Nix yanked my door open and the air whooshed from my lungs. “Hi,” I breathed.
“Hi.” He offered me his hand and gently pulled me from the car before dipping his head back inside.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
“Any time, text me when it’s time.”
“Will do.” Nix closed the door and tapped the roof, his other arm looping around my waist.
When Nate drove off, Nix pulled me into his arms and gazed down at me. “Hi, Birdie.”
“Hi, Nix.”
“Something you want to tell me?” His expression was guarded, tripping my heart into a free fall.
A sticky trail of guilt snaked through as I choked out, “I can explain.”
“I get it,” he said. “Miller gets their approval. He’s the obvious choice.” His finger pushed the stray hairs out of my eyes before stroking down my cheek. “The right choice.”
“Nix, that isn’t—”
“It’s okay, B.” He dipped his head, kissing my forehead. “I get it. Don’t like it much, but I get it. Come on, I want to show you something.”
He took my hand and tugged me toward the abandoned building.
It was the same as before. The atmosphere thick and musty, the sliver of light illuminating the particles of dirt and debris floating in the air. Except when we reached the office we’d been in before, it had been cleaned out of all the ramshackle old furniture and made… homely.
Nix watched me from the doorway as I took it all in. The small couch, draped in a worn but clean throw. The small mattress in the corner of the room covered in blankets. An older than old television, and a floor lamp, neither of them connected to a power source yet.
“What is all this?” I asked, looking at him over my shoulder.
“This.” He came to me, sliding his arms around my waist and tucking his chin into my neck. “Is ours. Somewhere we can be together without worrying about my old man or your family.”
“I… you did this, for me?” Emotion clogged my throat.
“For us.” Nix kissed my cheek. “Things have been intense, I get that. And I know you’re not ready to defend our relationship to the world, but I need to know we’re together on this, B. I need to know—”
Spinning in his arms, I threw my own around his neck and kissed him. Thank you, every slide of my lips said. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Nix answered with his tongue. Long, lazy licks that made my toes curl. It’s ours, he seemed to say. Yours. Somewhere we can just be.
It was perfect. Even if the rational part of my brain knew it was just another temporary fix, a Band-Aid on the wound that we’d eventually have to deal with.
We couldn’t live here. But we could come here. We could love and laugh here.
“Maybe I can bring some things from the house,” I said, pulling away from him. “To make it more comfortable.”
Nix stared at me, a faint smile tracing his mouth.
“Blankets, some snacks, oh and I think Michael and Sabrina have a small generator in the garage. They won’t notice it—”
“Whoa, B, calm down. It isn’t a permanent thing; it’s just somewhere we can come and—”
“I know that.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m just excited.”
It was ours.
Ours.
A few little touches here and there and it would be like our very own place. I could picture it now, meeting Nix after school, asking him how his day was while I made us both cup noodles. We could go for walks and watch reruns of old TV shows and talk about everything and nothing.
“This is… Nix, this is perfect,” I said, beaming.
I was so wrapped up in it, I didn’t notice the way his expression tightened.
I didn’t notice his happiness morph into concern.
I didn’t notice it at all.