Page 53 of Spring Break Fling

I sat at the desk, the noise of the TV in the background. I chewed the end of a pen and stared at the screen. The presentation slides stared back at me, taunting me with their smug little headers. I needed to figure out how to incorporate the client’s last-minute “suggestions” without making the whole thing look like it had been thrown together by an intern. It needed to be polished.

But instead of focusing, I kept replaying last night in my head.

Nikko had this way of looking at me like he saw straight through the façade I’d spent years perfecting. It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t supposed to do that. He was supposed to stay firmly in the category of “Bad Decisions You Only Make Once,” but now? Now I was actually looking forward to our third date tonight.

I groaned and dropped my head. Who even was I anymore?

With a sigh, I pushed back from the desk and stood up, stretching out the stiffness in my shoulders. I glanced at the mirror on the wall and frowned at the woman looking back at me. She seemed tired, a little frazzled around the edges. It wasn’t a look I was used to—or liked. But then, thinking about Nikko had that effect on me. He unraveled me in ways I couldn’t quite understand yet.

I needed to get this pitch done. I managed to focus, spending a good hour cleaning things up, expanding on the client’s ideas and pulling it together.

My phone buzzed. I glanced down at the screen. I smiled when I saw it was a group video call from my girls. It was the break I needed.

I hit accept, and their faces popped up on the screen. Tara, Maddie, and Rachel were all grinning like they knew exactly what kind of existential crisis I was having.

“Lunch break gossip sesh,” Tara announced, propping her phone against a coffee cup. “Spill, Hannah. What’s going on with Hot Tattoo Guy?”

“I’m revising a pitch for work,” I said pointedly, tilting my screen to show the laptop for emphasis.

Maddie raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what we asked.”

Rachel leaned closer to her screen, her chin resting on her palm. “Yeah, what’s going on with you two? Don’t try to dodge the question. You texted and said you guys were going out last night. How did it go?”

I sighed, knowing full well there was no escaping their interrogation. “Okay, fine,” I relented, dragging a hand through my hair. “It was… amazing. We talked for hours. I got to see a different side of him. A deeper version of the tough guy that inked his initials on my arm.”

Maddie squealed, her excitement palpable even through the screen. “I knew it! I could tell by the way you texted us after your first date that there was something different about this guy.”

“This sounds like a thing and not a fling,” Rachel said.

“Are you going to see him again?” Maddie asked.

Tara was quiet, but I could see the expression on her face. She wasn’t happy.

“Yes, we’re supposed to go out again tonight. Third date.”

Tara’s eyebrows shot up. “Third date already? Someone’s moving fast.”

“It’s not like that,” I said quickly, holding up a hand. “It’s complicated.”

Maddie snorted. “It’s always complicated. That’s how these things start. Next thing you know, you’re monogramming towels.”

“I am not monogramming towels,” I said firmly. “And for the record, I still don’t trust him. But…”

“But?” Rachel prompted her grin widening.

“But,” I admitted reluctantly, “I don’t hate him anymore.”

They were quiet, but since I could see their faces, I could pretty much see what they were all thinking. It was about three seconds before Tara burst out laughing.

“Oh no,” she said, pointing at the screen. “You’ve caught feelings. This is bad. Abort mission, Hannah. Abort!”

“I have not caught feelings,” I insisted, even as my cheeks burned.

“Uh huh,” Maddie said, clearly unconvinced. “So, what, you’re just going to keep hanging out with him for revenge? That still your big plan?”

“Yes!” I said, though even I could hear the lack of conviction in my voice.

Tara wasn’t letting up. “Hannah, come on. You’re practically glowing. You like him. Admit it.”