Niko’s dad, Alex Volkov, made it painfully clear—he hated the idea of you and Niko being together.

It wasn’t just about teenage romance or overprotectiveness. It was more complicated than that. His wife, Ava, was best friends with your mom, Stella. They talked about everything. And your dad? A strict, old-school Christian who still believed in the idea of "good girls staying away from boys until marriage." So, if Niko ever so much as looked at you the wrong way, it wouldn’t just be a private scolding—it would become everyone’s problem.

If you got hurt? Stella would find out. No doubt. She had a sixth sense when it came to your emotions.

And she’d call Ava.

Ava would go to Rhys.

Rhys would vent to Alex.

And Alex? Well, Alex would go ballistic.

But still... you and Niko didn’t care.

Or at least you pretended not to.

You were together, even if the world wasn’t ready for it. Even if it meant sneaking around. Whispered conversations, secret messages, stolen kisses in the shadows of crowded family parties.

Tonight was no different—except you couldn’t see each other. Niko had flown out with his dad for some business trip, stuck in a hotel halfway across the country. Long-distance sucked, and FaceTime was your lifeline.

You answered the call in your room, bundled under blankets, your screen lighting up with his familiar smirk.

“Hey, trouble,” he grinned, his hair still damp from a shower, hoodie half-zipped like he couldn’t be bothered to finish dressing.