Page 119 of Spring Break Fling

“Of course,” he said. “Go.”

Five days from now. I was panicking. Five days? Okay. I can make that work. I have to make it work! This is the job I’ve been working for.

I hoped he would be happy for me. This was important. I wanted him but I also wanted this step in my career. I wanted my cake, and I was going to eat it too.

As soon as I slid into the passenger seat, Nikko cranked the radio, blasting Another One Bites the Dust. He grinned at me, drumming the steering wheel like we’d just won the lottery.

“Congratu-fucking-lations, baby!” he shouted over the music. “I’m so proud of you. Those ass wipes can shove it⁠—”

I turned the volume down, giving him a tight smile. “We need to talk.”

His drumming slowed, and he raised an eyebrow. “No Queen? That bad, huh?”

“No, not bad,” I said quickly, though my voice wavered. “It’s just… complicated.”

The realization hit him before I even said the words. His jaw tightened and he looked away. I could see him biting back his anger. “You didn’t quit, did you?”

I shook my head, avoiding his eyes. “Clarke offered me the New York job.”

The silence stretched out, the only sound the faint thrum of the radio in the background. Finally, he exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Of course he did.”

“Nikko—”

“No, I mean, it makes sense. You’re the best person for the job.” His tone was calm, but his clenched jaw gave him away.

“I didn’t know what to do,” I admitted. “This is my dream, but then there’s us, and Miami, and⁠—”

“And you took it,” he finished for me, his voice quieter now.

“I said yes,” I confessed. “But I didn’t realize how fast everything would move. They need me there in five days.”

“Five days?” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “That’s not much time to uproot your entire life.”

“I know.” I reached for his hand, but he didn’t take it. “I didn’t plan this, Nikko. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“And yet, here we are,” he said flatly.

I felt a lump rising in my throat, but I pushed through. “You always told me to chase my dreams. This is it. It’s everything I’ve worked for.”

“And what about us?” he asked, his eyes finally meeting mine.

“We’ll figure it out,” I said, my voice soft. “It’s not permanent. People do long distance all the time.”

He let out a bitter chuckle. “Long distance? Between Boise and Miami? Sure, that’s one thing. But Miami and New York? That’s an entirely different beast, Hannah. You’re going to have a new job with big responsibilities.”

“New York is closer than Boise,” I said.

“New York may as well be on the other side of the world.”

I swallowed hard. “Are you saying you don’t think we can handle it?”

“I’m saying it’s going to be hard as hell, and I don’t know if you’ve thought it through.”

“I have thought it through!” I snapped, more defensively than I intended. “Do you think this was easy for me? Do you think I don’t feel like I’m ripping my life apart right now?”

He ran his hand through his hair again, his frustration evident. “I didn’t say it was easy. But damn, Hannah, you made this decision without even talking to me.”

“I didn’t have time!” I shot back. “It was chaos in there, and Clarke needed an answer on the spot.”