years later that maybe it was just infatuation masquerading as something more profound.

But… Hey, enough about my tragic love story.

I don’t want to bore you with my drama on our first meeting. ”

“You’re not boring me at all.”

Using his thumb, he brought my face to look up at his.

“You could never bore me with anything you gotta tell me,” he whispered, his eyes searching mine with a depth that made my heart skip a beat. “I want to know everything about you, the good and the bad. It's what makes you who you are, and I want to understand you better.”

His thumb caressing my cheek felt like a gentle breeze; it soothed and calmed me in a way I hadn’t expected.

Making me realize that I was… I was falling for him after one night’s hang-out.

Fuck.

That was terrifying.

It’d been so long since I felt butterflies or my heart race, and yet here he was, stirring up emotions that I thought would take forever to resurface because of how deeply it was buried.

I swallowed hard.

This felt too soon, too fast, but with him...

“If anything,” he murmured, interrupting my train of thought. “You sharing your beautiful story with me makes me feel like I’m lacking in the love department.”

“How?”

“You shared something personal, so I should do the same to level the playing field, right?” He chuckled, his gaze holding mine captive. “Well, get ready for this heartbreaker: I’m twenty- eight and I’ve never been in a serious relationship. Never experienced a heartbreak before.”

His revelation caught me off guard.

A man like him, charming and kind-hearted, had never been in a serious relationship?

Now it made sense why he seemed so unaffected by the weight of emotional baggage; he was carrying an empty suitcase.

“It’s not that I haven’t tried or wanted to,” he confessed, pulling his hand away from my face to rub his neck, and my mind cursed my sudden eagerness to feel his touch once more.

“But it just never seemed to work out. I’ve dated here and there, tried pursuing something serious in college…

But nothing ever clicked enough to pursue something long-term.

It’s hard to explain, but everything was… casual.”

“Love has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it.” I reached out to lightly squeeze his hand. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right person yet.”

“Or maybe the universe was telling me I wasn’t ready.”

“Well.. Are you ready now?”

He nodded, his gaze softening as he looked at me.

“Absolutely,” he whispered, his voice barely above a breath. “I been ready.”

I felt a sudden heat take over my body as his words registered within me.

Maintaining eye contact, I found myself lost in the depth of his gaze, feeling a connection forming between us that was undeniable.

It was as if the universe had conspired to bring us together tonight, igniting a spark that neither of us could ignore.

Without breaking the intense eye contact, he slowly closed the gap between us, his hand reaching back up to gently brush a stray strand of hair away from my face.

The touch sent shivers down my spine, awakening a dormant need within me that I had long forgotten.

In that brief moment of contact, a rush of emotions floods through me—longing, desire, and a flicker of something dangerously close to infatuation.

As his thumb traced a soft caress along my cheek, I found myself leaning into his touch, craving the warmth and comfort he offered. The world around us seemed to fade into the background, nothing but the two of us existing in our own bubble.

He leaned in closer, his lips hovering just inches away from mine.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed, and every nerve in my body became on high alert, every fiber of my being yearning to bridge the gap that remained.

And so I closed my eyes, allowing myself to lean in the rest of the way…. only for the train to come to a halt, the announcement of Pelham Pkwy echoing through the car, jolting us back to reality. We both froze, our faces mere centimeters apart.

Slowly, he pulled back his hand, dropping from my cheek as he stood to his feet.

“We’re here,” he extended his hand for me to take. “Time for you to see your surprise.”