That pep talk that Nick gave Henry clearly did something to boost his confidence. Just look at how things turned about between him and Yolanda. Lily needed someone to give her pep talks and advice, to help her the way Nick helped Henry . . .
The sensible choice would be for Lily to go back inside of Violet’s apartment and lick her wounds after being rejected. But Lily wasn’t thinking sensibly. She was desperate.
She ran into the stairwell and hurried to catch up with Nick.
Nick raced down the stairs to the lobby, quite possibly on the verge of losing his mind. The book, the cat, hell, even the fact that she used to work at a bookstore could all be coincidental. But the tattoo on her foot confirmed it.
Lily from across the hall was Lily G. from his emails.
But how? How was that fucking possible?
Nick was rushing down the stairs so quickly he could hardly catch his breath. If he wasn’t more careful, he might slip and hurt himself. But he was too frantic to focus on his safety. He thought back and tried to remember the first time he’d seen Lily. It had been sometime last month. She’d been carrying a large stack of books as she’d stepped onto the elevator, and she’d peeked around the stack to ask if he could press 14. He’d glanced at her to say he’d already done so, but then he did a double take when he’d noticed her beautiful face behind all of those books. Her warm brown eyes and soft smile. Dumbstruck, he’d stared at her. That was the first moment he’d felt overcome with an inexplicable feeling in her presence, like a bolt of lightning had zapped him directly in the chest. Immediately, he’d thought, Who is she? How can I get to know her?
Well, the fucking joke was on him, because he did know her. She’d spent most of last year living in his inbox.
Not only did he know her, but now he knew that she smelled like the sweetest scent of vanilla. He knew how her skin tasted, and how amazing it felt to hold her soft body in his arms. He had proof that Lily was kind and smart and funny. All the things he knew she’d be. What were the odds that they lived in the same building? He had only himself to blame. He’d moved to Union Square to feel nearer to Lily. Little did he know just how near he’d get. He’d have to seclude himself in his apartment. He’d become a hermit until his lease ended so that he’d never have to run into Lily again.
He walked out onto the busy street and forgot where it was that he was supposed to be going. Oh yeah, IKEA, for unnecessary furniture. Just an excuse to get away. He hailed a taxi and as it pulled up in front of him, he heard Lily shout his name.
Nick whipped around to see her hurrying out of their building. He froze in the act of opening the backseat door of the taxi. What was he doing? He should get in the taxi and leave. But he was glued to the spot. Against his will, against his better judgment. His attention was fixated on Lily’s flushed cheeks and the way her chest rose and fell with each deep breath, slightly winded from running to catch up to him. She’d looked like that right before she’d pressed her lips against his.
He was staring at her. Gawking, really. She wore tiny gold hoops in each ear, and she had a small mole underneath her right eye. He’d noticed her beauty while standing near her in the hallway or the elevator but being this close to her and taking in her features all at once was a different story. He knew he should stop trying to commit everything about her to memory, but somehow, she was right here in the flesh. It was impossible. If Nick were a normal person, he would be thrilled at a second chance to start over with Lily. But Nick wasn’t normal. Every good thing he touched turned to shit. He couldn’t do that to Lily. He wouldn’t.
“I have to, uh, go,” he said, climbing into the taxi. To his shock, Lily dove into the backseat right beside him, crowding his space. “What are you do—”
“I can help you look for furniture,” she said quickly.
Nick shook his head, gaping at her. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Where are you going?” the cabdriver asked them impatiently.
“The IKEA in Red Hook, please,” Lily said. The driver grunted in response and merged into traffic. Lily turned to face Nick. “I helped my sister Iris furnish her den when she redid it. I’m decent at that kind of thing. I just need a favor from you in return.”
What he should have said was no. A simple, resolute no. This whole situation was ridiculous. Instead, he focused on her intense and earnest expression and was compelled to ask, “What’s the favor?”
“If you can’t go with me to my sister’s wedding, I need you to help me find a date.”
Nick blinked. He remembered now that she’d asked him to be her date when he’d been in the middle of hightailing it out of her apartment. And he’d turned her down, but he didn’t have another choice. He felt like shit.
“Me?” he said. “I’m really sorry but I don’t know anyone. My only two friends in this city are happily engaged and gay.”
“I don’t want you to set me up. I saw what you did for Henry. I just witnessed him and Yolanda together. They’re practically lovebirds. You boosted his confidence and told him what to say to her, and it worked. Clearly you know what you’re doing because . . . well, you were upstairs in my apartment and you see how that went . . .” She trailed off and glanced away. Nick felt heat creep up his neck at the memory of his hands palming Lily’s thick hips. “What I’m trying to say is that I have no game. I need your help more than Henry did. I want you to show me how to talk to guys. Teach me how to flirt.”
For a moment, Nick was speechless. She thought she needed his help flirting? From what had just happened upstairs in her kitchen, she was the master and he was the novice. He’d practically fallen at her feet and worshipped her.
“Lily . . .” He shook his head again, glancing down. “You don’t need help, and I wouldn’t be that much help to you anyway. I’m just me, a nobody. You’re fine, really.”
“I’m not, though,” she insisted. The urgent tone in her voice made him look up at her face again. Her big brown eyes were pleading. “I’m desperate. I told you that I have a bet going with my sisters to find my own date and it’s serious to me. I have to win. If I knew someone else to ask for help, I would, but I don’t. I know it’s awkward because I kissed you earlier, but can we just move on and forget that happened?”
“The kiss was mutual,” he said, although admitting so wouldn’t make things any better. He was digging himself into a hole, but he couldn’t let Lily believe that he found her undesirable, that he hadn’t wanted to kiss her too. “But you’re right. We should move on.”
This was all too ironic. If Lily knew that he was Strick, she wouldn’t be asking for his help. She’d probably want to slap him, as he more than deserved.
“If you help me, I’ll leave you alone afterward,” she said. “I swear.”
Nick’s chest tightened at her words. He chose not to examine why the thought of her leaving him alone made him feel like he’d just barely survived an earthquake.
Lily sat there looking at him, anxiously awaiting his response. What he needed to do was put as much space between them as possible, for his good and hers.