Page 97 of Halo

“Stay right here. I'll be right back," Nick says.

Before I can ask where he's going, he disappears through another doorway.

A minute later, he returns carrying two warm blankets draped over an arm and a pair of bright yellow hospital socks with white grips on the bottom. “They don't exactly match, do they?”

I laugh. “Oooo hospital couture.” I pause. “Wait … did you steal these?”

“Technically,” he says, helping me take a seat on a stone bench. “Do you pay taxes?”

“Yes … why?”

“Ah, then you're good. You pre-ordered these bad boys.” He chuckles, setting the blankets aside before crouching in front of me. He unzips my boots and carefully eases each one off, revealing my Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer socks.

His eyebrows lift. “I don't know what I was expecting … but it wasn't that … but also, I should've."

I giggle, wiggling my toes. “You were never supposed to see them.”

Carefully pulling off my reindeer socks—thank goodness, I just gave myself a pedicure—he slips the hospital ones over my foot and up half my leg, making us both unable to keep a straight face.

“Not exactly the perfect fit, but at least you won't be walking like a baby deer.” His fingers brush against my knee, the brief touch igniting goosebumps across my skin as my heart does a ridiculous little flip.

He takes a seat next to me in front of a stone table, my shoulder barely reaching his. I pull out a bottle of hand sanitizer for us to share before unpacking our dinners. I set out the cartons of fries, promptly popping one of his into my mouth.

"Excuse me." He narrows his eyes. "Did you just steal one of my fries?"

I take another one.

"I'm performing quality control."

“And?

I sneak one more. “Needs spicy ketchup.”

He shakes his head, laughing to himself before stealing one from my carton in return.

I smile, grabbing my cheeseburger. "Do you come up here a lot?"

He glances over. "Is that like a pickup line? ‘Do you come here often?’” We laugh together before his smile softens. “I found this place a few years ago." He unwraps his burger, but doesn't take a bite. "I had a particularly hard case with an eclamptic patient who passed. I needed a quiet place, but my shift wasn't over, so I discovered this prayer garden, and now, I come here when I need a minute. Plus …” He glances up.

I follow his gaze, and my breath catches. Beyond the glass overhead, tiny stars glitter against the December sky. “I didn't know you could see so many of these in the city Houston.”

A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Most people never notice them. Helps to be above some of the city lights ….”

“Gosh, there are so many stars," I whisper.

“So … many …” Nick agrees softly.

Something in his voice gives me pause, drawing my attention from the sky and back to him.

Nick isn't looking up. He's looking at me, his eyes locked on mine.

My cheeks warm as my knee brushes his, suddenly very aware of how close we're sitting.

“Can I ask you something?"

He slowly nods, his eyes never leaving mine.

“The night when we first met … before you knew who I was, before Grady … why didn't you kiss me?”