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Chapter 18: A Tour and a Boat Ride

Nikola walked around the apartment arranging odds and ends. She had over an hour before Greg's scheduled arrival, but she was already too nervous to concentrate on anything else. She couldn't tell if this would be a great beginning or a great disappointment. She wasn't even entirely sure if she wanted to find out, but she couldn't help herself. She found herself drawn to him. She knew that her vision of him was colored by her memories of Erik, but she couldn't help that either.

Nikola examined her face closely in the mirror while she prepared herself for the outing. He looked much younger than her thirty-five years, but she didn't think she looked her age. She examined the extra wrinkles around her eyes that had formed since her mid-twenties. Hardly noticeable really, except under bright sunlight, she tried to assure herself. With a good pair of sunglasses, she thought she could still pass for not-quite-thirty.

Of course he knows my real age, from researching my life. Who do I think I'm fooling? she asked herself. But it couldn't ruin her mood. Eddie was right. I have to go out more. Even if this is just a tour of the city, it'll be a lot of fun.

She decided to dress casually, and put on a pair of black jeans with an oversized silk button-down shirt. She pulled back her hair into a long braid and went very light on her makeup. She added a pair of playful, dangling earrings and felt ready to take on the town.

Greg showed up a few minutes before noon. Nikola was glad to see that he dressed similarly, in casual trousers and a button-down shirt.

"I thought we'd start downtown with some of the classic tourist spots, then I have a treat planned for this afternoon," he said.

"Sounds wonderful. I'll follow your lead."

"Have you been on the subway yet?"

"Actually, no. I haven't really needed it much and it's such a big system that I've been afraid to get lost."

"Well, let me be your guide," he said, putting his arm protectively around her shoulder. "I assure you, I won't let us get lost."

His gesture was only momentary, but it left a lasting impression on Nikola's body and her attitude. It reinforced all her hopes that the attraction she felt for him was mutual.

They rode the subway downtown and went to the top of the World Trade Center for an aerial view of the city. Its size and density amazed Nikola. Even though it was a clear day with high visibility, there seemed to be no end to the structures and roads. Greg pointed out the five boroughs, New Jersey, and various landmarks. Nikola was impressed with the extent of his knowledge of the area.

They left the World Trade Center into the midst of the lunch-time crush that fills the streets of the financial district every workday. Nikola was afraid that she would lose Greg in the crowd, but he took her hand and let them expertly through it.

They wound up in Battery Park. It was slowly emptying of its lunch visitors, but was still well populated by both people and pigeons heading in every possible direction. They moved towards the water and Nikola had a chance to see the Statue of Liberty. It was one of the landmarks she had hoped not to miss on this trip. It stood majestically on it's own island in the middle of New York harbor, but it was strangely dwarfed by the buildings and bridges surrounding it.

Greg continued his tour with a stroll through the financial district, a visit to the Stock Market, the Seventh Street Seaport, and, much to Nikola's surprise, an art museum annex housed in the lobby of an office building.
Nikola had a wonderful time absorbing the sights, guided by Greg's calm baritone voice. She was completely unaware of the passage of time, until Greg glanced at his watch and jumped.

"We have to hurry, it's after four-thirty," Greg announced as he hailed a cab.

"Where are we going?" Nikola asked once they were in a taxi, headed uptown.

"This is the surprise," he replied, looking into her eyes. "I hope you don't get seasick easily."

"No, not at all. Why, are we going on a boat?"

"Yes. We have reservations for a four-hour dinner cruise around Manhattan. It starts at five. What do you think?"

"But I'm not dressed properly for it or anything..."

"Don't worry, you look fine. You'll be the most beautiful woman there, whatever you wear."

Nikola was so startled by his compliment that she couldn't find a reply. She blushed and looked away, her emotions catching in her throat. They had been talking all afternoon as they toured the city, with an ease and comfort that Nikola rarely felt with another person, and she had let herself get lost in their conversation. Now, sitting beside him in the cab, she became once again aware of him as a man. And this man emanated a youth and vitality that reminded her of what she used to see in Erik, and in herself, when they had set out together full of hope for their future. She had long since buried those memories in an attempt to abate the pain of Erik's loss. Without consciously realizing it, she had replaced that hope with a quiet persistent determination, which allowed her to survive. Now, all of a sudden, Greg's company was re-awakening her old exuberance for art and life with an intensity that almost frightened her. 

"The sun will be setting while we're on the water," Greg continued after an uncomfortable pause, "so we'll get to see the city at night, as well."

"I'm looking forward to it," Nikola replied as she turned to smile at him, back in control of her face.

They got an excellent table when they arrived at the boat - it was situated near the water's edge with a clear view of Manhattan. The crew served drinks before dinner while a band warmed up at one end of a dance floor, while Nikola watched the remaining tables fill with passengers. Once everyone was seated, the band introduced themselves, and started to play as the boat slowly pulled out of the dock. Greg asked her to dance almost immediately, and they swayed slowly to the lilting melody seemed timed with the engines. Nikola looked around, hardly noticing the few other couples on the dance floor, and watched the buildings of the city slowly diminish with distance, until they became just decorations, thrown up on the skyline for her own amusement.

Nikola looked up at Greg and found him watching at her. When their eyes met, he smiled. She returned the smile without thinking. He moved much more gracefully than she would have expected for a man of his height and build. He pulled her in closer, but not quite close enough to touch and she could sense the proximity of his long, lean physique. His body brushed lightly against hers electrifying her breasts where they had touched his chest.

Nikola pulled back a bit, out of embarrassment, and he relaxed his grip around her waist. It was safer. Take it slow, she said to herself, while what she really wanted to do was to pull him against her and bury herself in his arms, as his body was inviting her to do.

After three songs, they sat down again and found appetizers waiting for them. While they ate, Greg continued his stories about areas of the city that they were passing. She nodded thoughtfully, not really listening, but rather watching the sunset reflect on his face. He had abandoned his glasses for contacts, and, with nothing in their way, his large eyes absorbed the reds of the sunset and seemed to pierce through her, seeing her innermost thoughts. She felt as if he knew everything about her, and yet she knew nothing about him. She wanted to know more, much more.
"How do you know so much about the city?" Nikola asked.

"I grew up here, and it's always fascinated me, so I've read everything I could find about it."

"In which part of it did you grow up?"

"Here and there, we moved around a lot."

"What's your family like?"

"Enough interrogation already. I'm the one who's supposed to be interviewing you."

"I thought the interview was over."

"It is, but..."

"I love hearing about families. All kinds of families. I never had one, and..."

"I'll tell you about them someday, but not now. Now I just want to think about being here, with you." Greg evaded her question.

"Okay. Whatever you want."

As the sky darkened, the lights of the city came on, and, with them, thousands of sparkles from reflections on the surrounding water. At times the skyline and water below it seemed to Nikola like a collections of giant, multifaceted jewels. She couldn't think of anything more beautiful at that moment than the scene beside their table, but she knew that the company and the atmosphere had a lot to do with her impression.

Dinner was served in many courses, spread out over most of the length of the cruise. Between each of the courses they got up to dance, getting closer and yet maintaining a certain distance. Nikola was afraid to span that distance. While she was very attracted to him, she was equally insecure about his feelings towards her. In addition, his unwillingness to reveal anything about himself frightened her. Even during their discussions about art, he was vague and uncommitted. This man whom she thought she knew so well a few hours ago was becoming more mysterious, and it worried her.

When they docked, Nikola was sad to see the end of the cruise, but at the same time exhausted, and slightly sunburned from the day's excursions. Her pale skin burned easily. Even though it was the end of the summer, she had not built up any resistance, since she had spent almost the entire season indoors, painting.

Greg seemed to sense her exhaustion, and compensate. He took complete charge of the situation, hailed a cab and gave Nikola's address. Once inside the taxi, he put his arm around her and offered his shoulder, on which she placed her head wordlessly. With another man, she might have been insulted by the gallant gesture, implying as it did that she couldn't take care of herself, but with Greg, she just felt cared for and protected. Although she knew that it was part illusion, she wanted the fantasy to last just a little while longer.

When the cab pulled up in front of her building, Nikola was surprised when Greg got out with her.

"My car is parked around the corner," he replied to her questioning look. "Besides," he continued as he fell in step beside her, "I want to walk you up to your apartment. It's dark, and you have no security in that building. When I came in today, the door was wide open."

"I'm not afraid."

"Perhaps you should be."

When they walked into the building, Nikola glanced over at her mail box and was surprised to see a letter visible though the tiny holes in the box door. She didn't get much mail at this address, she had only been here a few months and wasn't planning to stay long. She opened the box and found a single envelope inside. Nikola turned it over a few times in her hands before opening it. It was an unusual letter because it had no return address. It was just a plain white envelope, with Nikola's name and address printed in large, simple block letters, as if by a child.

"What's that?" Greg asked upon seeing the envelope.

"I don't know. It looks like some kind of letter."

"Are you going to open it?"

"I think I'll wait until I get upstairs." Nikola was dying to see what was inside the envelope, but she wasn't sure that she wanted Greg around when she did, so she started up the stairs, with Greg at her side.

They finally arrived at her apartment and she unlocked the door, stepped in and turned on the lights. She turned around, expecting to kiss Greg goodnight, but was surprised to find that he had stepped into the apartment behind her.

"I didn't know you planned on coming in," Nikola said, slightly offended by his presumption.

"I just wanted to make sure there's nothing dangerous in that letter," he replied calmly.

"What? Are you crazy? This is my personal mail. It's contents are none of your business."

"Nikola," he said stepping closer to her, his face inches from hers. He spoke softly but clearly, with an intensity that surprised her, "You received a letter with no return address, that in many ways resembles a typical letter bomb. Now, unless you are expecting something like this, I suggest that you allow me to open it for you. If it doesn't explode, I promise you I won't read it."

His voice softened, and he put his arms around her waist before continuing, "Nikola, I care about you, and I don't want anything to happen to you." He then tilted his head, leaned down and kissed her on the lips lightly and briefly, before stepping back, as if to check her reaction to his gesture.

She handed the envelope to him silently. It insulted her sense of independence, but she was dazed by the speech and the kiss. While she watched him examine the envelope in detail, she wondered about the motivation behind his solicitous concern. It seemed like too much, but too much of what? Unless he knew something, or suspected something, that he wasn't telling her...

He opened the envelope and handed her the piece of paper inside. "I see it didn't explode," she said sarcastically as she took the paper from his hands.

It was a plain white sheet of bond paper covered with letters cut out of a newspaper and taped onto the page. It looked frightening even before she read the words that the letters formed: "GET OUT OF THE COUNTRY. TALKING CAN COST YOU YOUR LIFE!" It almost looked like a child's prank and part of Nikola felt that she should just laugh at it, but another part of her felt that whoever mailed this was serious, and just might be crazy enough to do something else. Then she looked up at Greg, who was staring at the note in her hands, and she was more suspicious of him than ever.

"What is this?" she demanded of him. "How did you know I would be getting something like this? What do you know about this? Who are you, anyway?" Nikola broke down into tears with the last question as all her fears and loneliness converged upon her in the form of a piece of hate mail. She crumpled up the letter and flung it across the room. It landed underneath the drafting table.

She immediately wished that she was back home, in Munich. She felt so much safer there. At least there, she was only attacked from the inside, by her dreams. She had real friends there, whom she had known for years and could count on. She thought Eddie was a friend, and she had hoped that Greg would be, but she was beginning to seriously wonder about him.

"Did Martha hire you?" Nikola asked Greg through her tears.

"No. Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Then how did you know I was going to receive a letter like that?"

"I didn't. I didn't suspect a thing until I saw the letter. But when I saw it... It had all the characteristics..."

"What are you talking about?"

"I used to work as an investigative reporter. I worked closely with the police. They see that kind of thing all the time. And when I saw that letter it just struck a chord."

Nikola didn't know whether to believe him or not. She desperately wanted to, but something inside her was holding her back. The one thing she did know was that she was too exhausted at the moment to make that kind of decision.

"I need to be alone. Thanks for the tour." Nikola led Greg to the door. 

At the threshold, Greg turned to her and said, "Are you sure you'll be all right?"

Nikola looked up at his large hazel eyes that, at the moment, showed only concern for her, and felt guilty for doubting him. "I'll be fine."

"Okay. I'd really like to see you again. Here's my number." He kissed her cheek, handed her a business card and then disappeared down the stairs. Nikola looked down at the card in her hand and read, "Greg Richards, Art Reporter." Underneath was listed an address and phone number, further validating his story. She noticed, however, that it was not a Perceptions Magazine business card. She was a bit surprised, but assumed he must do freelance writing.

So what about the note? Could this be a prank? Nikola wondered, or something from her imagination? No, it was definitely real, the ball of paper was still lying on the hardwood floor at the other end of the room. Nikola leaned across the kitchen counter with her head resting on her hands, trying to think. Why would anyone threaten me? she asked herself. I've done nothing to harm anyone. Who could hate me this much?

She felt as if she had just become the target of all the previously undirected hostility in the world. She felt very alone and vulnerable. Part of her wished she had never taken this trip - things seemed to be falling apart ever since she had arrived in New York. As she stood in her apartment, staring at the ball of paper on her studio floor - her tension level rose until she thought she couldn't take it anymore.

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