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Nico’s truly an amazing cook, but it doesn’t matter because everything tastes like cardboard to me. I’m stressed and worried, and I just know I’m going to have nightmares again tonight.
I’ve had them every night since we began staying in the safehouses, waking up sweaty and running to the bathroom so I wouldn’t wake up Nico.
I find myself trembling a little as I reach for another slice of garlic bread, and Nico grabs my hand.
“Aurora,” he says firmly. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
I look into his sea-green eyes and I believe him, wholeheartedly, my breathing and heart rate slowing down.
Nico wouldn’t lie to me. Not about this.
We finish dinner, chatting idly about the pool and the things we’d bought. Again, it feels awfully domestic and I know that I’m going to miss this when we’re safe again.
Now that I think about it, how do I even know that Nico doesn’t have a girl waiting for him at home, worried about him.
“Nico,” I say, meaning to ask him, and he looks up at me. “Do you...” But I can’t finish that sentence. What if he says no? What if he says yes? I shake my head. “Never mind.”
“What is it,principessa?”he asks, and I realize I need an answer anyway.
“I just wanted to know if you have a girlfriend,” I say meekly, feeling stupid and small.
Nico laughs loud and open. “Absolutely not.”
I look at him curiously. “Really? You don’t?”
“You know about my reputation, Aurora. You know that I don’t do relationships.”
I hum. “Doesn’t mean you don’t have a girl who’d get mad if she knew you said that,” I tease, but I’m serious. I want to know if he’s seeing anyone else.
“Maybe,” he agrees, grinning. “But I don’t. Not right now.” He looks at me for a long moment. “What about you? Do you have someone at home?”
“Don’t you think Francesca would have told you about it?”
He shrugs. “She keeps your secrets.”
“She does? News to me,” I mutter, and Nico is still staring at me.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“You really think I have a boyfriend? Me?”
“Why wouldn’t you? Looking the way you do,” he says, sounding exasperated.
"I don’t,” I say simply. “Not in a really long time.”
Nico’s still staring at me intently. “Good,” he mutters.
“Why do you ask, Mr. Andretti?” I ask in a teasing tone. “Would you be jealous?”
“Very,” he admits, looking away for a moment as if embarrassed. “Guess I’m territorial.”
“Me too,” I admit. “That’s why I wanted to know.”
“Well, there’s only you,principessa,”he says softly, and my heart skips a few beats. “At least for now.”
I fight a frown.For now.
I know that this can’t last forever. I know that he’s going to ditch me the first chance he can, that he’s been stuck with me all this time. I know that he probably can’t wait to get rid of me.
