I STAND FROZEN in fear, my fingers twitch as my heart races.
"Emberly." A warm hand is placed on my shoulder. "Emberly are you alright? I'll walk in first, okay?" Nolan steps aside and walks into the dark cabin. I can't bring myself to move my feet. A few moments later Nolan comes back and stands in front of me, turning on the light. "It's alright, no one is here. I just checked the whole place." He grabs my hand and leads me inside.
I look around the room and notice no one else is here, I let go of the breath I was holding. I can't believe I thought he was back. There is no way he could find me, none. Taking a deep breath in I calm myself down and look at Nolan who watches me with concern.
"Sorry, I guess it threw me off to see the place unlocked." I gulp, I'm not sure how I can get myself out of this, I'm more than positive I've made myself look like some sketchy fuck.
"It's all good, you alright?" He leans against the hallway with his arms crossed.
"Yep, perfect." I force a smile before walking further into the house. "Do you wan-"
My mouth drops.
My kitchen has been completely fixed, a new stove and counter tops, a new fridge, along with groceries stored away. The white cabinets and countertops make the whole kitchen look larger.
"Uh, the real reason why the door was unlocked was because of Erick and I, we didn't want Mrs. Hoover to handle the remodel by herself and you needed a kitchen so the team and I got together to fix it up in time for you today." He smiles as he looks around the room, my heart melts even more.
For some disgusting reason, my mind flips to a sick fantasy of Nolan being my handy man. Shirtless clad in a pair of holy jeans with a hammer as he fixes up my house. Sweat falling down his head to his chest as his muscles would flex as he hammers away.
Snap out of it.
I shake my head, speechless at my fantasy and at the fact him and his team did something so kind for me.
"Wow, I- wow." I shake my head as I bask in the stunning kitchen. "I don't know what to say, I'm just, holy shit Nolan. This looks amazing." I walk over and run my fingers along the counters. The smooth shiny countertops beg for me to dirty them. "Any other talents I should know about Benson?" I smirk over at him as he proudly smiles.
"No, that's it. Whenever I'm not at the station I tend to engage in some DIY tasks." He shrugs his shoulders before stepping closer to me, he leans forward on the counter. I gulp as I watch his muscles constrict.
"What else do you like to engage in?" My throat feels dry as the words come tumbling out of my mouth.
A look of heat in his eyes flashes as he bites back his smile. His eyes slowly trail up my body to my face. Heat pools between my legs at the look he gives me.
"I like to engage in extracurricular activities, I'm not one to shy away from a challenge."
By the look in his eyes, I don't think he means an innocent hobby.
A loud knock makes me jump out of my trance, I give Nolan a small smile before quickly leaving the kitchen area- running my hip into the counter, earning a small yelp from me- I run to the front door. Molly stands there with a large smile on her face once I open the door.
"May I?" She motions to step in and I step to the side to welcome her in. We walk to the kitchen where Nolan stands, looking deep in thought.
"Nolan, I'm so glad to see you dear. You guys did amazing." She smiles before walking to him to give him a hug.
"He and his team did amazing." I say, still in awe at how amazing the kitchen looks.
"Dear, this man is good with his hands." My mouth drops open as Molly shoots me a wink. Nolan coughs but looks around like he didn't hear what Molly just said.
"He's got a lot of talent." I smile and Nolan looks at me with a wide grin on his face. He winks and I feel my cheeks flush.
"I should probably head out, Mama made chicken wings." He winks before leaving a sweet kiss to Molly's cheek and then he walks up to me, a large smile plastered on his face. "Have a great night Emberly, like always I enjoyed our time." He places a small lingering kiss to my cheek before smoothly turning and leaving my cabin. He looks back over his shoulder one last time before he walks into the street.
My fingers move to the tingling spot of where his lips were just pressed. I feel myself swoon, I have never felt this before.
With Burke, it took a while for my feelings at first. He kept asking me out for coffee and I eventually caved, he was so adamant about giving him a chance. At the time I thought I might as well give him a chance, no one else really paid attention to me. Plus, he wasn't bad looking, in fact Burke is actually pretty attractive.
His short brown hair was always perfectly styled, hazel eyes were always grabbing my attention. His demeanor was always strong, a bit cocky, but I thought it was fairly attractive.
With Nolan, my feelings seem to be progressing quickly, naturally. It's terrifying really,
"So, you and Nolan seem to be getting closer." Molly stands there with a knowing look. I shake my head as I make my way back over to her.
"No, it's not like that. Plus I can't." I shrug my shoulders.
"Why can't you? I see no ring on that finger and no one else here." Molly raises her eyebrow as she stares at me. I just shake my head.
I'm not ready to spill my secrets, I'm not ready to talk about why I came here.
"Alright dear, you'll talk when you're ready. I just hope you don't hold it in for too long. I just wanted to see your thoughts on the kitchen." She smiles before giving my shoulder a squeeze. "Night dear." She smiles as she leaves.
My eyes scan for the note he wrote with the flowers. I'm a romantic, I can't help but want to admire what he said. The white notecard rests in my hands as I read over it a few times. A smile unwillingly tugs at my lips. My fingers let go, accidentally, as the note falls to the ground. I pick it up and notice a note on the back. Furrowing my eyebrows I turn the card over.
Would love to hear more from and about you, I left my number. Hopefully you shoot me a message so we can talk more instead of only in passing.
-Nolan
I never expected this, I was terrible at small talk with him, now he wants me to talk more?
I shouldn't.
Before I can second guess myself I pick up the note and type in the number on the card.
To: Nolan Benson
Hey, saw your note on the back. I'll add sneaky to your list of talents.
Maybe I should have waited to text him, I mean he did just leave my house and now I look desperate. I set my phone on the counter and rest my head in my hands.
Wait, I didn't tell him who it was. I quickly sit up and reach for my phone.
To: Nolan Benson
It's Emberly by the way, I should have said that in the first place.
Now, I look fucking stupid. Way to go Emberly, obviously he'd know it was you. It's not like he's giving his number out to a lot of people, it's a small town after all. The stress is too much, so I set my phone down and head to the bathroom to take a shower. Out of sight, out of mind.
I took a fairly quick shower, as much as I tried to convince myself it was because I was tired, I'd be lying if I didn't say I just wanted to check my phone. I change into my comfy white silk tank top and shorts before putting on the matching robe. My bare feet pad against the wood floor as I quickly descend down the steps.
Within seconds I'm impatiently checking my phone. My heart picks up speed when I see an unread message.
From: Nolan Benson
I'm so glad you read the back of the note, I was worried it was a dumb idea. Anyways..
From: Nolan Benson
Hey. :)
I'm an independent grown woman, I don't think I should be smiling this hard.
To: Nolan Benson
How was your mom's chicken wings?
I went to put my phone down to make tea but stopped when it vibrated, he already texted me back.
From: Nolan Benson
The best wings ever.
I laugh at the obnoxious amount of fire emojis he sent with it.
From: Nolan Benson
Did you eat?
From: Nolan Benson
Obviously, you ate at the diner, I'm dumb.
To: Nolan Benson
You're not dumb, but the food was delicious, I'm going to get fat by the burgers there.
From: Nolan Benson
God, I love a woman who can scarf down a burger. The diner is the best, their breakfast is so fucking good.
From there on we continue to text. It feels like my heart never slows down whenever I receive a message. I feel like I'm back in high school as I anticipate for the next text. The night flies by as I move to my bed. As much as I enjoyed staying up and talking to Nolan, I know it's time for me to sleep. Almost as if he read my mind, Nolan shoots me another text. The light from my phone blinds me, my eyes taking their time to adjust to the dark room.
From: Nolan Benson
I should let you sleep, goodnight Emmie, sweet dreams.
From: Unknown
I will find you, you can't hide forever bitch.
I know I won't get any sleep tonight.