Page 101 of Spring Break Fling

“Hey, Hannah.”

My brain short-circuited.

“What are you—How did you—Why are you here?” I stammered, feeling like a broken record.

Nikko shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, looking every bit as infuriatingly cool as I remembered. “Thought I’d stop by.”

“You thought you’d stop by?” My voice pitched higher than I intended. “This is Idaho, Nikko, not the next town over!”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, his mouth twitching like he was trying not to smile. “That’s why I flew.”

He flew here. My brain struggled to compute. It didn’t make sense.

I stared at Nikko, my mind racing. After everything that happened in Miami—the betrayal, the accusations, the painful goodbye—he was standing here in my office lobby.

“Are you really here?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He stepped closer, his presence filling the space between us. “I’m here.”

A million questions swirled in my head. Why now? After how things ended? After Jessie’s revelation about my original plan?

“How did you even find me?” I asked.

“I listened when you talked.”

My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. The lobby suddenly felt too small, too crowded, despite being nearly empty. This day was going to turn me inside out and upside down.

35

NIKKO

Boise was a far cry from Miami. It wasn’t just the temperature, which holy shit, it was cold. It was like night and day. The crisp Idaho air hit me differently than Miami’s humid warmth. Everything felt muted. It was all so quiet. My Uber driver was humming along to some country song on the radio. Getting to see the city where Hannah lived was exciting. When we flew over the area, I couldn’t believe how vast the fields stretched out for.

Now that I was getting a ground view of the place, I found it charming. It was so different from the high rises and beaches in Miami.

I had no idea what I was doing here. Showing up unannounced was not my style. But everything about Hannah had challenged my usual approach to life. Something inside me knew I couldn’t let things end the way they did in Miami.

Diego had thought I was crazy. “You’re going to show up in Idaho? After everything?”

But he didn’t understand. Hannah wasn’t just another girl. She’d gotten under my skin in a way no one ever had before.

I knew showing up like this was risky. After how things ended, after what Jessie revealed about her original plan, I wasn’t sure how she’d react. But something in me needed to see her. Needed to understand. So here I was, standing in her office lobby. I was just about to head to the elevator and go up to her office when she appeared.

“Rough day?” I asked, taking in her disheveled appearance.

She blinked, as if trying to process my sudden presence. “You have no idea,” she said softly.

The moment I saw her face, I knew something was wrong. Her eyes were red and glassy like she’d been crying. My chest tightened, and my hands balled into fists. I didn’t think those tears were because of me.

“Who hurt you?” I growled, closing the distance between us in three quick strides.

“Nikko—” she started, her voice shaky.

I grabbed her gently by the shoulders. “Who. Hurt. You?”

She shook her head and let herself collapse into my chest. I didn’t hesitate, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close. Her body trembled against mine. I felt something primal surge through me—a need to protect, to fix whatever had her falling apart like this.

“What happened?” I asked. “Are you hurt?”