The Almost One Night Stand

Chapter 4

Nimue's POV

Much to my happiness, it has been almost five months since we met and Luke has become a constant in my life. He makes me feel cherished, which is something I can honestly say I haven't felt in a long time. However, I must admit I'm a bit worried as well. My visa expires soon, and I hate the idea of never seeing him again. Then again, I don't know if he even wants to keep this relationship going. I shook off my thoughts and finished my hair. Luke's taking me out for dinner tonight at Full Moon in the Gaslamp District. I've never been to a sushi restaurant, and he says it's really good.

I was still trying to get my hair to cooperate when I heard the door. "Come in," I hollered.

He walked in and gave me a look, "What if I'd been a robber?"

I rolled my eyes, "Then you wouldn't have knocked, silly."

He gave an unconvinced snort, then came behind me, pulling the clip from my hands. "Leave it down, little one, you look beautiful." I gasped a little as his lips brushed against my neck. His arms wrapped around me and he looked at our reflection in the mirror, his head resting on my shoulder. "We look good together, don't we?"

I looked at our reflection. As opposite as we are, we did look good. His lightly tan complexion, chocolate brown eyes, and golden hair complimented my black locks, icy eyes, and pale skin. "We look completely opposite, but somehow it does look good," I giggled. He smiled at me with a look in his eyes that I couldn't quite place, but it planted a seed of worry in my soul.

He spun me around and crashed his lips against mine. At first, I was stunned. I mean, yes, we've kissed lots of times, but this seemed different. I think he sensed my concern because he pulled back and pressed his forehead to mine. "Um, I'm sorry, but could we maybe just stay in? I really need to talk to you and I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve if we leave the apartment." His voice was shaky as he asked. I could feel the knot of fear building in my stomach. I nodded but didn't say anything. "Okay, I'll order food and meet you in the living room," he said quickly and walked away.

My hands were shaking as I swiped at my eyes, trying to avoid the tears that threatened to spill. I'd felt off all day long and now it seemed my fears were about to be realized. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the living room. Luke was pacing in front of the couch, mumbling to himself. It took him several moments to notice me standing at the doorway. When he did, he froze as if he'd been caught doing something wrong. He blinked a few times, then took my hands and led me to the couch. I noticed his hands were shaking almost as much as mine. I'm not sure if that made me feel better or worse.

He took a deep breath. "Nimue, I love you."

My eyes went wide. Did he just say he loved me? Woah, that was not what I was expecting. "You do? You're not leaving me?"

"What? No," he sputtered, "Where did that come from?"

"Well, you were acting so strange and I just thought," I tried to explain but he cut me off with a kiss. It was a desperate kiss, one that pulls you in and captures your very soul. His hands tangled in my hair as his lips caressed mine. He pulled me closer, almost into his lap and I let out a small moan. He took advantage and his tongue slipped between my lips. We were both panting by the time our kiss broke.

He cupped my chin in his hands, his eyes searching mine, "I love you. I know you're leaving soon, but I don't want to lose you. I just don't know what to do."

My mouth worked faster than my brain, "Come with me." I braced myself for him to say no, but was surprised at his next words.

"Would you let me?" He looked like a kid asking for a puppy. I started to answer when the door rang. "Hang on, that's probably the food." He stepped to the door and carried several bags to the table. I raised my eyebrows at all the food. "I was nervous, so I may have ordered too much, but at least you have lots of types of sushi to try," he chuckled. We fixed plates and continued our conversation. "If you are serious, I would love to come to England with you. I can see about a transfer with work or take leave until we decide what we want."