Spring Break Fling

Chapter 46

46

HANNAH

I stepped out of the airport and into the Miami heat. It was May but it felt like July back home.

The air was thick and heavy, clinging to my skin as I made my way to the curb to catch a taxi. The vibrant buzz of the city was full of life and energy that Boise’s quiet streets could never match. I adjusted my sunglasses and took a drink from my water bottle.

During the flight, I had plenty of time to mull over my decision to move here. Miami was a big change, a fresh start in every sense of the term.

I didn’t know if Nikko was even going to want me. We had not talked since he walked out on me in Boise. I wasn’t even sure he was in Miami. If I found him, he might very well tell me to get my ass back to Boise.

He would have every right to do so. He had the right to tell me he told me so. There was a small spark of hope that we could pick up where we left off, though.

The taxi pulled to a stop in front of Nikko’s house. I grabbed my suitcase and hauled it up to the door. I didn’t see his bike, but there was a good chance it was in the garage .

Twenty minutes of pounding on Nikko’s door, and I was one embarrassing scream away from breaking into his house just to make sure he wasn’t dead. My hair was frizzing in the Miami humidity, my mascara smudged in a way that was less sexy-smoky and more raccoon-with-regrets. In my haste to get out of New York, I left my phone charger in the room. Along with my portable charger. I bought one in the airport and planned to charge my phone when I got to his place. Now, my phone battery was at five percent. One text, one phone call and it was all done. I looked around, hoping he would emerge from behind a palm tree.

I could walk… where? I had a blister forming on my heel from running around like a lunatic in shoes that were meant for walking exactly three feet from the subway to a desk.

“Nikko!” I yelled, giving the door one last pathetic knock. Nothing. I didn’t want to announce I was in town over the phone. I wanted to see him in person so he couldn’t hang up on me.

I didn’t dare try calling Diego or Jessie. They would hang up on me. Jessie especially.

But I was worried about Nikko. What if those bruisers found him? What if he was lying in his house bleeding out or worse? I walked to the window, cupped my hands around my face, and peered in. I could see nothing.

If he wasn’t home, there was one other place he might be.

The shop.

Marcus probably rehired him. Why wouldn’t he? Nikko was damn good at what he did.

I used the last juice in my phone to order an Uber. Thankfully, the driver was close. I barely closed the door before my phone died completely. If he wasn’t at the shop, I was going to be hoofing it to a cafe with a charging station.

By the time I got to the shop, I was panicked and sweaty. I pushed through the front door. The familiar hum of tattoo machines hit me, followed by Jessie’s gaze snapping to mine like a laser sight. She stopped mid-conversation with a client, planted her hands on her hips, and tilted her head .

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her tone sharp enough to cut glass.

“Hi, Jessie. Nice to see you too,” I said, forcing a shaky smile. “Uh, is Nikko here?”

I wasn’t going to let her scare me away. Nikko was the man I loved. I was going to fight for him. If that meant I had to go through her, so be it.

Jessie’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Okay, I deserved that. Probably deserved worse. But I didn’t have time for groveling—not yet. “I need to see him,” I said quickly.

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Jessie said. “No. You don’t deserve him.”

I sighed. “You’re right. I probably don’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to be deserving of him. I screwed everything up, okay? I know that. And I need to tell him that I was wrong, and he was right about everything and?—”

“Heard that part already,” Jessie cut in, crossing her arms. “Why should he care now?”

I swallowed hard. “Because…” I took a deep breath, realizing I was on the verge of full-on word-vomit. “Because he’s the only thing in my life that’s ever made me feel like I’m enough. And I was an idiot for not realizing it sooner. I prioritized work over him and that was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, because work has only ever made me miserable, and he has only ever made me happy. It took losing him for me to see that. I see it now. You can hate me, Jessie. I don’t care. I love Nikko and the way he feels about me is all that matters. I’m here to prove myself to him—not you. You can choose to accept that or not. I would love to be friends with you, but you’re not the one I’m trying to make up with. Not right now. He is the only one that matters.”

The words hung in the air like a neon sign blinking pathetic , but I didn’t care. Jessie stared at me, her expression softening for half a second before snapping back into unimpressed territory. Then, from the hallway behind her, I heard a familiar voice .

“Well, that’s interesting.”

My stomach dropped as Nikko stepped into view, a cocky smirk plastered across his annoyingly perfect face. He leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, looking like he had all the time in the world to enjoy my public humiliation.

I let out a nervous laugh, blowing a stray strand of hair from my face. “Did you catch all that?”

“Every word,” he said, his smirk deepening. “But I wouldn’t mind hearing a few of them again. Like, I dunno, ‘I was wrong’ and ‘he was right about everything.’”

“Don’t push it,” I muttered, though the corners of my mouth betrayed me with a twitch.

“Go on,” he said, gesturing for me to continue. “You’re on a roll.”

I rolled my eyes but decided to lean into it. If I was going down, I might as well do it spectacularly with a captive audience. “Fine. I was wrong. You were right. About everything. I prioritized work over you, and it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I hated every second of it, and I missed you so much it physically hurt. The people there didn’t respect me. Hell, I don’t even think they knew I was there. I didn’t matter to them, just like you said. There. Happy?”

He stepped closer, his smirk softening into something warmer. “Keep going.”

I groaned. “You’re insufferable.”

“And you love me for it.”

I sighed dramatically, but my heart was pounding. “I want you. I want us.”

He closed the distance between us, his hand brushing against mine. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that.”

His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that I had felt only in moments of deep vulnerability between us. His hand squeezed mine lightly, assurance seeping through his touch.

“Let’s talk,” Nikko said, his voice softer now,

“I flew a thousand miles just to do that,” I said .

“I hope you were planning to do a lot more than talk,” he said with a wink.

Before I could respond, Diego’s voice cut through the moment. “Ugh. Gross. Take it outside, lovebirds.”

I glanced over to see him leaning against the counter, making exaggerated gagging noises. Jessie, beside him, rolled her eyes but smirked. “Yeah, seriously. This is a tattoo shop, not an hourly motel.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Diego muttered.

Nikko chuckled, his eyes never leaving mine. “Ignore them,” he said softly.

“Already doing it,” I replied, and then, before I could overthink it, I kissed him.

It wasn’t the most graceful kiss—my nose bumped his, and I was pretty sure I still tasted like the stale coffee I’d been chugging on the plane—but it was real. It was us. And for the first time in weeks, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

When we finally pulled apart, Diego clapped sarcastically. “Wow, truly inspiring. Can we get back to work now?”

“Not until we seal this deal with a cheesy line,” Nikko said, his eyes sparkling.

“Oh, God,” I groaned. “Don’t you dare.”

He grinned. “Hannah, you had me at ‘I screwed everything up.’”

Jessie tossed a wad of paper towels at him, but he caught it mid-air without breaking eye contact with me. And just like that, everything felt right again.

“Now, let’s talk about what comes next,” Nikko said, taking my hand and leading me to the private room at the back of the shop.

“I have a confession,” he began, his eyes searching mine for a reaction.

“What is it?” I asked, a knot forming in my stomach.

“I never stopped hoping you would come back. I wasn’t hoping you would fail, but I hoped like hell you would come back to me.”

The honesty in his words struck a chord deep within me, and for a moment, all I could do was stare at him. It felt like it had been forever since I had seen his face. He looked different. More handsome and less edgy. Whatever it was, I loved it. I loved him even more.

“I guess failure is a matter of perspective,” I murmured, the knot in my stomach loosening slightly. “Because coming back feels like the best decision I’ve made in a long time. Walking away from everything I’ve known. My safety net. All of it. I’m taking a real leap of faith here and I’m not afraid. I’m trusting you, Nikko.”

Nikko’s smile widened, and he pulled me closer into an embrace that felt like home. “I think it’s the best decision too,” he whispered against my hair.

Settled in the cocoon of his arms, I couldn’t help but think about all the turns my life had taken to lead me to this moment. The long hours, the endless projects, the recognition that never really filled the void I had tried so hard to ignore—it all seemed trivial now compared to the simple truth that resonated through Nikko’s embrace.

“So, what comes next for us?” I asked, pulling back slightly to look at him.

“I think I’d like to take you for a ride.”

“On your bike?”

“Scared?”

I smiled. “No, but I have my suitcase.”

“I’ll have Diego drop it off at my house.”

I smiled. “Works for me.”