"How many people are here makes me sick," Nico scowled.

I laughed, watching him glare at all of the people walking around campus. It was a beautiful day, with a clear sky and a temperature not too hot, but not too cold.

Boston University stood in front of us. Although my heart still aches every day from missing Rio, I know that he wants me to continue living my life. And that starts with deciding what I want to go to school for.

"The campus is so beautiful," I observed as we slowly started to walk around.

I didn't want to go to Boston University. I didn't want to go to a school so big, but Nico convinced me to come. He thinks that it'll start to make me think of things I'd want to do for a career since I can't work at the flower shop forever.

We walked down the path, getting hit by the rays of sunshine that found their way through the tree branches.

"So, have you decided yet?" Nico asked impatiently. He didn't seem to like the many students here.

I shoved my side into him slightly, "Hey, don't forget that this was your idea, buddy."

His eyebrows scrunched at the word 'buddy.'

"Okay bro," he replied back, and this time, I scrunched my eyebrows.

"I'm not your bro."

"And I'm not your buddy."

"Okay, deal. Sugarpie honey bun."

He leaned down and kissed my cheek, and the feeling of his stubble on his jawline made me giggle. I was expecting my nickname to annoy him, but to my surprise, he didn't say anything.

"Elle?" a familiar voice spoke from behind me.

I turned around, and my face formed a huge smile seeing Winter approach me. She pulled me into a quick hug and asked excitedly, "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to figure my shit out," I summarized to her.

She nodded, her blue eyes seeming brighter than usual in the sun. I quickly cleared my throat and asked her, "What are you doing here? I thought you had summers off?"

"I do, I'm here because I had to drop off some forms. I'm transferring schools, so I won't start here in the fall," she told me, making my head tilt. "I'm transferring to a smaller school, but it's still in Boston. So don't worry, we can still hang out."

I felt relieved at the end of her sentence. I smiled at her, "Good - we're gonna be friends forever, Winter. I swear."

"Good, you're one of the sweetest people I've ever met. But I have to go, I have a date," her voice raised an octave at the end.

"A date?!" my jaw dropped. "With who?"

"His name is Sin."

Nico choked on his spit.

Winters eyebrows furrowed at Nicos' reaction. She asked him, "Do you know him?"

Nico just nodded, like he didn't wanna use his words. I rolled my eyes and nudged him with my elbow, making him speak up, "Yea, we work together."

"Really?" Winter said with a shocked expression. "Wow, small world. I just ran into him last night while I was walking my dog, he was sitting in front of a McDonald's and I gave him 5 dollars because I thought he was homeless."

I slapped my hand over my mouth while I laughed, and a slight chuckle came from Nico.

"Good luck with that motherfucker. He's a good guy, but not the brightest," Nico shook his head. "Walked in on him one time watching a tutorial on YouTube of how to tie your shoes."

I spoke up, "That's normal for kids to do."

"It was last week."

Winter laughed, "Oh my gosh, this only makes me more excited for my date."

"You have to tell me everything that happens after, okay?" I raised my eyebrows at her. But it wasn't a question, if she didn't tell me I would freak out. At least 3 people would die.

"Deal. But you have to keep me updated on what happens with you too, okay?" she smiled, and she waited for me to nod before turning and walking off.

I turned back around, grabbing Nicos' hand in mine. We continued walking down the path, and I listened to the sound of the birds chirping for a moment.

Nico broke the silence, "You two seem like really good friends."

My heart warmed in my chest hearing somebody talk about me having a friend like it was something normal. But it was finally true.

"Yea. We are," I stated with a smile.

We continued walking around outside for a while before deciding to go inside. We headed to the library, and I was surprised by how many people were in there since it was summer.

We walked down an aisle of books, and I scanned all of them, hoping that one of them would awaken something in my brain.

"Which book screams 'Elle Russo' to you?" I asked Nico.

He pulled a book out of the shelf and held it up to me. He nodded, "This one."

'The Princess Diva,' it read.

I scowled and crossed my arms, "Yours would be, 'A rude mean idiot with a really nice smile and who smells very good.'"

I didn't mean to start complimenting him. It just happened.

He smiled, making me roll my eyes and turn around. I heard him put the book back behind me, and I felt him follow me around.

I stopped seeing a book that I had read as a kid. I traced the side of it with my fingers, smiling to myself.

When I turned back around, I froze. Nico was standing directly in front of me, both of his hands at the sides of my head, his palms pressing against the library shelf behind me. He stared down at me through his green eyes, and my cheeks flushed knowing that I was trapped.

"Come on, Nico. I think this has been enough-"

I was cut off by his lips pressing against mine, and my nose was met with his cologne.

I let out a soft breath as his lips moved to my cheek, then my jawline, then my neck. I bit my bottom lip as his lips started at my ear, then traveled down to my collarbone.

"Hey!" An elderly woman's voice whisper-shouted at us.

Nicos' lips pulled away from my neck, and we both turned our heads to look at the woman. I knew that I was making an 'oh shit' face, but Nico seemed unphased, and a little annoyed.

She used her pencil to point between us and spoke sternly, "You two can't do that in here. Now leave."

She continued to give us the meanest glare I've ever received in my life before walking away, and I bit the inside of my cheek as I turned my head to look at Nico.

And the guy was smirking at me.

"It's not funny!" I whispered to him.

"Elle goddamn Russo," he mumbled under his breath, but his lips formed a small smile. "What a bad girl you are."

"Shut up," I giggled.

I turned my head over my shoulder for a quick moment and almost jumped out of my skin seeing the woman heading over to us again, probably to tell us to get the fuck out faster.

"Come on," I smiled, pulling him by his wrist and running out of the library.

--------

We parked in front of the tattoo parlor, and I followed Nico in, the bell dinging once he unlocked the door and opened it.

"You gonna tell me why we're here?" he asked me as I walked further into the room.

I grabbed a pen and napkin, and shittily drew the tattoo that Rio was going to get.

Once my masterpiece was done, I set the pen down and held the napkin up to Nico.

"I want this tattooed," I declared.

His eyebrows raised for a moment. I was quick to add, "But do a better job, if this exact one was on my body forever, I'd kill myself."

"Are you sure, Elle?" he asked me, gently taking the napkin from my hand.

I nodded confidently.

He blew some air out of his nose before studying my drawing as if his life depended on it. Once he was satisfied, he set the napkin down. He used his head to gesture toward the chair, "Okay, have a seat, darling."

I sat down, ignoring the nervous butterflies in my stomach.

Nico grabbed a chair and slid it beside me, but turned it around so that he was straddling it and he could put his elbow on the back of the chair. He sat down and sanitized the area on my forearm, but he kissed the area before doing so.

"It's gonna hurt, my sweet girl. Is that okay?" he asked me, waiting for my response before starting to do anything.

I gave him a nod, to which he replied, "That's my girl."

The second the tattoo gun connected with my skin, I shut my eyes. Nico spoke over the sound, "Tell me whenever you need me to stop."

After opening my eyes a little, I gave him a nod.

My teeth ate my bottom lip for the next hour until a pizza guy came in with a cheese pizza that Nico ordered for me. I used my free hand to eat, letting Nico continue to tattoo me.

When the tattoo gun stopped making noise, I turned to look at him while swallowing a bite of my pizza. His forehead glistened as he took his shirt off, "It's hot as fuck in here. I fuckin' hate summer, I can't wait for winter."

Right now, seeing him shirtless is making something else feel hot.

"Mhm," I hummed, quickly forcing myself to look away and back at my pizza. Seeing Nico smirking out of the corner of my eye made me wanna throw my pizza at his stupid attractive face which I love.

After a few more hours, a weight was lifted off of my chest as I heard him say, "Done."

I looked down at it, and at first, my face was blank. But as I continued to look at it, my mouth slowly turned up in a smile.

"You sure it's not gonna hurt you too much to look at?" Nico asked me softly as he set the tattoo gun down and started to put ointment and wrapping on it while it heals.

"I'm putting it on my body, so I can remember him without hurting my brain," I told him, remembering what I heard the night I drank. I knew that fucker was smiling down on me right now.

Nico stood up, his chair sliding out behind him. He walked over to the counter beside a mirror, and my eyes fell to the tattoo on his spine once again.

I've been wondering what that tattoo means. If I asked him when we first met, I know he wouldn't have told me. But now, I feel like he would tell me anything. Even if all of my questions annoyed him.

"Nico, can I ask you something?" I finally spoke up.

He looked at me over his shoulder, and his eyes locked with mine for a few moments before he turned around. He nodded, "Of course."

I swallowed my saliva as I looked at the tattoo through the mirror. I asked him, "What does the tattoo on your spine mean?"

I moved my eyes back to meet his. His jaw tightened, but after a second, it relaxed.

He took a step forward and cupped my face with his hands. He leaned down to be closer to me, and I could feel his hair touching my forehead.

"I got it after Amara died. It was a reminder to me, that even though I lost the only person in my life that loved me, one day, somebody would love me again," he got closer and closer to my face the more his sentence went on, until his lips were grazing mine. "And I thank God every day that that person is you."

He didn't hesitate to press his lips against mine after. My lips moved with his, the kiss filled with love, purpose, and comfort. I grabbed a fistful of his black hair as our tongues moved together, and Nico pulled me closer to him, so that the fronts of our bodies were touching.

We pulled away once we needed oxygen, both of us breathing heavily. I looked up at him, studying all of his features. The man that loves me, more than anything else in this world. The man that I love, more than anything else in the world.

And I knew, I wanted to marry him, and only him. Spend my life with him, and only him.

"What is it?" he asked me, questioning the wide smile on my face.

And just like that, it felt like all of the pieces of my life came together, because of him.

"I think I know what I want to do with my life."