Wilder: The Guardian Series (4 page)

She grinned. “Oh yes, it is. I love a full moon, there’s
something magical about it.” Celeste found herself completely swept up in the
conversation with Nico. It was odd how at ease she felt with him.

“So tell me a little about you. I’ve been going on and on
about my life, and I haven’t let you get a word in.”

“Trust me, your life is way more exciting than mine is,” she
said.

“Maybe for now,” he said with a knowing smile.

There was something about being around Nico that sparked
feelings inside of her that were completely new and slightly startling. She
couldn’t figure out what it was, but there was something about this boy.
 

“I really missed seeing all of these stars when I was living
in the city,” he continued.

“I’m going to miss that about Oak Bluffs. I’m actually moving
to New York City in the fall to go to NYU,” explained Celeste.

“Well now that certainly sounds exciting. You must be a smart
one then, aren’t you?” teased Nico.

“I don’t know about all that, but going to NYU is something
that I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember.”

“I don’t know if I like this—I just moved here and now
you’re leaving?”

Celeste smiled shyly as Nico watched her intently –
almost too intently. She was actually relieved when she saw Brian and Natalie
approaching the balcony to join them.

“I think I’m ready to head home Cel, are you ready?” asked
Brian.

“Oh yeah sure,” she said, regretting having to leave so soon.

Nico took her hand and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek. “It
was a pleasure to meet you, Celeste Wilder, and I hope to see you again very
soon.”

When Celeste awoke the next morning, she had an overwhelming
feeling of hopefulness, a sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time. She glanced
at her favorite family picture nearby on the nightstand; it was from her fifth
birthday party, and everyone looked so blissfully happy, she thought. Celeste
had on her favorite pink party dress, her dad was wiping icing off of her
cheek, and her mom looked so young and beautiful.

“This is going to be a good day, Dad,” she said out loud.

She got out of bed and was cheerfully humming as she made her
way downstairs. Since her mom was still sleeping she decided to surprise her
with breakfast in bed, and quickly got to work making some crispy bacon and
eggs. As she hustled around the kitchen, she thought of the party (and Nico, of
course) and a little smile crossed her face. She could totally do
this—she could go out and have fun and meet interesting boys like a
normal teenager. She resolved that this summer would be different: no more
moping around the house and feeling sorry for herself. She was going to be
graduating soon and everything was about to change. She snuck into her mom’s
room and left the tray with the delicious breakfast on her nightstand as well
as a note saying she’d gone to meet Natalie.

As head of the prom committee, Natalie had been running
around all morning searching for decorations to turn the school’s stark gym
into an authentic roaring twenties-themed casino. Celeste couldn’t believe that
prom was just a week away. She hadn’t even planned on going really.

“Of course you’re going!” exclaimed Natalie. “You have to,
it’s our senior prom!” Celeste had caught up with Natalie outside of The Party
Store and now they were walking side-by-side basking in the pleasant morning
sunshine.

After a few lame excuses, Celeste finally gave in to
Natalie’s theory that if Celeste didn’t go to prom she would be missing out on
one of the most important nights of her life.

“And you should totally take Nico,” continued Natalie with a
wink. “You two seemed pretty friendly last night.”

Celeste laughed. “He is really friendly actually and seems
super cool. He’s been to all of these amazing places. And the way he talks, it
reminds me of someone so much older. But I kind of like it, he’s such a gentleman.”

“Of course
you
would love that. He seems like he popped right out of one of your romance
novels.”

As Celeste was about to tell her that she doubted she would
ever see him again, her phone started ringing. She didn’t recognize the number,
so she picked it up with a tentative, “Hello?”

“Why hello Celeste,
it’s
Nico, the
charming young man you had the pleasure of meeting last night. Please tell me
you haven’t forgotten about me already?”

Celeste responded with a nervous little chuckle and said, “Of
course not. Hi - how are you?”

Nico explained that he had gotten her number from Dani Lynn
(who had gotten it from Natalie –
so
sneaky
!) and said, “I hope I’m not being too forward, but I would really
enjoy seeing you again today.”

“Oh…”

“I would really like to show you those pictures of Germany
that we were talking about last night. Why don’t you come by my apartment this
afternoon?”

Celeste found herself searching for words, thinking,
Should I go to this total stranger’s
apartment after just meeting him? But he’s not really a stranger, after all
Dani Lynn knows him…

She resolved her inner struggle with an impulsive, “Sure!”

When Celeste hung up the phone she was grinning from ear to
ear. “I can’t believe I just said yes.”

“Me either! It’s about time you start acting like a normal
teenager, and on that note, you’re coming to help me do some more shopping.
This is going to be the best prom ever!” said Natalie as she dragged Celeste
into another store.

***

Nico had texted Celeste his address and as she turned into
his apartment complex, her heart was racing. What was she doing? This was so
unlike her! She tried to steady her nerves as she examined herself in the
mirror, applying a little cotton candy lip-gloss and tucking a loose strand of
blonde hair behind her ear. She forced herself to get out of the car and then
knocked hesitantly on the door. Within seconds, it swung open, and to her
surprise the handsome stranger from the library stood in front of her. He was
wearing a tight-fitting black t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans that hung
flawlessly from his hips. His bright blue eyes twinkled as a shade of a smile
crossed his perfectly sculpted jaw and the five o’clock shadow completed his
roguish look. Celeste stared speechlessly until she finally gathered the nerve
to murmur a hello.

“You must be Celeste, I’m Roman, Nico’s brother. He told me
he was expecting you, please come in.” Roman inhaled deeply as she walked in,
her scent intoxicating. He could hear her heart racing and the blood pumping
through her veins.

As Celeste squeezed through the door that Roman was holding
open, her arm brushed against his and it was like thousands of tiny electric
shocks went through her. She tried to suppress a little “ooh” as she walked by
him. The intense attraction that bubbled up inside her was even more powerful
than what she had felt last night towards Nico. There was no doubt that Roman
was incredibly gorgeous, but Celeste had met cute boys before and never felt
anything like this.

Nico came barreling down the stairs and gave Celeste a quick
kiss on both cheeks – very European, she thought. At that, Roman
retreated to what must have been his bedroom. Celeste thought she caught a
glimpse of disapproval as Roman stalked out of the room, but it must have been
her imagination. The apartment was huge and immaculately decorated—not at
all what Celeste had expected from two twenty-something year old guys. It was a
mix of new world and old, classic with large stately pieces of furniture and
yet still boasting a modern black and white vibe.

Nico led Celeste into the expansive living room, which had
floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking a peaceful lake and lush green
grass.

“Wow, what a beautiful view!” she said, walking toward the
wall of windows.

“My brother and I enjoy the tranquility of calm scenery and
quiet towns like Oak Bluffs. When you’ve traveled as much as we have, this is
the perfect respite.”

He stopped in front of the massive black leather couch where
he politely offered her something to drink and pulled out his shiny silver
laptop.

“I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure if you would,” admitted
Nico.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would either!” said Celeste
nervously as she took a sip from her drink.

“Well, then I guess I lucked out. Where should we start? Berlin?
Rome? London? We have the whole world in front of us, Celeste,” he said his
dark eyes alive with enthusiasm.

“I’ve always wanted to go to all of those cities. They seem
so beautiful and mysterious.”

“Well, maybe one day you will,” he said.

She shot him an appreciative smile. “So when was this picture
taken of you in London? Natalie was just there last summer.” Celeste noticed
that oddly none of the pictures had date or time stamps on them.

“Hmm, I think that was about two years ago – before we
moved to New York,” Nico confirmed.

“You look exactly the same!”

“Why mess with perfection?” Nico retorted with a witty grin,
then quickly moved on to other pictures.

Celeste studied Nico furtively as he flipped through the
photos on his laptop. She couldn’t help but compare the two striking brothers.
Nico had a kinder smile with a cute snub nose and softer features, while
Roman’s expression was a bit stern, with a straight-edged nose and his thick eyebrows
furrowed more often than not.
 
They
looked through countless photos of historic sites and beautiful landscapes,
intermingled with the occasional goofy
selfie
of
Nico. Roman was in quite a few as well which prompted Celeste to ask a bit more
about him.

“Roman and I are very close; we’ve spent a lot of time
together. Our parents wanted us to explore the world so we did just
that—a semester here, a summer there. We are a couple of world class
travelers, my brother and I.”

“That’s so great. So are your parents still living abroad?”
asked Celeste.

Nico paused, gazing out the window. “No, actually, our
parents passed away awhile back. It’s just Roman and me now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry Nico.” Celeste couldn’t imagine what it must
be like losing
both
parents. “My dad
actually died when I was young too, so I know how hard it is. He was killed in
a car accident when I was ten,” she said, fighting back the tears. Celeste
rarely spoke about her father to others; she was surprised as the words tumbled
out of her mouth so easily.

Nico quickly pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and
gently wiped the single tear off Celeste’s cheek.

“Enough of that,” said Nico. “Come on, let’s get out of here
and grab some lunch. I’ve been home all morning, and I need to get out,” he
said, taking hold of her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.
  

Before they left, Celeste made a quick stop at the bathroom
to make sure her mascara hadn’t smudged, and on her way out she bumped into
Roman.

“We have to stop meeting this way,” he teased, holding her
arm to steady her after the near collision.

He
had
remembered
her from the library, Celeste thought giddily. She had wondered if the intense
connection had only been one sided. Encouraged by this new development she
said, “Nico and I are going out to lunch. Why don’t you come with us?”

“Oh I don’t think Nico would forgive me if I intruded on his
date with such a beautiful girl.”

Celeste could feel her face flush and she glanced down
momentarily but when she looked up again, Roman was gone.

“No, nothing happened Natalie, I swear we just had lunch.
He’s a really nice guy, fun and super sweet. I’m really glad I met him and his
brother Roman!” squealed Celeste as she lay in her bed chatting on the phone.

After she recounted the entire series of events of the
afternoon, she laid back in her bed, completely content and dozed off.

Nico returned from his lunch date to find Roman waiting
sulkily on the couch with arms crossed.

“What do you think you are doing, little brother?” asked
Roman with a slight edge to his tone.

“Relax, I’m just trying to get to know her, Roman,” he
countered defensively.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? What if she
finds out about us? You know what she is…” warned Roman, rising from the couch
to follow Nico.

“She doesn’t even know what she is!” said Nico. “And don’t
think that I haven’t noticed that you’ve been sneaking off at night. I know
exactly where you’ve been going.”

“Well at least I have been discreet about it. And although we
do
need
to keep an eye on her, we
still have to keep our distance.”

“Look Roman, you can do whatever you want to do, but I’m
doing it my way.”

Roman’s eyes blazed angrily. Suddenly his incisors burst out,
protruding from his upper lip. With fangs bared, Roman lunged across the room
at Nico and growled menacingly, “You will do as I say little brother.”

***

“Earth to Celeste, come in Celeste, come in Celeste.”

Celeste was awoken by the fuzzy, static-filled sound of
Brian’s voice coming through her walkie-talkie. It was already dark outside and
Celeste wondered drowsily how long she had been asleep. She reached over for
the walkie-talkie on her bedside table and replied, “I hear you loud and clear
Brian – go ahead…”