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Nicky spent most of the morning staring at the ceiling, wondering why he had dared kiss Joe yesterday. And it didn't help at all that he felt like a giddy schoolgirl having a crush on the hottest guy. He took his pillow and screamed into it, but it didn't help. He then looked to his right when his phone rang, and reached for it. When he saw who it was, he let out a small scream as he dropped the phone on the floor. A second later, he tried to reach for the phone but forgot he was tangled up in his duvet, so he ended up on the floor with a big tump.
"Awww," Nicky said over his sore ass. "Hi, Joe."
"Hi, Nicky," Joe replied. "Are you ok?"
"Asking as a Doctor?" Nicky joked. "Or as a friend?"
It made Joe laugh, and the laughter made Nicky smile.
"Both," Joe replied. "We prefer you in one piece."
"Funny, so do I," Nicky replied. "What's up, Doc?"
Nicky hated himself right now for using that sentence in an attempt to be funny.
"Sorry," Nicky said. "You must have heard that a millionth times."
"I have, yes," Joe replied. "But never in a sexy Italian accent, and I love it."
Nicky took the duvet and screamed into it. The giddy schoolgirl was back again.
"Nicky?" Joe asked. "Are you ok?"
"Just fine. Nothing to worry about," Nicky replied. He was so lying right now, and he was so hoping his Nonna wouldn't pick up on it. "You were saying?"
"About the picnic tonight. And I'm not cancelling," Joe replied. "Is it so I can ask you to bring me something to wear tonight and meet me at the hospital at 7 PM? My twelve-hour shift turned into a day shift, and I left home in my scrubs."
Joe said something Nicky didn't understand, so he suspected Joe was talking with a colleague.
"Sorry, work," Joe said. "I can, of course, turn up in scrubs if you love men in light blue uniforms of unknown fabric."
"Sure," Nicky replied. "But what kind of clothes are you thinking about?"
"You still got my shirt, so maybe some pants of yours," Joe replied. "I need to get back to work, Nicky. I text you where you can find me. See you. And take care."
"Ok, ok," Nicky replied. "See you."
Nicky took the duvet and screamed into it. Not alone did he feel even more like a giddy schoolgirl, but the thought of Joe in his clothes sparked new feelings in him. Feelings he didn't know how to handle because he had never had a crush like this on anyone before. Then his phone rang again.
"Hi, Lina," Nicky said as he sat up. "Something wrong with, Nonna?"
"Nothing at all," Lina replied. "Your Nonna has lost yet another phone, so she asked me to call you for her."
It was the fifth phone this year Nonna had lost.
"Lina, I need you to be honest with me," Nicky said. "My Nonna losing her phones all the time. Is that a sign that the dementia is getting worse?"
"It might be yes," Lina replied. "Should I make an appointment with the Doctor to have her checked over? Just to ease your mind."
"Yes, please," Nicky replied. "And tell the Doctor I'm also coming."
"I'll call you when I got the appointment," Lina replied. "Your Nonna will call you in five minutes."
It gave the time for Nicky to get off the floor, go to the bathroom, and make some coffee.
"Ah, Nicky," Nonna said. "Are we still good after last night? I did invite people for dinner without telling you."
"Nonna," Nicky replied. "I didn't mind it at all. It's your home, and you can invite anyone you want. It makes me happy that you still are holding dinner parties."
"Glad to hear it," Nonna replied. "Are you still going on the picnic tonight?"
"Yes, that was the plan," Nicky replied. "But with my luck, it will rain."
"Stop thinking that," Nonna replied. "You're going to have a great time tonight. I know it. And tomorrow when you visit me, I want to hear all about it. Remember to bring those sandwiches named after that book."
"The Monte Cristo Sandwiches," Nicky replied. "I have talked with Lenny. He'll have them ready for us."
"Good, good," Nonna replied. "Remember to bring a sweater with you tonight. In case it gets cold."
"I promise," Nicky replied. "Now, tell me about your strategy for winning in bingo today."
After hearing about the bingo strategy, Nicky took a shower before getting dressed. Then he found Joe's shirt and placed it on the bed. He looked at the shirt while thinking about what kind of pants would go with it. Joe was just an inch or two smaller than he was, but Joe also looked like he was spending more time in the gym than Nicky was doing. He packed a selection for Joe to choose from before he sat down to design some more rings.
Just before 7 PM, Nicky arrived at the hospital, and it didn't take long to find the door Joe had texted him about.
"Hi, you," Joe said, wrapping his arms around Nicky from behind before kissing him on the cheek. "Missed me?"
"Very much," Nicky replied. He blushed over the kiss but leaned into Joe's embrace. "Why did you kiss me?"
"Because I wanted," Joe replied as he spun Nicky around. "Let me shower, get dressed, and then I'm all yours tonight. What clothes did you bring me?"
Nicky handed Joe the backpack.
"A bit of everything," Nicky replied. "And your shirt."
"Thank you," Joe replied. "Give me ten minutes."
While waiting for Joe, Nicky sat down at one of the tables and took a magazine lying on the table.
"Hi," Joe said. "I should have done what you're doing?"
"Hi," Nicky replied. "What?"
"Read about varicose veins upside down," Joe replied. "It might have prevented me from falling asleep."
Nicky realized he was holding the magazine upside down.
"Oh, I didn't notice," Nicky said. "Did you find something that fitted?"
"Everything fitted me," Joe replied. "But I settled on these pink sweatpants. Where have you gotten those from?"
"From home," Nicky replied. "Those sweatpants used to be white. Until I washed them together with a red blanket."
"It also happened to me once. My sister wasn't so happy about the result when her white stuffed toy rabbit turned pink," Joe replied. "Shall we get going?"
They left the hospital while talking. Joe said he had put the rest of the clothes in his locker, which was more than ok with Nicky. While walking, their fingers touched each other with gentle strokes.
"Just a moment," Joe said when they walked past a thrift store. "I promised to bring a blanket."
It took only a couple of minutes before Joe returned with a blanket. While walking the rest of the way to the park, they started to hold hands. It felt good if you asked them.
"I ordered a picnic basket," Nicky said. "Nicky di Genova."
"Just a moment," The woman replied. It didn't take long before she handed Nicky a basket. "Here you go. Have fun tonight."
"Thanks," Nicky replied. "It smells good."
Five minutes later, they were shown to their spot under a tree. Joe spread out the blanket, and they sat down on it.
"Perfect spot if you ask me," Joe said as he sat down on the blanket. "We shouldn't have any problems watching the movie. What are we watching?"
"Back To The Future," Nicky replied. "An old favourite of mine."
"I also love that movie," Joe replied as Nicky sat down on the blanket. "No, no, no, not there."
Joe pulled Nicky closer to him.
"That's better," Joe said with a smile. "Or don't you agree?"
"Yes, I do," Nicky replied with a shy smile. "Shall we see what there's in the basket? I'm getting hungry."
"I'm also hungry, mostly because I haven't had anything to eat today," Joe replied. "Ten minutes after I talked with you, I caught a baby in the parking lot."
Nicky looked at Joe.
"Noone was throwing babies," Joe said. "A mother gave birth. The father came running into the ER, saying he needed help. Sometimes deliveries go really fast, and this was one of the cases. They had a beautiful little girl."
"Wow, I'm glad you could help," Nicky said. "Have you done it before? Helped babies into the world?"
"It happens a couple of times of year," Joe replied. "Definitely one of the best things about being a Doctor."
"I can understand that," Nicky replied. "Oh, I found one of my favourite food in the world."
Nicky held up a bowl with watermelon.
"I do hope you want to share with me," Joe said. "Watermelon is always good."
"Of course," Nicky replied. "There are also hummus, carrots, cucumbers, chicken, flatbread, crisps, and cake."
"My hungry tummy says it sounds good," Joe said. It made Nicky laugh. "It loves hummus."
They started to eat just as the movie began. The food tasted good, and Nicky ate two flatbreads while Joe ate the rest. After eating, Joe leaned up against the tree trunk and patted at the spot in front of him as an invitation to Nicky to sit between his legs. Nicky took the invitation, and when he leaned up against Joe's chest, Joe placed the bag with crisps in Nicky's lap before feeding Nicky a piece of cake. They sat like that during the rest of the movie, and whenever they didn't eat, Nicky played with Joe's long fingers.
Someone picked up the empty basket and their trash when the movie ended. They were told they could stay another hour before the park closed for the night.
"Sorry," Joe said when he yawned. "It has been a very long day."
"Maybe we should end it now," Nicky suggested. "So, you can get some sleep."
"We still got 38 minutes left before we're kicked out," Joe replied. "I want to watch the stars with you."
Nicky craned his neck and ran a finger through Joe's beard. It made Joe smile.
"You know what, Nicky," Joe said, and Nicky shook his head. "You're the first one I have ever enjoyed spending time with. It's like time stands still, and there's just us in the world. And the birds with their song."
"I also enjoy spending time with you, Joe," Nicky replied. "I just fear that I'll screw this up."
Joe caressed Nicky's cheek.
"Tell me why you're thinking that," Joe said. "Why do you fear that you'll screw this up?"
Nicky sat up and turned around so he was face to face with Joe.
"I just feel like you're out of my league, so to speak," Nicky replied. "That you one day will get tired of me because I'm so boring."
Joe took Nicky's hand in his.
"I have the same thoughts you're having, Nicky," Joe said. "You're so funny, kind, and beautiful. And you make me feel things I can't explain. Good things. I feel like a giddy schoolgirl around you."
"So do I," Nicky replied. "But what are we going to do about it, Joe?"
"Go on a date and see if it works?" Joe suggested. "There's The Pride Lunch Saturday evening, followed by cocktails at Jade."
Nicky thought for a moment.
"I think it's a wonderful idea," Nicky replied. "But getting tickets for The Pride Lunch Saturday is impossible."
"Leave that to me," Joe replied. "What if I pick you up at 6 PM at your place? I promise to bring flowers."
"I would love that," Nicky replied. "Now, I think you should go home and get some sleep."
"I think that's a brilliant idea," Joe replied. "I think I'll be in trouble if I sleep through my sister's birthday tomorrow."
"We can't have that," Nicky replied as he stood up. "Want a hand?"
Nicky reached out his hand, and Joe took it. After getting up, Joe stretched his body with a yawn while Nicky picked up the blanket.
"Come, I'll walk you home before getting into an Uber," Joe said as he took Nicky's hand again before picking up the blanket. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Lunch with Nonna and a visit to the graveyard," Nicky replied. "We do that every Friday."
"I love the way you care about your Nonna," Joe said. "It tells me you're a kind and caring person."
"Your job tells me you're also a kind and caring person," Nicky replied. "Catching babies on the parking lot."
Joe smiled.
"I didn't know you lived in the Bohemian Quarter," Joe said when they turned a corner. "I always wanted to live here."
"My Nonna and Nonno bought a flat here years before it became the Bohemian Quarter," Nicky replied. "I bought the flat from Nonna when she couldn't stay there anymore."
"I would have done the same thing if someone I knew had a flat here," Joe replied with a yawn. "Sorry again. It isn't you I'm yawing at."
"I know," Nicky replied as he stopped walking. "Let me call an Uber for you."
Nicky quickly made the call.
"2 minutes," Nicky said. "How far home do you have?"
"12 minutes in a car," Joe replied. "Now, promise me you'll text me tomorrow."
"Only if you do the same," Nicky replied. "And preferably without any emojis."
Joe laughed just as a car stopped next to them.
"Night, Nicky," Joe said. "Thanks for a wonderful evening. Can't wait for Saturday."
"Night, Joe," Nicky said. "Also, thanks for a wonderful evening, and I also look forward to Saturday."
Nicky opened the car door and got Joe into it. Then Nicky placed a kiss on Joe's cheek.
"Make sure he gets home in one piece," Nicky told the Uber driver, who promised it. "Sleep well, Joe."
Nicky ran his fingers through Joe's curls. It made Joe smile. Then Nicky made a sign to the Uber driver to drive. Nicky looked after the car until it turned around the corner before going inside.