Shit. Adam was right. I knew he was right. There had been plenty of opportunities to tell Vaughn how I felt. There was just always something stopping me. And now that I had him, I was pumping the brakes. I put on my boots and searched for my jacket as Adam followed me with his gaze.
“A lot of things make me uncomfortable,” Adam murmured. “Large crowds. Street vendors that don’t follow proper food safety protocols. One-dollar bills. Bathtubs. Youths. The dust bunnies under your dresser that are made up of dead skin cells. The texture of yarn. Cows. My Uncle Jerry. Tornados. Unmatched socks. Blood diamonds. Termites. Bedbugs. The entire continent of Australia…”
“That’s quite a list you’ve got there,” I replied before grabbing a soft scarf and putting it on.
“But you’re not scared of anything,” he replied in a monotone voice. “I like that about you.” Adam picked up his leather messenger bag and put away his laptop. “Enjoy your date. Please stick to a limit of three drinks. There is a seventy percent chance of snow.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Adam. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
He nodded and let himself outside, and I sat down and waited for Vaughn to arrive.
“You look beautiful,” Vaughn said while holding my hand. We were walking down the street, enjoying the various buildings lit up with Christmas lights while dodging tourists.
I blushed at his compliment. Vaughn had probably told me I looked beautiful a million times, but it had always felt polite and platonic. Right now, I felt like I had his full attention, and I loved it. “Where are we going?” I asked once again. Vaughn had refused to tell me.
“Somewhere every New Yorker has to go to at least once,” he replied mischievously.
It wasn’t until I saw the giant ice-skating rink that I knew for certain what Vaughn had planned. “I’m going to make an idiot of myself and fall down!” I rushed out, my eyes wide as I watched a woman fall on her ass.
“Sometimes we have to do things we’re scared of, Sena,” Vaughn replied, the true meaning of his words washing over me as he guided me to the line to get rental skates. “And if you fall, I’ll fall bigger so people won’t even notice your failure.”
“You’re such a gentleman,” I replied with a wink.
It took us about ten minutes to get skates and find a bench. Once we sat down, I started unlacing my boots, but Vaughn stopped me. “Allow me,” he whispered before kneeling at my feet and easing the stiletto boots off my feet. I watched him with a pounding heart and hooded eyes as he eased the skates onto my feet and laced them up. Holiday music played all around us, and happy couples kissed under hanging mistletoe around the arena.
Once I was laced up, he moved to sit beside me and put on his own ice skates. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Vaughn asked.
I knew this question was coming. I wasn’t really sure how to answer it. Honesty was simple, though. “I was scared. What if you rejected me? What if you didn’t see me that way? What if it ruined our friendship or made working together awkward?”
“I wrestled with that too,” Vaughn grunted before tying up his laces. “But ultimately I decided you were worth the consequences.” Vaughn twisted to face me and grabbed my hand before tenderly looking me in the eye. His gaze was intense. It felt like we were the only two people out here. “I might be a little late, but I’m still in the fight, baby. I’m not letting you go just yet.” He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my lips that left me begging for more. “Let’s skate.”
I had a death grip on Vaughn when we entered the rink. What looked like professional skaters started zooming past us. I glided a bit, my movements jerky and uncertain. Vaughn chuckled when I squeezed his arm tighter and clung to him. “This isn’t so bad,” I said.
“You’re doing great, baby,” Vaughn said while pulling me along. We made our first lap without any mishaps, and I slowly started to gain confidence.
“I totally got this,” I said while moving a bit faster. I went to let go of Vaughn, but he grabbed my hand tighter.
“Not ready to let you go,” he explained softly. That was our whole problem, wasn’t it?
“Neither am I,” I replied before looking down at my gliding skates. We kept skating, and as Adam predicted earlier, snow began to fall, giving the entire experience a truly magical feel. It wasn’t until a rambunctious couple of teens side swiped me that the moment came crashing to an end.
I flailed my limbs and went soaring toward the hard ground, landing right on my ass with a scream. As promised, Vaughn went down with me, making an entire spectacle of it with a loud yelp, waving his arms as he went. Even though pain shot up my tailbone, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You really committed to that fall,” I said between laughs. He lay down and started yelling some more for effect. Everyone started staring, and I laughed even harder. “Oh my gosh, you have to stop.” My cheeks were sore from smiling so hard.
“Kiss me,” Vaughn demanded. “I need CPR.”
I leaned over him, pressing my palm to his chest while hovering over his face. Vaughn lifted up his hand and tucked my hair behind my ear. Time slowed. We stared at each other for a long moment, his dark eyes roaming my face with soft adoration. I leaned over and kissed him on the lips. And when I pulled away, he had a look of pure awe on his face. “Don’t leave me,” he pleaded.
I wanted to tell him I’d stay. I really did.
But instead, I opened my mouth and something completely lame fell out. “We should get up before someone runs over us.”
I hated the flash of disappointment on his face, but I wasn’t ready yet. I couldn’t tell him I was staying. Something still held me back, and I was determined to sort it out. I wanted to decide with zero regrets.
Chapter 6
“So, do you have an answer for me yet?” Mary asked. I’d been avoiding her call for two days. I’d looked over her offer, and honestly, it was too good to pass up. It was nearly double what I was making now. I’d have more freedom, better benefits, and all the facts Adam kept spouting off about San Francisco made me want to at least visit and see if it was someplace I could see myself living.
“I think I want to visit,” I explained. “I want to tour your building, look at some apartments, and see if it’s really somewhere I could see myself living,” I explained.
“Great. I’ll have my assistant book you a flight. Tomorrow good?” Mary asked with a chuckle.
I stared at Adam, who was pulling out all the ingredients for cookies in my kitchen and organizing the measuring cups by size and color. “I can’t. Adam has every day planned for Christmas activities. I can’t leave him.”
“Bring him with you!” Mary exclaimed. “My treat.”
I arched my brow. A last-minute trip with Adam? No. I once brought him to Minnesota to meet my parents, and he spent hours researching the plane we were on, things to do around my house, hotel reviews (because he didn’t want to stay at my childhood home and intrude). He would need more time.
“I don’t think that would work for us,” I replied, aware that Adam didn’t like me sharing his quirks with outsiders. “But maybe after the holidays?”