Wild Tendy (IceCats 2)

“Wow.”

“What?”

I look up and hate how taut his jaw is and how wild his eyes are. I want my carefree, fun Nico, and it kills me that I can’t fix whatever he is feeling inside. I reach up and press my hand into his chest. “Look how beautiful it is.”

“All I see is people.”

It’s a good two hundred people, and I can tell it bothers him. “Hey.”

He doesn’t look at me. “What?”

“Nico.”

Finally, he does, and I smile. “I’m right here.”

He looks away. “You just don’t understand.”

“Then help me to. What can I do?”

“Nothing,” he says but not as sharply as before. “It’s my burden.”

“Let it be mine. Let me help.”

He sighs deeply. “Unless you can get into my head and make these fucked-up feelings and the need to run go away, there is nothing you can do,” he bites back, and my heart hurts for him.

“Hey, bro!” I look up just as Kirby comes toward us.

Nico slaps hands with him, but it’s not a fluid motion. He’s forcing himself. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing much. This is my girl, Lilly.”

I look to the bleach-blonde woman standing beside Kirby. She’s gorgeous, but she’s not Jaylin. She doesn’t look like a mess; she looks like a beauty queen.

Nico nods to her. “Nice to meet you. This is my girlfriend, Aviva.”

She grins at me. “What a neat name!”

“Thanks,” I say with a curt smile.

“What does it mean?”

No one has ever asked me that. “It actually means springtime. I was born in the spring, and my mom was all about meanings.”

“That’s so cool.”

“Thanks.”

“You want a drink?” Kirby asks Nico, but he shakes his head.

“I’m not drinking tonight.”

Kirby’s brow shoots up. “Really? You always drink when we go out.”

“I’m good,” he says, and then he looks past Kirby and Lilly. “Excuse us.”

He takes my hand and guides me away. When I see that we’re heading toward Chandler and Amelia, I pray maybe they can help him calm down. Chandler’s eyes widen a bit when he sees us.

“Hey, guys,” he calls, and Amelia walks over to me, hugging me tightly. I watch as Chandler pulls Nico to the side. I try to ignore them, but I really want to know what he is saying.

To distract myself, I gush over Amelia. “How you are so gorgeous and skinny after twins is unfair to us mere mortals who eat cake and blow up.”

She scoffs. “Please, Aviva, I’d kill for those curves. Your ass is so damn round.”

I grin. “Thank God for Kim Kardashian.”

“Right?” she laughs, holding my wrist. “You look beautiful tonight. I love this dress. Where did you get it?”

“Macy’s. Nico picked it out.”

She beams. “Of course he did. I’ve never seen him doing that kind of thing before. But with you, it’s different. He is really into you. It’s so sweet.”

I bite my lip as I search her eyes. “He’s not doing well tonight.”

Amelia shakes her head. “No, he won’t be. Please be patient with him. He doesn’t do crowds.”

I start to ask why, and I know that’s shitty of me, but I need to know. Before I can, though, Nico takes my waist in his hand and pulls me close to him. He kisses my temple and then moves his nose to my ear. He stays like that for a minute, breathing me in, and my heart is pounding. I don’t know what to do. I turn my face to press my lips to his. “You okay?”

He nods, though I know he’s lying. “Sure.”

When “River” by Leon Bridges starts to play, I slide my nose along his. “Will you dance with me?”

Something changes in his eyes, and then he nods. I back away from him, pulling him by his hand to bring him to the dance floor where no one is dancing. I love this song, and when I first heard it, I wanted to dance with Nico to it. I pull him toward me, and he grins as he gathers me in his arms. His hands rest at the small of my back as my hands press into his chest. I lay my chin on my hands, looking up into his beautiful brown eyes, and all my anxieties wash away. He leans his head down, pressing his forehead into mine, and slowly but surely, the cadence of his heart slows down.

I want to cry in relief. “Feeling better?”

His eyes fall shut as his nose touches mine. “So much.”

“What did you talk to Chandler about?”

Nico opens his eyes, meeting my gaze. “He told me to calm down and do what makes me happy. Ignore everything around me but that one thing that makes me happy.” He kisses my nose. “So, I wrapped my arms around you and kissed my favorite spot.”

As we sway to the music, I can’t stop staring into his eyes. They’re so beautiful, so perfect. I am falling for this complicated, wild man.