AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But he could also quickly grow tired of me holding him back.
Or he could disappoint me again and ruin our friendship for good.
I look up at him.“What about whereyouwant to go? This is your trip.”
Nico tips his head forward, and a couple of loose brown waves spiral over his brows. “Lily, I’ve been on a hundred adventures, but if I only get thisonewith you, I want to make it special. See the world through your eyes.”
Definitelynotsomething a friend says to a friend. Especially not when thatsomethinghas sent my heart into a chaotic rhythm.
Ah, fuck it.
How bad can things get?I never take real risks for myself anymore, and maybe it’s time to start.
“London.” The location bursts out of me before I have a chance to stop it.
Nico gives me a soft smirk. “London?”
“Van Gogh’s sunflower painting is at the National Gallery, and I want to see it in person.”
Truth is, I hadn’t thought much about where I’d want to spend the rest of this summer, but that was the best I could come up with.
“London’s similar to New York. You may enjoy the familiarity.” He nods. “I guess I didn’t realize you were such a purveyor of the arts.”
I dig my new phone out of my bag, click it on, and point it at his face. “The painting has always been my wallpaper.” It brought me a lot of happiness through some dark years. “I figure if I’ve looked at it every day for the past decade, then I want to see the real thing.”
He pulls the screen close, lighting up with amusement. “Got it. Anything else you’d like to do there?”
“Not sure. Have you been?”
“Yeah, my old cofounder lives there.” Meeting Nico’s old partner would be cool. I bet he’ll have all sorts of embarrassing dirt from their younger years. “I haven’t seen him in a few months. It’ll be great to catch up.”
This feels too simple.“You don’t mind going somewhere you’ve already traveled to?”
Nico uncrosses his legs and leans toward me. His biceps flex when his arms meet the table. I swallow away the dryness in my throat.
“On the contrary, I’d love to show you around a place I’ve been. We can stay for a few weeks, maybe travel around Europe a bit? Aren’t Avery and Luca going to the Azores for their honeymoon in July?”
My head nods, bobbing like a buoy on the bay from the rush of excitement.
Wow.
Maybe I’m really doing this. Nico and I are really doing this.
Worry blooms in my chest that this will all fall apart but it’s Nico. He wouldn't hurt me on purpose again. At least, I hope not.
“So, it’s settled. London’s next.” Nico winks his agonizingly delicious wink, and I have the sudden urge to connect my lips to his.
“Just like that?” I don’t quite believe he’s committing to a plan.
“Just like that. What about the end of summer? Where would you like to spend August, Lily Rodin?”
I rotate through the different destinations we could hit. The overwhelming possibilities make me more indecisive than usual.
Maybe we can go somewhere from the backpacking trip I planned back in the day. No, that would bring a whole flood of memories I don’t want to think about.
My mind lands on something from my Ancient Greek literature lecture a few semesters ago. “Cyprus. I think Aphrodite was born there. It would be cool to go somewhere a goddess lived.”
“Well, if you want to see a goddess, we can stay right here,” he teases, and I feign rolling my eyes.
