Mikaela’s POV

  6:36 am. The ringtone rudely jolted me awake. I rubbed my eyes and let out a massive yawn before reaching for my phone to silence the alarm. It’s been over a month since I started spending time with Nicholas, and I must admit, it’s been rather amazing. We’re not officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet, but I believe that will change soon. We’ve hung out with Kira and Lewis, and even been to one of those cute drive-in places for double dates. It feels like the stars are aligning in our favor. Today is the last day of our junior year, and summer vacation is about to begin.

  You might be wondering how my journey as a mathematician is going. Well, don’t get me wrong, Nicholas is an incredible teacher and undeniably charming guy, but... I failed. Ha! Just kidding. I passed, barely, but I did pass. I need to buckle down for the next year, but with Nicholas as my tutor, I feel like I don’t need to worry too much.

  You’re probably curious if we’ve had sex yet. No, we haven’t. Whenever the perfect opportunity arises, something always stops us. It’s either my crippling anxiety about my body—though Nico makes me feel perfectly wanted and desired, I still can’t shake my insecurities—or my mom interrupting us just as things get heated, or someone calling us.

  I feel like this summer will be the perfect time for us to finally do it. I won’t be a weird virgin anymore; I’ll just be weird, but not a virgin! So yeah, I think I’ve caught you up enough in the past month. I don’t want to bore you with more details about how everything is going perfectly because I might jinx myself, am I right?

  So, here’s what’s happening next. Nicholas is picking me up this morning along with Lewis and Kira. We’re all heading to school for our last day before immersing ourselves in the festivities at Angelica’s end-of-school party at her parents’ cabin. Yes, I’m invited to the party. That’s the perk of seeing a popular guy, I guess. Of course, I had to make Lewis and Kira tag along in case Nico’s friends dragged him away from me. I don’t want to be left hanging alone. Selfish, I know, but at least we’ll get to hang out together!

  I decided to wake up a little early today, excited to wear the outfit I had carefully prepared, one I knew Nicholas would appreciate. Smiling at the dress I had laid out, I headed to the bathroom for a shower. However, as I caught sight of my reflection, my smile faded into horror. My body hair had grown more than I anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a bit of hair on my legs or under my arms, but this looked like Wolverine had decided to camp out on my body. How does hair grow that fast?!

  Staring in amused disbelief, I grabbed my shaver and began the important task of shaving. “Fuuuckkking hell!” I yelled, trying to maintain my balance. I failed miserably, cutting myself deeply. Blood streamed down the drain. “Great, ouch...” I muttered, trying to wash the wound and dry it out. I decided to leave the remaining patches of hair for now.

  “I’m not dying today! You hear me?!” I shouted at the ceiling, feeling like a character from Final Destination who had just narrowly escaped their fate.

  I stumbled out of the shower and made my way to my room. After drying my hair, I left it loose, adding some wave spray for a slight bounce. I applied my eyeliner, adding a bit of silver glitter to the corners of my eyes. Blushing my cheeks, I spotted a little pink star sticker on my desk. The urge was too strong; I grabbed it and placed it under my right eyeliner wing. I looked in the mirror before slipping into my underwear, bra, black tights, and the midi dress that hugged my body in all the right places. I laced up my black Converse shoes and took a final look in the mirror.

  “Okay, you look great!” I gave myself a thumbs-up and smiled at my reflection. I grabbed my bag and phone and made my way downstairs.

  “Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!” I greeted them excitedly, smiling.

  “We are so proud of you, Mika. You managed to pass math, and we know it wasn’t easy, but you did it. Now you just have to keep it up next year, and before you know it, you’ll be off to college. Any college would be lucky to have you!”

  My mom hugged me from one side, and my dad came from the other, kissing me on the cheek. “Jeez, guys, thank you. If I’d known you’d be this happy about me passing a subject after almost flunking it, I’d do this more often!” I gave them a mischievous smile and laughed.

  “Mikaela, honey, just make sure you ask Nicholas what kind of cake flavor he would like tomorrow,” my mom said, looking at me.

  “What do you mean, what cake flavor?” I asked, staring at her. “For his 18th birthday, honey. I remember you mentioned he was coming over for dinner tomorrow, and I was talking with Mrs. Blake this morning, she was visibly upset that this is going to be the first time he won’t spend his birthday fully with his parents.”

  I almost choked on my cereal. Damn, I completely forgot. I was supposed to pick up his gift from a little vintage shop today, but I got too distracted with the idea of going to the party tonight.

  “Dad, can I ask you a favor, please, please, please?” I gave him the biggest, cutest set of puppy eyes I could muster, awaiting his answer while being just a few inches away from his face. “What do you want, Michalina?” He straightened up, putting the newspaper aside.

  “So, do you know that vintage shop at 124 Boulevard Street? I’ve spoken to Mr. Crosby, and I’ve already paid for a Polaroid 600 Sun 660 Autofocus Instant Film Camera. It’s a refurbished model. I’m going to this party after school with Nicholas, Lewis, and Kira, and it was supposed to be a surprise gift for Nicholas. I can’t let him know I got something for him, and—” He cut me off.

  “Sure, I’ll get it after work and leave it in your room when I’m back,” he smiled at me while exchanging glances with Mom. “You guys are the best! Love you so much!” I shouted and started pretending to do my signature happy dance.

  “Okay, honey, go outside; they’re probably waiting for you. I made Polish Carpathian Mountain cream cakes today and prepared four separate little containers with two cakes for each of you.” She smiled while handing me a bag filled with containers. “Thanks, Mom!” I grabbed them and made my way out of the house.

  There they were, waiting. Nicholas stood outside Lewis’s car, staring at the pavement. He looked up at the sound of the door opening and saw me.

  I could see in his eyes he was expecting one of my extravagant, crazy looks, but this time, it was still me, just a bit different. He slowly moved forward, telling me I looked beautiful before kissing me. I thanked him, letting out a tiny sigh whilst blushing. He makes me so shy sometimes. I don’t get it. Maybe I’m really falling in love with him. We got into the car, and Lewis started blasting one of his medieval techno remixes. We all laughed and enjoyed the ride to school.

  Once we got out of the car, I passed each of them a container with baked goods.

  “My dear, beloved people, please accept this gift as a symbol of our friendship. Here and now, on behalf of the delicious and creamy Carpathian Mountain cake, I, alongside Sir Lewis and Lady Kira, make Mr. Nicholas, aka Lasagna, an honorable member of our Weirdos Love Weirdos group!” I handed him his container while bowing, and Lewis and Kira bent on their knees. Lewis held out his phone, waiting for a sign to add Nicholas to our group chat.

  “Sir, do you accept this honor?” Kira tried hard not to laugh, looking at him.

  “Dear Lord and Ladies, I’d be much obliged and honored to be part of such a distinguished friendship group,” he said seriously, with a lower tone of voice than usual, accepting the container. At the same moment, Lewis added him to the group chat.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “Okay, it is official then. You may kiss the bride!” Lewis let out a loud laugh, and Nicholas swooped me off my feet, kissing me and making my back arch. We spent the day going to our classes, and luckily it was a very relaxed day. After the last bell rang, we made our way to the summer party at Angelica’s parents’ cabin.

  When we were about to leave Lewis’s car, I was stunned. Instead of summer party banners, the yard was decorated with “Happy 18th Birthday Nicholas!” signs, and a crowd had gathered outside the house to surprise him. How in the hell am I the last to know about this? By the looks on Kira and Lewis’s faces, they were just as clueless. I turned to Nicholas. “Did you know about this?” I asked him.

  He shyly avoided eye contact and mumbled, “I heard Mason and Angelica were planning something, but I didn’t know it was this.” He looked at me, still embarrassed.

  “Well, that’s just great. I’m doing a perfect job as your girlfriend, aren’t I?” The words slipped out naturally as if we had already labeled ourselves without realizing it. Nicholas smiled, pulled me close, and kissed my cheek. “Come on, it’s going to be fun. You’ll see!” He tried to encourage me. I gave him a serious look and sighed before softening into a warm smile. “Okay, let’s do this!” I finally agreed.

  We all got out of the car and headed towards the group, who were singing “Happy Birthday” to Nicholas. He was shy but clearly grateful. Kira, Lewis, and I stood aside, joining the sing-along, which concluded with applause and then a series of drinking games, dancing, and mingling. Nico disappeared from time to time as his friends wanted to spend time with him.

  “How are you feeling, Wilson?” A deep voice behind me startled me. I turned to see Mason.

  “What do you want, Mason?” I asked, giving him a fake smile.

  “Wow, I didn’t know you could smile like that. I almost thought it was genuine! Very nice. You look hot today, by the way. Did Nico tell you that already?” His eyes scanned me from top to bottom.

  “Thanks, Mason,” I said, taking a sip of my drink and trying to focus on something else. Lewis and Kira were making out in the background, and Nico was nowhere to be seen.

  “Aren’t you bothered?” Mason asked, putting his arm around me.

  “Bothered about what, Mason?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

  “That Angelica is all over Nick today. Be careful, one bad move and this evening could end very badly for you.” He grabbed my ass, and before I could react and slap that smirk off his face, he walked away.

  What a fucking douche-bag. I will certainly kill him one day. I thought to myself whilst clenching my fist.

  I took another sip of my drink before Angelica ran up to me, dragging Nicholas by his wrist. I looked at their hands and asked her, “How can I help you, Angelica?” I smiled, though internally, I was fuming.

  “Nicholas wants to play a game, but he won’t play if you don’t join. Can you please join?” She was almost on her knees, begging.

  I looked at Nicholas and could see he didn’t want to play, but I knew she wouldn’t leave him alone unless we played at least one round. “Okay, one round and I’m out. What are we playing?” I asked her.

  “Come on, guys, let’s gather in a circle. We will be playing spin the Bottle!” Angelica shouted excitedly. People gathered around, and I knew this was a mistake. We weren’t officially a couple yet, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel watching Nicholas kiss someone else in front of me. Well, I’ve dug my own grave; now I just need to lie in it.

  I took a few deep breaths as Angelica sat me down and then placed Nicholas in the opposite corner. We couldn’t take our eyes off each other. “Okay, birthday boy, start the game. Come on, Nicholas, spin the bottle,” Angelica urged.

  He looked at me before saying, “It’s okay, Ange. I’m seeing Mika, so I don’t need to play this.”

  I was surprised and thrilled that he announced it in front of everyone, and I blushed. “Nonsense, you’re not officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet, so no strings attached, right, guys? Let’s have some fun!” She rallied the group, and I gave Nicholas a thumbs-up, quietly saying, “It’s okay, one round, and we’re out.”

  He looked resigned and mumbled, “Okay,” under his breath. “Okay, one round,” he announced, and everyone cheered. He spun the bottle, and of course, it landed on Roxanne, the sexy cheerleader who openly fancied him. She wasted no time grabbing him by the neck and kissing him passionately. He didn’t reciprocate much, but she took her time before pulling away. “Jeez, Nico, you could have put some effort into this,” she teased as others laughed.

  Nicholas wiped the saliva from his face and looked at me. I was shocked. It was just a game, so I didn’t consider it cheating, especially since we weren’t officially together, but I was a bit jealous. I wanted him, and I wanted his lips only for myself. This kiss was mine.

  “Fucking hell, Roxy, if I’d known you wanted to suffocate me, I’d have braced myself,” he joked, and others joined in the laughter.

  A few more rounds passed, and then it was Mason’s turn. He spun the bottle gently, making it obvious he wanted it to land on me, and it did. Nicholas looked tense, biting his lips and clenching his fists. “Shit, man, I know we’re best friends, but now I get to kiss your girl. Call me brother now,” Mason laughed as he moved towards me.

  Before anyone could react, Mason lifted me and kissed me softly but uncomfortably long, clearly trying to provoke Nicholas. After a few seconds, I pulled back and said I needed to go to the bathroom. “Wow, Wilson, that was good. Now I know what Blake sees in you,” Mason taunted, sipping his beer and staring at Nicholas, waiting for a reaction.

  Nicholas stood up, visibly pissed off. “Not cool, man,” he said before coming after me.

  “Hey, it’s just a game, man! No hard feelings,” Mason laughed, rejoining the game as if nothing had happened.

  I went into the bathroom and started vigorously washing my face and lips, desperately trying to erase the lingering sensation of Mason’s unwelcome kiss. The cold water splashed against my skin, bringing a temporary sense of relief.

  “You didn’t enjoy that?” Nicholas’s voice startled me. He had followed me and now stood behind me, locking the door with a decisive click. His hands found their way to my hips, his touch both grounding and electrifying. He gazed at me through the mirror, his eyes searching mine for answers.

  “No,” I replied, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “Believe it or not, but it was the weirdest encounter I’ve ever had. I only want to be kissed by you from now on.” I turned to face him, a smile spreading across my lips as I placed my hand on his cheek. “I want to be yours, Nicholas.”

  Our lips met in a kiss that quickly deepened, passion surging between us like a tidal wave. Time seemed to stand still. The way his touch felt against my skin drove me wild with desire. I wanted him, needed him. Our tongues danced together in an intimate ballet, his hands exploring my body, grasping my breasts and ass with a possessive hunger. He started tugging at my shirt, attempting to remove it when we heard loud knocking on the door.

  “Come on, guys, let a person piss in peace!” The unfamiliar voice shattered our moment, snapping us back to reality. We looked at each other, a mixture of frustration and amusement in our eyes, and then started laughing.

  We made our way outside, finding Lewis and Kira still lost in their own world. Nicholas went to say his goodbyes to his friends while our group prepared to leave the party. They dropped me off at home first, and I said my goodbyes. Nicholas rolled down the rear window and gave me a tender kiss.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said with a smile. Tomorrow was Nicholas’s birthday, and the excitement of spending it with him filled me with joy. I waved as they drove off and headed into the house. After a quick chat with my parents, exchanging stories about our day, I grabbed a bite with them. We have a tradition of sharing the highlights of our lives with each other, and it helps us stay close. We don’t judge; we just listen.

  I realized that this was my parents’ first time experiencing life too, just like me. I try to cut them some slack. I can be mad at them when they screw up, but I remind myself that it’s their first time living this life. We can’t stay angry at each other for too long. It’s just not fair, at least in my opinion.

  I went to my room and immediately noticed the vintage camera I had bought for Nicholas. The Polaroid 600 Sun 660 Autofocus Instant Film Camera sat proudly on my desk, its sleek design and retro charm was a perfect match for him. He had loved my wall of school memories, covered in photos, when I showed it to him a few weeks back at school. We had countless pictures and videos from our dates and outings with Lewis and Kira, but I thought he would enjoy having his own camera, one that developed pictures instantly.

  I got ready for bed, slipped into my cozy pajamas, and laid down, feeling the excitement of the day still buzzing in my veins. I played “Riptide” by Vance Joy, letting the soothing melody wash over me. As I immersed myself in the music, I grabbed my phone and sent Nicholas selfies we had taken together at the party and school.

  “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, Lasagna. Buckle up for the greatest birthday you’ve ever had!” I smirked to myself as I hit send. Almost immediately, my phone buzzed with his reply. “I’m looking forward to it!”

  I glanced at the time—11:59 PM. Just a few more seconds and it would officially be his birthday. I waited until midnight and sent him another message. “Happy 18th birthday, goodnight <3”

  With a satisfied sigh, I closed my phone and let the song finish, my thoughts filled with the joy of the day and the anticipation of tomorrow. As the final notes of “Riptide” played, I drifted off to sleep, feeling hopeful and ecstatic about spending Nicholas’s birthday with him.