Chapter 58: Planning Ahead

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Planning Ahead

The first thing I became aware of when I woke up was a pair of eyes staring at me.

Everything was blurry at first, and I blinked a few times, trying to get my bearings. The room gradually came into focus, along with the face in front of me. A familiar face, with bright eyes and an expression that suggested she’d found something particularly interesting to look at.

Nicole’s.

I closed my eyes again, hoping that when I opened them, my brain would have finished booting up and I’d be better equipped to deal with whatever was happening. Unfortunately, when I opened them, she was still there, staring at me with the same pleasant expression.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully.

I blinked once more before returning her greeting. "Good morning."

We stared at each other for another moment before I finally decided to ask the obvious question.

"How long have you been awake?"

"A while," she replied.

I looked at her properly. She seemed completely awake, her eyes clear and bright, and there wasn’t a trace of sleepiness in her expression. Whatever a while meant, I immediately decided I didn’t want to know how much of it she’d spent staring at me.

I turned my head toward the desk beside the bed and squinted at the clock. 7:03 AM.

I turned back to Nicole.

She immediately smiled and asked, "What do you want for breakfast?"

I hadn’t even started thinking about it when she tilted her head slightly. "How about a chicken wrap?"

I looked at her for a moment before nodding. "That’s... actually perfect."

Nicole smiled, clearly pleased with herself. "Perfect. Give me a second." She sat up, looking far more excited than anyone needed to be about a breakfast order.

Before I could ask what she was planning, she’d climbed off the bed and disappeared into her walk-in closet.

I sat up against the pillows and glanced around the room, my eyes eventually settling on the framed picture I’d noticed the night before. It was still a little strange to think that I’d actually spent the night in Nicole’s room, but there wasn’t much I could do about that now. Besides, I’d slept pretty well, so I wasn’t about to complain.

A moment later, Nicole walked back in carrying a small bag. She came over to the bed and dropped it on the floor beside me, then looked up with a smile that immediately made me suspicious.

I glanced from the bag to her face. "What’s this?"

"Clothes."

I raised an eyebrow.

She grinned. "Remember when I told you I didn’t only get us matching outfits?"

I looked at the bag again before turning back to her. "I gave you my measurements, and you decided to use them to build an entire wardrobe for me."

"Not an entire wardrobe," she said, looking mildly offended. "Just a few things."

"Right. That’s much less alarming."

Nicole laughed lightly, apparently taking that as encouragement rather than the criticism it was supposed to be. "I was planning ahead."

"Planning ahead for what, exactly?"

She gestured between us, her smile turning cheekier. "For situations like this. I mean, look at you. You’re in my bedroom, it’s morning, and unless you plan on wearing yesterday’s clothes all day, you’re going to need something to change into."

I glanced down at the bag again.

She had a point, which was irritating because now I couldn’t even pretend to be upset. I was beginning to suspect that Nicole had a point prepared for almost everything.

Since she’d already gone to the trouble of buying me clothes, I figured I might as well ask if she’d included anything for a morning run.

"Is there anything in here I could wear for a morning run?"

Nicole looked at me. "You’re going jogging?"

"Just a little."

She seemed to consider that for a moment before smiling. "Can I come with you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What happened to breakfast?"

"Right." She paused, looking thoughtful. "But I could make breakfast after we exercise."

I stared at her blankly.

She looked back at me, apparently waiting for me to acknowledge the brilliance of her plan. When I didn’t, she let out a small sigh and shook her head.

"There should be a pair of joggers in there," she said. "A few tank tops, too, and a hoodie." Her smile brightened as she added, "I have a matching set for the joggers and hoodie."

I decided to ignore that last part. "Thanks."

"You’re welcome," she replied sweetly, looking far too pleased with herself.

I pushed myself off the bed and stood up, then reached down to pick up the bag. I was about to head for the door when Nicole spoke again.

"I really can’t tag along?" she asked, pouting.

I paused and looked at her. She was looking up at me with an expression so unfairly cute that I briefly considered whether going for a run was worth the trouble of saying no to her face.

Unfortunately for her, I’d learned a thing or two from spending time with Nicolette Anastasia Collins.

I shifted the bag to one hand and raised the other, placing it over my chest in a familiar gesture.

"I promise you can tag along next time."

Nicole stared at me for a second before she burst out laughing. She’d recognized the gesture immediately, of course. That was the whole point.

"Okay," she said, still smiling.

Satisfied that I’d successfully negotiated my way out of this particular situation, I turned and walked out of her room, heading for the guest room to change.

—

By the time I reached the guest room, I’d accepted that Nicole’s definition of planning ahead was probably very different from mine.

I set the bag on the bed and unzipped it, curious to see just how much she’d managed to fit inside. The first thing I pulled out was a pair of jeans, followed by a few shirts and tops. There were more clothes underneath, including two hoodies, one black and the other blue.

I held up the blue hoodie and turned it around to look at the back.

There was a rather large letter N printed across it.

I stared at it for a moment before lowering it slightly.

Of course.

I wasn’t sure whether the N stood for Nathan or Nicole, but considering who’d bought the hoodie, I suspected the answer wasn’t going to make much difference. Either way, I had a feeling I’d be seeing that letter quite a lot if I kept accepting clothes from her.

I put it aside and continued looking through the bag. There was indeed a pair of joggers, along with a few tank tops and some other things. It was a surprisingly practical collection of clothes, all things considered. The only questionable part was that I’d apparently acquired a wardrobe without being consulted on the matter.

A knock at the door interrupted my inspection.

"Come in."

Nicole stepped inside, holding a black sneaker in one hand and a brown loafer in the other. I looked at the shoes, then at her.

"I could only get these two styles because I was in a hurry," she explained, sounding almost apologetic. "I wasn’t sure which ones you’d prefer."

I looked at the shoes again.

At this point, I wasn’t sure why I was still surprised by anything she did. I’d already accepted that she bought me clothes, and apparently footwear had been added to the list.

"Thanks. I’ll manage."

Her face brightened immediately, and she smiled at me before placing the shoes beside the bag. Then she remained where she was, watching me with a rather pleased expression.

I looked at her for a moment before tilting my head slightly. She blinked, apparently remembering that she’d come in here for a reason beyond admiring her own generosity.

"Right." She smiled again and headed for the door. "I’ll be downstairs."

"Okay."

She slipped out, leaving me alone with my new wardrobe and the growing suspicion that the blue hoodie wasn’t the only item in the bag with Nicole’s personal touch.

I set the shoes aside and finally changed into the joggers and one of the tank tops. I grabbed the black hoodie as well, figuring I’d need it if the morning air turned out to be colder than expected. Once I was dressed, I headed downstairs.

Nicole was waiting near the kitchen when I reached the ground floor. She looked me over, her smile growing a little wider when she noticed the clothes.

"How do they fit?"

"Pretty well."

"I’m glad." She sounded genuinely pleased, as though she’d been waiting for that exact answer. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said, glancing toward the front door.

Nicole’s expression softened. She brought her hands together in front of her stomach, clasping them loosely as she lowered her gaze. When she spoke again, her voice had taken on a noticeably smaller, gentler quality.

"Can I at least see you off?"

I paused.

I looked at her, trying to process the fact that she’d just pulled that move on me so casually. It was one thing for Nicole to look cute without trying, but this was clearly deliberate. She knew exactly what she was doing, and judging by the way my chest had tightened at the sight, it was working far better than I wanted to admit.

I opened my mouth, then closed it again before finally settling on the only response that seemed appropriate.

"You’re very dangerous, you know that?"

Nicole immediately burst out laughing, dropping the act now that she’d gotten the reaction she wanted.

I couldn’t help smiling. "Come on."

Her face brightened again as she followed me out of the house. We walked together down the path toward the gate, with Nicole looking entirely too happy about accompanying me such a short distance.

When we reached it, I turned to face her. She smiled up at me, looking perfectly content with herself.

I shook my head, still smiling, before turning around and jogging off.