He came back with a box in his hand. I couldn’t see everything inside, but it had some of the things he mentioned.
In a hundred and fifty years of dating, I couldn’t remember a single time anyone put this much effort into surprising me with something this kind. I usually had to supply the romance. “Nick, this is amazing. You did all this last night?”
“Trevor helped, but yeah.” He put the box on the table. “He and I’ve done this before, so we already have the things we need in the apartment.”
How much did it suck that he was doing this sweet thing and he worried I’d find it lame. “No one’s ever surprised me with a movie and a picnic. Thank you.”
I pulled him close and kissed him. Much as I wanted to keep going, if I did we’d have to skip the run and would probably miss the movie too. “We should?—”
“Yeah.”
Neither of us moved until finally he snuck a last kiss and walked around me. “You can change in the bathroom if you like.”
I didn’t think Nick was a prude, so he was probably doing this for my benefit. “Or I can change with you.”
“Or that.”
He flashed me a cute, shy smile that tested my resolve to stick to the plan. I might have checked on his commitment to the movie and run, except he’d been the one to suggest we just sleep. Nick needed to be comfortable taking this to the next step. When he did I’d be ready.
We changed quickly and moved to the living room to stretch.
“Work has been weird all week,” Nick said, breaking the quiet.
Neither Brenda nor Trevor mentioned anything strange. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Since Monday, I’ve been blowing through my cases,” he shifted legs. “Like twice as fast as before, and I was already one of the top producers.”
No surprise on either count. Like running, Nick’s mental abilities were better than the average human. If his true powers were starting to emerge, he be able to power through the mundane work he did much faster than anyone else.
“Were the cases easier?” I asked. “Or so similar you didn’t need to think too hard?”
“That’s not how my job works,” he said, changing legs to stretch his left hamstring. “The process for each case is the same, input the numbers, review the results, evaluate them against a preset list of criteria. Half of it is tedious, the other part requires a bit of skill we got in training. Each case should take about an hour, or at least that’s what they allot us.
“For the past eighteen months, my average was about fifty minutes. This week it’s under thirty. It was like my brain is hyper stimulated and I could input, review and evaluate at warp speed. I didn’t know I was blowing through stuff at first. In the moment it doesn’t feel any different, but when I’m done I see it took me half the time.”
I let him talk to see if he was concerned or suspicious, but he just sounded amazed. “I wouldn’t complain too much. Keep this up and you’ll get a promotion.”
“I doubt it,” he said shaking his head. “But I do get a bonus based on production. If I can keep this up, I’ll get a nice…. I’ll get a bonus.”
Nick’s inferiority complex kicked in again and ruined something that made him happy and proud. To him this bonuswas a big deal. Measured against what he assumed I made it was a pittance. Once he learned the truth, Michael or the other archangels would make sure the fourth heir had enough money to live comfortably while he trained. I just needed to keep him positive until then.
“I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong,” I stood and helped him to his feet. We put a hand on the other’s shoulder and stretched our right quad muscles. “This isn’t a competition, Nick. I had the benefit of family money. You can’t compare what you make to me, because you’ve earned every penny. I didn’t. If anything, your bonus is worth more than my salary because no one handed you anything. Be proud of yourself. I am.”
“Thanks,” he said with a shy grin. Leaning closer, he kissed me on the cheek. “Why are you always so good to me?”
I doubted others hadn’t told him the same thing, but hearing it from the person he had a crush on made it seem so much more important. “Because you don’t give yourself the credit you deserve. Your family never acknowledged your achievements, so you don’t. But I’m not them, and I’m going to celebrate you when you deserve it.”
We switched legs and his cheeks turned pink. It didn’t diminish his smile, so I took it as a win.
“Don’t think flattery will make me go easy on you.”
Turning to something he knew he excelled at meant I was getting through to him. Money couldn’t buy you some things, and he was slowly realizing he had a lot to be proud of when it came to himself.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. How else will I get better.”
We were both sweaty messes when we reached the parking lot of his complex. Nick hadn’t gone all out, but he’d kept a fast pace. I was no longer confident I could keep up with him if he ran his fastest. My angel physiology couldn’t completely compensate for his superior stamina.
He led me once around the complex to cool off, and halfway through he pulled off his shirt. Like the first day I met him, I wanted to run my hands over his lean torso and track my fingers down the tantalizing treasure trail that started on his abs.
