Chapter 22

After brunch, the pair bring down their dishes. Jane puts her hair up into a messy bun and rolls up her sleeves. Time to clean the giant mess she left in the kitchen. Nik leans against the counter, watching the curvy woman as she starts placing dishes in the dishwasher. Each time she bends over, he catches a glimpse of her beautiful ass and thick thighs, as well as the space between those thighs. The only thing separating him from the full view is a tiny pair of PJ shorts. He continues ogling her like this, Jane entirely unaware as she finishes loading the dishwasher.

She tosses in a dish-washing pod and closes the appliance, turning the knob to start the cycle. She then turns to face him, folding her arms under her bust. Nik could get used to seeing her doing shit like this, cleaning his apartment, cooking him breakfast, sucking his-

"So what are the plans for today?" Jane's words bring him back to reality. He invited her here for vacation. She isn't some sexy little housewife. They are just friends.

"Up to you Jane. It is your vacation after all. What do you want to do first?"

"I mean, if you are down I would really love to go check out the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. From all of the pictures of the exhibitions they have on their website to the reviews they have on Google, it seems like a dream." Nik sees that adorable look in her eyes, the one filled with childish glee.

"Then that's what we'll do." Once he confirms that he is down for her plan of the day, Jane jumps up and claps her hands together. She mentions something about getting ready before she races off in the direction of the stairs. Nik just chuckles at the wild woman and heads up to his room right behind her. Well not right behind her, but just close enough to get a good look at her curves as she jogs up the stairs ahead of him.

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Nik somehow manages to get ready the fastest this time around so he climbs down the stairs to wait in the living room while Jane finishes up. He plops himself down on the couch, pulling out his phone to pass the time. He wears a light forest green button-down shirt. The sleeves are rolled up just above the elbow. He also wears a pair of light wash Levi's and a pair of all-white Adidas.

"Are you ready to head out?" Jane smoothes some of the wrinkles out of her shirt, feeling shy for some reason.

Nik puts his phone away, turning his full attention to her. She looks stunning in her high-waisted light-wash mom jeans, cute little crop top, and white ankle strap wedge heels. He gets up and walks over to the door, opening it for her like the gentleman that he is.

"After you, miss."

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Instead of following a tour, Jane and Nik take a more self-directed approach to discovering all the incredible works the museum has to offer. Nik isn't the biggest appreciator of the arts, so he lets Jane take the lead.

Jane drifts from piece to piece, focusing on the use of colors and shapes to convey emotions. She reads every description, wanting to know even the tiniest bit more about an artist. She is surprised to find that many older works have unknown artists. Some of her favorite pieces move from place to place, all over the world, with no one to claim them, their creators long gone, somewhere beneath the ground. It's sad, truly.

These feelings of loneliness and lack of identity remind her of her own struggles in these fields of life. She may have a name and a career and a couple of friends, but she still doesn't feel like her own person. She is certain she would be some half-baked NPC if this universe ever turns out to be some giant simulation. Being so plain, so boring, so identityless, it really fucking sucks.

She stops, standing before a small painting. There are people wearing golden haloes and shapeless draperies. Men with thinning tan hair and women with soft round faces. This was created back during a period where insecurities about cheekbones and double-chins weren't a concern. Social media didn't exist and so men and women weren't constantly bombarded with images and instructions regarding how they needed to look and exist to be worth something in society. They could just exist.

Seeing these denizens of the Baroque period eats away at Jane. Would she have suffered less with her body had she been born much earlier? Would she have been worshipped the way these women were? Imagine. Not waking up every morning and looking in a mirror, analyzing and criticizing every crease, dimple, fold, and pimple, she couldn't even dream of it. It feels so hallucinatory.

"Must be nice," she murmurs to herself.

"What must be nice?" Nik pipes up behind her, his eyes grazing over the details of the small portrait in front of them.

"Oh, um, nothing." 'I bet he doesn't have to worry about silly shit like that,' she thinks to herself. Now, her eyes trace over the piece of breathing artwork to her right. Thick dark hair, slightly-tanned olive skin, gorgeous dimples that pop up every time he flashes his pearly whites. Broad shoulders, strong arms, an overall beast of a man towering over her.

Realizing she has been staring at him for far longer than is appropriate, her eyes snap back to the painting. 'Obviously, I have some redeeming qualities otherwise I wouldn't be able to bag a guy like this.' Forcing fake confidence, she grabs Nik's hand, pulling him along to the other pieces in the exhibit. 'Fat doesn't mean ugly,' she chants in her head over and over. Clearly, it doesn't because the most beautiful women in these portraits are mid-size and plus-size queens.

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After walking around every exhibit their legs can take them too, they break for a late lunch. Jane picked the activity for the day, so Nik bargained his way into buying them some sustenance. Jane reluctantly agrees, hating that this wealthy hunk always tries to pay her way. She's a big girl who can take care of herself. She is always going to fight him on this. He knows and she knows that he knows this, but how can she truly feel like a self-sustaining adult if Nik is always spoiling her.

Deciding that surprise lunch dates are more fun than regular-degular ones, Nik makes Jane close her eyes the entire car ride over. The cab drops them off at a street corner unknown to Jane. Nik takes her hand in his, helping her out of the vehicle. Once he feels like she has waited long enough, he lets go of her hand and stands back.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now." Jane does as instructed and opens her eyes, covering them with her hand still, allowing her eyes time to adjust to the light. Instead of some crazy fancy restaurant, Nik has taken her to a local hole-in-the-wall place.

Crammed in between two similarly ratty structures sits this cheesy mom-and-pop Italian joint. They head inside the cramped space and wait for someone to greet them. A lanky teenage boy with thick dark blonde hair and a skin tone that rivals Nik's waves them over to a booth at the back of the restaurant. Jane and Nik take their seats, grabbing the menus from the boy to look them over.

Chestnut hardwoods span from one wall to the other. Surprisingly they don't seem old or rickety. They are well taken care of. The walls are a burnt orange color. Covering the walls are tons of historic photos with descriptions of the original owners, the details and story of the shop, as well as a few photos of celebrities who have stopped in. Hanging from the ceiling are some retro ceiling light fixtures that manage to tie the whole cozy atmosphere together.

"I'm shocked Mr. Fancy Pants. I wasn't expecting you to take me to a place like this," Jane smiles, a genuine look of surprised happiness lighting up her features.

"Well, you told me you liked simple. So, I gave you simple."

"What a gentleman, you remembered a little comment like that? How sweet," Jane teases. Nik decides to take it as a compliment instead of a snarky taunt, grinning like a schoolboy, innocent but mischievous.

Instead of the same blonde boy from before, an older woman greets them, pen and pad of paper in hand. Before she can ask our orders, Nik stands up and gives the graceful woman a squeeze. 'He must come here a lot,' Jane thinks to herself. Before she has time to introduce herself, Nik gestures to her.

"Nan, this is my friend Jane."

"Friend, huh? I've never met any of your friends before Nikky." The nasally sound and pet name help Jane realize exactly who this person is to Nik.

"Well, I haven't had any friends worth bringing before." He shrugs and then plants two kisses, one on either side of her face, before sitting back down.

A blush spreads across Jane's cheeks. 'He's introducing me to his fucking grandmother?!' The woman so lovingly labeled nan, peers over at Jane. Before any words fall between the two of them, Nan takes her time glossing over all of Jane's features. The skin on the back of Jane's neck prickles and an anxious pit forms in her stomach. She was not mentally prepared to be meeting her lover's family.

Nik nudges Jane's leg with his knee. She looks over at him. He seems so calm, so unfazed by this dire situation that he has put her in. 'What a turd.' Jane stands up to give the woman a proper greeting.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Jane. I know you already know that, but I figured I'd share it anyway. I had no clue Nik was bringing me to meet his family otherwise I would have dressed a lot nicer," Jane stumbles over her words, cursing the handsome devil under her breath. A few more moments of awkward silence creep by before the woman speaks.

"I like her Nikky," she smacks Nik on the back of the head despite the praise, "but you shouldn't give the poor girl a heart attack like that." A sigh of relief she didn't know she had been holding in, escapes Jane.

'Alright, I can do this.'