Twisted Chances

6. Nia (edited)

"Ugh! Dad! Close the curtains!" I groaned as the sunlight sliced through the window and attacked my eyes. My voice cracked, dry, my body begging for water, for silence, for mercy.

But no answer came.

After tossing and turning uselessly, I forced myself upright, only to regret it instantly as a sharp ache drilled into my skull.

"Ugh... damn it," I hissed, clutching my forehead with both hands like I could squeeze the pain away. "Why is my head pounding so much?!"

A hangover. Of course. The night before had been... what exactly? I tried to gather the scattered puzzle pieces of memory.

Okay. Yesterday I went to Camilla's place.
We drank. We talked.
Amy- God, Amy- she practically shoved the whole damn champagne bottle down my throat.

Then Amy called Niko to pick me up.

And I... I kis-

Wait.

No. No, no, no, no.

I kissed Niko?!
Niko freaking Volkov?!

The room spun harder, my stomach flipped, my head threatening to split in half. This couldn't be real. It had to be a twisted dream. But the fragments of memory clawed back, dragging me into the pit of truth.

I stumbled downstairs to wash up, hoping water would rinse away not only the hangover but also the memories clawing at me.

In the kitchen, I froze. A bowl of steaming soup sat waiting on the counter, a sticky note beside it.

Have it before it gets cold, Caterpillar. 😊
Love,
Dad.

The smiley face he drew made me smile too, despite the chaos inside me. Dad- Christian Harper to the world, terrifying to everyone else- was nothing but soft and foolishly protective for Mom and me.

For years, before I had Mr. Teddy, I used to sleep tangled in his arms. But when Mr. Teddy aside from Mr. Unicorn arrived, Dad declared them mortal enemies. He had tried so many times to dispose of them, only for Eithan to catch him in the act and tattle to Mom. Which, of course, meant endless scolding.

I chuckled, a small bubble of warmth in the middle of my storm. My scary, dangerous father, defeated by a stuffed toy.

I perched on the counter, sipping the soup slowly. But the moment the warmth touched my tongue, my mind betrayed me again.

Yesterday. Niko. His lips.

I nearly dropped the spoon.

Shit. I kissed him.

Why?! Why the hell would I do that?!

I prayed to every god I could name that I hadn't done anything worse. But as I closed my eyes, flashes returned, sharp and merciless.

My heart stopped.

I came. In Niko's mouth.

Not only that- I forced him.

The spoon clattered back into the bowl. My chest tightened so hard it hurt. "Shit, Nia," I whispered, "you've fucked up this time. You've really, really fucked up."

Shame burned my skin. I couldn't breathe properly. He hadn't asked for that. I'd been drunk, careless, and needy- and I'd dragged him into my mess.

I had to apologize. I had to clear this up before I destroyed everything between us.

But why... why was it always like this with Niko? Every time I was near him, it was as if something else took over- reckless, shameless, unrecognizable. It was like his presence flicked a switch I couldn't control.