Page 65 of Spring Break Fling

He exhaled slowly, raking a hand through his hair. “I might lose my job.”

I blinked. “What? Why?”

“Marcus,” he said simply. “He’s pissed about the break-in, and he’s right to be. My personal shit is getting too close to the shop. If something else happens, I’m out.”

“Oh, Nikko,” I said softly. “I thought you said it wasn’t your dad that broke in.”

“It wasn’t,” Nikko replied, his voice strained. “It was my ex’s new boyfriend.”

I stared at Nikko, trying to process what he’d just said. “Wait, what? Your ex’s new boyfriend broke into the tattoo shop?”

Nikko nodded, his jaw clenched tight. “Yeah. Greg. The meathead she was with when I went to pick up my stuff the other day. The cops have him in custody.”

“But… why?” I asked, struggling to make sense of it. “Why would he do that?”

Nikko shrugged, his shoulders tense. “No idea. Maybe he doesn’t like me. Samantha is a manipulative bitch. She probably told him we were screwing around or that I was trying to get back with her.”

I watched Nikko’s face, seeing the mixture of anger and hurt in his eyes. “That’s awful,” I said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s not your fault. Just another mess I’ve gotta clean up. More of my personal shit messing with my professional shit.”

“But it’s not fair,” I protested. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Can’t you explain that to Marcus?”

Nikko laughed bitterly. “Doesn’t matter. In his eyes, I’m still the one bringing drama to the shop. First my dad showing up demanding money, now this. He’s not totally wrong but it still sucks.”

He looked away, his shoulders heaving with a loud sigh. “The shop’s not just a job, you know? It’s my home. Diego and Jessie… they’re like family. My annoying brother and sister. We bicker like we grew up together. Marcus has done more for me than anyone ever has. If I lose this, I don’t know what the hell I’ll do.”

I wanted to say something, anything, to fix this for him, but my usual pep talks felt hollow in the face of his despair. His problems needed more than just reassuring words.

Finally, I said, “If the worst happens, Diego and Jessie will still be there for you. And you’ll be there for them. They’re the family that matters. Not the one you were born into. The family you found and built for yourself.”

He nodded, but it was a reluctant, heavy kind of nod. “Yeah. I guess.”

“You can’t control every variable, Nikko.”

His lips twitched into something like a smile. “That’s funny coming from a control freak like you.”

I laughed, the tension between us easing just a fraction. “We’re talking about you right now. Don’t change the subject.”

He shook his head, the almost-smile fading. “It’s just the idea of losing it all. It hurts, you know?”

I reached out, resting a hand on his arm. “Of course it does. But you’re more than that shop. With your talent, you can forge your own path. Plus, you’re resilient. You’ve been through hell, and you’ll get through whatever comes your way.”

He looked at me, like he was trying to see inside my soul. It was intense, almost too much.

I started to pull back. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to⁠—”

He didn’t let me finish. His lips crashed into mine and I forgot how to breathe.

The kiss was urgent, consuming, like he was trying to drown out the world and take me with him. I should have stopped it, should have said something, but my brain short-circuited.

Before I knew it, he was laying me down on the bed, his hands framing my face, his body warm and solid against mine.

“Nikko,” I whispered, but it wasn’t a protest.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his voice low and rough. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I don’t want to stop.”

And in that moment, neither did I.