NYC Artists 1 - In a Heartbeat
Page 11
"You can stay, if you want," she added with a smile he'd never seen on her face before. It was tentative, almost shy. "I'm not going to be back until eight, though."
Elliot considered his options. He wouldn't mind catching a few hours of sleep, and the idea of driving back home was unappealing to say the least. He also always had a change of clothes in his car if he ended up spending the night as well.
"That would be great," he said, kissing her knuckles, and her smile grew.
"Help yourself to any food you find. We can order in tonight, or I can pick something up on my way back."
"I'm good with whatever." He pulled her closer for one more kiss. "I'll be waiting."
He watched her get out of bed and head to the bathroom. Her back tattoo of the dark forest seemed to be moving with her as she walked, and the effect was eerie.
Naomi had told him once that she'd gotten it because she'd fallen in love with the artist's work, but he wondered what had made her decide on this particular image and if it changed over time.
He loved the fact that the meaning of his own tattoo kept changing and growing. What was at first a symbol of his life-long dream coming true, grew to be a part of him, a point of connection between the two of them, and, finally, an anchor Naomi could see herself in whenever she looked at him. And if that also brought out her possessive streak, Elliot was more than happy about it.
He rolled over to bury his face in the pillow and inhaled, catching the scent of Naomi and smiling. His whole body relaxed and he drifted off again to the sound of the shower running in the bathroom and the distant sounds of street traffic outside.
***
The rest of the day was the most relaxed time he had in weeks. He slept for a few hours, took a shower, ate some toast, and then lay down with the book he'd started on last time he was at Naomi's. Sometimes his thoughts would drift to the events of the day, starting with finally talking with his brother, and ending with him right here. He felt good. Peaceful. He knew nothing was certain—he and Aiden could easily go back to acting like strangers, and he and Naomi could implode because of a dozen different reasons, big or small—but for now, his life was great, and that was what counted.
He was almost done with the book by the time Naomi came home. As he greeted her at the door with a kiss, he could smell she brought food with her and his stomach grumbled. She laughed against his mouth and pulled back.
"Hello to you, too," she teased, poking him in the stomach. "I picked up Thai on the way."
"Perfect." He took the bag from her to bring it to the kitchen island they usually ate at and pulled out the plates and cutlery while she was in the bathroom.
Soon enough, they were sitting across each other, their legs tangled under the table, and they talked about their day. Elliot glossed over the conversation with Aiden, because he didn't want to dissect it any more for now, but he did mention that it had pushed him to try one more time with Naomi.
"I guess I owe your brother a thank you," she said before picking out another piece of broccoli.
Elliot stared at her for a long moment.
"I owe you a thank you," he told her, reaching out and squeezing her wrist before letting go. He hoped she knew it was about more than the food. He meant all of it—the invitation for him to stay, the decision to come back to New York, the admission of all that scared her about the two of them.
Naomi smiled at him softly, like maybe she did know, and then grinned cheekily. "It's no trouble."
Elliot laughed and pulled her closer for a kiss. From that first meeting to now, some things had never changed. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
EPILOGUE
Watching through the window, Naomi could already tell that the forecast had been kind to New York. "Cloudy" did not fit the outpouring of rain outside.
At least the plane had finally landed. She couldn't wait to get out, to finally be back. San Diego might have sun, beautiful beaches, ocean, and a lot of good people, but at some point during the last few months, she'd started to think of New York as home—and not a temporary one, either. She'd trade all the oceans and beaches for her tiny studio, her parlor crew, and… Well, and Elliot.
She grinned at the phone she was clutching in her hand, with the new text from Elliot, telling her he was waiting for her at the airport. Then she looked up at the last one she'd sent, right before the take-off in San Diego.
See you soon. <3
That little heart was a spur of the moment and right after she'd sent it, she wished she could take it back. It was just a stupid little emoji, but it was a heart and since neither of them had used it before or—more importantly—said the words yet, this still felt important and too big for a text.
Elliot, because he was who he was and he knew that sometimes she needed a little rescuing from overthinking things, sent an answer right back.
Can't wait! <3
And everything was good again. In that moment, she'd made a promise to herself that she would tell him when they saw each other. She would actually use her words and tell him how she felt.
The flight attendant announced over speakers that they were clear to leave the plane, and Naomi sprang from her seat, ready to run out of there. Of course, that wasn't about to happen—the other passengers, already impatient due the slight delay, weren't going to let her tramp all over them for the exit.
So she waited in slowly moving line, bouncing on the balls of her feet and grinning at the kid right in front of her, who stared at her over his dad's shoulder with wide eyes and a red lollipop in between his lips.
No one who knew her would believe she was even capable of grinning at little people like that. But it didn't matter. Since it was a special occasion, she might do some things differently.
Finally, she was off the plane and now, in the wider corridor, she did hurry down to the arrival gate. Waiting in the baggage claim was another test of patience, but finally, finally, she could walk out to where Elliot was waiting.
The first thing she saw was a big purple sign with her name on it and she laughed. She lost all sense of composure and ran towards Elliot who dropped the sign and caught her right when she threw herself into his arms.
"It's so good to see you," he muttered into her hair and she nodded. Yes. Yes, it is. "I missed you."
When they untangled themselves after a long time, she put both her hands on his face and took a deep breath.
Here we go.
"I love you."
In the next second, she found herself lifted off the ground and squeezed so hard she might have trouble breathing, but she didn't care.
"I love you, too."
She was finally home.
###
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All person(s) depicted on the cover are model(s) used for illustrative pu
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