“I’m glad too. We don’t always have a lot of time together, and I really missed my friend when he moved to Brisbane. It’s great to have him back.”
A little more small talk and I was about to make my excuses and head home when I shivered, a feeling of being watched making me turn to scan the crowd. I didn’t notice anyone, so Alex and I said goodbye to Ant and BJ, resting my hand on Alex’s shoulder as we headed to the door.
I offered Alex a ride, but I got the impression he wasn’t headed home, a suspicion confirmed when he walked past my car away from the train station. I pulled my jacket around me and walked down the road. Right as I unlocked it, I heard my name. I was lost in my thoughts, so it made me jump.
I turned to see Nicholas walking towards me, glancing around as if looking for something.
He chuckled. “Sorry.”
I smiled. “No problem, just not paying attention.”
His small smile faded, and he seemed to hesitate before speaking again. He opened his mouth to speak twice and closed it again, before he finally spoke. “Your friend gone?”
“Sorry?” I asked
“The, ahh, the guy you were with.”
“Oh, Alex? Yeah, he headed off.”
Nicholas nodded but looked like he had more to say, so I waited.
“Well, I was just wondering, if you weren’t busy on Saturday night, if you would have dinner with me?”
“Dinner?” I asked, surprised. I definitely had the impression Nicholas was similar to Sean, wanting completely no-strings-attached fun.
Nicholas glanced at his feet, then back at me with a small smile: the first moment of uncertainty I had seen, and it was endearing. “Yes, well, if you’re free… and if you want to, obviously.”
God, could the man be any more adorable?
“Yes, absolutely. I mean, yeah, I’m free. Dinner sounds great.”
We stood there smiling awkwardly at each other for a few more seconds before exchanging numbers.
I was sitting at my desk, double-checking my report, when my phone beeped. I finished up and submitted the report before picking up my phone, smiling when I saw the text.
Is the Farmhouse okay for Saturday night? 6:30?
Then, a minute later, another text.
It’s Nicholas, by the way.
I smiled, probably looking like a nutjob, and shook my head before replying.
Sure. As opposed to all the other men I agreed to have a date with on Saturday night?
No response. I frowned, looking at my phone. Date. Shit. I called it a date. Maybe that freaked him out. Shit. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure how to take that back without making it an even bigger deal, so I let it go and concentrated on my work. I didn’t hear from Nicholas again until the following afternoon.
Hi. Farmhouse booked for 6:30, if that is still okay. I will meet you there.
Okay, so maybe not a date exactly, but he didn’t completely freak...
Sure. Sounds great.
Before we headed to the airport, it had been a long morning of phone tag with the Australian Federal Police, the organized crime guys in the State Crime Command, and the dog unit. Both Ian and I weren’t one hundred percent confident in the reliability of our information, and I had a feeling it was going to be another wasted morning. Well, maybe not wasted. Ending up with nothing in itself gave us some information, but I certainly wasn’t anticipating the big show the Australian Federal Police were expecting.
Ian glanced at me from the front passenger seat as I looked up from checking my phone Again. I didn’t know why I was bothering. It hadn’t made a sound all morning, other than Tim with a few ideas for Mum’s birthday I was ignoring until after work. And Nicholas probably wasn’t going to contact me anyway. I hadn’t heard from him since the texts a few days ago.
“Whoever he is, I can guarantee his dick isn’t so magical it is worth you being distracted on the job, Ky.”
Ian’s voice was stern, and I nodded.
“Sorry.” I put my phone away.
A noise of disgust came from one of the other guys. I glared, and Grayson looked away. Wise choice.
As predicted, the morning was a waste. Ian took his team to the baggage area, and I led mine to the gates. I ran through what was expected again, since several people on my team were unknown to me. My usual team knew me, even dickhead Grayson, but I didn’t like working with strangers.
Thankfully, the officers I hadn’t met before were professional, listened to my instructions, and slotted in easily with my usual team members. They asked appropriate questions and were happy to follow my lead. Only two of the five passengers we were expecting boarded the connecting flight in Melbourne, and they were detained with absolutely zero fuss while their bags were searched. Ian and I were frustrated but not surprised, and he was finishing up on a phone call when I heard a familiar voice.
Nicholas.
His voice was unmistakable, and I should probably have been a little embarrassed to have a physical reaction from his voice alone. But I wasn’t. I found him in the crowd walking towards the exit. Without thinking, I left Ian with our kits and walked towards him. I could hear him chuckling with whoever he was talking to on the phone.
“Karma is a bitch, just like you, Eric… You’re lucky I love you. You couldn’t live without me.”
Just as I froze, he saw me, and after a brief moment of surprise, he smiled warmly and ended his call. I was still frozen as he reached a hand out to shake mine and asked what I was doing there.
Before I could answer or even get my brain to form a thought, Ian called out, “Ky, let’s go. You have a briefing, and I have shit to do. Your boyfriend will have to wait.”
Nick's eyes widened at the word boyfriend for a moment. Then he stepped back, and my heart sank in my chest. I mean, not that my heart was involved. No way. But Nicholas’s reaction to Ian’s comment still felt like rejection.
“I’ll see you Saturday, I guess,” I muttered and turned to follow Ian.
Eventually, Saturday came around and I headed into the city to meet Nicholas. Getting off the train at Kings Cross, I wandered down to Farmhouse. I had never eaten there, but I had googled it, and it looked amazing. As I neared the doors, I slowed. I was a few minutes early for the 6:30 booking and didn’t want to sit by myself for too long looking like an idiot. The restaurant doors opened, and a voice greeted me. “Hey, are you Ky?”
I turned to the voice as my phone beeped. Ignoring it, I answered the lady in front of me.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
She smiled warmly. “Sorry, Nicholas called to let us know he would be ten minutes late and to make sure you were looked after. Let me show you inside.”
I followed her. The restaurant was far smaller and far simpler than I anticipated, given Nicholas’s tastes in cars and clothes.
After I was left to myself with a drink, I checked my phone and saw a text from Nicholas telling me he’d be late, as well as one from an old university friend reminding me about the touch football season about to start. I fired off a reply agreeing to a get-together with the touch football team and was finishing off a work email when I heard Nicholas greet someone at the door. He was smiling politely and shaking hands with the woman who had shown me to my table. I was surprised to see Nicholas in a spectacular dark suit that looked like it was made just for him.