Nik puts the pasta in a large pot to cook. It shouldn't take too terribly long since it is fresh pasta. Five minutes go by, and the pasta is ready to plate. He grabs two plates, and spoons a mound of pasta onto each plate, leaving a small divot in the center for the sauce. He pours the sauce and then sprinkles some fresh parmesan on top.
Jane is still upstairs so Nik decides to take this extra time to clean up his kitchen mess, set the table, and pour some drinks. 'It's not too early for wine right? We are on vacation,' Nik thinks to himself. Remembering that Jane got pissed with the expensive wine from earlier, Nik decides to do some random cheap store brand wine that he was gifted during an office party way back when he was just managing one of the Pharmcorp buildings.
Man time sure does fly by fast. He pops the cork, letting the maroon liquid fill each glass to the brim. "That looks fancy." Jane hops off the last step, still towel-drying her long dark hair. She is wearing a pair of black leggings and a long, white t-shirt with a faded NASA logo on it. Nik vaguely remembers seeing stuff like this at the mall when he was a teen.
"Nothing too fancy. Just your basic spaghetti with red sauce. You hungry?"
"After all the swimming, running around, and uh ... other stuff, I am starved. I'm impressed. I don't think I know how to make fresh pasta. I've only ever used the boxed stuff." Nik chokes on his wine. Boxed pasta, is disgusting.
"How could you do that to yourself? That stuff is so gross. It always tastes stale and like the cardboard box, it came in. You poor poor woman." Nik motions towards the seat next to his, wanting Jane to sit down and have a bite of REAL pasta.
"Yeah, I am a poor woman. That is the exact reason why I have eaten and will continue to eat boxed pasta. You are such a pasta snob." Nik chuckles, accepting this new title he has been given. Jane sits down in the spot Nik has prepared for her. She tosses her towel on the back of the chair, making a mental note to remember to take it up right after lunch so that she doesn't ruin the chair with the moisture from her towel.
She picks up her fork and swirls it around the plate, picking up a hefty bite of pasta. She scoops it into her mouth, letting the flavors hit her tongue one at a time. She lets out a content sigh. The eggy and salty pasta coupled with the acidity from the tomatoes in the sauce is heavenly. "I take that as I sign that I did a good job." Nik smirks, proud of himself for what he was able to accomplish in the kitchen today.
He had fun cooking for more than just himself. They continue lunch just like this, eating, talking, Nik complaining about boxed pasta, etc. It was a lovely lunch and an even lovelier way to spend the late afternoon. After Nik and Jane have cleaned up their places, Nik takes Jane into the library. He remembers her face when they first walked past the book-filled haven. He wants to see it again.
Jane recognizes exactly where they are headed and rushes on ahead to see it. As she opens the doors her nose is greeted by the welcoming smell of aging paper. She will never get over the smell of old books, it's one of her favorites. Nik walks through the aisleways trying to find something interesting to read. He has read most of these books so searching for something new to read takes him a bit.
Once he has secured his reading material he heads in the direction of the large brown leather couch that rests in the center of the room. Jane has already picked her book and is reading along feverishly. She doesn't even notice as Nik sits down next to her. He decides sitting isn't comfortable enough, so he lays down, head on her lap this time. That's when Jane finally notices her chair neighbor. "You spooked me."
"How did I spook you? I said your name like two times. What are you reading that's got you off in your own world?"
"Oh, I don't know what it's called. I picked it because I liked the title and the cover. It looks like it's called 'Jane Eyre.' So far it seems to be about an orphan girl with a shitty aunt and shitty cousin."
"You like the title? Because it has your name in it? I didn't know you were so self-obsessed doll." Nik teases her, waiting for some snarky response but receiving none. Jane is already re-absorbed into the world of Jane Eyre and pays no mind to the silly comment. Nik opens the book he chose.
They read like this, in silence but enjoying each other's company, until they both manage to doze off on the couch together. Jane Eyre wasn't as interesting as it sounded. Nik wakes up from his nap. He looks out the window. The sky is dark, and the air is chilly now. He tiptoes out of the library as quietly as possible. He finds himself in the kitchen again. This time, however, he isn't cooking anything. He just grabs a snack, some cookies, and a glass of milk, and sits at the table.
He is still full from lunch and doesn't want to prepare another meal if Jane isn't going to be hungry either. He eats in silence, thinking about the angelic beauty resting in his library. He knows it isn't good to get so caught up in whatever they are, but he can't help it. This is the first time he has felt alive in a long time. He cleans up his mess and lays down on the sectional in the living room.
He attempts to pull his phone out of his pocket only to realize that he is still in his swim trunks. He sneaks upstairs and into his bathroom. He pulls his sweats out of the dirty laundry, checking the pockets for his phone. He locates it and hops onto his bed with it. He has 3 missed calls. Two of the calls are from his assistant checking in and letting him know about any important work updates most likely. The other call is from an unknown number. They left a voicemail.
He plays it to find the following message:
"Hello, Nik. You don't know me, but I know you. I'm just calling to let you know that I have some pretty interesting information about you. Honestly, I wouldn't want something like this to get out. It could ruin your career. We don't want that do we? I can be a nice guy and do you a big favor. If you drop your relationship with your newfound sex kitten, this little problem should be able to sort itself out and disappear forever. Just be careful Nik. I would hate for this to have to end poorly-"
Nik deletes the message and hangs up the phone. What could anyone possibly have about him? He ignores the warning and rolls over onto his side. He decides to call his assistant back to check in.
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Jane opens her eyes and rubs the dried drool from her cheek. She doesn't remember falling asleep, but she does remember coming to the library with Nik. Where is Nik? She gets up, returning her book and Nik's forgotten one to their respective shelves. She yawns and stretches her arms up towards the sky, trying to loosen up any stiff joints or muscles from sleeping while sitting up.
She isn't as young and as limber as she used to be, not that she is an old woman just yet. She hits the light and leaves the library. She has to pee, so she goes to the only bathroom she knows of, the one in Nik's room. There are probably tons of bathrooms that are closer by, but she doesn't want to waste time and get lost somewhere. She spots Nik on his bed as she enters the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
"Is that you Jane? Sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. I didn't want to rudely wake you up when you looked so relaxed. This is your vacation, so I didn't want to take that away from you."
"No worries. I could have called you if I got lost or something. What are you doing up here?"
"Just chilling. I checked my messages and things, watched a video, and random junk like that. How are you feeling? Are you hungry?"
"Not really. We had a big lunch. I am feeling like I have to pee so I'm going to go do that." She states her objective bluntly, leaving Nik to himself in his room. He shakes his head in disbelief at the fact that she has been in his home for less than a day and is already this comfortable with him. Whatever, they are having fun.