Right Under My Nose

by Parker, Ali

  The day itself had been perfect enough so far as it was. He had taken me to a bar where we’d spent the afternoon getting tipsy and playing games and blowing off some steam. I was still worried about what he’d told me regarding his ex and her appearance back in his life, but that felt so far away from us right now that it was hard to get too upset about it.

  He led me to my seat, and I looked out over the space in front of us. The place was packed, and the room was rich with anticipation. I didn’t even want to think how much it must have cost to get us in here on such short notice, but then money had never been a problem for Holden. He had flown all the way to Vegas with no notice, for goodness’ sake, it was obvious that he didn’t care much about spending cash if it meant we could be together. Which made me so happy—not that he treated me to so much but that nothing got in the way of the two of us being together.

  The lights dimmed, and I took Holden’s hand as the show started, and soon, I was caught up in the incredible act taking place before our eyes. I had watched some of this stuff online, idly checking ticket prices and assuming I would never get to see it in person, but it was stunning the way they moved, the artful control they displayed over every part of their bodies. I wished I could have that kind of grace, but if I had so much as thought about doing something like that, I would have tripped over my own feet before I got my hands on the trapeze.

  “Oh my God!” I gasped as one of them flew through the air, letting go of their platform to catch the hands of someone else dangling from their trapeze. I turned to Holden, eyes wide, and found that he was already looking at me. In fact, I had a feeling he hadn’t taken his eyes off me since the show had started. My heart warmed, and I almost said it then, almost told him I loved him. But the music swelled and drew my attention back to the stage, and I promised myself I wouldn’t wait much longer before I came out and told him the truth.

  We took in the rest of the show together, and I got completely caught up in the performance. The entire crowd was equally caught up, and it was awesome to be surrounded by people who were so engaged with something as whimsical as this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had allowed myself to get lost in something so utterly beautiful, and it felt good to let go of all those stressors I’d been carrying around the last few weeks and fill my brain with something incredible instead.

  “That was amazing,” I said with a sigh as soon as we were outside, surrounded by the excited chatter of the crowd who had watched the show.

  “It really was,” Holden agreed. “I didn’t think it would be that cool, but they were so talented.”

  “I would love to be able to do stuff like that.” I kicked one leg up in the air in a mimic of one of the moves they’d made on stage. Me being me, I instantly lost my balance, and Holden had to grab me to keep me upright.

  “Hey, whoa, there.” He laughed. “Maybe hold off on the acrobatic career for a little while longer.”

  “You can’t keep me from my passions,” I declared dramatically, but I stopped dancing in the street and let my feet hit the sidewalk below us once more. “What do you want to do now?”

  “Shall we just take a walk?” he suggested. “I think I need some fresh air.”

  “I’m not sure any of the air in this city could be described as fresh, but I’ll see what I can do.” I smiled, and the two of us turned to make our way back to the hotel. It was quite a way across town, but I was fine with that. I would have been happy to talk to him all night if possible. I couldn’t get enough of him and of what it felt like to be a real couple.

  I took his arm as we walked, and I noticed a few people glancing in our direction as we made our way down the street. I couldn’t help smiling. They thought we were nothing more than a normal couple in love enjoying an evening out in Vegas, which is what we were, and it was what I needed right now. The feel of his body next to mine was intoxicatingly good, the way his pace fell in time with my own reminding me he was paying attention to every little detail. I could have walked all night with him by my side.

  “Where’s Hunter right now?” I asked. I hadn’t given Hunter a lot of thought today, but I didn’t know who he was with or if he understood that his dad had come to Vegas to see me.

  “He’s with Raymond.” Holden shrugged. “Dropped him off there yesterday.”

  “Does he know?” I asked nervously. I wasn’t sure what I wanted here, if I would have preferred him to hold back a little or push forward and make it real to everyone. The thought of being all trussed up in this safe little bubble in Vegas where nobody knew what we were doing was appealing, I had to admit that, but we couldn’t stay that way forever. At some point, I was going to have to concede that the world beyond this city existed and give in to the fact that we had to return there, no matter how fun hiding from it had been.

  “About us? No, he doesn’t know.” Holden shook his head. “He’s been missing you like crazy, but I didn’t want to say anything about coming down here before I knew for sure what was happening one way or the other.”

  “That makes sense,” I agreed. “I’m glad you didn’t come out swinging with everything. Things are still so fresh.”

  “Yeah, I get that.” Holden nodded. “I didn’t know whether you were going to kick me to the curb as soon as you set eyes on me here.”

  “After I texted you all that stuff?” I reminded him. “You really think I’m that heartless?”

  “Sure,” he shot back playfully, and I slapped him gently on the arm.

  “Oh, come on, a little credit here,” I protested. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

  “Of course, you’re not,” he assured me, and I nestled against him.

  “What are you going to do with Hunter the rest of spring break?” I asked him. “I guess you could go back whenever you want, what with the jet and all.”

  “Sure can,” Holden agreed. “But I thought we could have another day here at least. Maybe head back on Tuesday?”

  “You sure you want to leave him that long?” I furrowed my brow, and he smiled at me.

  “Trust me. There’s nowhere in the world he would rather be than with Raymond and Olivia right now,” he assured me. “He loves it over there. I doubt he’ll even notice I’m away as long as he’s got them to distract him.”

  I laughed. “Oh, come on. You really think he won’t want to do something for spring break?”

  “I suggested a few things to him, but he didn’t seem that taken with any of them,” he replied, shaking his head. “I think he was pining after you. I know how that feels.”

  “Well, maybe we could do something together when we get back,” I suggested as we turned the corner on to the street with the hotel on it. “I wouldn’t want him to miss out on a fun break just because you were all the way out here romancing me.”

  “Don’t worry. When he finds out we’re back together, he’s going to be the happiest kid in the world,” Holden remarked.

  “Oh, we’re back together now, are we?” I raised my eyebrows at him. “Little presumptive, don’t you think?”

  “I didn’t mean to jump the gun,” he blurted out. “I just thought since we were—”

  “Of course, we are,” I soothed him, giggling at his reaction. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  “You need to stop playing me like that.” He grinned, a look of relief on his face, and I took his hand.

  “Couldn’t resist,” I replied breezily. “God, I’m looking forward to seeing Hunter when we get back. Maybe we could go out together, do something with the three of us?”

  Holden didn’t reply for a moment, and I turned to him to see him smiling at me.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Just…” He shook his head. “You always think about Hunter. It’s never just about you. That’s why I lo—”

  He cut himself off and quickly picked up the pace, but that couldn’t scrub the reality of what he’d nearly said from my head. My eyes widened, and I silently implored him to pick up where he’d left off. B
ut he didn’t.

  “That’s why we love spending time with you,” he finished up carefully. “Hunter and I both. You’re so thoughtful of the both of us, and I know he appreciates it as much as I do.”

  “Anytime,” I replied, and in my head, I pleaded with him to say the words I knew had been on the tip of his tongue. They had been so close, I could almost taste them, could almost feel them rolling out of his mouth and into my mind, the words I had longed to hear for so long. I love you. But I knew there was no point pressing the issue. He would come out with that when he was good and ready, and it was clear he wasn’t quite there yet, for whatever reason, which I had to respect. No matter how much I wanted to grab him and tell him I felt the same way.

  “Come on. Let’s get back to our room.” He tugged on my hand and flashed me a smile. “The night’s not over yet.”

  Returning his grin, I followed him back to our hotel room, knowing he was right. There was still a whole heap in this relationship that we had ahead of us, and I made a promise to myself right there and then that I was going to sit back, enjoy the ride, and not push for things to go any faster than they already were. We would get there in the end, and that was all that really mattered.

  55

  Holden

  I pressed my ear to the bathroom door to make sure Autumn was in the shower and not about to burst out on me. Satisfied by the sound of the gushing water, I snuck out of the hotel room and headed down the stairs to reception. I hoped my surprise had already arrived by now. I’d ordered it for express delivery, and I wanted it here by tonight to prove to Autumn that I had been paying attention to her wants and needs on this trip.

  I had so nearly said those powerful words the night before, nearly let it slip out when I wasn’t ready for it. That was crazy because the last thing I needed right now was to come out with something as bold and big as I love you. It wasn’t the kind of thing I let slip out at random. When I said it to her, I was going to be sure she would say it back, and I was going to be dead-certain she knew I meant it. It wasn’t something to blurt out after a night on the town together when we’d spent the most of the day drinking and goofing off.

  I had noticed her eyeing a dress when we walked to the hotel that evening—a red number in the window of a boutique down the street from the hotel as we were passing. I knew at once that she had to have it. I would have done anything to make it so she had everything she wanted, not to mention that I thought she would look incredible in the red dress. My mind drifted back to our very first unofficial date when she’d taken me shopping for a suit, and I grinned. How the tables had turned.

  I arrived down at reception and waited patiently for the woman to turn her attention to me. I smiled when she did, unable to keep the grin from my face.

  “Hi. I think there’s a package here for me?” I told her. “Holden?”

  “Oh, right, sure.” The woman reached beneath the desk and handed me a small, slim, soft package. “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.” I nodded to her and headed back up the stairs to the hotel room. Autumn had been complaining about not knowing what to wear earlier, given that we were headed to one of the fanciest restaurants in the city, but I had the perfect solution to her problem. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face.

  I opened the door and found her sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a towel, her arms wound around herself protectively. She looked nervous, and she gazed up at me as soon as I walked into the room.

  “I thought you’d left.” She furrowed her brow. “Where did you go?”

  “I was just picking this up for you,” I assured her, handing her the package.

  She smiled at me and took it with a shake of her head. “What is it?”

  “Open it, and you’ll see,” I told her with a grin. She did as she was told and then gasped and laughed when the red dress fell out into her hands.

  “Is this the one I was looking at yesterday?” she asked, passing it back and forth in her hands. I nodded.

  “I just wanted you to have it,” I told her.

  She gave me a kiss on the cheek before heading into the bathroom with the dress. “Well, you’ve solved my problem of what to wear this evening. How long before we need to go?”

  “Half an hour,” I called to her as she closed the door behind her. I went to grab something to change into myself. At least I’d grabbed a suit earlier in the day, so I had something presentable to take my lady out in. I wanted to show her a seriously good time tonight. Yesterday had been fun, but tonight was going to be incredible.

  She emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, transformed in her red dress and a pair of black heels with her makeup dark and smoky. She twirled before me with a giggle.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  “You look good enough to eat,” I replied, and she flushed a little.

  “Well, save it for the restaurant, yeah?” she teased, taking my hand as we headed to the door. “I like the new suit.”

  “I like the new dress,” I replied as we stepped into the elevator. She snuggled into me once more. She had been doing that a lot, as though she couldn’t keep her hands off me. It was a good feeling, one that I shared with her.

  “Where is this place that you’re taking me again?” She furrowed her brow as we headed out of the hotel and climbed into a cab.

  “I did some website work for them a good few years ago,” I said. “When I was done, I came down to take a look at the place, and I fell in love with it. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve wanted to take someone I was dating there ever since, so you earn the honors.”

  She grinned. “Well, I’m touched. You saved this for me, and you hadn’t even met me yet.”

  “Sure did,” I said as I watched the Vegas streets whip by outside.

  We arrived outside the building the restaurant was in, and she frowned when we stepped out of the cab. I had to admit, from the outside, it didn’t look like much—but then, that was part of its charm.

  “I know it doesn’t look like a lot from out here,” I assured her. “But when you see the inside…”

  “All right, show me.” She waved her hand for me to lead on. “I’ve got to see this amazing place already.”

  I headed into the building where a host was waiting by a sleek glass elevator. He glanced up when I walked in and offered us both a welcoming smile.

  “Holden,” I said. “We have a reservation for seven.”

  The host turned his gaze to the pad in front of him, his eyes scanning over it quickly, and then he pressed his finger into the paper and nodded.

  “Please, take the elevator to the top floor.” He gestured to the elevator beside him. “You’ll be taken to your table from there. Enjoy your evening.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded to him, and Autumn gave me a wide-eyed look of “what the hell is going on?” as we slipped into the elevator that whisked us up to the top floor. When we stepped out, her jaw dropped.

  “Oh, you have to be kidding me,” she murmured as she looked around the place. Even I had to admit, the restaurant looked even better than I remembered it.

  Huge windows looked out over the sparkling city of Vegas laid out below us. Shimmering glass chandeliers dripped from the ceiling and cast a cool, expensive glow over everything. There were only a handful of tables, and all of them were full except one, which we were swiftly led to. Autumn took her seat opposite me and turned to take in the view.

  “How do I not know about this place already?” she asked, turning back to me. “Why doesn’t everyone come here? It’s amazing.”

  “It’s the sort of place you have to know about already,” I explained. “They don’t advertise a lot. I think they like to keep the clientele small and exclusive.”

  “It’s incredible,” she dragged her eyes away from the view to look at me. “Thank you so much for bringing me here. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  “You have no idea how much you mean to me.” I took her hand as th
e waiter approached with the wine list and a menu, and she beamed across the table in my direction. My heart swelled with love for her, and I almost dropped the words right then and there, but the waiter passed us our menus and let us know the specials, and the moment wasn’t quite right. Yet.

  “Oh my God, all of this looks so good,” she said as she cast her gaze over the food on the menu. “What do you get when you’re here?”

  “I try to get a mix of everything,” I replied. “They had some incredible chefs here. It’d be a shame to miss out on anything they’re cooking up.”

  “Then let’s do that.” She nodded, closing her menu. “You choose what we have. I know you’ll make the right choice.”

  “Bold,” I teased her. “What if I make the wrong one, and the entire night is ruined?”

  “I guess I’ll just have to hold it against you,” she teased, leaning forward.

  “As long as you’re not wearing that dress when you’re holding yourself against me.” I raised my eyebrows at her playfully, and she let out a burst of laughter that attracted the attention of the other patrons. She slapped her hand over her mouth and glanced around apologetically, but most of them seemed more amused by her outburst than anything.

  “Stop it. We’re in a classy establishment,” she scolded me. “I don’t want to get booted out because you can’t keep it in your pants.”

  “Hey, I’m just making the most of the fact that it’s only the two of us,” I pointed out. “We don’t often get this time to ourselves, what with Hunter and everything.”

  “Speaking of Hunter,” She hesitated for a moment, “what’s going to happen when we get back? With… well, with everyone?”

  “I don’t think we need to worry about that now,” I soothed her gently. “Let’s have a good time while we’re here, and we can figure out the details when we get home, all right?”