Chapter 28 At Nicholas's Place
Alyssa didn’t see Nicholas the next day at work. She was dying to blast the guy for lying to her brother. Alexander had gone to his parents’ house last night, and Alyssa was sure that it was only to complain about her. She knew her stepfather would stop transferring funds to her account to teach her a lesson, but it did not bother her this time. She had a job to fall back upon. The pay was enough to let her survive.
She was eagerly waiting to confront Nicholas after a whole day at work. She knew she wouldn’t be able to confront him once she reached home. Maybe she would find her stepdad there already waiting for her to vacate the apartment!
Suddenly, she remembered Nicholas’s parting shot from last night.
I’ll make dinner for you tomorrow and wait for you all night.
Alyssa steered her car towards his house, eager to give him a piece of her mind. She didn’t think he would wait for her anymore after the stunt he pulled in front of her brother. She parked her car and went up the elevator in a fit of rage, ready to teach him a lesson he would remember forever and stop stalking her. If the need arose, she would talk to his mom and end this charade here and now.
She pressed his doorbell and stood waiting with a scowl on her face to show that she wasn’t there for fun. After the second buzz, he opened the door and grinned at her as if he was expecting her at his house.
“Hey, girlfriend! I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away,” he greeted her with a dazzling smile on his face. It was enough to charm any girl, but Alyssa was furious and brushed past him into his contemporary and sleek, sparsely furnished apartment. Under normal circumstances, she would have appreciated the decor, but today she wasn’t in the best frame of mind.
“I’m not your girlfriend, Nicholas. You shouldn’t have lied to Alexander just for your own selfish reasons. You’ve used me to get your revenge, but do you know what I’m going to lose because of you? I’ll lose the roof over my head and access to my bank account. I’ll be on the streets since Alexander has complained to my stepdad already about me,” she accused bitterly while Nicholas stood like a statue, unable to give a proper answer to her.
He had been extremely angry with Alexander for insulting him. Not having thought of the consequences, he had simply wanted Alexander to take their relationship seriously. That was the only reason he told him they were dating.
“I knew it. See, you don’t have any answers to give me. I’m very disappointed in you. Why did you have to use me this way? Why couldn’t you just take it out on Alexander instead of dragging me into this mess?” she demanded, but Nicholas stood like a statue, watching her with remorse. He couldn’t utter a single word in his defense since he had started this just to prove a point to her brother. He did not know that he would end up being attracted to her instead.
“You’re just disgusting, Nicholas. I don’t know you anymore. Goodbye!” she whirled around to leave.
“You’re misunderstanding me, Alyssa,” was all he could gasp out desperately to stop her from leaving. Alyssa stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him.
“Alexander was insulting me and you. I just told him I was seriously interested in you, and that we were dating. It wasn’t to rile him up or something. It was because I want to be with you.” Her jaws dropped at his confession and she stood frozen, gazing deeply into his beautiful blue eyes. She noted the sincerity of his words in them as they silently gazed at one another for what seemed like minutes.
“Stay for dinner, Alyssa. I made everything, especially for you.” Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt an overwhelming need to hug him close. Did he really take so much effort for her? Did he really cook for her, knowing that she might not drop by at all? It surprised her, since she hadn’t expected him to remember.
“Oh, you did?” Nicholas smiled and led her toward the kitchen.
“Yes, come and look,” he suggested.
“We can have it now. I’m ravenous!” she smiled seeing the surprised look on his face.
“Sure.” He walked into his sleek, sparkling kitchen and started to take out the utensils to serve themselves. Alyssa followed him and offered to help. “No, you’re my guest tonight. I’ve got this. Why don’t you just relax?”
Alyssa gazed at the way he moved around in his kitchen, totally comfortable and at ease, a stark opposite of herself. “You love cooking, don’t you?” she asked, helping him carry the food to the huge thirty-seater glass dining table outside.
“Yes, I love experimenting with food. Don’t worry, those experiments are for me alone,” he smiled, seeing the horrifying expression on her face. They sat down to eat in the sparkling and huge dining room. Everything about his apartment was grand, yet sleek. There was a subtle charm, an understated elegance that didn’t escape Alyssa’s notice. In fact, she loved his home more than hers.
“I like your place. How do you maintain it?” she asked with awe. Nicholas laughed, since it was no big deal for him.
“I have a cleaning woman coming in three days a week.”
“Oh, no wonder. I like your apartment more than mine. It’s not mine actually, it’s my stepdad’s,” said Alyssa, serving herself the meatballs dunked in a delicious gravy.
“You can always move in here if he throws you out,” offered Nicholas, causing Alyssa to look up at him with surprise. “I mean it, Alyssa. This place is enormous and we can share.”
“I might take you up on that!” she laughed to ease the suddenly heated undercurrents passing between them. Alyssa knew she wouldn’t ever move in here when Hayley was there to welcome her with open arms. Nicholas smiled and served her the angel hair pasta he made.
“These meatballs taste so different! What have you done to them?” she asked, chewing them and devouring their taste.
“I’ve stuffed them with mozzarella and spinach. Do you like them?” he asked her eagerly.
“I love them. So they are a product of your experimenting,” said Alyssa, helping herself to more. She loved Nicholas’s cooking and seriously thought of moving in here for food if Daniel Van Every threw her out. Was she taking advantage of Nicholas? Maybe, but who cared?
“Yes, and I can make better food than this if you move in here.” Alyssa smiled, all her animosity completely forgotten.
“How do you make such outstanding food when all I can make is a basic sandwich or pasta?” she asked with awe.
“Granny and Martha taught me to cook when I used to live with them. Granny makes the most exotic dishes on earth and if you taste them once, you’ll go crazy for more. That’s what made me want to learn them from her,” admitted Nicholas. Alyssa listened intently, since she had no such memories to share. For most of her life, she had lived alone, even at her grandparents’ house. Her grandparents were busy people who ran a hobby school together. It was a tremendous responsibility, and they hardly had the time to give her. When she lived with them, she too helped them in any way she could, but that wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life. She didn’t want to run a hobby center all her life and had to return to New York to figure out what she wanted to do.
“It’s great to have someone to teach you such stuff. I’ve lived alone all my life and just cooked whatever I could.” Alyssa shrugged, not giving out many details about her lonely life.
“You can always count on the videos available on the internet to learn.” Alyssa shook her head, not agreeing at all.
“The videos just teach you the recipe. They don’t inculcate the zeal to learn, the love for cooking,” said Alyssa. “You cook well since your granny instilled that zeal inside you and it shows in the food you make.”
“I can instill that zeal in you. I can help you cook, but you have to move in with me.” Alyssa smiled at his condition.
“I’ll think about it.” They ate together, enjoying the meal, the warm atmosphere, the light banter, and, most of all, each other’s company. Although n intense attraction was pulling them towards one another like a magnet, Nicholas did not once attempt to get near her or kiss her even once.
For the first time, Alyssa didn’t wish to return home. She did not know what was in store for her there!