Chapter 14

Loud beeping wakes Nik from his dreamless sleep. He sits up in bed, looking down at his wristwatch. It's only five. Why did he set his alarm for so early? He has two hours to kill before he meets Jane at her place.

His feet contact the cold hardwood below. He stands, deciding now is as good a time as any to make some coffee. He is going to need it. He walks through the living room, towards the small kitchen at the other end of his apartment. He locates his coffee maker, popping in one of the brew pods and selecting the amount of water he desires. He places the mug underneath the nozzle and watches as the steaming amber liquid drips out.

Once the machine stops producing his drink, he takes the mug and sets it on the counter. Nik then rummages through the fridge, looking for some kind of creamer to sweeten it. He isn't a black coffee type of guy. It takes him a second, but eventually, he finds what he is looking for. He finishes preparing his coffee and cleans up his mess. He takes his beverage to the living room.

Nik sits on the U-shaped sofa, facing the large wall of windows. It's still early, but he can see the sun slowly inching its way towards the horizon. Nik blows some steam away from his cup and takes a sip. In a complex across the street, Nik watches lights start to turn on, illuminating some of his neighbors' windows. Its too far to see anyone, but just knowing that there are other people up this early is comforting. He takes another sip, watching the city as it wakes beneath his window.

He stays like this until his cup is empty. He turns on the TV. He flips through the channels. It's mostly news at the moment. He finds a silly cartoon and watches it until he decides he should get dressed and ready to go pick up Jane. Somehow he managed to pass the time quicker than he expected to.

He returns his mug to the kitchen and then retreats back into his room to find clothing. He doesn't want to get too dressed up since he will be sitting in a plane for a few hours. Office clothes are the least comfortable clothing to wear on a plane ride. Nik settles on a pair of light gray joggers, a plain white pocket tee and a pair of old man moccasins. He is too lazy to do more than fluff up his hair with his hands. How do people get all dressed up this early on a Monday morning? He will never know. When Nik is satisfied with his loungewear, he texts his assistant to have a cab sent to his apartment.

Ten minutes later Nik is out the door, wallet, and keys in tow, somewhat ready to take on the morning. The only thing truly keeping him awake and moving is thinking about Jane and how he will have her all to himself for a full week. Should he take off the week? Nik decides to have his assistant cancel or push back all of his appointments for the next week. If Jane is going to be having fun in L.A., he wants to be in on it.

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Jane throws on a pair of light blue jean shorts, a black hoody, and her slippers and throws her hair up into a messy bun. She pulls out a few strands of hair to complete the look, relying on them to frame her face nicely, elevating the look enough to make it seem like she didn't just crawl right out of bed. She did, but he doesn't need to know that.

She does her other morning routine things and then rushes through her front door and down to the lobby. Luckily, her purse was still packed from the previous night, and she was wise enough to pack her luggage as well. She sits on a bench by the front doors and pulls out her phone to see where Nik is. Jane notices a missed call. She peeks her head around to see if there are any cars waiting outside. She sees a cab and Nik's tired expression.

She gets up, towing her luggage behind her. When Nik sees Jane exit her complex, he gets out of the cab and has the driver pop the trunk for Jane's luggage. He takes it and loads the cab for her before scooting into the backseat beside her. Once both passengers are safe and secure, the driver heads to his second location. Nik looks over to Jane who is leaning her head against the frosty cab window. Nik pokes Jane's side, causing her to jump. She glares at him, not amused by the jab he gave. Nik sends an apologetic smile her way, quickly cooling off her temper. Jane is not someone to be trifled with so early in the morning he quickly realizes.

"Sorry, I was just wondering if you would be more comfortable laying your head on me. The window looks freezing." Nik offers his shoulder to Jane who gladly accepts the offer.

"Thanks. I'm so tired I can barely keep my head up. I did not sleep well last night."

"Why not? Did you have a nightmare or something?" Nik questions, keeping an eye on the road to make sure the cab driver is heading in the right direction. For some reason, Nik has the worst luck about these things. Every time he tries to take a cab to the aviation port where he keeps his jet, they manage to get completely turned around. The city can't be that confusing can it?

"Quite the opposite," Jane mutters quietly to herself. Nik catches what she said.

"What do you mean?" He settles back into the seat a bit to get comfy once he realizes that his driver is going the correct way.

"Uhm, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." Jane tries to avoid the subject, not wanting to share her sexual fantasies with the guy that she dreamt about having them with.

"That sounds like a challenge. I'm up for an early morning guessing game. Maybe it'll keep me occupied on the drive." Nik chuckles, pondering what kind of dream would keep someone awake if not a scary one.

"I-It's not a challenge. Let's talk about something else. Breakfast! What are we doing for breakfast? I'm starving." Jane tries to steer the conversation in a different direction, but Nik won't budge.

"Hmm. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you are trying to avoid the topic. That means it's probably something you're embarrassed about right? I can only think of one type of dream that would keep someone up at night and something that would also embarrass them. You catch my drift yeah?"

"Shut up. We do not need to talk about this right now Nik. It is way too early in the morning for me to get all worked up before a multiple hour plane ride. Can we just talk about something else, please? Plus, you promised me breakfast and you do not want to see me when I'm hangry."

"Fine Fine. I was just teasing. I don't want you upset with me during our ride. Who else am I supposed to talk to on the way there? I did promise you breakfast though. You are right about that. Do you want to get something before we get there or do you want to see what's closer to the port?"

"I thought you said we weren't going to the airport?"

"We aren't. At least, this isn't your typical airport. It's just a huge warehouse for privately owned planes and jets and helicopters and the like. There are some places in the area that serve breakfast, but they are mainly fancy places that rich old people like to go to flaunt their money. If you want to do something like that I'm down, but also I imagine it would not be a fun breakfast especially considering neither of us are dressed for the part." Jane shifts in her seat uncomfortably. The thought of sitting down in a fancy restaurant with a bunch of rich people while she looks like a slob is not a thought she enjoys.

"No, we can get something quick. Do you want to stop at a drive-thru and just get some hash browns or something?"

"I think you deserve better than that. Let me text my assistant really quickly. I have an idea of what we can eat for breakfast. I will have him meet us there." Nik pulls out his phone and types away. Jane gets comfy against Nik's shoulder again, watching the buildings and cars and people fly by as they drive. By the time Nik finishes his message and puts his phone back in his pocket, Jane is already fast asleep on his shoulder.

She looks so cute and comfortable like this. He doesn't want to wake her so he stays as still as possible, just enjoying the moment. He feels strange thinking about her like this and witnessing all these vulnerable moments of her life, but he enjoys knowing that she trusts him enough to share with him. It has only been a few days, but Nik has grown extremely fond of this woman.