Twisted Chances

18. Niko (edited)

PLEASE VOTE FAMS... It helps a lot and also please comment... Niko's feelings are hurt and so are mine 🥲🫰

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Today is our first official date. The night at the restaurant doesn't count—we both agreed on that.

This is different. This is us, together, finally, as a couple.

And God, I've been smiling all week just thinking about it. Every time my mind drifts back to her, I catch myself grinning like an idiot. Even Eithan noticed yesterday and teased me about it. Of course, I lied. If he had the slightest clue... well, let's just say I'd already be a dead man.

Eithan—my so-called best friend. For now, anyway. He's the type who sulks for days if I so much as leave him out of a game of pool. Last time, he didn't speak to me for a week, not until I bribed him back with strawberry pastries. That's our bond—he gets to act goofy, childish even, but only around me. If Uncle Christian ever found out, I'd pay just to see his face. Worth every penny.

I checked my watch for the tenth time, standing outside the theatre with a restless kind of energy.

Tonight's plan: a movie date. Simple. Easy. Nia chose the film—a thriller.

I won't lie, I'd been secretly hoping for something different. A romance, maybe. Something that would give me an excuse to rent out the whole hall, whisk her away to dinner, and then... well, eventually, to a hotel, where I could finally gather the courage to propose. But no. That's too much for a first date. Too fast. I've waited years for this—what's a little longer?

Still, it was already 7:28, and she wasn't here yet.

I kept glancing at my phone, double-checking messages. Nothing.

In my hands was a bouquet of purple lilies—her favorite. And yeah, I'd dressed up too. Not in a suit—I'd suffocate in one of those—but with Camilla's help I looked good. Presentable. Like a man who deserved her.

7:35. No Nia.

She'd insisted I not pick her up from the salon, claiming exam stress had made her look "homeless" and she needed a quick fix. Honestly, I didn't get it. She always looks perfect. To me, she's beyond beautiful. Those soft brown doe eyes that could melt me in seconds, that sharp little nose I have this irrational urge to bite, those lips... God, those lips. I thought they'd taste sweet, but I hadn't been prepared for how addicting they were, how one kiss from her could knock the ground out from under me. She's my angel. If angels lived among humans, she'd be proof.

And then—there she was.

Nia Harper. My girlfriend. My everything. Wearing a red satin dress that clung in all the right ways, golden heels that made her legs look endless, platinum earrings glinting under the lights. She was carrying—wait, what?—a bouquet of lilies.

What the hell? Who gave her those?

My blood boiled instantly. If some idiot thought he could give my girl flowers—

"Relax, Puffin," she interrupted with an eye roll, already reading my face. "These are for you. Don't look like you're about to commit murder on our first date."

...What? For me?

Before I could protest, she added, "And don't start with the whole 'boys don't need flowers' nonsense. Maybe boys don't. But men do. I saw these lilies in a little shop on the way and they reminded me of you, so I got them."

I never thought a simple bouquet could make me this happy. But knowing she thought of me, that she bought them for me... I couldn't stop grinning.

"Stop looking at them like that," she huffed, pouting. "You're making me jealous."

How the hell am I supposed to survive when she's this cute? She's going to kill me.

I leaned in, pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, then remembered the bouquet I'd brought. Sheepishly, I handed it over with another kiss on the other cheek.

The smile she gave me—God, it was lethal. Her red lips curved, her eyes lit up as she looked from me to the flowers. "You always know what to get me."

"I always know," I murmured with a low laugh, before tucking both bouquets safely in the car. Then, hand in hand, we walked into the theatre.

Turns out, Nia has killer taste.

"Wasn't that good?" she asked as we left the hall.

"Better than good," I admitted. "I actually loved it."

"Told you. Reviews never lie," she said smugly, heading toward the washrooms.

On impulse, I tugged her against me before she slipped inside, stealing a kiss that left her lipstick smudged. I'd wanted to do that since the second I saw her in red.

She gasped, half ready to scold me, when a too-familiar voice cut through the air.

"Nia? Niko?"

We froze. Neither of us needed to turn around to know who it belonged to.

(Author's note: Today's chapters are unrevised so please excuse any mistakes in this chapter and do mention it in the comment section so I get to know about it. And also I am very sorry for not posting a single chapter for the last two weeks. I am trying to be more frequent. Please be patient and continue supporting me. Love 💕)