NICOLE

I run through the busy streets of Manhattan with headphones in my ears as I listen to some mix of electronic music that Stephanie recorded for my workouts.

When I didn’t have time to train, like in the case today, then I would extend my standard way home a bit and use it for running. In my office, I always kept a backpack with spare sports equipment, which proved to be a very useful and smart idea in these situations.

I run avoiding people who go to meet me and try to keep my brain clear, but that’s very hard for me considering I was dealing with a perfect gentleman today.

Today, Maximilian came to my dental office, as if there was no other dental office where a millionaire like him could go.

From the night I first saw him in my polyclinic, his eyes gave me no peace, haunting me both in waking up and in my sleep. As soon as I close my eyes I see them, two big brown eyes and those irresistibly long lashes. My diaphragm fails at the very thought of it, and my lungs become incapable of performing their basic physiological function, breathing.

I couldn’t describe how that man affected me and why I felt so close to him. I knew I needed to stay away from people like that and that love wasn’t for me, but I just couldn’t.

For years, I skillfully and without any problems avoided the men who wrapped themselves around my legs, and there were quite a number of them. No such man has ever left an impression on me, and I looked at them all superficially and completely uninterested, but Max...

Maximilian is different, everything about him intrigues me and draws me to him. The way he walks, the way he holds his shoulders, the look, the face, the attitude and that intoxicating smell. Everything on it acted like a magnet on me, a magnet I resisted very hard.

I walked three laps around the neighborhood and finally ran into the ravine and caught an empty elevator. The elevator in our building on all four sides was lined with mirrors and various gold ornaments, which gave it a falsely luxurious look.

I didn't sleep well last night and that fatigue was on my face. As I watched my reflection in the mirror my gaze fell on my lips. I remembered Max's touch on them and my fatigue was gone and my heart rate tripled in response to the adrenaline that was just intensifying in my body.

Come on, Nicole, you're acting like a kid. That woman doesn't look like you! Pull yourself together!!

I pulled the key out of my bag and entered the apartment where I was greeted by Astra at the entrance. The Astra is my sister's little Labrador that looks more like a small shaggy ball than a dog. She is just another attempt by my sister and her dear boyfriend to drive me crazy.

She was with us for almost a week and I already somehow fell in love with this shaggy creature, a source of microorganisms in my new and sterile apartment. At least that was until she moved in with us.

"Hey, Astra." I bent down to caress her behind the ears, which made her very happy, and she waved her little tail happily.

The sound of dishes came from the kitchen, which was very strange to me because Stephanie said she was going out with Leo, and Magda had a day off.

"Stephanie, I'm here." I called her after I put the keys on the locker next to the door and headed for the kitchen.

"You're finally here. I was waiting for you." I found a smiling Will in the kitchen.

"Will, what are you doing here?

"I see you're not glad to see me."

"Of course I'm glad, you just surprised me."

"That was my goal."

"Well he did it." I came over and hugged him, he returned my warm hug.

"You're cold, Nicole."

"I was outside, so it's normal to be cold. That's why you're burning, man, you have a hundred degrees in you."

"Come let me warm you up." He laughed, pulling me back into his arms.

"I'm sweaty."

"You ran."

"Yes."

"And I wonder where you've stayed so far."

"I stayed a little longer at work today, so I used this time home to train a little bit. I didn't have time to train these days."

He looked at me with raised eyebrows and a serious expression on his face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked because I couldn't see his gaze.

"Didn't I clearly forbid you to work for a minimum of two weeks?"

"Come on, William, you're not serious."

"Nothing. Come on, Will. Nicole, you're irresponsible about your health."

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Nicole, you're not well. The doctors diagnosed you with nervousness. Do you have any idea how dangerous that can be if you keep acting like that?"

"I know, I know, I know..."

"You don't know? If you knew, you wouldn't be behaving so irresponsibly Nicole. You have to rest, and you should have taken your annual leave and gone somewhere on vacation or at least just stopped working for a month."

"A month, so you're not normal!"

"Nicole, your clinic won't fail without you for a while, after all, you have people working for you, so let them do your job, too."

"There is no person who can do my job, Will."

"Then hire more people to do your job."

"It can't be that way."

"Your health should come first, Nicole. You're a health worker."

"For God's sake, I love my job. I love working, and it's therapy for me."

"No matter how much you love your job, your nerves are tense and it's a big alarm in your body, Nicole. If you continue like this, you'll cause more white and then a few days of rest won't be able to help you solve the problem."

"You don't understand me, William."

"Explain to me."

"It doesn't make sense, because you know how much I love working. If I listen to you doctors and leave my job for a few days, only then will I wake up and give more to finish this conversation."

"This conversation is not over."

"Will!!"

"We'll postpone it, but it's definitely not over, Miss Nicole."

"Okay, you didn't tell me what you were doing in my apartment and where Stephanie was?"

"I asked Stephanie for the keys to surprise you. She's with that blonde of hers."

"With Leo, good. ow did I deserve this surprise?"

"I wanted to distract you a little from work, to relax, and we never have time to hang out like we used to. At least tonight everything should be like before, to be old Nicole and William."

"I don't mind, only my old William doesn't know how to cook, and neither does the new one as I see it."

I laughed, pointing my finger at the smoke rising from the pan on the stove behind William.

"Jaoo my sauce." He moaned.

I laughed as I watched him try to save the situation. He was wearing a white translucent thin T-shirt that fit perfectly with his finely stretched muscles and dark blue pants.

"Sorry, I was really hot while I was cooking so I took off my sweater." He said, pointing to a brown sweater draped over a chair at the dining room table. The redness hit my cheeks, he noticed where I was looking.

"It's not a problem, are you cooking?!" I asked how to get off topic.

"Yes, for you."

"William, you don't know how to cook!"

"I know a little, I learned."

"Seriously, when?"

"When I lived with my grandmother."

"Are you kidding me."

"No, Brazilian cuisine is on the menu tonight."

William’s mother was Brazilian and her mother a professional cook at one of the famous traditional Brazilian restaurants. She rarely came to visit Villa so I only knew her from pictures from his room, but from his stories about her I knew she was a very kind and pleasant woman. William went on short visits to her over the summer, and for a short time he lived with her when his father worked for a Japanese company.

"Okay, we'll just see and I hope the rest went better than that sauce."

"It's your fault for the sauce, you could have told me earlier."

"What can I tell you, so you're a cook and it's your job to take care of the food. After all, you're standing in the kitchen so you don't feel anything burning?"

"Never mind, I bought the surplus groceries just in case so I'll save it again."

"I can't wait. I need to try everything in life, including your kitchen."

"Just kidding, you'll fall off your feet when you taste how delicious it is."

"We will see!"

"Shall we watch the movie later?"

"You have something special in mind?" I asked.

"I have, I'll show you."

"Can I take a shower first, I've had a really long day today?"

"You can of course, while you're taking a shower I'll finish the sauce and make popcorn."

"Agreed, I'll hurry."

I took a quick shower, got dressed, and hurried back to the kitchen. I watched Will cook and it was impossible to stay immune to those muscles in my kitchen.

"You are fast."

"Hmm, nothing nicer than a man in the kitchen." I laughed, and he looked at me confused.

"If I like what you've prepared and if you ever want to change your career you can work as my chef, just so you know."

"Ahh, are you sure?"

"No, wait for us to try it first even though it smells really nice. It promises a lot!"

"I'm just finishing up."

"To help you set the table."

"This is your vacation. You don't need to do anything. Just sit down, sit comfortably and choose the movie you want us to watch."

"Come on, it's not a problem for me to help you, since you prepared everything else yourself."

"I'm the boss tonight and you have to listen to me, Nicole."

"Alas good boss, where are the movies?"

"In the living room on a pillow."

"I'm going to take a good look at what you've prepared."

"Are we eating here in the living room?"

"We can."

William

I watch her read aloud the recommendations for the films I have chosen. She looked like a little girl in pink and white pajamas, loose hair and no makeup with those beautiful eyes and a smile shining on her face.

"Really, we don't have much?"

"No, we have, Nicole, all night."

"Okay, but which one first?"

"This one." I pointed to the movie in her right hand, a romantic comedy.

"Okay, he's going then."

"Come on, I'm going to get dessert."

"There's dessert too?!" She asked me in surprise.

"Yes, with cherries."

"I love cherries."

"I know that's why I saved it."

"Who are you? And what did you do with my William who doesn't even know how to cook an egg?"

"He kidnapped him and made him learn how to cook." We both laughed at this.

"I have no objection, this is fantastic." She told me as I entered the room where she was already choking on food.

"I'm glad you like it."

"It's too good, sorry I'm very hungry. I couldn't wait for you."

"Don't worry about it, just eat. Pleasant."

"Thank you, come too."

"I'm going to bring something else, I'll be right there."

"Okay."

I came back and we ate together enjoying the romantic scenes in the movie.

"Nicole, watch out, it's angry!!"

I said, but too late because she already had a mouth full of my overcooked minced meat. She blushed and spat everything out of her mouth onto the handkerchief I handed her.

"Owww, Will give me water... my mouth is burning up."

"Not water, I'll get you some milk."

"Voduu auuu."

"Why on earth did you eat that, that was for me?"

"How was I supposed to know that and what did you put there, a pound of hot peppers and two pounds of chili?"

I just laughed at handing her a glass of milk which she immediately drained.

"Slowly, Nicole you will get sick."

"Uhh, I'm lying now."

I stared into her beautiful face as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Don't laugh, he's very angry."

She didn't know that I wasn't laughing because she was red and funny, but out of kindness because she was so irresistible to my heart.

"Will, my lips are swollen and brides."

"It will pass." I blew into her lips and she laughed.

From looking at them, I remembered the day I saw her in the arms of Maximilian Keringen on the roof of the hospital. He hugged without any shame, pressing hers with his lips, and as far as I could see then, she didn't hate either.

I was mad at her for days after that and still would be, but today has changed everything. After talking to Stephanie, I realized that there was absolutely nothing between Nicole and Maximilian, at least she was convinced of that.

I wanted that black devil to get hold of Nicole at all costs, and I knew that the second I saw him look. Like a leopard a helpless deer cornered, but Nicole was not alone and cornered. I am here and I will be the lion that will fight that hyena for her, I will not let her go so easily. Nicole is mine, always has been and always will be.

"Are you okay?"

"It's better, thank you."

"You're welcome, how can you eat that, so spicy."

"I'm used to it, and since when do you not like, angry?"

"Well, I like William a little angrily, but that's..." She covered her mouth with her hands, to which I laughed out loud.

"Good good, here's a well-deserved dessert."

"What is that?"

"Try it, you'll like it."

I grabbed all four layers with a spoon and handed it to her, she looked at me suspiciously and opened her mouth.

“And what do you say?”

“Mmm, this is perfect Will, what's inside.”

"Eee, it's the boss's secret, I can't tell you."

"Come on, don't mess around, I want to know what makes a taste like this."

"Rum."

"Sam rum, come on Will!"

"Well rum and cherries are the main ingredients, the rest I can't tell you."

"Hmm, is that where I smell vanilla?"

"There's vanilla, too."

"Hmm butter and milk."

"Sharp palate, doctor."

"Cookie!"

"Yes, more?"

"Hmm I don't know anymore."

"Ahh too bad, you were so close."

"You really won't tell me."

"No."

"Okay, then give me more."

"No more, I made two."

"No more?" She looked at me sadly and laughed.

"I'll do it next time."

"So there will be more?"

"It will be, I hope."

"Yes!!"

She was thinking about dessert and I was thinking about something else but it didn’t matter that much now.

I knew I could succeed with Nicole. She was my soulmate and I was hers too. Since childhood, we have got along flawlessly, we love similar things, we have an infinite number of topics, and we have a rich history behind us. What more can a man wish for his life partner.

We are the perfect couple! You may not understand it yet but you will understand. I will be very persistent and patient. I will wait for you my whole life if I have to. Just to be mine, that's all I need in life.

I spoke to her to myself as her head lay on my shoulder. To her, this intimacy between us may not have been as strange to her and it didn't mean as much to her as it did to me, but at least she wanted to. I could notice how relaxed she was in my embrace and how much my closeness suited her.

We will be very happy, as before. Everything will be like before Nicole. You just need to trust me and want the same as me.

I put a gentle kiss on her forehead as I watched her fall asleep in my arms. I won’t wake her up, I’ll still enjoy being around her.

She smelled so beautiful, intoxicating, warm and familiar. As if I had never parted from her.

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