The night in Birkham gleamed with brilliance, especially on Valentine's Day. Businesses pulled out all the stops to attract customers, as if trying to claim the entire holiday for themselves.
Nina stood outside a themed hotel, hesitating before going in. She peered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, searching for the man Zoe had described. He would have a blue rose pinned to his chest. Every table was occupied by couples, but she couldn't spot anyone matching that description.
She thought about calling Zoe to check if the man had already left. Just then, she caught sight of a familiar figure. Nash was rounding a corner and heading into a private room on the second floor.
On Valentine's Day, and he didn't chome? What was he doing here? A flood of suspicions surged through Nina's mind, all pointing to one possibility.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNash had someone else.
Anger boiling, she stormed into the hotel and headed straight for the private rooms upstairs.
"Miss, may I ask how many are in your party?" the waiter asked, blocking her path.
Nina curved her lips into a sly smile. "How many? If you tell me, all of this could be yours." She handed the waiter a generous stack of cash, making his eyes light up with a grin as he held up two fingers. Of course. On Valentine's Day, it had to be two people. Who else would book a hotel room for just one? She kicked the door open and sneered, "Well, Mr. York, enjoying yourself? I wonder if you..." The rest of her words caught in her throat. The room held only Nash, sitting there alone. Turning back, she glared at the waiter, "Didn't you say there were two people in here?" "Mr. York said two. His wife hasn't arrived yet." "You can go now. I'll handle things from here," Nash dismissed the waiter, then turned to close the door, only to realize she had broken it.
With a wry smile, he said, "Looks like we'll need a new room." The waiter, quick to react, arranged for another room. Meanwhile, Nina stood there, confused. Nash seemed unbothered by being caught, and the waiter had mentioned his wife. But wasn't she his wife? "What's going on? Don't you know it's Valentine's Day?" Nina asked, annoyed.
Nash held her hands, looking her up and down with a smile. "This outfit really suits you. I don't think anyone else could pull it off as well as you do." Nina glanced down at her clothes, still puzzled. "What is going on?" "I picked out the dress myself. It's Valentine's Day, after all. There had to be ssurprises, right? So..." "I get it," Nina said, realizing the truth.
Zoe's so-called favor was just a ruse to bring her here, to Nash.
Thank goodness she hadn't done anything rash. She glanced back at the damaged door, feeling a little embarrassed.
The waiter quickly escorted them to the new room. The setup was the same, and Nina had to admit, the hotel staff were impressively efficient. Roses decorated the table, and red balloons on the walls formed a heart shape.
As they sat down, Nina kept her head slightly lowered, still feeling awkward about her earlier outburst.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"The breeze tonight is a bit chilly. Since you're closer to the window, could you close it for me?"
Normally, Nash would never order her around. And normally, if he did, Button l Nina would never listen. But tonight Wana N was different. She had doubted him, and now she felt guilty. With a sigh, Nina got up to close the window.
Suddenly, the billboard across the street lit up the plain, ordinary ad had transformed into a heartfelt message from Nash. Each word pierced straight into Nina's heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Don't like it?" Nash asked softly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
Nina shook her head. How could she not love it? It was perfect.
"I wasn't sure what to get you," Nash whispered. "So I thought, why not confess my love to you all over again?"