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Chapter Seventeen

TAYLOR

Nicole and I walked into my apartment together later that night. We weren’t as chatty as we normally were, but I decided to give her some grace, considering who she just met today.

“Are you doing all right?” I asked, resting a hand on her back as she slid her sneakers off.

“Yeah, yeah.” She shook her head, before a giggle escaped her lips, “Oh my god. I just met Joshua Madey from Carbon Cut.”

“And his wife and kids,” I added, delighted that she was thrilled about the surprise.

“I just—,” Nicole’s dark eyes widened at me, “I feel so honored.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, “Honored?”

“Yeah.” She set her bag on the ground and stepped toward me. I was sweaty and disgusting, with a few grass stains on my shorts and knees. “You shared some special people with me.”

I lifted a shoulder, my heart fluttering at her acknowledgement.

I’m trying to show you , I thought, I want you. All of you. Be with me .

“I wanted those people to meet someone special, actually.” I tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ear, loving the goosebumps that erupted on her neck from my fingertips.

I let my hand rest on the part of her neck that met her shoulder, gently dragging my thumb across her pulse point in gentle swipes.

“You have a lot of reasons to be hesitant about us,” I gestured between the two of us for emphasis, “But I’m happy to keep giving you reasons to give us a real chance.”

“Taylor?” Nicole whispered.

“Hmm?”

“I’m in love with you.”

I froze at her quiet words.

Was that the first time I had ever heard those words? No. Not at all. I’ve had people in my past tell me they were falling in love with me, and unfortunately, my feelings simply weren’t reciprocated.

Perhaps that’s what made this time so different.

Instead of panic, anxiety, and a hint of sadness that usually came with me having to start the “It’s not you, it’s me” cliché, I felt something unfamiliar but fantastic.

Excitement.

Satisfaction.

Hope.

Love.

“That’s good,” I smirked down at her, loving how vulnerable she looked. How she waited so patiently for me to respond, gnawing on her bottom lip as she did so, “Because I think I’ve been in love with you since the beginning.”

Nicole’s eyes widened, before a shocked huff of a laugh erupted from her lips.

“The beginning?” She raised a dark eyebrow at me in disbelief, but she still stepped closer to me. She ignored how sweaty and smelly I was, resting her forearms on my chest as I wrapped one of mine around her waist.

“Since the moment I saw you at Signe’s apartment.”

Nicole’s brows furrowed, before her brow smoothed, and she shook her head, “When Signe’s friend showed up to get her book signed? You—you saw me there?”

“Yeah.” I stepped toward my bedroom, guiding her backward through my apartment, “I gave Jacqueline a hug, accidentally spilled the beans that she was boinking Leo, and turned around to see you.” I released my hold on her waist to flick the light on in my bedroom.

“It was the first time my heart skipped a beat on sight.”

“On sight?” Nicole asked with a shake of her head.

“Yes.” I laughed at her surprise, “You were so cute, in your little matching jammies. Yellow, with flowers all over them. I wanted to invite myself to stay, but I knew Eloise and Courtney would give me shit for bailing on them.”

Nicole nodded, “Wow. You couldn’t have been in love with me in that moment, though.”

I shrugged, stepping back and pulling my shirt off.

My sports bra remained, and Nicole’s dark eyes darkened even more as she stared at my stomach, “Maybe not. But something deep in my soul recognized you. That, I do not doubt. When I saw you again at rugby, when Jacqueline performed her little dance, I wanted to talk to you again. But I choked.”

“I can’t believe this,” Nicole blushed when I pushed my pants down. I wasn’t wearing anything sexy. My underwear was athletic and resembled boxers more than anything else. But Nicole liked what she saw. Her poker face was non-existent.

“Well,” I lifted a shoulder, “Believe it. I love you.”

Nicole sucked in a sharp breath. This time, my words looked like they solidified something in her, instead of surprising her, “I love you, too.”

“Well,” I clapped my hands together, “That’s settled.”

Nicole barked a laugh, “Wow,” she plopped herself on the edge of my bed, “Go shower, babe.”

“Join me?” I asked, sliding my underwear down my legs.

Nicole’s jaw slackened as her eyes watched the material descend from my legs.

“Okay.” With that, she stood up and pulled her shirt off, “I guess you’re allowed to clean up before I can taste you.”

It was my turn to blush.

Would she ever stop triggering such a visceral reaction in me?

Probably not.

Nicole confidently disrobed before taking my hand and letting me lead her into the shower.

Love was so freeing .

Nicole’s love was safe .

As we settled under the warm spray, we spent time gently washing the day off of us. Reverently cleansing each other in a way that I wasn’t used to experiencing with a partner. As if we were getting ready to start a new normal.

Maybe that was exactly it.

A new era.

One where I could run home and find comfort in Nicole’s embrace every night.

An era where we could be each other’s person, however we needed.

A relationship that we could rely on. That was built on trust and comfort and respect and, most importantly, love.

After the shower, Nicole gently pushed my shoulders until I fell flat on my back, on top of the comforter. In that moment, I told her that I felt like the luckiest person alive.

Nicole kept murmuring how much she loved me.

Each kiss, each touch, each caress felt like solidification. We showed each other with our bodies just how much we cared for the other. How much we wanted to be here . How much we appreciated being here, in this beautiful moment.

After finding bliss in each other, we snuggled in for the night. Still naked, vulnerable, and satiated. I rested my chin on top of her head as I held her chest to chest.

“I love you,” I whispered through a yawn.

“I love you, too,” Nicole whispered back.

Within seconds, I succumbed to the best sleep of my entire life.