Chapter 36: Still Learning Her

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Still Learning Her

After scrolling for almost three minutes, we settled on some random action movie Nicole picked without much thought. She seemed more interested in getting something on the screen than actually finding the perfect movie, but it turned out to be surprisingly solid.

About an hour into it, I glanced over at Nicole and realized she had fallen asleep against my shoulder.

I looked at her for a moment, then lowered the volume on the TV.

She was completely out, breathing slowly with her eyes closed. The medicine was probably finally doing its job.

I carefully shifted myself beneath her and eased her down until she was lying more comfortably along the couch, then adjusted her head onto my lap.

She didn’t even stir.

I smiled to myself and turned my attention back to the movie, resting one hand loosely against the edge of the couch as I watched.

When the movie finally ended, I looked down at her again. She was still sound asleep.

I gently slid my hand beneath her head and carefully lifted it from my lap, replacing it with one of the couch cushions before standing up.

She barely moved, only shifting slightly against the cushion before settling back into a deeper sleep. I smiled, grabbed the remote, turned off the television, and carefully headed toward the study.

I still had some reviewing left to finish.

—

The rest didn’t take as long as I’d expected. I went through the remaining pages, made a few notes where I needed them, and checked the calculations I’d marked earlier. Once I was satisfied, I put everything back into the file and set it neatly on the desk.

I leaned back in the chair and let out a quiet breath.

I’d been in the study yesterday, but I’d been so focused on the work in front of me, I hadn’t really paid attention to anything else.

Now that I was finished, I finally looked around, starting with the things I’d noticed before without really looking at.

There was a framed certificate from the Society of Automotive Engineers for an engineering research award, another for an academic excellence award from her university, and a plaque recognizing her contribution to an automotive research project. There was also a photograph of her standing beside a presentation board covered in equations and diagrams, holding what looked like an award she’d received after one of her research papers had been recognized.

I moved to another section of the wall and stopped.

There were photographs of Nicole at conferences, university events, and what looked like industry presentations. In some of them, she was standing beside cars or engines. In others, she was surrounded by people in suits, looking far more serious than the woman who had fallen asleep on my lap downstairs.

Then I noticed the older photographs.

Much older.

There was one of her during what looked like her undergraduate years, standing beside a group of students with a certificate in her hands. She looked younger, obviously, but there was still something familiar about the expression on her face.

Another showed her in a laboratory, wearing safety glasses and holding a component I couldn’t identify. She couldn’t have been much older than fifteen or sixteen there.

I stared at that one for a moment longer, then I looked back at the certificates and awards. It reminded me of something I’d already known but hadn’t really stopped to think about.

Nicole wasn’t just smart. She was one of those people who seemed to be operating several steps ahead of everyone else.

I looked at the photograph of her younger self again.

Yeah. She really was a genius.

A knock sounded against the study door, pulling my attention away from the photograph.

The door opened, and Chloe walked in.

"What do you want for dinner?"

I opened my mouth, then paused.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, checking the time. 8:18 PM.

"Aren’t you going home?" I asked. "It’s getting late."

Chloe shrugged as she walked farther into the study. "Nicole said I can spend the night."

Of course.

I lowered my phone and looked at her. "She’s awake?"

Chloe shook her head. "No. I called her this morning to ask if it was okay, and she said I could stay."

She said it like she’d just told me something completely ordinary.

"So," she added. "What do you want for dinner?"

I paused to think about it.

Before I could come up with anything, Chloe continued, "Don’t worry about whether we have what you want. Nicole’s kitchen is basically a supermarket. Just name something and she’ll probably have everything we need for it."

She wasn’t wrong. I’d seen the kitchen.

I looked at Chloe for a moment.

What could Nicole eat?

I started going through the usual things in my head, but then another thought stopped me.

I didn’t even know what her favorite food was. Actually, I didn’t know her favorite anything.

Favorite food. Favorite movie. Favorite color. Favorite... anything.

I knew she loved cars, that she could spend hours talking about engines, and that she had a habit of stealing food from my plate even after ordering the same thing for herself.

But her favorite food? I had no idea.

I frowned slightly.

Chloe watched me for a moment. "What’s wrong?"

I shook my head. "Just... make something Nicole can eat easily. She’s still recovering, so nothing too heavy."

Chloe nodded. "Got it."

She turned and headed out of the study, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I walked back to the desk and sat down, leaning back in the chair, and I just stared at the ceiling for a moment.

I suddenly felt like a bad boyfriend.

Not that we were exactly calling ourselves that yet. Still, I probably should have known something as simple as her favorite food.

I exhaled slowly, pulled my phone out of my pocket, and just scrolled through nothing.

—

A little over an hour later, my phone buzzed with a message from Chloe telling me dinner was ready.

I left the study and headed downstairs.

Nicole was still asleep on the couch, exactly where I’d left her. She hadn’t moved much, and the blanket Chloe had placed over her was still tucked around her.

I walked toward the kitchen, where Chloe was already setting the plates on the counter.

She glanced toward the living room, then back at me. "Should I serve hers too?"

I looked over at Nicole again. She was sleeping peacefully, and I didn’t see any reason to wake her just because dinner was ready.

"No. Just serve ours," I said. "She’ll eat when she wakes up."

Chloe nodded, finished setting the table, and took her seat across from me. I glanced toward Nicole one last time before picking up my fork, and we started eating.

Halfway through my meal, I noticed Chloe looking at me with a small grin.

I stopped chewing for a second.

I already knew that look.

"So, earlier..." she said, letting the words trail off while the grin stayed exactly where it was.

I stared at her.

"Don’t."

"I didn’t say anything."

"You were about to."

"About what?" she asked innocently.

I stopped talking.

Chloe’s grin widened. "Oh. You mean the kiss. I totally forgot about that."

"Eat your food."

She kept the grin on her face and went back to eating.

I did the same, and the rest of dinner passed without any more comments about the kiss. Once we were finished, Chloe gathered the plates and took them into the kitchen before I could say anything. She handled the dishes herself, then headed upstairs to one of the guest rooms for the night.

I stayed downstairs at the table, scrolling through my phone while the house settled back into silence. Every so often, I looked toward the couch.

Nicole was still asleep.

She shifted slightly under the blanket once or twice, but otherwise remained still, completely unbothered by anything around her.

I was still scrolling through my phone when I noticed Nicole stirring on the couch.

She shifted beneath the blanket, slowly pushing herself upright before rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. She sat there for a moment, staring ahead without really looking at anything, like her mind was still trying to catch up with the fact that she was awake.

Then she stretched, lifting her arms above her head and rolling her shoulders before letting them fall again.

I smiled to myself.

There was something ridiculously cute about watching her wake up like this.

Nicole eventually pushed the blanket aside and stood up, taking a moment to steady herself before slowly making her way toward the table. She pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, still looking a little sleepy.

I looked at her for a moment.

Her eyes looked different.

They were already one of the first things I’d noticed about her, but right now they seemed even more striking than usual. Maybe it was the way she was still half-asleep, her expression softer than normal, or the way she hadn’t quite put her usual composure back on yet.

Whatever the reason, I found myself staring a little longer than I meant to.

A small smile appeared on her lips. "You’re staring."

"I’m aware."

Her smile widened slightly.

"You hungry?" I asked.

"Starving."

I pushed my chair back and stood, walking over to the food Chloe had prepared. Nicole turned in her chair to watch me as I picked up a plate.

"You made dinner?"

"Chloe did."

I plated her food, brought it over, and set the plate down in front of her before taking my seat again.

She looked at the food, then back at me with a small smile.

"Thank you."

I nodded.

Nicole picked up her fork and started eating, still looking a little sleepy as she took her first bite.

I didn’t say anything. I just watched her eat for a moment before asking, "You want to go out tomorrow?"

She looked up at me, swallowed, then nodded slightly. "Where to?"

"Your choice," I said. "Pick somewhere you’d love to go. Like, really love. Just... nothing like Skyline."

She giggled softly. "Understood."

She went back to eating, looking far too pleased with herself.

I simply leaned back in my chair and watched her finish her dinner without saying anything else.