This place is spectacular. The curved ceiling stretches what feels like miles above us, painted in the most intense green-blue, overlaid with intricate gold detailing of the zodiac. At each end of the marble concourse is a stone staircase leading up to a balcony, and there are huge arched windows along the walls. All around me, people are milling from doorways to corridors leading off to different tracks, and an announcement comes on over the loudspeaker which makes it feel like I’m in the middle of some grand airport.
“Wow,” I breathe, wide-eyed. Even though people are weaving past me, hurrying to get to important places, I’m rooted to the spot, trying to absorb everything.
“I know, isn’t it beautiful?” Michael watches me for a moment, then gives me a gentle nudge. “I’ll go grab us a coffee. What do you want?”
I break out of my trance and turn to him. “That’s okay, I can—”
“No, you wander around and take it in. I’ll grab something from over there”—he gestures to a coffee stand—“and be right back.”
“Okay. Um, just a cappuccino, thanks. Here.” I reach into my bag for cash but he shakes his head.
“I’ve got it. You go look around, I’ll come find you.” And he wanders off to the coffee stand while my mind does another mental tally in the “date” column.
Still, it’s hardly a date if he’s running off at the first chance, is it?
With a sigh I turn and wander, trying to absorb everything around me. Everywhere I look there’s someone doing something interesting, or some beautiful detail in the marble and stone. I climb the stairs at one end and snap a few photos overlooking the concourse, trying to capture the magic I feel at being here.
A few moments later Michael appears at my side, handing me a coffee. “I got you a muffin too. I hope you like chocolate.”
I take the muffin and coffee with a surprised smile. “Thank you. That’s really sweet.”
He gives a little chuckle. “I’m a sweet guy once you get to know me.”
I let my eyes linger on him. He is sweet, I’m coming to see, and it’s killing me.
Fixing my gaze back on the concourse below, I sip my coffee, watching the people milling about. “I love to people-watch,” I say after a while.
“Yeah?”
I nod. “I like to imagine who people are and what their lives are like. I wonder about where they’re going and what they’re thinking.”
Michael scrubs a hand over his beard, watching the people below. “Most of them are on their phones with their earphones in. They’re probably all zoned out.”
“Maybe. Or maybe they’re texting someone they love to tell them they miss them, or they’re checking their dating app to see if anyone has connected with them, or they’re putting on their favorite song to cheer themselves up after something bad has happened…” I trail off, and when Michael doesn’t say anything, I look down at my coffee with a grimace.
Way to get carried away, Alex.
But Michael angles his body towards mine. “Maybe,” he murmurs. There’s a warmth in his eyes, a tiny line between his brows as he contemplates me, like he’s trying to figure something out.
“I know it’s silly,” I mumble. “But—”
“It’s not.”
I feel his gaze on me while I sip my coffee, and when I finally glance back at him, he huffs a laugh, looking down at his cup with a funny little smile. My heart stumbles and I force myself to look away before I put any more scores in my mental “date” column.
I focus back on the beautiful architecture around us, trying to ignore Michael’s presence right beside me, trying to pretend I’m not desperately wishing he would lean over and kiss me under the ceiling of stars.
18
Well, Times Square was just as chaotic and crazy as it was the first time I attempted to visit. But somehow, with Michael there, I felt fine. Mostly it was just crowded with tourists and people peddling souvenirs, but it was fun to see the lights and everything.
And Michael was even cool with getting a big pretzel from one of those street vendors, which surprised me. He’s a real New Yorker and I thought he might turn his nose up at something so cliché, but when I said I was going to get one, he grinned and bought one for himself, too.
The highlight, so far, has to be Top of the Rock. And I can see why he chose it over the Empire State Building. Because when you go up Top of the Rock, you get to see the whole skyline, including the Empire State Building.
And it’s breathtaking.
I knew there was a reason I chose New York, but while I was busy running around the West Village I’d let myself forget about the rest of the place. This city, though, it’s something else. It’s alive, it’s buzzing with life and possibility. God, I know it’s so cheesy, but it does feel like the place where dreams can come true.
By the early afternoon we’re down at Rockefeller Plaza, watching the ice-skaters on the rink below. Across the rink stands a huge Christmas tree, lit from head to toe in a rainbow of sparkling lights, above the famous gold statue. The whole place feels like something out of a film, but I find myself thinking I’m not going to get the happy ending I’ve always wanted. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. Just because I’ve realized happily ever afters are only for romance novels, doesn’t mean a tiny part of me isn’t still wishing for it.
I sneak a glance at Michael. He’s leaning on the railing watching the skaters below, his eyes creased at the corners in that little smile of his. I know I’ve been pretty obsessed with his looks since I first laid eyes on him, but with every passing moment I’m learning more and more about the kind of man that
