Chapter Eight
One month. They had made it work for one month. Natalie was an angel sent from heaven to him, more understanding than he could have ever imagined. She let him set the borders of their new relationship, content to wait. For now, at least. Schanke had won the precinct pool, which had risen to a considerable sum after Nick's return. Truth be told, Nick had been surprised that Schanke had kept money in, after finding out what he was. Their relationship hadn't changed in the slightest, which Nick was eternally grateful for. Natalie had confided in him that Schanke and her had had a 'talk' after it had become quite obvious that she and Nick were finally admitting that they were more than 'just friends', and that everything was totally fine.
As far as Natalie was concerned, Nick was the perfect boyfriend. He took her out to dinner, even though he didn't eat himself. He sent her flowers. He was as sweet as candy. Natalie checked herself over in the mirror once more. Nick was picking her up in ten minutes to take her out to dinner yet again. There were definitely some advantages to being immortal and rich.
Nick arrived promptly at eight and knocked on her door. She called for him to come in, and that she would be ready in a second. He was taking her to the CN tower tonight. Nick smiled slightly in anticipation of the evening. He loved taking Natalie places for dinner. Just because he couldn't eat any of the food, well, not a lot of it, didn't mean he didn't enjoy it. And who wouldn't enjoy seeing the city of Toronto from the revolving restaurant?
Natalie came out of her bathroom and smiled at Nick, who was standing by the door in his tux. "What do you think?" she asked, turning around in a little circle.
Nick's jaw dropped. She went beyond beautiful in this dress. It was shimmering blue, very short, and he was positive she wasn't wearing anything under it. She couldn't, without causing 'panty lines'.
"I'll take that as a yes," Natalie laughed slightly, glad that Myra had convinced her to get this one. She had asked Schanke's wife to help her pick out an appropriate dress for the night, wanting something new to surprise Nick with. "Close your mouth before you start to drool."
Nick's mouth closed with an audible snap, as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "My lady looks exceptionally lovely this evening," he said.
"Why, thank you." Natalie could not wipe the smile off her face while she locked her door and took Nick's arm as they walked outside. Outside, it was her turn to gasp, because Nick had rented a limo for them.
"I thought we should arrive in style," he murmured to her as the chauffer opened the door for them.
Natalie had never ridden in a limo before, and it was a novel experience for her. When they arrived at the tower, the chauffer once more opened the door, and Nick helped Natalie out. She was glad for that - with the spike heels she was wearing, she wasn't very sure of her walking. Nick gladly provided her the support of his arm, so she wouldn't fall going up the steps. Natalie had no idea how Janette managed to wear heels, which seemed like all the time.
Nick got them a table, and escorted her to her seat, pulling it out for her. She smiled up at him as he went around the table and sat down on the opposite side. They sat, silently watching each other, as they liked to do, until the waiter came.
"What would Monsieur and Madame want for drinks?" he asked.
They both ordered red wine. When the drinks arrived, Nick laced his judiciously with blood from the silver flask he always had on him for emergencies, glancing sheepishly at Natalie. But she understood, as she had the time before and the time before that. It was not fair for her to be able to eat and for him not to. Natalie enjoyed watching the city of Toronto rotate slowly around below them. The waiter came back, and they both ordered filet mignon, rare for Nick and medium-well for her. Nick always managed to eat a couple bites of whatever he ordered, more for Natalie's sake than to look mortal.
They chatted as they ate, nothing consequential, just the meaningless talk of friends. Nick took a couple bites of his meat, and found that it wasn't all that bad. He couldn't take more than a couple, but it still tasted better than usual. Perhaps it was the company. He smiled at the beautiful woman across from him and raised his wineglass.
"A toast, to the most beautiful woman to grace the earth in eight centuries.
Natalie blushed and raised her own glass. "And to the most gallant knight of the twentieth century."
They each took a sip of their drinks, and Nick produced a small wrapped package from inside his tux. "This is for you," he said as he handed it across the table to her. "This past month has been the happiest of my life. I'm sorry for wasting so many years of your life taking and taking and never giving back, but I plan to remedy that in the future."
Natalie smiled at him. Although the speech was fit for an engagement ring, the box was much too long. Bracelet or necklace, she knew. "It's okay, I never really minded." She slid off the ribbon and opened the top. A single, small ruby on a silver chain glimmered up at her, the perfect color to match her dress. "Oh, Nick, it's beautiful," she whispered as she took it out.
Nick stood up and helped her put it on. "Not as beautiful as you," he whispered in her ear, causing her to blush even more. The chain was short enough so the gem sat in the hollow of her throat.
"Thank you," she said, turning her head to quickly catch his lips before he sat back down.
After Natalie was finished with her meal, and Nick had paid, they went back down to the waiting limousine. Nick helped her in, and sat down next to her. Natalie immediately cuddled into his side as his arm went around her.
Looking up at him, she said, "I don't want to be alone, tonight. I want to fall asleep tonight in your arms, even if we can't do anything other than that."
Nick leaned down to kiss her gently. "Okay, then we can just stop at your place and pick up whatever you need, and then go to the loft."
Natalie eagerly deepened the kiss. She could never get enough of him, of his lips, of the feel of his body close to hers. All too soon, the limo pulled up in front of her apartment. He went up with her to wait as she packed an overnight bag.
"I'll take a shower and change at your place, okay?" she asked once she was done, reaching up to kiss him once more. The night was still early. Nick nodded, brushing a wisp of hair from her face. He prayed he would be able to control himself tonight.