Chapter Text
The idea hits Nova a week after she and Victor quarantined in her apartment to wait out a stomach bug that hit her first, and then him harder second.
“You know what we should do?” She asks when they’re lying in his bed. It's Thursday night, date night, and Nova was itching to try a new pasta recipe she found on TikTok. It was something heavy with garlic, butter, cream, spices, and breaded chicken, and his apartment has never smelled so good.
Victor’s fingers dig into her hip as he pulls her closer. Their noses bump together, his lips barely brushing hers. “What?” He’s not in the mood for pillow talk and would rather make out with her, but when she’s got something on her mind, he knows he needs to let her speak.
“We should host Friendsgiving for our friends. Addy and Zed, Vargas, Vera. Our friends should know each other. And we should tell them the truth.”
The suggestion has him pull back a few inches, surprised. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” There is so much certainty in her voice. She pushes herself up to lean her head against her palm, elbow digging into the mattress. “Don't you think Zed and Vargas will immediately click? They both have wild energy. And Vera will pretend to tolerate Addison’s bubbly personality, but will secretly love her big sister side.”
Victor shifts to his back, resigning himself to the fact that they won’t be making out for several minutes, and lifts a hand to twist around a strand of her blonde hair. “I can see it. Those two will host a dance off in the living room while Vera asks Addy for internship application advice.” He chuckles under his breath, and his eyes meet her waiting blue eyes. “You really want to tell them?”
Nova nods. Her other hand traces the ink on his arm, dragging carefully over the cords of his muscles and veins. “Yeah, I do. I think they deserve to know the real beginning of our relationship, as crazy a story as it is. Don't you?”
His nose scrunches, and his jaw clenches slightly. He doesn't disagree. In fact, he wants them to know the truth. Their story sounds like something out of the fictional romance novels Nova loves reading, but it’s real life for them. They started fake dating to solve a problem; then feelings bubbled up, confessions were made, and the fake relationship blossomed into a real relationship. However, he hesitates because he knows just how much shit Vera and Vargas will give him once they hear the story.
“Yeah, they should know. But do we want them to know so soon? I love you, Nova. But we’ve been together for a month, technically two months. What's waiting a few more months to tell them gonna do?”
She bites her lip. He makes a good point. Waiting will only show their friends just how committed they are to each other, which makes perfect sense. However, she can't not tell Addison, the girl who is like her older sister. Addy was her orientation leader as a freshman, and they kept in touch throughout her first year. When it came time for housing selections in the early spring of her freshman year, Addison asked if she wanted to move off campus and live with her. It made financial sense, and she wasn't a fan of the food options in the dining hall at Mountain College. They’ve been a dynamic duo for almost two years now, and with Addison on track to graduate in the spring, changes are already on the horizon for them. This is the biggest secret she’s kept from her roommate, and she fears that keeping it for much longer could cause a huge fracture in their friendship.
Her voice is low when she replies. “Victor, I love you too, but I can't keep this from Addy much longer. She’s my big sister. We share everything. Lying to her has been so hard. I feel like a secret as big as this one could damage our friendship.” Her expression softens as she silently pleads with him.
Victor immediately caves. How can he not when she’s looking at him the way she is? He sits up and takes her face in his hands. “Then we’ll tell them. This is important to you, so it's important to me. We’ll have them all over on Friday or Saturday. You tell me what we need and I'll make it happen while you're in class this week.”
“Are you sure?” Nova looks cautiously optimistic.
“With you? Always.”
The words make her swoon, but she restrains herself from jumping into his arms. She settles for turning her head slightly to kiss his palm.
“Do we want to have it here, or at my apartment?” she asks. She leans her head against the hand she just kissed as her fingers wrap around his wrist. “I kinda want to have it here because you have all the board games we can turn into drinking games. You also have more space than we do. You have Uno, right?”
“Then let's have it here. What day do you want to have it?”
Nova nods before rolling over to grab her phone off the nightstand beside her. “Let’s ask them. You text Vera and Vargas, I’ll ask Zed and Addy.” She drops back onto the mattress, her blonde hair spread out on the pillow. The screen brightens, and her thumbs fly across the keyboard.
Victor mimics her position and texts his best friends about the get-together. “I've never tried Uno as a drinking game. That could be dangerous,” he admits as a devious smile crosses his face.
The blonde drops her phone, laughing. “Oh my God, it will! Everyone takes a shot when a plus four is added to the pile, or something ridiculous like that!” She twists and rests her head on his chest, her body shaking with laughter. “Do we need to play drunk Uno at Friendsgiving?”
“I think we have to,” Victor agrees, laughing. He replaces his phone on the table beside him, ignoring the buzzing notifications that are likely from his friends replying. “They see us at our best; they might as well see us at our worst. Our plastered worst.”
The rest of the evening is spent planning Friendsgiving between long, languid kisses and gentle caresses. Before she knows it, Victor’s pulling her over him so she’s straddling his hips. Their conversation ends, and they get lost in each other. His hands fall to her ass and squeeze. Her fingers trace over his arm muscles before twisting in his hair in that way she knows he loves. At some point, Victor loses his shirt, and Nova’s oversized crew neck is thrown to the end of the bed, leaving her in a bralette and black leggings. The temperature between them rises, and when oxygen becomes necessary, the blonde sighs breathlessly and sits up.
“We’re doing this? Friendsgiving?” She asks, brushing some hair behind her ear. Her hands press against his bare chest, where she feels his heart racing beneath her palm. Calloused hands from years of car repairs trail up her back, making her shiver.
“Looks like it, Sunshine.” He winks and pushes himself up to a sitting position. His back leans against the headboard, and he pulls her close.
Victor's strength never ceases to surprise her, even as she anchors her arms around his neck. The shift in position ignites every nerve ending in her body, and she presses herself against him, leaving little space between them.
“Hey, Nova,” he mutters, his eyes darkening before he starts running his lips down her neck and shoulders.
Her eyes fall shut, and she gasps when his teeth lightly graze her collarbone. “Yeah?” The heated contact has her gripping his shoulders, nails digging into him, and he laughs against her flushed skin.
“Stop talking about our friends.”
The light laugh that escapes her turns into a gasp, then a moan. His hand trails up her spine, drawing tantalizing lines, before dipping beneath her bralette, pressing firmly against her back. Any other thoughts of their plans slip away except for him. Victor is the only thing that remains.
-
The crew all agrees to have Friendsgiving the following Friday, a week before Thanksgiving. They decided on potluck-style food to make things easy for the college students with limited budgets. Zed immediately volunteered to bring beer and chips, items he can easily pick up after football practice. Addison, ever the hostess-with-the-mostest attitude, even when she’s the guest, decides to make a fancy spinach and brie cheese wrapped in puffed pastry as an appetizer that she saw on TikTok. Nova claims the wine and dessert. Vera offers to bring cider and crockpot meatballs, something Victor tells her she always makes for watch parties and movie nights. Vargas and Victor go all in on pizza, ordering 4 different pies with a range of toppings.
The group chat lights up in the week leading up to the get-together. Every time Addy or Zed sends something in the message thread, Nova feels so giddy that she texts Victor individually with lots of emojis. He thinks it's cute, and he tells her each time it happens. Their friends seem to be hitting it off in the group message; they only hope the connection translates well in person.
On Thursday night, Victor drags Vargas off the couch while he’s doomscrolling and hands him the vacuum. “Nova told me to clean for tomorrow, and you're helping. This is half of your mess.”
“Oi!” The Australian yells, but he begrudgingly plugs in the cord and starts vacuuming around the couch and chairs. “Whipped bastard,” he mutters under his breath.
Victor flips him off as he picks up the random pairs of sneakers scattered around the floor before chucking them into the bedrooms. “One day, you’ll get it, man. But for now, pick up your shit for Nova. I’m gonna clean the hall bathroom.” He grimaces and makes the sign of the cross before pointing to the ceiling.
Vargas lifts his hand, as if blessing his friend from across the room. “Godspeed, my good man.”
The bathroom isn’t actually that bad. For two guys living together, they keep the common areas of their apartment pretty neat. Sure, there is usually a basket of laundry sitting on the dryer waiting to be put away, sweatshirts left on the couch, and shoes forgotten under the table or island counter. Sometimes there is expired food left in the fridge (usually from Vargas). The pile of recycling can sometimes resemble a mountain. But they take out the trash at least twice a week and run the dishwasher regularly. Since Victor started dating Nova, his cleaning habits have become more frequent. He didn’t need her to ask him to clean before Friendsgiving; he was planning on doing it after work anyway.
Friday afternoon is here before they know it. Victor picks Nova up from campus after her 1:00 class and drives her home so she can change and grab her contributions for the friendly get-together. When they walk into her apartment, Addison is standing at the kitchen sink, sleeves pushed up her arms and hair in a messy bun as she squeezes the water out of something wrapped in a thin towel.
“Hey, guys!” She greets them brightly. “I’m making my appetizer for tonight!”
He raises an eyebrow at the older girl and steps closer to observe the process. “What are you doing?” He leans against the counter and watches her work as Nova slips into her room to change.
The oven beeps behind Addison, who looks over her shoulder. “I have to squeeze the water out of this thawed spinach for the filling. It looks ridiculous, I know. Luckily, I didn’t have practice today, so this is my arm workout for the day.” She gives the leafy green wrapped up in a towel one final squeeze before laying it out on the counter. “How dressy do I need to be tonight, Nov?”
The blonde walks out of her room, now dressed in a sweater and black leggings. She runs a brush through her hair. “Not too dressy. I’m wearing this. Dress cute but comfy. Victor has a bunch of games that we were planning to play. We talked about drunk Uno last week.”
Addison’s eyebrows fly up her forehead. “Drunk Uno?” she repeats.
Nova sets her hairbrush down on a side table and circles the counter to the fridge. She takes the pie and a bottle of wine out and carries them to the kitchen table. “You heard me! I’m sure it’ll be as messy as it sounds.”
The cheerleader shakes her head, trying and failing to hide her smile. “If you say so!” She turns and takes the other ingredients for the puffed pastry filling from the other counter and starts dumping them into a bowl. “6:30, right? Zed and I may be a little late because he’s coming from practice.”
Victor grabs Nova’s overnight bag near the door and points at the hairbrush, then the bag he is carrying on his shoulder. She snatches it up and slips it into a side pocket of the duffle. She whispers a soft, “Thank you,” and squeezes his arm. A gentle smile crosses his face that she mirrors.
He then turns to Addison while Nova tugs on her coat. “That’s fine. No rush. Get there when you get there.” One hand wraps around the neck of the white wine bottle while the other takes his girlfriend's.
“See you in a bit, Addy.” The younger blonde picks up the pie from the table and leads Victor out the front door.
“Bye, you two! See you soon!”
-
Victor picks up on Nova’s growing nerves the closer the clock gets to 6:30. Unfortunately, it’ll be another two hours before they told their friends to come, and she’s eying the sauvignon blanc she brought as she assembles a charcuterie board for the group to enjoy.
“Nova.” He stretches the last letter of her name as blue eyes snap up to meet his. “I know what you’re thinking.” He’s standing opposite her while texting Vargas.
She lets out a light but nervous laugh and shakes her head. “What am I thinking?” she challenges.
He smirks and moves beside her. He rests his hands on her wrists, pausing her work. “You’re nervous, and I think you want wine.” One of his eyebrows lifts, looking for confirmation.
Nova sighs and leans her body weight against him, slightly embarrassed. He sees right through her, and she loves that about him. A recent memory of the mixer they went to back in September, as an act to annoy Ray, flashes in her head. She took two shots of Pink Whitney on a partly empty stomach before he picked her up because her social anxiety was getting to her. “I don’t know why I’m nervous! I know all of these people. Why am I nervous?”
Victor’s hands land on her hips and turn her to face him. “Because you care, Nova. And that’s one of many reasons why I love you. You care about these people and you want them to have a nice time tonight.” His smile warms her entire body, encouraging her to take a deep breath and relax. “I want you to enjoy this time with our friends. So here’s what we’re gonna do: We’re gonna put on our coats and take a walk outside to get rid of this nervous energy. You’re gonna tell me about that research paper you’ve been working on. I’ll tell you about this antique Thunderbird that we just got into the shop to restore. And then we’ll come back, and you can finish making the snack board Vargas and I are going to inhale. Okay?”
She wraps her arms around his torso and rises to her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips. Her hands bunch the back of his shirt. “Okay. Let’s do that.”
-
The walk helped tremendously to settle her nerves. Even with the weather overcast and chilly, she feels much better about their friends meeting tonight. When they return to his apartment, it's a little after 5:30. Nova finishes assembling the charcuterie board and lightly slaps away Victor’s hands each time he tries to sneakily grab an olive, a bunch of grapes, or slices of cheddar. Once Vargas comes home from work a little after them, it's a battle to keep both men away from the plate before the rest of the group arrives, and she ultimately decides to lose. She resigns herself to continuously replenishing the board, but she doesn’t mind.
“Thank you, princess!” Vargas yells as he shoves fruit and cheese into his mouth. “I’m gonna go shower. Don’t eat any of Vera’s meatballs without me!”
Victor shakes his head at his roommate, muttering, “No promises,” under his breath while he searches for a bottle opener. He finds a stemless wine glass and opens the bottle of wine Nova had been eyeing earlier. She doesn’t notice as she’s humming quietly to herself while throwing away clementine peel.
When the glass has a healthy pour of wine in it, he carries it over and stands behind her, an arm slipping around her waist. “Wine?” he offers with a kiss to her temple.
She looks surprised but takes it. “Oh, thank you.” She tilts her head to press a kiss under his jaw.
They don’t notice when the front door lock turns and someone enters the apartment, too swept up in each other. Footsteps cross the hardwood floor but stop when they reach the kitchen.
“Am I interrupting? I know I’m early…”
Victor and Nova’s heads turn toward the voice, startled, but immediately relax. Vera Bakshi commands a room when she enters it, even when she’s wearing a sherpa quarter zip and dark jeans, and carrying a crockpot and a six-pack of hard cider. She smirks at the couple who are turning red in the face at being caught. “Because I can come back.”
The dark-haired man shakes his head with a laugh. “Hey, V,” Victor says casually. “Making use of the emergency key, I see?” He squeezes his girlfriend’s waist and steps away to meet Vera.
His guest rolls her eyes and meets him halfway to hand him the crockpot. “Of course I am. I keep it on my keys at all times. You and Vargas are bound to find yourselves in some sort of trouble, and I, being the best friend that I am, will likely have to come and save you both. Although now that you have Nova, I feel like that might be less likely.” She lightly shoves him in the arm. “Go plug that in. Turn the dial to warm.”
“You’re so bossy,” he whines, but follows her instructions anyway. “Why am I friends with you?” He wonders sarcastically.
Vera sticks her tongue out at him as she follows after him. “Because you and Vargas decided I had to be friends with you in preschool when you needed a third person to play tag. I tolerated you two until first grade. Then I started to actually like you both. Almost two decades later, and here I am, bringing crockpot meatballs to Friendsgiving.” She turns to Nova and hugs her. “Hey, golden girl. How are you?”
The blonde grins as she hugs her new friend. “I’m good. I was really nervous earlier, but I’m excited for tonight. How are you?”
The other woman’s eyes lock on the glass in Nova’s hands. “Oh, is that wine? Victor, pour me a glass. I’m catching up with my new bestie on the couch. Byeeeee!” She grabs Nova’s arm and tugs her toward the couch, where they immediately launch into a conversation about the nightmare of spring course selections, the choices for the spring concert on a recent survey from the college, and plans for winter break.
Victor flips off Vera when she looks at him from the couch, and she immediately reciprocates it. “I’m waiting for my wine, Victor! And bring that charcuterie board over while you’re at it.”
When Nova met Vera on campus a few weeks ago, she assured her that their relationship was nothing but brother and sister. They love each other like family. When he carries the snack board over to the coffee table with a second glass of wine, he bends down to kiss her lightly on the lips. Vera moves to kick him out of the way, but he dodges her foot.
“Move, jackass! I’m talking to Nova!” There’s no fire behind her words, only pure amusement.
Victor straightens up and lifts the glass over his head, out of reach of Vera’s hands. “Do you want wine or not? It’s my house, and she’s my girlfriend, and I want to kiss her whenever I can, and I will drink this just to spite you for bullying me!”
The dark-haired woman gasps and glares up at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I don’t drink wine. I don’t even like it! But I will drink this if I have to. You have to be nice to me!” He points at her, silently daring her to challenge him.
Vera clenches her jaw. Her arms cross over her chest to pout. “Do I have to? I love picking on you. It brings me so much joy, especially during the holidays.”
He lifts his brows, then glances at Nova, who is watching the heatless argument and hiding her smile behind her wine glass. “Hey, Nova, do you want another glass? How about the whole bottle?”
“No, no, no, no, no! I’ll be nice! Please, Victor?” Vera pleads.
Nova lightly nudges her boyfriend with her foot, and he looks down at her. “Be nice. Give her the wine,” she says softly.
Victor sighs and lowers his arm. “Fine,” he grumbles. “But only because you told me to.” He hands the glass to his childhood best friend and bends down to kiss Nova again, longer this time because he can and because he wants to annoy Vera.
“What a fucking jackass,” his friend mutters beside them halfheartedly. “I love you like a brother. But you’re still a jackass. Now get lost.”
-
It isn’t too long after that when Addison and Zed knock on the door, carrying their snacks and beer for the group. The pizza guy drops off their four pizzas a few minutes later. The drinks start pouring, appetizers are shared, and everyone feels right at home. They exchange stories from high school and college. Vargas is awestruck that Mountain College’s football captain and star fullback is sitting in his living room, eating pizza slices and meatballs like he’s in a competition. Addison is giving Vera advice on applying for summer internships. And Victor and Nova lean back on the couch, she curled against his side, knees resting on his lap, while his arm is over her shoulders, watching it all unfold before them.
“I’d say this was pretty successful, don’t you, Sunshine?” He tucks some of her hair behind her ear to see her eyes better. “The beer Zed brought kinda sucks, though. Didn’t he say a buddy of his brewed it?”
The blonde nods. “Yeah, his friend from high school, Bonzo, brews his own beer as a hobby. I’m not sure how successful he is at it. I tried one sip and almost gagged. But then again, I don’t like beer.” Her face pinches in mild disgust, and she grimaces.
“I know you don’t. You’re a wine, margarita, and cider kinda girl.”
Her smile reaches her eyes, and she leans against him even more. “You know it, handsome. And I agree.” Blue eyes bounce from friend to friend, getting along so easily without the need to intervene. “This was really great. I’m glad we did this,” she says softly.
“Me too.” He kisses her forehead, then mutters, “Love you, baby.”
“Love you too, Victor.”
Victor drops his head to her ear so only she can hear his next words. “You still want to tell them?” he whispers.
Nova takes his hand, threads their fingers together, and rests it on her knee. “In a few. I want to enjoy this before we unleash chaos on them.” She lifts her cider from the coffee table and takes a sip before leaning against her boyfriend and sighing quietly. She wants to savor this moment. The truth will come out shortly.
-
“Okay, okay, before we go slice up pie and start the games, Victor and I have something to tell you,” Nova announces to the group. She’s surprisingly calm, even as her heart races in her chest. She grips his hand firmly, drawing strength from him.
“Oh my God, you're pregnant!” Addison shouts. She covers her mouth with both hands, shocked. Her eyes are wide, either in horror or in excitement. The drinks have gotten to her head if she's jumping to that conclusion.
Zed shakes his head in disbelief. “Addy, why would you–” he pauses, then eyes the couple very suspiciously. “You aren't pregnant, are you, Supernova?” It's like he flipped an internal switch, and fun, carefree, tipsy Zed transforms into protective big-brother Zed.
“Addy!” Nova hisses, mortified. She feels her cheeks burning at the question. “What the heck?!”
“Well, every time someone starts a sentence with that tone and ‘we have to tell you something,’ it's usually some life-changing news, like a baby or a proposal or a job that will make you move cross country!” she argues.
“You're not denying it.” Vargas points out between bites of food. Crumbs fly out of his mouth, and he brushes them to the floor carelessly.
Vera throws a pillow at his head and barks out a laugh when it hits him. “Shut up. There's tea. I want to hear.”
“Okay, firstly, no, I am NOT pregnant!” Nova playfully glares at her roommate. She leans forward and lifts her half-drunk glass bottle of Bold Rock cider off the coffee table and into the air. “Second of all, I’ve been drinking for most of the night. I’m not that irresponsible, Addison!”
Zed mutters, “Oh, thank God. I’m not ready to be an uncle,” under his breath, while resting a hand on his heart.
“Well, the sex must be really good, because you’re practically glowing, golden girl. And Victor has been extremely chill lately,” Vera comments while adjusting herself in the beanbag chair she dragged from Vargas’ room. “He’s talking about you way more than he is about cars.”
The couple exchanges a secret look. They haven’t slept together, and they’re okay with that. No one needs to know that. Nova has been very honest about her anxiety and fears over sex. The day they finally admitted their feelings for each other and Victor brought her back here, a small part of her was terrified of sharing a bed with him. But the way he held her face in his hands and told her he wasn’t expecting anything from her, that he just wanted to make out with her and hold her while they slept, did so much to ease her fears. She trusted him with her entire being. He knocked down the top of the twenty-foot-tall walls she built in her head over intimacy with just that sentence alone. He’s been striking down the barrier little by little since.
“Can we not talk about sex?” Victor asks loudly. He looks at Nova, then says, “Nova and I’s relationship started as us fake dating to get a frat guy to leave her alone. Okay? There.”
The room falls silent. It's like all the oxygen has been sucked out of the space, and everyone is afraid to speak.
It’s Vera’s laughter that breaks the silence. She hunches over in her seat in full-body laughter. “I’m sorry, what?” She wipes the tears that leak out of her eyes. When she realizes she’s the only one reacting, she stops, then looks at the couple’s serious expression. “Oh, shit. You’re serious.”
“It's true. I promise,” he says, his voice steady.
The cheerleader and football star both look so bewildered and sober that Nova takes pity on them. “Addy, remember back at the end of September when I suggested we go out for drinks that Thursday? And Zed came by, and then you two left?”
Addison leans forward and nods. “Yeah, what about it?” She sounds worried as her brows knit together.
“That's the night Victor and I met. We hadn't been seeing each other quietly over the summer. We didn’t decide that night that we were officially dating. He stepped in to stop a guy from harassing me,” Nova states calmly. Her eyes jump from person to person in the room, taking in their stunned expressions.
Zed speaks up first. “What the hell? So you lied to us,” he concludes, the hurt evident in his voice. His hands clench at his sides, and he looks at Victor angrily.
The blonde shakes her head at him. “Zed, stop. You don’t know the whole story. Quit looking at Victor like you want to run him over with the rest of the football team.” She feels her boyfriend squeeze her hand, and she returns it. He’s not scared, and neither is she. “Just listen, and hold your judgment.”
Zed nods, and she continues. “So I grew up going to school with a guy, Ray Lerner, who is the son of a colleague my dad works with. He’s in a frat at the college. I wasn’t thrilled when I found out he was going to Mountain College, but our social circles rarely intersect except for a few times a year. That night, he was at the bar Addison and I were at, and when he saw I was there alone, he came up to me and started hitting on me. I just wanted him to leave me alone. He was obviously drunk and couldn’t take a hint. He was ready to kiss me, and implied that he wanted to sleep with me, two things I had no interest in ever doing.”
Her roommate and her boyfriend’s eyes widen in horror. “Nova, why didn’t you-?” Addison begins to ask, but the blonde holds a hand up to stop her.
“I’m looking around the bar, just praying you and Zed are going to walk back in and save the day. That didn’t happen. Victor, Vera, and Vargas walked in instead. I met Victor’s eyes before he got lost in the crowd. I turned to Ray and said, ‘If I had a boyfriend, would you leave me alone?’ He laughed at me, like the douchebag that he is, and didn’t stop. He never touched me, but he was getting close. I was ready to slap him or throw my drink at him so I could escape. But then Victor comes up and stands between us and tells Ray to back off. He says he’s my boyfriend. It turned into an act to get me away from him, and so I kissed him. Right there. In the bar.”
Nova pauses, then looks at her boyfriend, biting her lip. “I kissed a hot stranger who was getting me away from a drunk frat boy who couldn’t take a hint. He got me out of the bar, and then I nearly had a panic attack a block away because I couldn’t believe what had just happened.”
He smiles the smile that’s only meant for her. Her insides melt at the softness in his eyes. “I’d do it again for you in a heartbeat,” he mutters low enough for only her to hear.
She leans her head against his cheek, her face warm from the alcohol and his words, before she continues. “He drove me home that night because he hadn’t had anything to drink, and we exchanged phone numbers.”
“I wasn’t sure I’d ever see her again,” Victor tells the group. “I wanted to badly, because I thought she was beautiful, but it felt weird to text her the next day and be like, ‘Hey, so I know I stepped in to stop a guy from harassing you, do you want to go out sometime?’”
Their friends shrug in agreement. Vargas chuckles and, under his breath, mutters, “That tracks.”
The blonde laughs lightly. “So that’s what I did, except not exactly like that. The next day at school, Ray comes up to me and tells me there’s a Greek life mixer that Saturday, and he expects to see me and my boyfriend there. Or, I could tell him it was all a lie and Victor wasn’t my boyfriend.”
“What a fucking prick,” Vera says, rolling her eyes. “I think I know who you’re talking about. I had a seminar with him one semester. He’s awful.”
“Awful is one word to describe that guy,” Victor says before taking a sip of his beer. “Dick, fucker, piece of shit, a turd…” He scowls at the thought of the college student.
Nova pats him on the chest with her free hand. “Okay, I think they get it. Thank you.” She shifts her attention back to their friends to continue the story.
“So I called Victor that day and asked if he’d fake date me for a few weeks to get Ray to leave me alone. And he agreed. I wasn’t expecting him to, but he did. We went to that mixer and two other parties together as a “couple”, and ended up spending a lot of time together outside of the party scene. He’d pick me up from class, I’d hang around the auto shop, I’d come back here to study and work on homework. Then, when Addison figured out I had a boyfriend, she demanded that she and Zed meet them. So we went to a football game together and had a double date that night at home with take-out Italian food.”
Her roommate’s jaw drops. “What?! There’s no way. The way you two were looking at each other? The way you two kissed in the parking lot? You were so gone for each other. There’s no way you were fake dating!” Her voice rises with disbelief, looking between Nova and Victor, but a smile is hidden behind the shocked expression. It’s evident in her eyes.
The couple laughs. “You have no idea, Addison,” Victor replies with a headshake. He pulls her even closer and kisses the top of her head.
“The chemistry was there, and I felt it, but I didn’t want to ruin a new friendship with him, so I kept my mouth shut,” Nova says, shrugging. “But I always thought he was cute, and he’s a good person who stepped in when no one else would. He took care of me because he cared.” Her eyes soften as they meet his brown ones again, and it’s like they’re the only ones in the room.
Vargas snickers. “Oh look, it’s like they forgot the rest of us are here!” he says loudly, before moving to his feet. “I’m getting a soda, do y’all want anything to drink?” He waves his bottle of Heineken Zero at the group.
No one answers, still nursing their own beverages from earlier, so he steps out of the living room, but not before he shouts in Victor’s ear from behind the couch to break him out of his trance with Nova.
“What the f-” Victor slaps a hand at his friend, then flips him off as his roommate walks away, laughing loudly.
The group joins in the laughter, lightening the mood after the interlude.
Vera clears her throat, and everyone’s attention shifts to her. “So, when did you guys realize you couldn’t fake your feelings any longer? Because romance novels aren’t my thing, but I know enough book tropes to know that fake-dating usually turns into something real.”
Addison leans back against Zed’s chest, a smirk crossing her lips. “I would like to know that, too.”
Victor speaks up before Nova can open her mouth to respond. “For me, the feelings were there from the beginning. I wasn’t looking to date; I just enjoyed her presence. She’s beautiful, but more than that, I was drawn to her kindness and warm personality. It really hit me that day we got lunch, Vera and Vargas, and you interrogated me about what had me so happy. You asked me if I had gotten laid, and I told you that a guy could be happy and not be having sex.” His thumb rubs against her arm, a comforting touch as they near the end of the story. “You want to tell this part?”
The blonde picks up where he left off with no hesitation. “I went to the auto shop to work on some homework that afternoon because Zed and Addy were at home, and I wanted to be out of the way. I was hoping I could crash here that night. It was about a month after we’d met. I get there, and Victor is openly flirting with me, even though no one is around. I get super flustered, but I’m also very attracted to his boldness. I flirt back, because why not? Anyway, as he’s finishing work that evening, a tow truck pulls up, and who is in it? Ray Lerner.”
“No!” Vargas and Zed gasp dramatically.
“Yeah. Ray is in a pissy mood because his tire is flat and his car needs A LOT of work. I’m standing right by Victor as Ray is bitching and moaning about who his dad is, and this guy is having none of it. He’s like, ‘You’re not driving this car out of my garage and we’re closing soon, so shut the fuck up.’ Ray finally calms down, and I get him to sign off on the work authorization at the front of the store while Victor finishes his intake notes.” Nova bites her lip and glances at her boyfriend before continuing. “It felt so natural, working side-by-side with him. I was hyperaware of him, and once Ray left, I just hugged him, and Victor kissed the top of my head. Again, no one else was around, so it wasn't like we had to act that way for anyone. It didn’t feel fake at all. That confirmed to me that he might share similar feelings, beyond the flirting earlier that day. I finally confessed to him that I couldn’t deny my feelings any longer, and I liked him more than a friend.”
“And I swept her off her feet, figuratively and literally,’ he says proudly with a wink. It makes the group burst out in laughter.
Nova purses her lips and looks thoughtful, as the joy in the room settles into something softer. “I seem to remember you looking like the floor was going to drop out underneath you before you got this dark, intense look in your eyes. It was almost like you thought I’d evaporate before you.”
“Can you blame me? Look at you!” Victor argues, gesturing at her with his free hand. “I’m just a guy, in love with a beautiful girl who kissed me in a bar, asked me to be her fake boyfriend for a few weeks, and then we made out in a garage when we couldn’t hide our feelings for each other any longer!”
Vargas lets out a loud and dramatic groan as he flops into his chair in the living room. “Get a load of this guy! He’s whipped! Whipped, I say! Victor Barton has been reborn, ladies and gentlemen! Nova’s made an honest man out of this blue-collar worker! God bless us, everyone!”
The mechanic looks moderately embarrassed, the tips of his ears turning red at the declaration, but he doesn't deny it. He just pulls Nova closer and hugs her tightly. He will happily admit that Nova Bright has him whipped, and he’ll do anything she asks him to do. Carry her up five flights of stairs? Done. Make her dinner? Easy. Fix her car at no cost. Already planning to do that. Carry her out of this room and into his bedroom, where he will proceed to lock the door and worship her beautiful self for several hours? He can't wait for the day. “Yeah, you made me an honest man,” he mumbles into her neck, leaving a small trail of kisses against her skin. “I'm the luckiest man alive.”
“I hope you know that we will be holding this over your head for the rest of your life, Vic,” Vera says, pulling him out of his Nova trance, with a smirk. She leans forward in the beanbag and points at the pair in amusement. “But I’m really happy for you. You guys are great for each other. You balance one another. It’s very sweet.”
“Agreed.” Vargas lifts his soda can in a mock toast. “Y’all give the rest of us something to hope for. And a story to laugh over.”
Hearing Victor’s friends’ warm response to their story eases the worries that threatened to bubble over in her chest earlier in the day. They embraced her with jokes and kindness, and she felt like part of their group. But when she turns to her roommate and the man she considers to be an older brother, they are looking at each other, not her. Her heart starts to race, fearing the possibility of rejection from them.
“Addison?” She asks quietly, nervously. She sits up as her grip on Victor’s hand tightens exponentially.
Addison tears her eyes away from Zed and looks at them, then at just Nova for a few seconds. Then, they land on Victor. She wordlessly stands, her eyes crystal clear, and takes three steps toward the younger man. She pulls him by the arm to his feet and throws her arms around him. “Thank you,” she cries into his shoulder. “Thank you for looking out for my best friend and sister, for being there for her when I wasn’t. And most of all, for making her so happy.”
The embrace startles him and Nova, but he returns it. His hands land carefully on her back, patting it awkwardly.
Behind Addison, Zed gives him a pleased nod and thumbs up. You did good, the football player mouths. All he can do is nod. He has the stamp of approval from two of the most important people in Nova's life. He had it once, back when they were “fake dating.” Now it's real, it’s legit. And he won’t fear the entire Mountain College football team coming after him.
“Oh, get up here, Supernova!” the cheerleader says tearfully, while reaching down to tug her roommate to her feet. “Join the hug. I'm so happy you two found each other when you did. I love you two.” She embraces the couple, swaying from side to side. “Victor, you’re officially part of the family. You’re joining the Life360 account. No arguments.”
“Whoa!” Zed yells from the floor as he devours another slice of pizza. “She’s dead serious about that, bro. You gotta accept the invite to the group. You’re family now. It’s our little Mountain College Family Circle. Addy is the mom friend, I’m the dad friend, Nova’s our adopted daughter, and you’re her boyfriend.” He gasps, then looks at Vera and Vargas. “Yo! You two gotta get in on the circle too! Babe, our little family is growing!” His eyes are as wide as his grin, delight almost radiating from his body. “I feel like such a proud parent!”
Vera looks at the athlete in faux disgust. “You’re not a drunk crier, are you?”
He wipes his eye dramatically. “I might be. I just love love, Vera! Don’t shame me for loving love! Addy, come ‘ere!” He waves his girlfriend over, who throws her head back in laughter and drops onto his lap, arms looping around his neck like that’s where they always belong.
Victor and Nova glance at the pair, and then at each other. Like magnets, they’re drawn to their better half, their arms looping around each other’s torsos. Words are not necessary this time. Their eyes meet, then Nova presses herself against his chest. She closes her eyes and breathes him in as conversation around them resumes.
He drops his head next to her ear and whispers, “Do you think they’d notice if we disappeared into the bedroom for a while?” His voice is light and teasing, with a hint of desire on the edges. It makes her stomach flip.
She hides her smile against his shirt and pinches his arm. “Nice try, handsome. Not now. I was promised drunk Uno.”
The rest of the evening devolves into tipsy chaos with at least one round of drunk Uno before they all collectively decide to switch to soda if they want to drive home tonight. Leftover pizza is eaten, pie is sliced and devoured, and many more stories are shared among the new group of friends and family.
Around 12:30 in the morning, Addison and Zed leave with hugs, whispered words to the couple, and promises for more family bonding soon. Vargas has already accepted the Life360 invite, joining in the circle of fun, with Vera downloading the app as she walks out with her empty crockpot. Victor reluctantly downloads the app too, but hands his phone off to Nova to get the account set up while he and his roommate throw away empty pizza boxes in the trash shoot down the hall.
The blonde slips into his bedroom to change into one of his oversized shirts and a pair of sleep shorts while they’re throwing the boxes away. She yawns as she moves into the bathroom to remove her makeup and brush the tangles of the day out.
When the boys return, Vargas makes a beeline for his room, but stops when the bathroom door opens and she steps out. He stops to hug her in the hallway. “You're really good for him, Princess. Welcome to the fam, officially,” he says warmly before going into his room and shutting the door for the night.
Bare feet pad across the hallway floor before stopping at the corner. She leans against the wall and watches as he throws dirty napkins and empty glass bottles into the trash and recycling. He quietly loads the dishwasher with her wine glass and other dishes, unaware of the audience of one.
“Victor,” Nova calls out in a low voice from the hallway. Her tone is soft and sleepy, and he immediately stops his cleanup efforts to turn and look at her. “Come to bed. We’ll clean up tomorrow.”
The smallest of smiles crosses his lips. Relief to have permission to stop is evident in the way his shoulders drop. He wordlessly moves across the kitchen and hits a switch to turn off the lights to that room and the living room. The only light that remains is down the hall in his bedroom. It highlights her silhouette with lightly messy hair and her soft curves. He promises to God above that he’ll love this woman for as long as she lets him.
“Have I told you how much I love you today?” He asks in a low, raspy voice. One hand lands on her hip and pulls her forward. He slowly walks her backwards towards the light, towards his room, without letting go.
Smaller hands grip the back of his shirt while tired blue eyes lift to him. She matches him stride for slow stride. “Today? Not yet. Yesterday, I heard it frequently, especially in front of our friends.”
Victor stops their slow walk and lifts her into his arms. Her arms and legs automatically wrap around his neck and waist. The new position has her shirt lifting ever so slightly, and his hands land on her butt. “I love you, Nova.” He carries her into the bedroom and softly closes the door and locks it. He lays her down on her side of the bed, because they have that now- dedicated sides of the bed- and kisses her head before taking off his shirt and pants.
The dirty clothes are carelessly tossed in the direction of the hamper. Once he’s down to his boxers, he turns off the overhead fan light and drops onto the mattress beside her. He rolls over and they meet somewhere in the middle beneath the blanket and sheets. “You make my world brighter because you're in it,” he mutters, one hand trailing under her shirt so he can feel the warm skin of her back.
Nova tucks herself against his chest, tangling their legs together. “I love you too, Victor. You make my world calmer because you're in it.” She yawns and closes her eyes. “I'm glad it was you whom I kissed that day in the bar.”