They missed the bus by less than a minute.
It pulled away just as they turned the corner, roaring off like it was running from something.
Nickie stared after it with an exasperated sigh, already fishing her phone from her pocket.
“We’ll be an hour late, Mom, sorry… The bus drove away right under our noses.”
A pause. Then:
“Okay, bunny. I’ll be sleeping. Is Adam near you?”
Nickie thumbed the speaker on.
“You’re on speaker, Mom.”
Her mother’s voice softened instantly.
“Adam, you’ll get Nickie home safe, yes?”
Adam sat up straighter, as if pulled taut by the words.
“Yes, ma’am. I will. I’m really sorry for the hold-up.”
“It’s okay, dear… These things happen. Have a safe trip, and good night.”
The call ended with a quiet click.
Adam didn’t move at first, but his arm tightened slightly around Nickie’s shoulders, a subtle shift she felt more than saw.
‘The MD should’ve worn off by now, she thought. ‘He only had a sip. This is genuine.’
Adam’s thoughts weren’t as sharp.
‘Barely touched the beer. A puff, a sip… that’s nothing.’
And yet his body felt light.
Tingly.
‘Maybe I’m just… high on this. On her.’
Nickie stretched her legs out from the bench, boots barely brushing the ground.
The chill in the wind nudged her closer into Adam’s side.
“We’re really good at missing buses,” she muttered, smirk tugging at her lips.
Adam chuckled.
“We could make it a sport. Bet we’d be undefeated.”
Nickie laughed, tipping her head lightly against his arm.
“Maybe we’ll set a record next time.”
For a while, they just sat in companionable silence.
Cars hummed past in the distance.
A dog barked somewhere far off.
But here, on this bench at the edge of everything, the world felt slowed down… Just for them.
Nickie shifted, glancing up at him.
“Hey… you still thinking about the gig?”
Adam nodded slowly.
“Yeah. That one bassline in the second set? Insane. Made me feel like I gotta up my game.”
She snorted.
“Pfft. You’re already a beast. Stop pretending you’re not.”
He gave a crooked half-smile.
“Coming from you? That’s high praise.”
“It’s not praise. It’s facts.” She bumped her shoulder into his.
“You know it.”
Adam didn’t answer right away.
He leaned his head back, eyes tracing the stars above.
His grin softened into something quieter.
“You’re the only one who makes me feel like I can be better, you know?”
Nickie blinked, caught off guard.
Her mouth opened, but nothing came for a few moments.
“You’re already good, Adam. Better than good. You just don’t see it.”
He turned to her, eyes serious under the dim yellow glow of the streetlamp.
“Maybe. But I see it in you.”
Her cheeks flushed, the warmth creeping beneath the cold.
She waved him off.
“Alright, that’s enough. We’re not getting all soft and sentimental on a bus bench.”
“So what then?” he asked, half-laughing.
Nickie grinned, pulling out her phone.
“Ever play ‘What’s the most embarrassing song on your playlist?’”
Adam groaned.
“You’re gonna make me regret this, aren’t you?”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Probably.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“Go on. First victim.”
With visible pain, he scrolled.
“No judging.”
He hit play.
Nickie howled.
Laughed so hard she nearly dropped her phone.
“No way. No freaking way!”
“I was eight!” Adam protested. “My cousin made me a playlist and I never deleted it!”
“Sure, sure,” she teased, wiping tears from her eyes.
“My turn.” She hit play on Call Me Maybe.
Adam arched a brow.
“Seriously? That’s not embarrassing. That’s a bop.”
“Exactly.” She smirked. “I have no shame.”
They went back and forth (High School Musical, Crazy Frog), each one worse (or better) than the last.
Their laughter blended until it was hard to tell whose was whose, heads leaning together without a second thought.
Eventually, Nickie glanced at her screen.
“Ten minutes till the next bus.”
Adam sighed, stretching his legs.
“That wasn’t so bad.”
“Nope,” she agreed.
“Hey… thanks for sticking around. You could’ve left me to deal with it solo.”
He looked at her like she’d said the dumbest thing imaginable.
“Not a chance. I’d never let you wait alone.”
She smiled and nudged him.
“Good. Because you’re officially my designated bus buddy.”
“Happy to oblige.”
The rumble of the bus grew nearer.
Nickie brushed windblown strands from her face.
Without a word, Adam shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
“Ready?” he asked.
She looked at him, and for a heartbeat, everything stilled again.
“Ready.”
They stepped onto the bus side by side.
And inside him, something frozen he hadn’t even realized was still there finally began to thaw.
NEVER END
They headed straight for the back of the bus.
The faint hum of the engine wrapped around them like a lullaby.
Nickie slid into the window seat.
Adam followed, shoulders close, tension quiet but heavy in the air.
Then, slowly, like gravity tugged him rather than choice, Adam let his head rest in her lap.
The movement was hesitant, testing, like he expected her to flinch.
She didn’t.
His warmth settled into her thighs, grounding.
The smell of him (sweat, faint deodorant, and something purely Adam) wrapped around her.
She brushed her hand against his shoulder instinctively.
Adam caught it. Tight.
“Do that thing you do,” he whispered.
Her pulse kicked. “Which thing?” she asked, though she already knew.
He didn’t answer.
He only lifted her hand and pressed his lips to it, gentle and steady.
His breath against her skin sent sparks racing down her spine.
Her stomach twisted. Thrilling. Terrifying.
‘Why does this feel so intense? Is this… falling?’
His grip tightened. He mumbled something.
“Hm?” She leaned in, breath brushing his temple.
No reply. Eyes shut. Breath uneven.
“It’s okay,” she whispered near his ear. “You can tell me.”
Her heart battered her ribs.
‘Please say something. Let me in. Don’t leave me guessing…’
At last, his voice, barely audible.
“I want this to never end.”
Her breath caught.
For a second, the world stilled.
She wanted to spill everything.
That he made her feel like life finally made sense.
That she’d been falling for weeks.
But instead, she whispered,
“Me too.”
She wasn’t sure if he heard, but his grip loosened slightly.
Like her words had settled something in him.
Minutes passed. The quiet deepened.
‘I don’t deserve this,’ Adam thought.
‘She’s too good, too soft. But I can’t let her go. Not now.’
Then, softly,
“Wherever you wanna go… I’ll come with you. Just don’t go alone, yeah?”
Nickie blinked, chest aching.
‘He heard me.’
Warmth spread through her.
She didn’t answer, but held his hand where it rested against her lap.
Adam stayed still, somewhere between waking and dreaming.
Nickie slid her fingers through his hair, carefully, reverently, as if touching something sacred.
He made a soft sound in his throat: half sigh, half purr.
She smiled.
‘How is he this cute? It’s actually illegal.’
She kept at it, gentle passes through his hair, the occasional brush down his shoulder, along his arm.
‘I just want to snuggle him all day. Every day.’
And he didn’t pull away.
Eventually, she drifted off, her breathing even and calm.
Adam opened his eyes.
Gently, he guided her hand to his cheek, pressing into her palm.
‘Please don’t stop touching me.’
He held her hand there for the rest of the ride.