Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nova Bright wakes up the morning of her twenty-second birthday surrounded by a lot of muscle and tattooed skin. She feels calm, well-rested, and loved. She also smells pancakes.

“Happy birthday, Nova,” a deep, gravely voice mutters in her ear that sends shivers down her spine. A line of kisses follows up her neck and under her jaw, making her sigh and sink deeper into the mattress. “My girlfriend is twenty-two, and I am the first person to wish her a happy birthday. I’m one lucky bastard,” Victor mumbles against her skin before pulling her closer.

The blonde tilts her head up, loving the affection she’s receiving this morning from the love of her life. Her boyfriend hovers over her, arms trapping her in, and lowers himself down, capturing her lips in a toe-curling kiss.

“Mmhm, that's the kind of good morning a girl needs every day.” Nova arches her back, pressing her chest against his, and sighs again.“Especially on her birthday.” She loops her arms around his neck and pulls him back down.

Victor grins and rolls her over so she's lying on his chest. “Can I give you your gift?”

She lifts an eyebrow. “Are you expecting me to move? I just got here.” She rests her chin on his bare chest and grins.

“Of course not. It's my job to move you,” he replies. “But I kinda like this.” He tucks one arm behind his head and plays with her hair, curling it around his fingers. He stares at her, in silent awe that he woke up beside her this morning. It’s not out of the ordinary, but it feels just as special as the night they confessed their feelings for each other.

“I have a crazy idea,” he blurts out.

Nova tilts her head, curious. “What?”

He clears his throat. “Hear me out: what if, after you finish finals and we see Abby’s performance, we get out of town for a few days? Rent a house in Abingdon or someplace not here a few days before Christmas. I've been working extra hours, and I've been checking Airbnb to see what's available, and I found a place that looks nice.”

Her brow flies up her forehead. “Show me,” Nova lightly demands. She shifts so he can grab his phone and pull up the listing before settling against his chest again.

The pictures of the little cottage are beautiful. It looks cozy and comfortable, and like the perfect getaway spot for them before the holidays. What really sells her is the mountain view.

“Book it.”

Victor looks surprised. “Really? Don't you need to check-”

She shakes her head, knowing what he's going to ask. “My parents won't care. They'll be working anyway, and I'll be here. I'd rather go away with you than sit at home alone. Book it.”

Her boyfriend grins before focusing on making the reservation. His thumbs tap the screen a few times before he turns his phone to her and shows her the confirmation.

Her grin reaches her eyes. “How much do-”

“Nope!” Victor shakes his head as he tucks his phone under the pillow behind him. “You are not paying for anything. This is my treat. Consider it part of your Christmas gift.”

“Victor, you just spent over $600 on a four-night trip to a cottage in the mountains, weeks before Christmas. Let me pay for something,” she insists, pushing herself to sit up.

“No.” It’s one of the very few times he’s ever told her no.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Handsome, please?” She crosses her arms over her chest and pouts.

He shakes his head again. “If you want to contribute something, you can buy road trip snacks. Maybe a tank of gas. And I want your Spotify account. That's it. I'm taking care of the rest of it.”

The blonde sighs and glares at him. “You're really not going to let me pay for anything, are you?” A small part of her is grateful he’s covering the large expense, especially since he’s the one with the full-time job, but she wants to contribute more.

He sits up and takes her head in his hands. “Never. Let me do this for you. I want to do this for us.”

She groans lightheartedly, but agrees. Her boyfriend looks so excited to be organizing this trip for them that she’ll cave. “Thank you.”

Victor kisses her nose, which makes her whole face scrunch up, before slipping out of bed. On the other side of the room, sitting in front of her closet, is his “go-bag”. He keeps extra sets of coveralls for work in the bag in case his boss calls him to come in for an emergency, but it’s also turned into his overnight bag when he’s at Nova’s and will be working the next day. Tucked inside it is a colorful gift bag with tissue paper sticking out.

“I know you and Addison have your tradition of pancakes and presents with Zed, but I want to give you your birthday gift before we go out there. I hope that’s okay.” He brings the gift bag to bed and drops back down beside her. Leaning towards her, he mutters, “Happy birthday, baby. I love you.”

Nova meets him halfway and grabs his head in her hands to kiss him. After a few seconds, she breaks away and leans her forehead against his. “You didn't need to get me anything. You're meeting my parents tonight. That's enough of a gift. But thank you. I love you too.”

Victor turns and kisses her palm. “Alright, open it. I've been sitting on this for two weeks.”

She removes the tissue paper to find three jewelry boxes of different sizes. She gasps and looks at him, delighted shock evident in her expression. “What did you do?”

He moves closer and slips a hand around her waist. “You’ll see.”

She shakes her head and covers her mouth with a hand. “It's too much,” she tries to argue.

“For you? Never.”

Nova blushes and opens the smallest of the three boxes first. Inside is a golden Art Deco-style ring. She slides it on, a perfect fit, thanks to help from Addison. The next box, just a little larger with an Alex + Ani logo on it, contains a dainty golden bracelet with stars evenly spaced around. She leans against his shoulder, warmth blooming in her chest at the thoughtful gifts. Before she can open the last box, Victor stops her with a hand over hers.

“This might be my favorite gift I got you,” he says mysteriously.

She lifts an eyebrow, curious, then opens it to find a golden opal sun necklace. Her breath catches in her throat as her eyes flicker between him and the jewelry. “Victor, this is beautiful.”

He gently twists her around and takes the box from her hands. “Let this be a reminder that even on gloomy days, you are always my sunshine.” He brushes her hair over her shoulder, lays the necklace around her neck, and secures the clasp.

Nova’s lips tighten with emotion, and she turns and burrows herself into his arms. “I love it, all of it. Thank you, Victor. It's so beautiful.” She brushes her fingertips over the pendant as she tucks her head beneath his jaw.

“You're welcome. You deserve nice things. Now, I think I smell something burning, and I am wondering if Zed forgot to turn off the burner while making your birthday pancakes.” He slips out of bed to tug on his discarded shirt from the night before, then lifts her bridal style off the bed. “C’mon, birthday girl. It's breakfast time.”

-

The rest of the morning is spent celebrating her over chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and more coffee than Nova and Addison knew what to do with. It's a tradition the girls adopted when they first moved in together, and it's been extended to include their boyfriends. The birthday girl is practically buzzing with excitement as she and Addison sing Taylor Swift’s “22” at the top of their lungs while dancing around the room.

Zed and Victor shake their heads at the spectacle before them, complete with a twinkling Christmas tree, golden 22 balloons, and TikTok dances.

“I'm telling you, man. Taylor needs to release songs for each year of your twenties. Birthday anthems are set until you turn thirty,” Zed says to Victor as the girls twirl around the room.

The other man gives him the side eye. “Are you secretly a Swiftie?”

The football player crows and grabs another piece of bacon. “Bro, I am not secretly a Swiftie. I AM a proud and out Swiftie! I shared Taylor and Travis’ engagement photo on my Instagram story because that's how I use my free will!”

“Weird flex, but okay.” Victor shrugs. “Hey, have you met Nova's parents? What are they like?”

Zed drops the bacon he was dangling above his mouth into his lap. “Oh shit! Are you meeting them? Today?!”

The mechanic nods.

“Oh man, good luck. Meeting the parents is intense. I faceplanted in front of the Wells’ family the day I met them. Super embarrassing, but her mom burst out laughing, and everyone relaxed.” He leans in and drops his voice to a low volume. “Okay, the Brights? Let me tell you about them. I am convinced Richard Bright hates my guts simply because I exist, and I like to have fun. Corporate lawyer, acts like he’s greater than God, you know the type. He seems weirdly obsessed with his image. Mama Bright, Crystal, though? Total sweetheart. Greatest lady in the world, next to my mom and Addison’s mom. She’s a saint. You’ll charm her easily. Nova is just like her mom. Looks a lot like her, too.” The man’s voice lowers to a whisper, and Victor has to move his seat to hear him. “Now, between you and me, Mr. Bright is really tough. I think he puts a lot of pressure on Nova to be excellent at everything. She’s different when she’s around him, more rigid, a perfectionist times ten.”

Zed eyes the girls twirling around the room as he sips his coffee. “Keep an eye on her tonight, keep her grounded. Don't let him dull her shine. Better yet, don't let her dull her shine for him.”

The message is clear: take care of Nova. Don't let her crumble under the thumb of her father. Before Victor can ask a follow-up question, Addison and Nova drop into their chairs, breathless and grinning now that the song is over.

The rest of the morning is spent opening birthday gifts, dancing around the room, and making TikTok videos. Victor has to leave at 11 to work in the shop for a few hours, but promises to be back at 5:30 to pick her up for dinner with her parents. As he slips out of the apartment, Nova can’t help but feel so loved by her people. Nothing could ruin this day for her. Nothing.

-

Nova nearly falls over when she opens the apartment door for Victor later that evening. The steak house her parents picked for the birthday dinner is more upscale than she’s used to, and he’s dressed for the part. He stands there, dressed in black dress shoes, black pants, and a baby blue button-up shirt with his dark winter coat, and a bouquet of pink roses in his hand.

“Oh. My. God,” she mutters. “You’re so hot.” Her eyes then widen in shock, and she slaps a hand over her mouth.

Victor laughs and scoops her up in his arms, burying his face against her neck. “God, I love you.” He spins her around the living room and bumps the door closed with his foot. “And you are gorgeous.” He sets her down and eyes her outfit appreciatively.

She looks down and smooths the long-sleeved black dress with the flowy sleeves that she paired with tights and her favorite pair of black dress boots. Her jewelry is minimal- everything he gave her this morning with gold stud earrings- but the gold stands out against the dark outfit.

He steps into her space and leans down to kiss her cheek. “I know I’ve said this a million times today, but happy birthday, Nova.” He hands her the roses, and she feels her insides melt.

“Thank you.” She rises to her toes to kiss the corner of his mouth, careful not to mess up her lip gloss. “These are beautiful.”

Addison comes out of her bedroom a moment later, and her smile brightens when she sees the couple in the middle of the room. “Look at you two! Victor, are you ready to meet the Brights?” Her voice has an edge of amusement and teasing that has him rolling his eyes.

“I better be,” he jests. “Do you want to put those in water before we go?”

The older girl steps forward. “I can do that for you, Supernova. It’ll give me something to do while I wait for my laundry to finish. I’ll leave them in your room.”

“Thanks, Addison!” She passes the bouquet to her roommate and gives her a side hug. “Love you.”

“Love you too, girly. Go, have a nice birthday dinner on your parents’ dime.” Addison returns the friendly squeeze.

Victor picks up her coat off the back of a chair and holds it out for her to put on. “Shall we, Ms. Bright?” He offers his hand once she’s zipped her coat, and she takes it, tangling their fingers together.

“We shall, Mr. Barton. Let’s go meet my parents.”

-

Nova nervously rubs the new Art Deco ring around her middle finger with her thumb as she and Victor walk down the brick-paved sidewalk of downtown Rayburn toward the steakhouse. It’s a bitterly cold evening at the beginning of December, and she wishes she had put on her gloves before they left her apartment. The small cluster of butterflies in her stomach has grown to a flurry that can’t seem to settle, no matter how much she silently wills them to go away.

It isn’t just the fact that Victor is meeting her parents tonight. It’s that her parents have been separated for years now, and any time they go out as a family, something happens that leaves a horrible taste in her mouth. Not bad, like, getting plastered and throwing up. More like the silent tension and discomfort that builds and builds until someone is ready to erupt. No one ever does, but there is always the chance it could happen one day. Richard Bright is strict. It comes with being a high-profile lawyer for the wealthy in Solaris Springs. He has very high expectations of her, academically, socially… Victor is not the type of man her father would have picked for her; truthfully, she doesn’t give a shit what he thinks. He has dictated so much of her life up to this point that she’d love to flip him off under the table (or not) and say, “fuck you, I love this man.” Her father would love for her to date a doctor or a lawyer like him, someone desperate for power and control. She’s happiest with the tattooed mechanic walking beside her, who holds her with so much care and loves her with his entire self.

Her mother, Crystal, on the other hand, is gentle and kind. She is warm and welcoming and works as a receptionist at her elementary school. She gets along with every person she meets. So much of Nova’s personality comes from her mother, who taught her to never judge someone by their outward appearance. She never let her feel bad about her failures, always using them as an opportunity for growth. Her mother is her biggest cheerleader and greatest support.

Their marriage was happy at one point. Nova has good memories of family vacations, school lunches when they came to see her, and working together to solve math problems at the kitchen table. Family dinners were an almost every-night occurrence. At some point, at the beginning of high school, things shifted between them. It was not immediate, but things got colder between them. Her dad worked longer hours and left on business trips around the country. The Bright women would go on trips out of town to see Nova’s grandparents without her father. While they still share an address and home, they live independent lives. They’ve been separated for almost four years now. But for some sick, twisted reason, Richard Bright must maintain the appearance of being a family man. Getting a divorce would be detrimental to his “public” image.

Nova swallows the lump in her throat. “So I need to warn you about my parents. Specifically, my dad. He’s really intense. He’s kind of a perfectionist and is strict. My mom is genuinely excited to meet you. But their relationship is… Complex?”

Victor stops walking and guides her off to the side, out of the way of others walking around them. He rests his free hand on her waist. “I don’t like the sound of that. You don't sound so sure.”

She bites her lip, and he steps closer to brush his thumb over it, releasing the self-inflicted pain.

“Hey, be honest with me. What's going on? What do I need to know?” His voice is gentle compared to the biting cold wind against her nose.

She lifts her eyes to meet his and sighs. “They’ve been going through a rough patch. The holidays aren't an easy time for my family.” She can’t elaborate further. The text from her father earlier in the day runs through her head: not a word about your mother and me to your boyfriend. Not even a happy birthday. Thanks, Dad.

Victor clenches his jaw for a moment before nodding. His thumb brushes over her knuckles, and she can’t help but step closer. There’s little to no space left between them and their winter coats. Unfortunately, he doesn't look like he believes her. “I feel like there's more to the story, but I'm not going to push you. I trust you'll tell me when you're ready,” he says in a low voice.

Nova takes a deep breath, grateful for his understanding. “Thank you, handsome,” she says softly. She lifts her free hand and straightens his collar. His clothes don’t need the adjustment, but she needs it. That closeness, proximity to him. She can see his breath in the air, and it brushes against her face. “Let's go, my parents are waiting.”

-

Victor immediately clocks the difference in Nova’s posture when they enter the restaurant, and her eyes land on Richard and Crystal Bright seated at the table. She walks with her back ramrod straight, but lacks the confidence she usually carries herself with. His grip on her hand tightens. “Say the word, and we’ll go. No questions asked,” he whispers.

The blonde nods before plastering a smile on her lips. “Hi Mom, hi Dad,” she says softly.

“Nova!” Crystal jumps from her seat and hugs her tightly. The woman is the spitting image of her daughter: long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a smile that could be seen from space. Moments ago, she appeared very reserved and stiff beside her husband, but as soon as Nova approached, her face lit up. “Happy birthday, sweetheart. I’m so happy to see you!”

“Hey, Mom.” She visibly relaxes in her mother's embrace, but reverts back to her rigid posture when she turns to her father. Her hug and greeting are more awkward, uncertain. “Hi, Dad.”

“Nova, happy birthday,” the older man says stiffly. He eyes her boyfriend while giving her a light pat on the back. It was a lackluster greeting for a joyful occasion. “This is my boyfriend, Victor. Victor, my mom, Crystal, and my dad, Richard,” Nova introduces.

“Oh, you're even more handsome in person than you are in the pictures Nova sent me!” her mother gushes. She immediately goes for a hug, which he returns.

“It's nice to meet you, Ms. Bright,” he says politely. The woman shakes her head at the formal title and gives him a quick squeeze.

“Please, call me Crystal. None of that Ms. Bright formality!” The woman turns to her daughter and mouths, “He’s cute!” before returning to her seat.

Victor turns to Mr. Bright. “Hello, sir. It’s nice to meet you.” He sticks his hand out for a firm handshake. He’s confident, not cocky, and wants to show that he’s not messing around with Nova. Zed's words from earlier, don't let her dull her shine for him, echo in his mind. They’ve been in the restaurant for less than two minutes, and his girlfriend is already a little bit dimmer. He’s not going to let her stay that way.

Richard takes the offered hand and looks impressed by his grip. “Well, that's quite the handshake. What do you do?”

Victor steps back to Nova and helps her take off her coat. He pulls out her seat, the perfect gentleman, and pushes it in once she sits down. As he takes off his coat, he says, “I'm a mechanic. I work on restoring vintage cars just outside of Rayburn.”

Mr. Bright gives a slight “humph,” and they both sit down. He suddenly looks much less impressed, borderline dismayed, by that little piece of information, and looks down at the menu in front of him.

He sits down across from his girlfriend’s father and narrows his eyes subtly at the man. For someone who is supposedly very intense and strict, Richard Bright comes off as careless and apathetic. It’s his daughter’s birthday, and all he seems interested in is the food and drink he’s paying for. The two women he is seated with seem to be more tense than he is, walking on eggshells. Nova’s knee bounces under the table, her nerves manifesting physically, and Victor lays a hand on it to stop it. Her eyes lock on him, and the butterflies building in her stomach calm down a little. The effect is immediate. She exhales and covers his hand with her own. Crystal catches them and smiles softly, but doesn't say a word.

“Victor, what do your parents think of your career path?” Richard asks abruptly as he flips over the extensive drink menu. He doesn’t look at the young adults seated across from him.

The question is an insult wrapped up in pleasantries. It’s a stab with a steak knife because his life didn’t follow the same trajectory as his own. Nova’s blood runs cold in horror, and she grabs his hand under the table. Now she’s making the same silent offer he did to her when they first walked in. This isn't going well.

Without missing a beat, Victor answers the man. “My parents died when I was six. I was adopted by my aunt when I was seven. She’s proud of me, as is my cousin and adopted older sister. If they were still around, I think my parents would be pretty proud of me because I am happy.” His tone may be polite, but his eyes throw mental daggers at the man across from him. How dare he ask such a personal question when they met less than five minutes ago? Nova made her father sound like the type of man who thrived on pleasantry-wrapped insults and sweet talk. The man before him is a coward who’s avoiding his daughter.

“Nova, how's Addison?” Her mother cuts in, redirecting the conversation to a new, much safer topic.

Thankfully, the waiter comes to the table and takes their drink orders. Nova orders a fruity cocktail and a water in the name of it being her birthday. Alcohol and Victor are the only things that will make this evening a bit more manageable. She’ll be happy if they can get out of here in less than two hours.

Conversation is stilted when Mr. Bright is involved because he dominates the dialogue. He drones on about how he’s very busy, and he has two business trips planned before Christmas, and the interns his firm hired over the summer are dreadfully incompetent at their jobs. Richard finally stops talking when his phone vibrates in his jacket pocket, and he pulls it out, eyes scanning the information on the screen. It must be important because he sits back in his seat and ignores them, falling silent.

The two women exchange a look before they start chatting over the bruschetta they ordered with their meals. Crystal asks them about Thanksgiving and Victor’s holiday plans. She shares stories of first graders when they lose a tooth, and they can’t find the nurse, so they know to go to Ms. Bright in the front office. The air feels lighter when Richard Bright isn’t involved in the conversation. Still, the couple keeps their hands linked under the table, drawing strength from each other. Nova’s grip relaxes as they sit side-by-side. It isn’t long after that that two waiters carry their meals to the table.

As soon as the steak knives meet the plates, Richard's phone begins buzzing on the table. The Bright women look at each other, then at the device.

Crystal quietly sighs, masking her frustration. “Richard, I asked you to put that away. It's Nova’s birthday,” Crystal says firmly. “And we have a guest.” She politely gestures at Victor, who paused cutting his medium-rare strip steak to glance at his girlfriend.

Nova bites her lip, hard enough to nearly draw blood. There it is. The moment that burst the bubble of a really good day.

“And I told you I was expecting a phone call from a client,” the man argues. He pushes his chair back and grabs the phone. He walks away from the table, already talking to the person on the other end of the line, and the energy in the room flips.

As soon as he leaves, Nova’s shoulders drop. Mother and daughter exchange another silent conversation before the matriarchal Bright looks at him, sympathy lingering in her eyes.

“Victor, I'm so sorry about Richard’s comments about your family. The way Nova’s talked about you and your work, it sounds like you care a lot about it. And she’s even picked up some work at your shop? How did she do that?” She teases her daughter.

Nova looks slightly embarrassed and takes a sip of her water. “Mom…” She drags the final consonant, but smiles. Her spirits lift with the absence of the older man.

“Yeah, I love what I do. I did the career and technical program in high school and got my certification in auto body and mechanics. And you know Nova. She’s naturally charming. Everyone loves her. One day, she was at the shop studying after hours while I was finishing a car, and she got bored, so she started asking for things to do in the front. Arranging intake sheets on clipboards, making copies, restocking the fridge, swapping out signs for promotions in the front, stuff like that. My boss, Marcus, handed her a tax form and said, ‘Fill this out. You're on payroll now.’ He showed her how to close out the registers, fill out the bank slip for deposits, submit work authorizations, and process overnight drop-offs.” He looks at her, smiling. “You work, what? Four, five hours a week?”

Nova nods as she sips her drink. “Yep. I can work whenever I want. I don't have a schedule. And I get free routine maintenance on my car from this guy.” She leans against him in her seat and giggles. “It's a nice change of pace and a break from doing schoolwork all the time.”

Her mother nods. “Good, I'm glad you're not focusing only on school, sweetheart. As much as dad emphasizes school, I think it's important to have other hobbies and interests. An auto shop is truly the last place I imagined you working in, but never say never, I guess! It worked out because you have Victor in your life.”

Richard is gone for almost fifteen minutes, and when he returns, most of their plates are clear. He scans the table, rolls his eyes at their empty plates, and sits. Waving down the waiter, he requests a box and the check.

“I need to get home and jump onto a call,” the older man announces to the group as he pulls out his wallet. The Chase Sapphire credit card is set on the table, and he passes it to the waiter the moment he returns with a box. “I’m sorry, Nova. Business is calling.” The apology sounds anything but sorrowful.

The twenty-two-year-old’s eyes drop to her lap to hide her disappointment. She wants to scream at her father. He’s a narcissist; it’s something she learned early on in college. He wasn’t always this way, but as his law practice grew its business across the state, he began to care more about his reputation and care less about his family. Money and power are addictive, and Richard Bright is hooked on both. While he’d be attentive at school events to celebrate her achievements, his attention would drift back to work and making money, and she felt like she was in second or third place to his public persona.

For fuck’s sake, it’s her birthday! She brought Victor, her first boyfriend, with her so he could meet her parents! Why can’t he do the stereotypical “What are your intentions with my daughter, young man?” speech? Where are the intimidating looks that are supposed to scare her boyfriend? All Victor got from her father was a disgusting question about his parents and a jab at his career. Richard Bright embarrassed her tonight, and he doesn’t have a clue.

Sensing her masked sadness, Victor scoots his chair closer and rests an arm on the back of her chair. His hand lands on her arm and he draws circles against her sleeve. She exhales lightly and meets his gaze.

I’m here, his brown eyes silently remind her. It loosens the band that threatened to squeeze her chest. She loves this man, who is so in tune with her emotions.

The dinner reaches an abrupt conclusion when the waiter returns with the credit card and receipt for signature. Mr. Bright signs the receipt with a flourish and stands. Everyone else follows suit.

Her boyfriend helps her into her red winter coat before he zips up his own. The couple turns to Richard and Crystal to say their goodbyes. Nova steps toward her father first.

“Bye, Dad. Thank you for dinner,” she says politely as she hugs his side.

“Happy birthday, Nova. I love you,” the man says. He rubs her arm before turning to Victor. His eyes narrow at the young man. As Nova steps around the table to hug her mother, Richard sticks his hand out for another handshake.

“Victor,” he says in a low, hard voice when their grips meet. “You are a distraction for my daughter. You're holding her back from a good future. I trust you’ll make the right choice if you really care for her.” The threat is so obvious, the mechanic wants to laugh. Now he cares about what’s best for his daughter? After talking about himself and taking a phone call in the middle of her birthday dinner? What a fucking dick.

Victor returns the firm handshake and confidently meets the man’s dark expression. “Respectfully, sir, I don't care what you think.” His voice is low, but the determination is strong. “I love Nova. If she wants to walk away from me, I will not stop her because I want what’s best for her. But I will fight for her.” He flashes him a tight smile before releasing his hand. “Have a good night.” If they were in the South, this would be the time for someone to say “Bless your heart.” The best way to say fuck you without saying it.

Turning to Crystal, the mechanic hugs the woman once Nova pulls back. “Thank you, Crystal. It was great to finally meet you. I’m sure I'll be seeing you soon.”

Ms. Bright pulls back just enough to squeeze his arm. “You make my sweet girl happy. Take care of her.”

He nods, his eyes meeting Nova’s. “Always. She’s the best part of my life.”

-

They’re quiet as they walk back to the parking lot a few blocks away from the steakhouse. The temperature has dropped a few more degrees, and Nova shivers, even from the warmth of her coat.

“What did my dad say to you?” she finally asks when they stop at a crosswalk just before the lot where he parked. She drops his hand to loop her arm through his and leans her head against his shoulder as they wait for traffic to clear.

“You really want to know?” He asks.

The blonde nods. “Please,” she says quietly. “I need to know.”

Victor looks down at her and leans his head against the top of hers for a few moments. He doesn’t want to repeat the cruel threat to her. It’s her birthday, and she deserves so much better than the words her father said to him while she said goodbye to her mom. Dinner was clearly very hard for her. The crosswalk signal switches to Walk, and he guides her forward. He sighs, then says, “He told me to stay away from you. Called me a distraction, and said that I was holding you back.”

Nova blinks, then scoffs in disgust. “Of course he’d pull that kind of shit.” She rubs at her temple with her free hand. “What did you say in return?”

They reach his car in the parking lot and stop at the passenger side. Victor crowds her against the BMW, hands curling around her waist, her back resting against the vehicle. “I politely told him to fuck off and that if you wanted to walk away, that I'd let you, but I'd still fight for you.” He pulls her nearly flush against him and stares deep into her eyes. “I'm not going anywhere. I'm all in, Sunshine.”

All the stress that built up inside her during dinner melts away at his commitment. He always knows what to say to calm her down, ease her anxiety, and remind her that he loves her. “I'm all in, too. You're not a distraction. You're my best friend and boyfriend, and you are the first man I've ever truly loved.” She surges to her toes and kisses him deeply.

His hands slide from her waist to the small of her back, the firm pressure grounding her to him. The kiss becomes heated very quickly, and he has to pull away, as much as it pains him.

“You know what you need? Right now?” He asks.

Nova blinks a few times to refocus before she answers. “What?”

“Ice cream. It's your birthday. We’re getting ice cream.”

“It’s like, 30 degrees out!”

“So? Ice cream makes everything better.” He opens the passenger door and helps her inside the BMW. “I know exactly where we need to go.”

-

Victor leads her inside a small ice cream parlor with a black and white checkered floor. The shop is vintage, clearly a family-owned business passed down from generation to generation. It’s also empty except for the one employee behind the counter, which is perfect.

As they go to sit down at the counter, their double scoops of ice cream stacked tall on waffle cones, Nova’s phone buzzes in her purse. She slips it out and sees a new text.

“Who is it?” Victor asks, coming up behind her.

“My mom,” she answers quietly, reading the message.

Hi sweetheart. I’m sorry Dad acted the way he did tonight, and dinner didn’t go as smoothly as you and I had hoped it would. Victor seems like a wonderful young man, and he clearly makes you happy and calm. You looked brighter with him. Hope you two do something fun tonight to celebrate 22. You deserve it. I’m so proud of the young woman you have grown into. I love you, Nova. Happy birthday. ❤️

Nova sighs and shows him the text. His eyes scan the screen, then look up.

“Hey, give me your phone.” Victor holds his hand out.

She looks suspicious, but hands it to him anyway. “Why?”

“Come ‘ere.” He goes over to the teenage girl standing behind the register. “Hey, can you take a photo of us?” He passes her phone to the sixteen-year-old, then moves his cone from one hand to the other so he can rest it on her waist.

Victor wants the day to end on a positive note, and if she can share that moment with her mom in a photo, then that’s all the more reason to do it. Nova leans against him and smiles softly for the camera. It’s only when he turns to kiss the top of her head and pull her even closer that the smile reaches her eyes and she giggles.

“Got it,” the girl says as she passes back the phone. “That’s a really sweet photo. I wish my boyfriend would do cute stuff like that with me.”

Nova looks up at her boyfriend, then leans her head against his arm. “If he wanted to, he would. The right person would,” she says simply.

Victor kisses the top of her head. “I love you, Nova. Happy birthday,” he whispers into her hair.

For all the trouble dinner was, she’s happy it happened because it led them to here. She lifts her chin and balances on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I love you too, Victor. Thank you for the best day.”

Chapter Text

Winter break marks the end of the fall semester of Nova’s junior year and the beginning of nearly a month off from school. When Victor picks her up from campus after her last psych exam on the Friday morning of finals week, she collapses in the heated seat of his BMW with a groan.

“Vic, my brain hurts,” she whines, hugging his right arm. His hand moves from the gear shift to rest on her knee, tracing circles over her kneecap. “Literally, I think my brain is mush. I need a nap before I do anything else today.”

Her boyfriend laughs lightly and turns his head to kiss the top of her hair. “Can I take you to lunch before you nap? We have a busy evening. I can’t have you hangry and tired at Abby’s recital.”

The promise of food stops her mid-yawn. “Are you offering McAllister’s?”

“Is that what you want?”

”Yes.”

If someone had asked her six months ago what her plans for winter break would be, her answer would have been spending as much time as humanly possible in her college apartment so she didn’t have to sit between her parents and their silent standoff for the entire holiday season back home in Solaris Springs. She would’ve watched as many corny Hallmark and Netflix Christmas movies as humanly possible, baked a lot of cookies, maybe drunk some spiked eggnog or hot chocolate, and crammed as many books from her TBR list into her brain. The Nova of today would answer that she has plans with her boyfriend to go see his niece’s production of The Nutcracker, go out of town for four whole days with her boyfriend to a mountain town that isn’t Mount Rayburn, read as many books from her TBR, and get as many kisses from her boyfriend under the mistletoe. For the first time since she left home for college, she isn’t anxious about winter break; she is actually looking forward to it.

Tonight, she and Victor are spending the night in Seabrook at Auntie’s house. Night one of Abigail’s Nutcracker performances is this evening, and the little girl practically begged her to attend with her uncle when she met her at Thanksgiving. It will be the first of a couple of planned days with his family, the same people who welcomed her so warmly at Thanksgiving, over the break. As tired as she feels after the three-hour exam this morning, she’s looking forward to the performance and seeing Abby again.

“Hey, did you get the flowers for tonight yet?” She asks when Victor stops at a red light.

He shakes his head. “Not yet. Didn’t want to forget them, and I knew you wouldn’t let me. Are you packed?”

Nova can’t help the smile that spreads across her face. Her heart races in her chest from excitement. “Yep, I packed last night. I just need to throw a few more things in my bag that I didn’t get to before I left this morning.”

Victor nods, and a similar smile crosses his face. He’s been planning this trip since Thanksgiving, wanting to do something special for her, for them, for the holidays. Working full-time and overtime paid off because the Airbnb he booked was a bit more than he was expecting to spend, but it was worth it to see Nova’s excitement when he showed her the place on her birthday. “Food before or after we get your stuff? Are you napping at mine?”

“Handsome, if I don’t eat in the next ten minutes, I might actually scream,” she says seriously. “Food first, then my stuff, then nap at your apartment.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He puts his foot on the gas as soon as the light switches green and three minutes later, pulls into the deli chain’s parking lot. Pointing at the dashboard screen’s clock, he says, “Seven minutes on the clock before you’re allowed to scream. C’mon, baby. You need a sandwich and one of those giant sweet teas in you before I can take you anywhere else.” He slides out of the driver's seat with ease and circles the front of his car to open her door.

“It’s not fair how cool you look sometimes,” she grumbles under her breath as she climbs out. “Drives a really nice car, muscles, tattoos, looks all suave, getting out of a freakin’ car. For goodness sake, Victor, you don’t have to be like that all the time.” She tucks herself under his arm, feeling his laughter rumble through his chest. “Meanwhile, I look like a zombie held together by coffee, unwashed hair, and a scrunchie.”

Her boyfriend opens the restaurant door for her and follows her up to the line at the register. “I think you look like a cute zombie,” he says as he stands behind her. His eyes scan the menu board above them, even though he knows exactly what he’s going to get. “Do you have enough points for one of your giant teas?”

“Oh, I don't know!” Her face lights up, and she slips her phone out of her hoodie, which is actually his, pocket to check the restaurant’s app. “I should have a birthday reward.”

The couple places their order- he, a Cuban sandwich, she, a grilled chicken Caesar salad wrap, a baked potato, and a huge sweet tea with a pump of strawberry syrup- and within minutes, Nova is devouring her lunch.

Her boyfriend gives her a look across the table. “Did you eat breakfast?” He already knows her answer.

The young woman looks sheepish and takes a long sip of her drink. “No…”

He sighs and puts down his sandwich. “Nova.”

“Don't look at me like that,” she complains in a low voice.

“Like what?”

“Like you're frustrated with me, not at me,” she whines.

“Well, how was your anxiety before the test?” He lifts a brow, a light challenge surrounded in concern.

That makes her pause. He knows her so well, it's sometimes scary. She bites her lip and looks anywhere but at the man across from her. “I was a little frantic. Last-minute review. I was stressed.”

Victor reaches forward and lays a hand on her arm. “You can't not eat before big things like tests, Sunshine. I think it makes you even more anxious because you're hungry on top of being nervous. That's not good for you.”

She knows, she really does. But in her rush to get out the door this morning with Addison, she remembered to grab coffee and not the overnight oats she had made the night before. His concerns are valid, and she loves that he cares so much about her success in school.

“I had a granola bar in my backpack. And I had water, not just coffee,” she offers weakly, finally meeting his eyes. “Look, it's the end of exam week, and my semester is done. I just wanted to get in and out of that lab as soon as I could. I'm eating now, and my stress level has dropped.”

Victor’s hand moves down to her hand and squeezes. “I only say it because I care.” He pauses, letting the words sink in, before continuing. “I know you're tired and your brain is fried. Let's finish eating and get you home so you can rest before the performance.”

Nova yawns and agrees. “Thank you.” Exhaustion from the last few days of exams is catching up to her now that she’s stopped stressing. Now that she’s got food in her stomach, she feels a little more human. Once she gets to Victor's apartment, she’s surely going to crash for at least an hour, maybe two, while he gets ready for their trip.

He nods and removes his hand. He finishes the rest of his lunch, steals Nova’s iced tea, and takes a long sip before giving it back to her, smirking. Her jaw hangs open at the act, watching as he stands.

“You drank my tea!”

Shrugging, he picks up their trash and tosses it in the nearby can. “I paid for it.”

“It was free!” She argues lightheartedly, following after him.

“The strawberry add-on wasn't.” He replies with a smirk, then throws his arm over her shoulders.

He’s baiting her, trying to get a rise out of her. It's his way of trying to get her to laugh after a long two weeks of the semester. Time felt like it was dragging on forever when she was in class and studying at home. Breathing was easier when she was distracted by her boyfriend and friends, or if she was at Salt & Steel doing little things to help out. With classes over, she can sleep in and spend as much time as she wants with her better half. “It’s like a dollar more,” she tries to argue while shaking the plastic cup to mix her drink.

Victor pulls the door open and leads them outside, then kisses the top of her head. “It’s a dollar well spent because it made you happy. And that’s always my end goal.”

-

Forty-five minutes later, Nova throws back the duvet on Victor’s bed and drops onto the mattress dramatically. She kicked off her shoes as soon as she walked through the door and pulled her hair out of the messy bun she had put it in earlier, relieving the lingering pressure that had built in her head. He follows after, grinning at the over-the-top act while holding her overnight bag.

The plan is for her to get ready for Abby’s recital here this afternoon, drive to Auntie’s, and then meet the rest of the Barton-Fitzgerald family at the theater for the performance. Tomorrow, after breakfast with Auntie, they’ll drive to Abingdon, the mountain town they're staying in, which is just over two hours away.

She burrows under the blanket on her side of the bed, the right-hand side, by the windows and his desk, and happily sighs. “Oh, I missed this.”

Victor shakes his head and sets down her bag. “Baby, please actually take a nap, not doom scroll on TikTok. Abby’s really excited to see you tonight, and I don’t want you to accidentally fall asleep in the middle of The Nutcracker.” He turns and closes the blinds to block out the early afternoon light from the room so she can sleep more easily. “I have to pack, but I’ll be quiet.”

She rolls onto her side, curling into the blankets that smell just like him, and watches him. “You always know how to take care of me.” Her voice is softer, sleepier, and her eyes are drifting shut.

He bends down and kisses her temple, lingering to breathe in the citrus scent of her shampoo. “Sleep, Nova,” he encourages gently.

Reaching out, she grabs his hand to keep him there for a few more moments. “No more than two hours, ‘kay?” She punctuates the request with a long yawn.

Victor nods even though she doesn’t see it, and sets an alarm on his phone to wake her up. Nova’s breathing evens out a minute later, drifting to sleep with no doom scrolling necessary. He leans down and kisses her head again, whispers, “love you,” and grins when he sees the tiniest smile cross her lips in her sleep.

Nova Bright is the woman of his dreams. They’ve been together for just a few short months, but sometimes it feels like years. When he dated in high school, he never felt so at ease with the girls he liked as he does with the blonde asleep in his bed. They haven’t slept together yet, and he’s okay with that. The last time he hooked up with a girl was over a year ago, and she was some stranger at a party Vargas dragged him to. He remembers feeling empty afterward, even if the physical release was fun. Sex was a means to an end; he always hoped for a connection beyond the physical, but never found it the few times he hooked up with a girl in high school or after graduation. But with Nova, everything is different.

This beautiful woman loves him. He loves her. And he desperately doesn’t want to fuck everything up by rushing her into sex. She laid her fears about intimacy out to him one night in a fit of anxiety early in their relationship. The fear swirling in her tear-lined blue eyes was so vulnerable that Victor promised himself and her that she was in charge. She sets the pace for the physical side of their relationship. They took a few steps back after the whirlwind of emotions they both experienced the night they finally confessed their feelings to each other, but it was okay. He would gently push her, little by little, to see what she liked and didn’t, while she maintained control. That night, he simply held her, just like he did the night they admitted their feelings to each other. The tension slowly escaped from her body as he traced circles on her back. The first wall came crashing down when she told him he could touch her back under his shirt, that she really liked it, and she was okay with him holding her like that.

Every piece of herself that she’s given him, every mental wall built up that’s been knocked down, was a victory he treasured. He could see it in the way she carried herself around him. Her confidence grew, and it showed in the private moments. He’s made it no secret that he loves every part of her, physically, emotionally, mentally. Since her birthday, but really since Thanksgiving, their time in the bedroom has turned heavier, sexier. She’s bolder, more upfront about what she wants from him. She’s giving all the signs that she’s ready to have sex, but he will not cross that line without her saying the word.

A small part of him hopes they take that final step during this trip, but he’s not dwelling on it. He knows she’s exhausted from the semester, and she needs a break. They have plans to go out and explore the town, but he’s also perfectly content with staying in and watching movies. However, he is a man who is blown away and turned on by his beautiful girlfriend every time he sees her. If that's the direction they go down during their trip, he’ll be a very happy man.

Scratch that, he’ll be a very happy man no matter what. He’s going on vacation with his girlfriend.

Victor moves quietly around his room, careful not to disturb Nova. T-shirts, jeans, sweatpants, socks and boxers, an extra hoodie, shoes, a belt- he tosses it all onto the other side of the bed before shifting to his closet. It's obvious he was raised in a home with two women when he reaches to the far side of his closet to find the garment bag he seldom uses and tucks dress pants and a button-up shirt for dinner inside. He never dresses up; it's not necessary for his line of work. But Auntie and Mel always insisted he have at least one pair of nice pants, a few button-up shirts, and dress shoes. He keeps them in his closet for them, and now Nova, for when the occasion calls for it.

Nova shifts in her sleep, and he freezes. She moves for just a second before settling again, and he exhales, relief flooding him that he didn’t wake her. He slides his duffle bag out from under the bed and carries it to the living room with his arms full of clothing to pack. Packing somewhere else might be the better choice, so he doesn’t disturb her.

After twenty minutes, his bag is packed for the trip. The garment bag is draped over the back of the couch with his winter coat. A grocery bag stuffed with more snacks than he knows what to do with, courtesy of Nova, sits on the kitchen counter. He looks around the space, unsure what to do for the next hour or so. It’s only 2:30 in the afternoon. Vargas will be gone for the rest of the day. Then, his phone vibrates.

Auntie

Don’t forget to clean out your fridge and take out the trash before you leave today. 😉

He laughs under his breath.

How’d you know I needed something to do? 🤨

Auntie

Consider it an Auntie’s intuition. ❤️ See you two soon.

-

When Nova wakes up in Victor’s apartment, she always rolls over toward his side. It’s instinct. When she wakes from her nap, she blinks slowly to find Victor lying on his back beside her, earbuds in, watching something on his phone. She scoots closer, tucking herself against him and yawns. He always smells so good, it’s unfair.

“Good nap?” He asks, taking the earbud out and setting the device down beside him. He shifts to lie on his side and wraps one arm around her waist over the blankets.

She nods against his chest. “I feel more alive than I was this morning.”

He grins and kisses her hair. “Good.”

“I’ll feel even more alive after I wash my hair. What time is it?”

Victor rubs his hand against her back before slipping out of bed and stepping into the hallway. “Just after 3:00. I’ll get your towel from the closet. We need to leave before 5:00 if we want to avoid the backroad traffic to Auntie’s. We still need to stop and get Abby’s flowers.”

Nova sits up and leans against the headboard. The duvet pools around her waist as she rubs her eyes. “It’s so obvious women raised you. You have a linen closet. I don’t know any twenty-two-year-old male with a linen closet full of spare towels,” she teases. “What’s next? A towel warmer?”

Her boyfriend's voice carries from the hall to the bedroom. “Nah, that’s too bougie, even for Auntie’s standards. You want a warm towel? I’ll throw it in the dryer.”

She throws her head back, laughing at his offer. “You spoil me, but no!”

He shrugs and tosses the white towel at her when he walks back in. She catches it easily. “Just giving you what you deserve, baby.”

Sometimes, Victor says things like that, and it makes her want to squeal with delight. He is a man written by a woman in one of her romance books. He’s all hers. She looks at him, really looks at him, and thanks God for the man before her.

“Victor?”

“Yeah?”

She waves him over. When he’s close enough, she loops her arms around his neck and kisses him sweetly. “I just realized I hadn’t kissed you yet today. Or told you that I love you,” she tells him once they separate. “And I’m really excited to go away with you.”

His smile reaches his eyes. He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning his head against hers. “Me too. Now go, get ready.”

-

“Victor! Nova!” Mel Fitzgerald’s voice calls out across the parking lot. “You made it!” She carries Tommy in her arms as she strides across the blacktop to meet them. She then sees her mother climb out of the backseat of his car. “Hi, Mom!”

Victor tangles his fingers with Nova’s in the chilly evening and holds a bouquet of red roses in his other hand. “Hey, Mel. We wouldn't miss this.” He opens his free arm to greet her.

Once he steps away, Nova takes his place to hug his sister and lightly tickles his nephew’s side. “I've been looking forward to this all week. This was literally what was getting me through finals.”

“You're so sweet. Abby is really excited that you're coming. I have to go backstage to check on her before the show, but Noah has everyone’s tickets.” Mel goes to hand Tommy off to her husband, but the boy squirms and reaches out for his uncle and Nova instead.

“Mama, I want down,” the little boy says loudly. “Uncle Vic! Walk with Uncle Vic! Please!”

The mother looks at Noah, then her brother. She barely leans Tommy toward Victor. “Can you-?”

“Hand him over.”

Victor takes the boy from his sister so she can run inside, and sets him down. He crouches to his level and holds his arms so he doesn't run away. “Hey, kid. If you're gonna walk with me, you're gonna hold Nova’s hand too. Okay? You remember Nova?” He points at her.

The boy looks at the blonde and grins. “Hi!” He grabs her hand and his uncle's, and starts walking toward the entrance between them, rambling about the toys he played with at preschool that day. It doesn't make much sense, but he’s happy.

Behind them, Noah offers his mother-in-law his arm to follow the trio across the parking lot.

“God bless Uncle Victor,” Noah says loud enough for his brother-in-law to hear. “What would we do without the fun uncle and his girlfriend?”

Elaine laughs. “Luckily, you won't have to find out. He takes that job very seriously.”

The man in question smirks over his shoulder. “I heard that! Family’s forever, Noah! Love you, man!” He points at him with the hand holding the bouquet of flowers before looking at Nova. “Three, two, one.” The couple lifts Tommy off the ground between them, and he shrieks in delight.

-

Victor spent the 20-minute intermission chasing Tommy around the auditorium lobby to get the wiggles out, while Mel went backstage to help Abby change into her angel costume for Act 2. Nova was asked to supervise the uncle and nephew duo; as the lights flickered, signaling the end of the intermission, Tommy ran to the blonde and put his arms up, asking to be held. Once they were back in their seats, the boy crawled into her lap and dozed for the second half of the show.

Nearly two and a half hours after they arrived, the ballet production wrapped with a standing ovation by the crowd. Tommy latched onto his uncle as he stood from his seat and followed his lead by clapping for his big sister. As the auditorium crowd thins out, with many fathers and siblings heading for the parking lot and mothers making a beeline for the side stage entrance, Victor and Nova linger behind with Mel and Auntie. They wait for a few minutes to let the older dancers clear out before they migrate to the lobby. Mel goes backstage to get the family’s ballerina, and the other three wait for them.

His thumb brushes over Nova’s Art Deco ring, one of his birthday gifts for her, while they stand against the wall, when a voice from Victor’s past cuts through the noise.

“Victor?” A female voice calls out amid the bustling crowd of small dancers and their families. He thinks his lungs stop working for half a second.

Victor’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh shit,” he mutters.

“What?” Nova turns to look at him, worried.

His grip on her hand tightens fractionally. “I think that's one of the girls I dated in high school.”

“Victor Barton? Is that you?” The voice is closer.

Before he can turn and answer, a small child body-slams into him. “Uncle Victor! Nova!” Abigail squeals. “You came! Did you see me? Did you see me twirl with the other ballerinas?”

He drops his girlfriend’s hand so he can pick up his niece, ignoring the excess noise of the past. “I did. You were a superstar up there, Abby. I was so impressed.”

The little girl hugs her uncle around the neck, then leans over to Nova. “Nova! You look so pretty! Did you like the show? Did I do good? Do you like my bun?” She asks, hugging the blonde without leaving her uncle's arms, then turns her head to show off the tightly twisted hairstyle.

The blonde nods and lightly touches the girl’s hair, ohhing and ahhing. “You and your friends looked like beautiful ballerinas. You did a wonderful job!”

Abby beams, then turns in her uncle’s arms. She searches the crowd, then waves at a young woman, who approaches them. “Miss Layla!”

Victor follows his niece’s gaze and freezes when he sees the woman approaching them. Yup, I dated a Layla in high school, he thinks. He shifts Abby to his other hip and wraps an arm around Nova’s waist, pulling his girlfriend closer. “I think her teacher is a girl I dated when I was sixteen,” he mutters in her ear.

Nova’s eyes widen, and she tries to hold back her laughter, but fails. She has to cover her mouth with a hand to hide the grin stretching across her face.

“You found your family, didn’t you, Abby?” A petite woman with light brown hair gracefully stops in front of them. Her hair is in the perfect ballet bun, and she wears a black Nutcracker t-shirt like Abby’s with leggings. “Hey, Victor. It’s been a while,” she says sweetly, batting her lashes.

The blonde smirks, but doesn’t say a word. Her boyfriend is obviously tense around this girl, and she is definitely not threatened by her presence. Watching him try to ignore this woman is kind of funny.

“Miss Layla, isn't Uncle Victor’s girlfriend so pretty?” Abby cuts her uncle off before he can respond. “Nova and Uncle Victor are going on a trip tomorrow! She came to Thanksgiving, and she played with me and Tommy, and I really like her hair! Nova, are you coming to spend Christmas with us?”

Abigail Fitzgerald knows how to ramble and lighten the mood. Victor’s shoulders drop, his tension dissipating.

The ballet teacher finally notices Nova and flushes from embarrassment. “Oh, hi. It’s nice to meet you.” She gives her a weak smile. “I’m Layla. Victor and I went to high school together. We, uhh… went out a few times.”

Nova smiles politely. “Nice to meet you. I’m Nova, like Abby said.” She looks up at her boyfriend and kisses his cheek. “Hey, we need to get going soon. We have dinner with the rest of the family at Auntie’s. Do you want to get a picture?”

“Right!” His eyebrows fly up his forehead, and he tries very hard not to nod aggressively. “Hey, Abby, these are for you.” The arm around Nova’s waist moves away to present the roses to his niece.

Abby’s face lights up in delight as she takes the bouquet. “Flowers! For me? Thank you, Uncle Victor and Nova! Miss Layla, can you take a picture? Please?”

The woman nods, her lips tight, and wordlessly takes Nova’s phone when she holds it out. She doesn’t miss the lockscreen image of the couple holding ice cream cones while Victor kisses her head.

Victor’s arm returns to his girlfriend’s waist and pulls her even closer. Both girls lean their heads against his and smile for the camera, capturing this memory forever. When Layla hands the phone back to his girlfriend, he kisses the top of her head, then kisses his niece’s cheek.

“Happy holidays, Layla. It was nice to see you,” he says, finally meeting the woman’s eyes, before shifting his focus to the girl in his arms. “I’m so proud of you, Abby. You looked awesome up there.”

Nova removes the bouquet from the girl’s arms before they get smooshed between them, sensing another dramatic hug from her. “Thank you,” she says to the dance teacher. “Happy holidays.”

“Yeah, happy holidays. Bye, Abby. See you in January,” she waves to the little girl, who is solely focused on her uncle.

The six-year-old hugs him around his neck, clinging to him like a koala to a tree. “Love you, Uncle Vic.”

“Love you too, Abby.”

A few minutes later, the couple walks out of the theater, hand in hand. Abby walks ahead of them with Auntie and Mel, skipping across the pavement. The temperature is even chillier than earlier, the wind making it feel like it's in the single digits. Nova tucks herself under Victor’s arm as they near his car.

“Of all the things I thought would happen tonight, running into a girl I dated in high school was the last thing I expected,” he says, slightly embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

“You were really awkward, and it was hilarious. You barely acknowledged her!” she jokes, laughing lightly.

He groans. “Can you blame me? She was giving me these eyes, like ‘You’re really hot, and I want to sleep with you,’ and I’m just thinking, ‘My girlfriend and niece are right here. No!’” He digs in his pocket for his key fob to unlock the car. The engine is already running, thanks to the remote start, so they aren’t freezing once they get inside.

Auntie is going with Mel, Noah, Abby, and Tommy back to her house while they pick up three pizzas from a local shop for dinner. He opens the passenger door so she can slide into her seat before closing it and jogging to the other side.

Nova goes to poke him in the chest once he’s in his seat, but he catches her hand and kisses the back before she can.

“Thank you for coming tonight. It meant so much to Abby to have you there,” he says into her skin. “And it meant the world to me.”

She sighs, and the smile that was on her lips for most of the night softens. She has spent only two days with his family, but she loves them. They are warm and chaotic and silly, and it is so unlike her own, it’s disarming, but comforting. “It’s like I said at Thanksgiving, handsome: She’s important to you. You’re important to me. That means she’s important to me.”

Victor stares at her, a look of loving disbelief on his face. He’s quiet for a moment, then shakes his head. “Baby, are you sure you’re real?” He leans over the center console to capture her lips in a kiss that warms her entire body. His hands cup her jaw like she’s made of glass, but there’s no fear of breaking her. If it wasn’t frigid cold out, they weren’t wearing winter coats, or they didn’t need to pick up dinner for his waiting family, he’d push his seat all the way back, lift her from the passenger seat, and set her on his lap to make out for hours under the darkness of night and his tinted windows.

Nova pulls away when air becomes necessary and rests her forehead against his. A breathless giggle escapes her. “I’m certain I’m real, handsome.” She brushes a stray curl out of his eyes before kissing his cheek. “Alright, we have a ballerina and a hyper three-year-old waiting for dinner at Auntie’s house. I’m hungry. We don’t want a repeat of what almost happened earlier at lunch, do we?” She raises an eyebrow as she shifts back into her seat.

He chuckles and reaches over her to grab her seatbelt and buckle her in. “No, ma’am. I know better. No screaming required.” He buckles himself in and puts the car into reverse, backing out of the space smoothly. The engine rumbles as he shifts to drive, presses on the gas, and they drive off into the night.

Tomorrow, they leave for their first vacation together. It’s a major step in their relationship, one they’ve been waiting to take. But tonight, they’ll enjoy the first night of winter break and the chaos of family time with the Barton-Fitzgerald clan. They couldn’t ask for a better start to their holiday break.

Chapter Text

“We get it! Your dick’s really small because your exhaust’s really loud!” Victor yells at the driver who roars past them on the highway, weaving in and out of traffic. “Fuck you,” he growls.

Nova’s eyes widen and her cheeks flame. She’s spent enough time around her boyfriend to know that if he wants to, he could make his car sound like the one that just ripped past them on the highway. She’s heard it too, while he tinkers with his car or others in the shop. But his crass comment takes her by surprise, and she's mildly embarrassed about where her mind lands. She looks out the window to hide her red face.

They’ve been on the road for forty-five minutes. They left Seabrook and Auntie after spending the night at her house, and enjoying a breakfast casserole Elaine insisted on making for brunch (“I have a guest, Victor! An overnight guest! I can’t just offer her cereal, even if Nova says that’s okay.”). She held them up by distracting her with a long speech about the importance of a colorful Christmas cookie platter, and Victor nearly threw Nova over his shoulder so they could get on the road before lunchtime. He was ready to go. They didn’t leave until after noon. They’ll see each other on Christmas, when the Bright and Barton-Fitzgerald families meet for Christmas dinner. It’s not like they’re hiding in Abingdon for all of her winter break…

It’s their first trip together after three (technically four) months of dating, which seems fast by some people’s idea of a relationship timeline, but it feels right. It’s the natural progression of their relationship. Unfortunately, Google Maps on his dashboard says their Airbnb is almost two hours away, and she isn’t sure she’ll survive the trip if he keeps talking like that. If he keeps it up, she may combust.

Victor catches her flushed cheeks, and a wicked grin crosses his face. She’s purposefully not looking at him as he speeds down the highway. ”You’re thinking about dick size, aren’t you?” he asks bluntly.

“What?!” She shrieks, turning her head toward him but still avoiding his eyes.

Her flustered reaction has him bark out a laugh. He removes the baseball cap from his head and pushes his hand through his hair. “You should see the look on your face, baby. You look so flustered, and it’s really cute.”

Nova leans forward and covers her face with both hands. Good Lord, now you’re calling me really cute when my face feels like it’s on fire from embarrassment. “Can you blame me? You just declared that guy had a small dick because of how his car sounded!” Now you have me thinking about you, handsome. She grabs her water bottle and takes a long sip while she focuses on the bare trees lining the road and not a man’s dick.

He looks at her, suddenly intrigued. “Have you never heard the saying ‘the bigger the truck, the louder the car, the smaller the dick’?”

She finally looks at him with an incredulous look. “Why on earth would I have heard that? You are the first guy I ever spent any time with who cares about cars!”

“I don’t know! People say it!” He shrugs. “I don’t know what you were like in high school. You could’ve been friends with guys who at least gave other people shit for their loud engines for vanity, not for racing.” He checks his blind spots before shifting to the far left lane to pass a semi-truck that is moving far too slowly. He accelerates the BMW, and they glide past the other cars on the road.

Nova takes off her sneakers and brings her knees to her chest. “No, that wasn’t me. My circle of friends was pretty small. I was asked on dates and to dances in high school, but I didn’t really date. And none of those guys cared much about their cars, except if it were new and expensive. I was focused on my classes and making my parents proud.” She sighs. “My priorities were different from theirs. But I’m happy those priorities got me here. I ended up here, didn’t I?”

Victor’s eyes darken for a second at the hidden meaning of her statement. If she hadn’t made the choices she did in the past, they never would’ve ended up here.

He nods, then reaches out and taps his fingers on her knees. He gently pushes down so her legs are in front of her, and rests his hand on her thigh. The act is one with her safety in mind. He’s a great driver, and he loves to push his car down the open road, but there are some things he just won’t let her do when she’s with him in the car. Sitting like that is one of the top things he won’t allow. He has excellent reflexes and can maneuver around most things with ease on the road, but if heaven forbid he lost control, he wants her to actually walk away from the scene, not end up injured or worse. It’s why he only allows Marcus or Jose to touch his car at the shop when it’s time for the annual state inspection. It’s why only he touched Nova’s car when a warning light appeared on her dashboard two weeks ago, despite all the offers from the guys at the shop to do it for him, and he asked Marcus to triple-check his work before lowering it on the hydraulic lift. He trusts no one else when it comes to her safety on the road except himself and his boss.

They fall into a comfortable silence, the only noise being the Spotify playlist she put on when they got in, and the rumble of the engine as Victor accelerates.

It’s only interrupted when he asks, ”You were actually thinking about dick size, weren’t you?” He winks and squeezes her leg before letting go. He picks up her forty-ounce water bottle, takes a long sip from the straw, and nearly chokes on it from laughter when the flush returns to her face and reaches her ears. “Oh my God, you were.”

“I didn’t say anything!” she argues, tucking her hair behind her ear. I totally was.

“But your face did. You are so red, baby.” He replaces the cup and grabs her hand to kiss the back of it. His lips linger there for several seconds, even as his eyes stay on the road, and Nova feels a shiver sneak up her spine.

She bites her lip. “I am not having sex with you in the back of your car, if that’s what you’re suggesting!” She says it as a joke, but his eyes widen, and his breath catches. He lowers their joined hands to her leg, and he decelerates slightly. After checking the rearview mirror to confirm that there is no one immediately behind them, he slows a little more and moves over a lane to the right. His body language shifts to something more sincere as he lowers the music volume with the button on the steering wheel.

“Nova, the first time we have sex will be whenever you’re ready. I’m not expecting anything from you. I’ve told you I'm okay waiting for you because you are worth the wait.” He clears his throat and squeezes her hand. His eyes flicker between her and the road. “But for the record, the first time we have sex will not be in my car. You deserve to be loved thoroughly, not in a cramped space like that backseat.”

Nova’s cheeks warm, and she looks down at her lap at their joined hands. She’s ready. She’s been thinking about this moment a lot recently. On nights when she lay awake in her apartment alone, after studying for hours for finals, she kept coming back to the thought. Victor’s been so patient with her, pushing her boundaries little by little when she asks, while reassuring her that she’s safe and there's no pressure to follow through. But she is ready for the follow-through, for that intimate connection with the man who loves her as much as she loves him.

“I know. You taught me that.” It’s barely a whisper, but Victor hears her. He always hears her.

“I love you.” He squeezes her hand.

She meets his eyes and returns the squeeze. “I love you too.” She reaches forward to turn the music back up before leaning her head against his arm. It’s times like these, the soft and tender moments, that make everything feel so real. The fears of intimacy are nearly gone; any remaining walls will be destroyed by her during this vacation.

-

The Airbnb Victor booked is a cute single-story cottage with a gravel driveway and a beautiful mountain view that pictures can’t fully capture. By the time they arrive in Abingdon, stop for dinner and get some groceries for breakfast, the sun has started to set. Victor carries their bags inside while Nova circles the property, lost in thought. The sky is painted with swirls of yellow, pink, and blue that fade into each other with wisps of clouds dotted around the mountains. He eventually comes back out and finds her staring up at the stars in the middle of the yard.

“Hey,” he says quietly. His arms wrap around her from behind and slip inside her hoodie pocket. They pull her back to his chest, and they both sigh.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathes, leaning most of her weight against him. He’s so warm, his arms so strong around her.

Victor presses a kiss behind her ear, then on her cheek. His eyes stay on her, paying no attention to the landscape in front of them. “Yeah, you are.”

Her cheeks warm, and she lightly digs her elbow into his stomach behind her. His torso jerks backwards, pulling her against him, and they both laugh. Their warm breath forms a small cloud in front of them. “I’m talking about the mountains, Victor.”

“Well, I’m talking about you.” His lips brush against her ear when he speaks, and it sends a shiver up her spine. “And I think you are the most beautiful woman on Earth.” His mouth trails down her cheek and under her jaw.

Nova sighs contentedly and tips her head back to his shoulder, giving him more skin to pepper kisses against. Heat blossoms in her chest in a way that she hasn’t felt before, even with the cooler mountain area surrounding her. The man pressed up behind her makes her feel alive. She twists around so she’s facing him and braces her hands on his shoulders. Without warning, she jumps into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist.

Victor, ever in tune with her body language, catches her, his hands landing on her ass like it’s where they belong. His eyes darken at the sudden shift in positions.

“Take me inside, Victor,” she tells him. “I’m cold.” It's right then and there that she makes her choice. She wants this man in every way. She wants him now.

The grin that stretches across his face turns into a smirk. “Well, I can’t have my girlfriend freezing.” He pivots and carries her inside, pushing the back door open and throwing the deadbolt into the locked position. His strength is on full display, and she loves it. As soon as they are through the door, Nova dives right in. Her fingers tangle into his hair, and she kisses him enthusiastically.

Victor stumbles slightly at the deep display of passion, but stays upright, returning the kisses with equal enthusiasm. He manages to push her unzipped winter coat off her arms to eliminate a layer between them before he carries her into the bedroom. It lies forgotten on the floor of the hallway, a problem for them to clean up later. His fingers pull the elastic out of her ponytail, and her blonde hair tumbles over her shoulders.

The lamps in the bedroom are already on when they enter, giving the space a warm glow, and he lays her on the bedspread. He traps her between him and the mattress, both arms pressing into the sheets, while her legs stay locked around his waist. It’s a heated battle for control that neither of them wants to give up on. Hands are everywhere, running up and down arms, chests, and backs.

Nova makes the first move to remove another layer of clothing, desperate to feel his skin, by tugging at the back of his hoodie. “I see how it is,” he teases against her neck. He runs his hands down her legs, where they are wrapped around him, and gives them a quick but firm squeeze to let him go. She reluctantly does it and watches as he pulls the hoodie off by the back of the neck. She tosses her hoodie to the side, paying no attention to where it lands, and kicks off her sneakers.

Victor flashes her a wicked grin and launches back onto the bed, making her bounce and laugh loudly. His hands land on her waist and haul her against him, where he can bury his face against her neck and roll her under him. Her laughter quickly turns into a soft moan. Large callused hands from years of working on cars drag up and down her side and back before slipping beneath her loose crop top, leaving goosebumps behind and every nerve ending in her body on fire. She rolls her hips against his, and he growls into her collarbone before pulling the shirt off her body.

Nova lets out a deep sigh and arches her back, pressing her lacy bralette-covered chest against his, and kisses him deeply again. He’s warm like a furnace, and the sheets are cool. Her body is molten lava, ready to explode, and she needs more. She reaches for the back of his shirt and tugs it off him.

The moment his bare chest touches her skin, she melts into the mattress. One of her legs hooks around his to keep him pressing against her body. Her arms loop around his neck to pull him down to meet her lips for another heated kiss. Her hips roll again, and he groans. She feels it rumble against her chest. A low, “You’re killing me, baby,” escapes his mouth, and he mimics her, pressing his lower body against her core.

When Nova sighs again, it’s deeper, warmer, more wanton and uninhibited than he’s ever heard. Victor’s kept a mental catalog of every noise his girlfriend has made, and this one is brand new. He loves it and wants to hear that beautiful breathy sound again and again. But things are heading very quickly to the point of no return, and he tries to slow them down with a firm hand against her hips. The blonde beneath him is having none of it.

“That’s the point, handsome. I’m ready. I want this. I want you,” she whispers in his ear.

Victor pulls away from her, his brown eyes wide and pupils blown. He blinks at her, mouth agape. He is panting, shock evident on his face. Then he pulls away from her completely with a low, “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He sits up, back to her as he frantically looks around the room, grabs his phone from his pocket so fast he almost drops it, and starts typing.

Nova feels like a bucket of cold water was dumped on her. He was so eager seconds ago. As soon as she opened her mouth, he froze and pulled away. Was it something she did? Did she say the wrong thing? Did she completely misread the moment?

Her boyfriend continues cursing under his breath, then drops the phone on the bed. He twists around, his eyes wild until they focus on her, and he surges across the bed to kiss Nova deeply, passionately, like she’s his only source of oxygen. One hand holds her jaw while the other slides under her ass and squeezes firmly.

“Baby, I love you. So, so much.” His chest heaves as he breaks the kiss and leans his forehead against hers. “But I don’t have any condoms. I forgot to buy them.” His voice is pained as he mentally kicks himself for the huge oversight while packing.

Nova stares at him for several seconds, stunned. Her breathing is heavy, her chest rising and falling, then she starts to giggle. “Oh my goodness,” she laughs. “Oh my goodness!” The intimate heat fades into something softer with her laughter.

“Yeah, laugh all you want, baby. I’m doing this right and safely with you,” he promises. “I’m so sorry.” He leans in again, covering her entire body with his, her molding against him, warm with want. He presses his hips against her core, and she can feel his desire for her against her legs. It makes her breath catch in her throat. He wants this as much as she does. The hand on her face brushes across her cheek before he kisses her deeply again for several long seconds. “I will be back in like, fifteen minutes, twenty tops. I love you. Don’t move.” He tugs on his shirt and hoodie, grabs his wallet and keys, and sprints out of the Airbnb.

The door slams shut, and the lock turns; a few seconds later, the BMW’s engine rumbles to life, and he speeds away to the closest convenience store.

Nova sits up, breathless and her body humming, and pushes a hand through her hair. From the bedroom window, she can see his taillights get smaller. “I can’t believe that cocky man forgot to bring condoms,” she says quietly. She will hold this against him for the rest of their lives.

The doubts hit her like a truck a minute later. “No,” she tells herself. “No. Nova, you love Victor. Why are you panicking?” She rolls out of bed and grabs her weekender bag, and digs out the bathrobe she packed. The white waffle knit fabric blocks some of the cold sneaking through the windows, but does nothing to block the negative thoughts that are swirling in her head. She starts pacing the room and shaking out her hands to release the anxiety that is threatening to send her to tears.

She loves Victor. She loves him so much. But this silly lapse in packing by him, as funny as it is, destroyed all her mental preparation. For weeks, she’s been thinking about the first time they slept together. She was ready this morning! She was ready five minutes ago! But now he’s gone out to buy condoms because that’s the kind of man he is, the kind who will put her first and protect her. After all, he knows this is the first time she’s having sex, and now she’s left here trying to mentally salvage any pieces of her preparation together for when he returns.

Nova isn’t exactly sure how long he’s gone for, but when he returns, she’s still pacing around the bedroom in her leggings, bra, and bathrobe, tears rimming her eyes. She misses his headlights speeding toward the house, the way he throws the door open, shouting, “I’m back!” When he enters the room, he’s tearing his shirt and hoodie off his body in one go, chucking them to the side and simultaneously toeing off his sneakers while holding the box of condoms in his other hand.

“Baby?” He stops when he realizes she’s standing several feet away from him, wringing her hands in front of the windows. Her breathing is heavy, but not the sexy, aroused kind of heavy breathing from 20 minutes ago. No, this is nervous, anxious breathing. “Nova, what’s wrong?”

The blonde turns around, gasping. She didn’t realize he came in, so trapped in her own head. “I don’t know. I- just- you left, and I started freaking out.” Her face is red, eyes wide with so much doubt.

Victor throws the box of condoms at the bed and crosses the space, but leaves enough distance between them to not overwhelm her further. Her mind is doing enough of that right now. “Nova, whatever you are thinking, you don’t need to be scared. I love you. Your comfort is my top priority. I do not care about anything else except for what you want. Not me, only you.” He pauses, watching as her body starts registering his words. “If this is too much, if you don’t want to have sex, we won't have sex. I am perfectly content with holding you while we sleep tonight.” He tries to keep his voice even and calm to drown out the doubts crowding her head.

“But you were so happy! You sprinted out of here to buy condoms because I said I was ready!” She cries and hugs her arms around herself. “And as soon as you left, my mind went down a rabbit hole of doubt! Do I actually want to have sex? Am I just going for it because I'm a people pleaser and I want you to be happy? Am I ready to be in such a vulnerable, naked state with you? I built myself up all day today. I wanted to have sex with you because I was ready, and then poof! All the buildup? Gone!” She’s borderline hysterical. To calm her down, he has to take control of the situation.

Victor eliminates the remaining space between them and wraps her in his arms. He tucks her head under his jaw and leans her ear against his heart, holding it there with one hand while the other bands around her waist. She’s standing flush against his skin, and instinctively, her arms wrap around his torso. Her breathing is heavy and shaky against his chest, and his heart aches. “Breathe with me, Nova. Listen to my heart, and breathe in for me. Hold it. And exhale. Again.”

He repeats the simple exercise several times until her breathing slows to a normal rate, then goes quiet. The room is silent for many minutes as the couple holds each other. He tightens his arms around her. Then, he speaks.

“Nova, I'm gonna ask you two questions, maybe three. I need you to listen and answer them honestly, okay?”

The blonde nods her head against his sternum. She can do that. The steady thumping of his heart is helping to drown out the lingering negative thoughts in her head.

He clears his throat. “Do you love me?”

Her head shoots up, shock etched on her face. “Yes,” she answers immediately. “Why would you-?”

“Just wait. Don't jump to conclusions.” He pauses a beat and tucks some hair behind her ear. Now that she’s looking at him, really looking at him, he can be crystal clear about his intentions with her. “Next question: Do you trust me? Do you trust me enough to take care of you, even when you're scared?”

Nova bites her lip to hold back the tears that threaten to fall. This man surely knows the answers to these questions. “I trust you with everything about me. You protect me from myself when my anxiety wants to take over,” she says softly.

That breaks his train of thought for several moments. He drops his forehead to rest against hers, meeting her blue eyes. “Last question: Can you choose what you want, only what you want, and not what other people may or may not want, even if that person is me?” He wants her to make this choice for herself, and not because other forces are telling her she has to want this.

She swallows the growing lump in her throat. “I want to, so badly.” Her voice cracks the tiniest bit.

Victor nods and holds her jaw in his hands with so much intensity and gentleness. “Nova Madelyn Bright, I’m in love with you. You are the reason why I wake up each morning and fall asleep smiling each night. I want to love you and show you just how much I mean that. I promise I will take care of you, even when you're terrified of what happens next. But I need you to tell me that you want this too because you want it for yourself and nothing else.”

Nova stares at him, her blue eyes swirling with a million different thoughts. The gears are turning in her head, the bad thoughts still lingering, but the only thing her head and heart return to is I trust him. I love him. He’ll take care of me. Her heartbeat finally slows the race against itself. She’s remarkably calm.

“Choose yourself. Be selfish. Forget the doubts and trust your gut. Just say the word, and I'm completely yours. But if you aren’t ready, I still love you, and I want you in any way you will have me.” His voice is thick with emotion, his eyes full of longing and desire for her.

She takes a deep breath and steps even closer, if that’s possible. She’s made her choice. “I want this. I want you, Victor.”

It's like a rocket launched, a switch flipped, a fire lit inside of him because his reaction is instantaneous. Victor’s lips crash into hers for a dominating kiss. It's deep, hot, borderline dirty, and Nova arches into him, arms curling around his neck. He lifts her off the ground, and her legs wrap around his waist as he carries her to the bed. He shoves the box of condoms aside and lies her down on the mattress, settling on top of her.

Before they can go any further, Victor pulls back just enough to speak, forehead leaning against hers. “Baby, I cannot live with myself if I ever hurt you during something that’s supposed to feel good for both of us. I want this to feel good for you.” He speaks with so much intensity, it makes her shiver. “If I’m hurting you, you tell me, okay? If it feels good, you tell me, okay?” His body and voice are strained with tension as he holds himself back. He’s desperate to dive in, to make love to this beautiful woman underneath him, but her comfort, her pleasure, is his priority. He refuses to hurt her.

Nova rolls her hips against his as she runs her hands up his back, and he groans at the sensation.

“I trust you,” she whispers, her eyes darkening with want, not worry.

He needs no other reason to wait. His hands find the knot in front of her robe, untie it, and push it open as he kisses her deeply. “I love you. Let me show you how much,” he declares against her skin, traveling down her neck to her chest. The opal sun pendant around her neck lies above her breastbone, and Victor stops to kiss it. “My Sunshine,” he breathes against her skin, his eyes darkening with desire. Goosebumps erupt all over her body at the name and sensation of his lips trailing down her chest and stomach.

The feeling is exhilarating. Her nerves are on fire, her body consumed with desire for this man. But Nova’s never felt so safe. Her back arches off the bed as they shed their remaining clothes aside, and she loses herself in the heat of the moment and the feeling of his hands taking her to the edge before falling.

-

Nova’s skin is warm with sweat when they finally come up for air. She’s on her back, staring at the ceiling with a small smile on her face, while Victor lies beside her. The sheets cover her body. His arm rests on her stomach, tracing lazy circles into her hip bone, and he watches her quietly, as if memorizing this moment forever.

“Nova?”

She turns to meet his gaze. “Hmm?”

“How do you feel?” His voice is rough, but his chocolate eyes are full of tenderness. This man was so careful and gentle from start to finish. He held her when her first orgasm from his fingers ripped through her body, and she fell apart in his arms. The second time, he held off his own release so she could soak up the pleasure that saturated her body in the most intimate connection a man and woman can have. She was buzzing and breathless when he finished with her by the time the third orgasm hit its crest, and she shattered underneath him, fingers gripping the sheets and his bicep. It was slow and fast, soft and heated, and she’s never felt so complete.

Her friends had shared horror stories of their first times having sex, and their experiences pale in comparison to hers. They described it as painful and over too quickly. No consideration from their partner of their needs, just using them as a quick fuck. What she experienced tonight was nothing like that.

She sighs and scoots closer to him. He shifts to hover over her. Their noses touch as they share a breath. “I feel…” She bites her lip, considering her answer. Her eyes lift to his, which are brimming with adoration. “I feel like I love you even more now than I loved you this morning.” She lifts a hand to his jaw and traces her thumb over his cheekbone. “What was it you said earlier in the car? That I deserved to be thoroughly loved?”

Victor hums and turns his head to kiss the center of her palm. “Do you feel thoroughly loved?” he asks against her skin.

Nova nods. She slides her hand on his face to the back of his head, bringing him down to kiss him sweetly. “I do. And then some. I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” she says with a soft laugh when they break apart.

His hand moves down her side and curls around her waist as he shifts to his back, bringing her with him. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

She shakes her head and holds back a yawn. “No. You took care of me just like you promised you would. You were perfect.” Pressing a kiss to his heart, she looks at him through her lashes. “I love you, handsome. Forever and always.”

Victor smiles and presses his lips against her forehead. “I love you more, beautiful. Forever and always. You’re mine.”

-

Bonus

Addison Wells notices a difference in Nova as soon as she walks into the apartment a few days later. The way she carries herself- she’s glowing, more so than usual. Victor has this mischievous look on his face as he follows the blonde, carrying her weekender bag like a perfect gentleman. As he goes to leave, Nova leans her whole body against her boyfriend’s and wraps her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. Victor’s hands linger on her lower back. There is a new layer of intimacy between them that wasn’t previously there.

The cheerleader can read people very well. Nova’s cheeks are pink when she pulls away, and her boyfriend whispers something in her ear that has her giggling. Something big happened during their trip. And she needs to know.

Nova disappears into her room to unpack and sort through laundry, leaving the older couple in the living room to their movie.

Addison gives her roommate several minutes to get settled before she grabs the TV remote and hits pause. “Zed, I love you, but you need to go.”

“What, why?” The football player’s mouth is full of popcorn. “The movie just started!” He points at the screen. “It was getting good!”

Addison sighs. She reaches forward and brushes her hand through his hair, and he visibly melts. They’ve been together for so long that she knows how to get her man to cave. “I need girl time with Nova,” she says simply.

“But movie night-” He halfheartedly gestures at the TV. There is little fight in his voice because he suspects she wants to debrief about her trip.

“Babe, I’ll make it up to you later. I haven’t seen Nova in like 5 days. Just, I don’t know, go somewhere that isn’t here for a few hours. Are you done with your Christmas shopping? I’ll text you when you can come back, and we can finish the movie and wrap your gifts for your family.” She bats her lashes and smiles sweetly at him.

Zed groans and sets the popcorn bowl on the coffee table in front of him. “Okay, have your girl time,” he says warmly. He leans forward and kisses the top of her head. “But you owe me cuddles and snacks.”

“Deal.” She watches as he grabs his car keys and wallet and blows her a kiss from the door. Once the door is shut, she locks it and makes a beeline for her roommate’s bedroom. She knocks, then pushes the door open.

Nova looks up from her bag, where she’s dropping dirty clothes onto the floor. “Hey, where’s Zed?”

Addison shakes her head. “He’ll be back later. I wanted to check in with you since I haven’t seen you in almost a week.” She leans against the doorframe with a smirk.

“What? Is there something on my face?” The younger blonde grabs her phone to check her reflection in the camera, but doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

She waits a few moments. “Supernova, is there something you want to tell me?” she asks carefully, taking a half step into the room. “You seem different. Good different.”

Nova looks down, her cheeks flushing pink. She hesitates, but a smile spreads across her face. The kind of smile that screams, ‘I have something I’m hiding that’s so important.’ She takes a breath and pushes her travel bag and laundry off the bed. “Victor and I slept together.”

Addison shrieks and launches herself onto the bed, tackling her roommate. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Nova!!”

The younger woman falls backward on the mattress and giggles, covering her face with her hands. Her roommate lets out another joyful cry and throws an arm over her shoulders to hug her. “Addison!”

“Oh my God, Nova! I knew it! I knew it! There was something different about you and Victor when you walked in, and I clocked it immediately! That man is so gone for you. He did not want to let you go!”

Nova lowers her hands and nods, biting her lip to minimize her excitement. “I love him so much, Addison, it’s terrifying and exhilarating, but I feel so safe.”

“Oh, sweetie, that’s part of falling in love.” The college senior sits up and gently nudges her best friend up beside her. The girls lean against the headboard, and Addison takes her hands, squeezing them tightly. “He took care of you, right? He didn’t pressure you into doing anything you didn’t want to? Because if he did, I will break him.”

Nova’s eyes turn misty. “Addison, it was perfectly imperfect,” she says softly. “I was on the verge of a panic attack-”

“WHAT!” She drops the girl’s hands and shrieks, cutting her off.

“Addy! Let me talk!”

“Okay, fine. But I am extremely worried about where this story is starting. I have every right to react that way.”

The younger girl sighs and brings her knees to her chest. “So we were making out, and things were getting heated quickly. All day, I felt like I was ready to have sex. So in the heat of the moment, after he took my shirt off and I pulled off his, I said I was ready. That I wanted him. He stops and pulls away, and starts cursing under his breath. When he turns back to me, he kisses me really deeply, and then tells me he forgot to buy condoms.”

Addison slaps a hand to her forehead. “Oh my God, MEN!” She groans.

Nova laughs. “I know! So he tells me he’s going to run out and buy some, and he’ll be back in twenty minutes because he wanted to be safe the first time we had sex, which,” she rests a hand over her heart, “is so hot.” She fans herself dramatically for a moment before her expression shifts. “Anyway, I’m lying in bed in my bra and leggings for a minute when my mind decides to betray me. All these doubts about whether I actually wanted to have sex with him, or if I was just doing it because I knew he wanted to sleep with me, took over. It suddenly felt so wrong to want something for myself because I’m a people pleaser.”

Her roommate shifts beside her and takes her hand again. “Nova,” she whispers sympathetically. She’s witnessed her confidence blossom since Victor entered her life after constantly trying to live up to her dad’s absurdly high expectations. Wanting something just for herself sometimes feels so foreign to her. She understands exactly what she experienced at that moment.

The younger blonde’s chin drops, and she takes a shaky breath. “When Victor came back, I was pacing around the room in my bathrobe, trying to shake off the anxiety attack. He had already pulled off his hoodie and shirt when he realized I was not okay. He threw everything in his hands to the side and held me while guiding me through breathing exercises. As I stood there in his arms, all the negative thoughts in my head just disappeared.” She stops and wipes her eyes. “When I finally calmed down, he asked me three questions: Do I love him? Do I trust him to take care of me when I’m scared? And can I choose myself and what I want, not what I think he wants?”

Addison’s eyes soften, and she pulls her into a firm hug. “Girl, that is a good man. He loves you so much,” she whispers.

“I know,” Nova says into her best friend’s shoulder. She stays there for a few moments, grateful for the unwavering support of the girl who is like her older sister. When she pulls back, she tucks some hair behind her ear. “So I told him yes to all three questions. I chose myself, and by doing that, I chose him too.” She bites her lip as a wide smile threatens to take over her face. “Addison, he was wonderful. He made me feel beautiful and treasured and safe. All my fears melted away. He was so gentle.”

Her head tips back, and she lightly laughs. “He promised me earlier in the day that the first time we’d have sex, I would be thoroughly loved. And let me tell you, I felt it!”

Addison hugs her again. “Oh my goodness, Nova! I am so happy for you.” A tear slips from her eyes, and she’s quick to swipe it away. A wave of emotions floods through her. She pulls back to look the blonde girl in the eyes, her hands squeezing her forearms. “I am so proud of you. You found someone who loves and values you for the person that you are. You aren’t letting your anxiety define you; you are conquering your fears little by little.” She bites her lip to hold back her tears. “Girl, I can’t believe how much you have transformed since I met you as a little freshman. I feel like a proud mom!”

Nova swallows the lump in her throat and hugs the girl beside her. “I love you, Addison. Thank you for everything.”

“I love you too, Nova.”