With just a few steps left, she felt Luke take hold of her waist to help steady her down the slippery ladder. Instantly at the feeling, Nikki let go of the ladder and instinctively fell into Luke’s arms. He held her suspended in the rain for a moment before she slipped down to the ground. She stood there completely wrapped in his arms. Even though the rain down-poured on them, the only thing she felt was his touch.
The intensity of their attraction was all-consuming. Nikki didn’t want this moment to end. And from how Luke didn’t let go of her, she knew he felt the same.
There were so many things that Nikki wanted to say, but she didn’t have a chance. Luke took the lead speaking first. It was as though the dam of his honesty and emotion had been broken down since he opened up to her on the rooftop. With every word he said to her now, Nikki cherished what that dam had been holding back.
“Nikki. I need to tell you something before you go tonight.”
Nikki didn’t say a word, giving a look of vulnerability to a man with whom she knew she was undeniably falling in love.
“Nikki, the reason I want to take things slow physically is because I’m waiting for the right moment – because I know we’re going to have the rest of our lives together. Because I know that once I let you in fully, I’ll never let go of you.”
A flood of emotion cascaded inside of Nikki. Since laying on him on top of the roof, Nikki had hoped that he’d bear his heart to her by the end of the night. And the sincerity and depth of what he was saying totally caught her off guard. Tears instantly flowed from her eyes like a steady river of joy. Though it was raining, her tears were still noticeable from the overwhelming connection she knew that they had with each other. She continued listening to Luke pour himself out thru every beautiful, meaningful word.
“When I’m ready to fully commit myself to anyone, it’ll be you, Nikki. I knew it the moment I met you. I saw it in your eyes, too, the first time we met. And I knew it again the moment that fate drew us together weeks later. I didn’t know if I believed in fate until I met you. It’ll be you, Nikki, and only you - forever and always – when I’m ready. And I almost am. I just never expected to meet someone like you, and I’m still getting used to the idea that someone as amazing as you would be in my life..”
He sealed his devotion to her with a passionate kiss that seemed to make the cold rain actually feel good. Never before had Nikki felt this way. She didn’t want the rainstorm of their emotion to end, let alone the night.
When they finally pulled away, she asked the one thing on her mind: “When can I see you next? Tomorrow?”
“I work a double shift tomorrow. I told my boss I’d help make up for being late today. But the day after I’m free.”
“Meet you here?” Nikki asked, completely willing to let this impressive part of his life into her own routine.
Luke smirked, recognizing how lucky he was to have met someone so completely accepting of what he spent so much time doing. But he shook his head. “No. I wanna do something that you like doing.”
Nikki smiled at his request. She didn’t have a clue what that would be. All she knew was that she’d come up with something within the next day. The truth was, she didn’t really care what it was they did, and she doubted Luke cared much either. She just knew that they wanted to be with each other. Being thrilled that they had finally exchanged phone numbers earlier in the night, Nikki leaned in and whispered in his ear: “I’ll text you.”
She had to feel him on her lips one more time, but wanted to respect his boundaries. So, she gently kissed his cheek, letting the rain-soaked kiss linger for a moment longer due to how good it felt, before finally pulling away. “See you in a couple of days, then, Luke.”
Nikki pulled away and saw Luke open his eyes after they’d been closed during her parting kiss.
“Can’t wait.” He said with a serene smile.
On the drive back to the city thru the rain, Nikki’s mind raced with excitement at everything that had happened on this unexpected evening. The possibilities were endless. The feeling euphoric. The hopefulness transcendent. But through it all, something Luke had said to her stood out. Thru his outpour of love while standing in the parking lot amid the rainstorm, he had said he’d be hers – but once he was ready. Nikki knew he’d been through a lot lately with having lost not just his adoptive mother, but the one person who had ever really been there for him in his life. She didn’t know how long it would take him to feel ready to let someone else into his life fully, but he said he knew it’d be soon. And the fact he said it’d be soon made one thing she’d forgotten about since she stepped into the VIP room come flooding back into her mind.
Ryan. Nikki had to end things with Ryan. She knew it, but wasn’t looking forward to it. He was such a good, down-to-earth, funny, and physically attractive guy. If she hadn’t had met Luke, then she knew she’d feel lucky to have connected with Ryan. And she knew this because she still felt that way. She really enjoyed being around Ryan.
“Huh!” At the thought of Ryan, she audibly gasped out loud. When asking Luke if she’d see him tomorrow, she’d completely forgotten that she already had plans to go out with Ryan tomorrow. He’d been hinting at planning something special. It broke Nikki’s heart to realize that she’d end up having to turn a special date, which he’d been planning for a while, into a break up. But she knew it needed to be done.
Just as Luke mentioned he’d be ready for her soon, breaking up with Ryan was just one thing Nikki knew she had to do to be ready for Luke. Nikki knew that Luke still had to prepare himself mentally, and breaking up with Ryan was what Nikki had to do to also be ready to finally let love manifest in her life. She had to do it.
Chapter 18
The next evening, Nikki parked her car and walked cautiously to an unknown address which Ryan had mysteriously texted her. She hadn’t been to this part of the city much, so she had no clue where the address would lead, let alone what Ryan had in store for her. But that wasn’t the part which made her cautiously approach the tall building. Nikki’s heartbeat showed her nervousness at having to end things with Ryan, and she knew it.
But Nikki couldn’t figure out why she was nervous. She had ended things with many men before without any sign of nervousness at all. In fact, she’d even ended things with Ryan after their first dinner date without any problem. She’d done this type of thing countless times before. So, she was confused about why it seemed so nerve-wracking this time.
As she approached a rustic, brick building downtown, a thought suddenly entered her mind. She knew why it was so difficult now compared to all of the prior times she’d ended things with guys. She actually knew Ryan now – and knew him pretty well. If not for the sporadic evening with Luke last night, Nikki would otherwise have been beyond ecstatic to get to go on a date with the incredibly handsome man. Why wouldn’t she? Not only had she been searching for love for so long, but Ryan had several of the traits she’d always hoped for. He was personable, had a great sense of humor, made her feel wanted, and also made her feel physically secure due to his strong build. Sure, he had some things to work on, like opening up emotionally, but Nikki figured that no man would ever have been able to check all of her boxes. Thinking about all the reasons why she’d chosen to give Ryan a second date, and how she’d enjoyed the last several weeks of dates since then, made Nikki realize why she was nervous to see Ryan tonight. That nervousness was actually reluctance. She liked Ryan as a person, no doubt, and letting him down would be a tough thing to see him experience.