She’s mine. She’s here and she’s mine. I’ve craved her for five fucking years and now I have her back.
After a few more rounds in my car, we somehow found ourselves in the back seat. I’m propped against the door as she leans back on my chest. The smells of her shampoo and sex drift up into my nostrils, and the combination is a heady mixture.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask her. She’s been quiet, and Shady is anything but quiet.
“Hmm? Oh, I’m just thinking about the last time we were in the back seat of a car together,” she says through a chuckle.
I snake my arms around her, “Yeah? Does it make you feel like a kid again?”
She laughs as she grabs onto my forearm. “Something like that.”
We laugh together before we fall silent again.
“If Nathan is my father’s assistant, then what are you doing for him?” I ask.
I sigh. I knew she’d ask eventually, “I’m not.”
“You’re not what?” She turns to look up at me.
“Working for him, Shady. I never did,” I tell her.
“But wasn’t that your plan? And this car? I don’t understand,” she says, looking confused.
“I bought this car with my own money. After you left, I was fucked up. I knew I’d made the wrong choice. And to be honest, I never wanted the job. Pops was always pushing it down my throat, but really, it was Nate who wanted it. He only pretended he didn’t because it felt better than knowing his own father didn’t want him.”
She looks at me for a moment longer before turning around and situating herself back against my chest—where she belongs. “Well shit, I’d never have thought Nathan . . . So what do you do then?”
“I own a tattoo shop,” I say with a laugh.
“A tattoo shop?” Her tone tells me she’s surprised.
“Yeah. I started tattooing right after high school. I saved every penny I earned while I finished school so I could open up my own shop. We’ve been open for about a year, and business is good.”
“Nikolas the tattoo artist . . . You always were sketching in that notebook of yours. I guess it’s not that far off,” she mumbles.
“Yeah, I was.” I swallow as I remember all the stolen glances we had as kids, hiding what we so desperately wanted from everyone around us.
“Nathan knows about us. He’s known since you left. I told him,” I say into her hair as I breathe her in.
“How did that go for you?”
“He punched me. I sported a black eye for a few weeks, but he came around,” I tell her.
She sighs, “Niko?”
“Yeah?”
“Wanna go to a party with me tomorrow night?”
“You mean tough ol’ Shady is gonna show off her new friend?” I laugh.
“Yeah, yeah. You wanna go with me or not?” She slaps my arm, but I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Yeah, I’ll go.”
Shady texted me earlier that this party was fancy. What the fuck does she mean by a fancy Halloween party? Like, suit fancy?
I swallow a groan. I will never be bored with her.