Nicholas forced a smile to his face. “We have a lot of things in common. I’m as stubborn as you are. And maybe I was cursed to have this burning need to always be the hero in helpless situations.”
“That’s not true.”
He chuckled, wiping the remaining tears on my cheeks. “Is too. Why’d you think I did what I could to save Margaret’s diner? Or why do I hang out with those kids from the other side of town?”
“Maybe because you’re really a good person,” I admitted.
“Nah! I think I have superhero complex. I always look for desperate situations, damsels in distress, and I swoop in and save the day!” He grinned. I could see a small blush on his cheeks.
I bit my lips back to keep myself from smiling.
This man! He didn’t really have superhero complex; I knew that by now. But to keep his reputation of being a devil-may-care playboy, he didn’t want to admit that he was compassionate by nature, with a good heart, a caring soul.
“Okay, Superman. I will accept your offer. But I will pay you. As soon as I gain access to my funds, I’ll reimburse you for everything you spend on me. Food, clothes, including my stay in your house last night.”
“Okay, okay, and no way.”
I raised a brow and took a step back from him. “What do you mean no way?”
“I don’t spend anything on my house, so you don’t have to pay me. And I mean it. You’re staying with me until you give me a safer alternative. And renting a place of your own is not a safer alternative. Your father can just rehire the guy and make him break into your new place.”
“Your house is made of glass. How is that a safe option for me?”
His smile turned wider this time. “Ah, there’s one feature of the house I didn’t show you yet. Come on, let’s go get your clothes, and I’ll show you when we get home.”
The drive to the mall was short and quiet. I was carefully calculating how many clothes I would buy. I was trying to be realistic about it. I didn’t know if I would be able to access my room and my stuff in the following weeks. It would be risky to show my face to my father unprotected by the police! Anybody else might end up being a casualty of my war with him. Besides, I didn’t care about the clothes I had. They were all purchased using my father’s money.
We entered a shop that sold all types of clothing for all genders and ages. I took a couple of jeans, some shirts and shorts I could wear at the house. I also bought a jacket and a pair of sneakers. I was calculating the prices in my head. I already had a budget, and I wanted to make sure I operated within that. I needed to save as much as I could until I graduated and got a job. I wouldn’t even touch Isabella’s money for this.
When I went to the counter, Nicholas was quick to hand his debit card to the cashier. I was quick to snatch the receipt from him. He frowned at me. “One week. I’ll pay you back. With interest.”
“Whatever,” he murmured.
He walked ahead of me and stopped by a lingerie shop. He motioned for me to get in.
“You have got to be kidding me!” I groaned. I did plan to buy underwear, but not in front of Nicholas.
He laughed. “Hey, it’s basic stuff. Usually, a guy would kill to have a girl roommate who didn’t wear any underwear. But you’re not really a girl-girl. So, please, by all means…” He waved his hand to the entrance of the shop.
“You don’t have to follow me inside.”
“Why not? I’m curious about women’s lingerie. This might be my only excuse to walk inside a lingerie shop with a girl, and she’s not going to pressure me for some serious commitment in return.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Dude, you’re a douche!” I said. “When a girl takes you to an underwear shop, it means she wants to have sex with you, not marry you. Otherwise, she’ll hint at the jewelry shop.”
He laughed. He held me by the shoulders, spun me around, and pushed me inside the shop. “Okay, okay. I’m just curious. It’s my one chance to take a peek inside without looking like a horny pervert.”
A lone man in his fifties, who was walking in at the same time as us, overheard what Nicholas said and stared at us sternly.
“I meant no offense, sir,” Nicholas said, giving the man a little salute. “Carry on.”
I bit my lip to hold back a laugh.
Once inside, I turned to Nicholas and said, “Do not follow me. I don’t care if you look around. Sniff to your heart’s content. Just don’t go sniffing on my stuff.”
He held his hands in front of him. “Absolutely. Go knock yourself out. Just call me when you’re ready to pay.”
We went our separate ways. Actually, I liked buying underwear. I wasn’t into the kinky stuff, but I liked to buy nice lingerie. I may dress androgynously all the time, but underneath my clothes—no guy stuff in there.
I spent about thirty minutes getting sets of bras and panties and boy shorts. I change underwear three times a day if I can.
When I was done, I found Nicholas at the counter. He was holding a paper bag in his hand. I raised a brow at him.
“I thought you weren’t buying any girl lingerie because that would mean she’d want you to marry her.”
He chuckled, “Nope. This is for, uh, my sister.”
I took a step back from him. “Okay, who’s the pervert now?”
His face turned red when he realized what he sounded like. “No! I mean, I saw some pajamas that I thought she would like. Are you done? Can we pay now and get out of here?”
I laughed, enjoying the moment to bask in his embarrassment. He still looked pretty embarrassed when we went out of the shop. Finally, I took pity on him and gave him a playful punch in the arm. “Come on, man. I was just messing with you.”
He looked at me for a moment and smiled. “I know. When you take it in your head to make fun of me, you tend to overdo it.”
I shrugged. “You better get used to it, chief. Because you volunteered to take me in for the next couple of days. You should have known what you were getting into.”
“Yeah. Sadly, I’m pretty slow when it comes to you,” he admitted with a small grin on his face.
“I’m Ken Clarke. You should be sharper around me.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. “I can think of plenty of reasons why that statement is so wrong on so many levels.”
I realized what he meant, and this time, it was my turn to blush. Instead of saying something, I just gave him another punch to the arm.
“Aww!” he yelped. “For a small person, you sure pack a lot of strength.”
“Well, breakfast does that to me.”
“Next time, remind me to starve you,” he said. “Speaking of food, let’s grab some groceries while we’re here.”
We went to the supermarket. Nicholas bought a week’s worth of groceries. Since I’d be staying with him, I thought it would be nice to cook for him. At least, it would save him money rather than having takeout all the time.
After buying our groceries, Nicholas drove to a steakhouse where we had lunch before heading back home.
Just as he parked in front of his house, he asked, “I told you this house was safe, right?”
“You didn’t say why.”
“I have a central alarm system. I don’t always arm it. But we could start doing that now.” He went to the bushes and picked up a huge rock. Without warning, he threw it into one of the glass wall panels.
“What the hell?!” I cursed.
He pointed at the glass wall. It didn’t break, didn’t even have a scratch on the surface. “It’s unbreakable glass. It will break if you hit it with maximum force at least ten times on the same spot. But otherwise, no one can hurt you when you’re inside. You will have plenty of time to call for help before they even get through that glass.”
“I’m impressed. But what if my father came here with an army of goons with AK47s?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Then I suggest you hide under the bed.” He laughed.
Inside the house, I helped him store all the groceries in the cupboards and the fridge. Then we went up to the room with Nicholas carrying all my shopping bags in his hands.
“You know, I can take the couch,” I said. “I’d be more comfortable there than you would be.”
He shook his head. “I barely sleep in that bed. I have a small office downstairs where I do my work. It has a sofa-bed where I usually sleep in when I’m too lazy to go up after hours of working. So don’t worry. You take the bed.”
“You’re sure, dude?” I asked uncertainly.
He smiled. “Sure, chief. Don’t worry. You’re my guest. Maybe someday, I’ll be able to renovate and add a guest room.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said in agreement.
Nicholas placed my bags on the floor of the bedroom. “I’ll give you some time to sort this out. I’ll be downstairs. Just shout if you need anything.”
Just as he was about to leave, I said, “Nicholas…” He turned to me and raised a brow. I shrugged and gave him a small smile. “Whatever.”
He smiled at me and said, “Yeah. Whatever.” Then he closed the door behind him.