Need You Tonight // INXS

"Pull over."

"Here? The burger place is just around the corner." April pulls over even as she's questioning me.

"True. But there's something I need to do first." She pulls the car to a stop at the curb then turns to face me.

"Okay, what?"

I'd already unbuckled the seat belt, so it only takes a split second for me to pounce. My hands are in her hair and my mouth is consuming hers before she knows what hit her.

Me.

I hit her.

With my lips.

"Nico," she says. Her words are breathless.

I don't respond. My hands and my tongue are doing all of the talking right now. I just need her, and I can't wait another second. I pull her toward me, and April obliges. Next thing I know she's straddling me in the passenger seat. Her hands are under my shirt, scrolling my stomach muscles. My hands are wrapped around her back sneaking some skin as well. This kiss is hot. Literally. The windows are steaming up. Not good. This is a public street and there are people everywhere.

I pull back. "April. Shit, we have to stop." Even as I say the words every part of my body is protesting.

She nods leaning away from me and pressing her back against the dashboard. "Well, that escalated quickly."

"Understatement." I have never been so hot for a girl. So damn needy. And the fact that I love her...that she loves me. That changes how this goes down. That makes everything deeper. Stronger. More meaningful.

Here we are, completely hyper-focused on each other. Panting with want. Eyes locked. If either one of us moved toward the other even a quarter of an inch, it would be over. Done. No turning back.

But I had a plan for how this evening would go and this isn't it. Regrettably. I hadn't counted on April forgiving me that fast. Not that I'm complaining. Now that I have her in my arms, now that we've both confessed our love, I can't imagine having to wait longer than I did. I wasn't joking when I told April I was hanging on by a thread. That's all I had left after the past twenty-four hours.

"Do you really need a burger?" April asks while retreating back to the driver's seat. She puts the key in the ignition before I can respond.

"Hang on." I reach over to stop her from starting the car. I'm not sure I can take the look on her face when she hears the hum of the tuned-up motor. I almost lost it the first time back in my garage.

"Okay?" April is looking at me, confusion written all over her face.

"I'll hop out here and walk. I want to be there watching when you pull up." I wink at her then lean over and kiss her cheek. "That will be the dream come true, baby."

April laughs. "You are so weird. Fine. Get out, bitch." She says the last part a little too emphatically.

"Don't bruise my ego, sweetheart." I give her a smoldering gaze. At least what I think is a smolder. But judging by her hysterical laughter, I missed the mark.

"Oh, Nico. You try." She peppers her speech with a few more giggles. "You fail, but you try." She smacks my cheeks playfully then shoves me out the door. "I said get out. I'm taking my baby for a spin. See you at the burger joint."

I close the door, shaking my head at this girl, and watch as she pulls away. I'm disappointed that she didn't peel out, but considering how much that would turn me on, I'm glad she chose not to.

The walk to the burger place that changed my fate only takes a few minutes. And when I pull the door open, everyone I was hoping would be there actually showed up. The expectant looks on their faces says it all. They were rooting for us.

"Mission accomplished!" I say, throwing my hands up in triumph. The crowd reacts with applause with a few cheers thrown in. I look around and take stock. My mom, April's mom, Ko, Emily and Sabrina, Gladys, Edgar, Danny and Angel. Even Brax and Savanna are here with their kids. Everyone came out at my request and I couldn't be more grateful.

"Where's April?" Ko asks from the side of the gathering.

"On her way. She has no idea you guys came, so let's make this good. I'll wait just outside the door for her to pull in, then get her inside as soon as I can." Knowing April, it might be a harder task then it seems. I'm surprised she agreed to let me walk here, to be honest.

"Was she so happy she cried tears of joy?" Ko continues. Her hands are clasped under her chin and there's a wistful look of hope in her eyes. I lean a little closer to keep my answer between the two of us.

"She sure fucking did." I smile. Ko smiles. Then she bursts into tears. What the hell?

"It is just so beautiful." Ko is kind of wailing now. April's mom, Harmony, comes over to pat her back.

"Um...I better wait out front for April." I back away, hands raised in the universal sign of 'I didn't do it.' When I'm a few steps away, I turn and book it through the door. Ko is something else, but I don't want to stick around for more waterworks. It was bad enough when April was sobbing, nearly came unglued witnessing that. I don't need Ko's emotions on my conscience as well.

I stand out front, hands in my pockets, rocking back and forth on my feet, waiting for April to turn the corner. I can picture that first day in my mind so clearly. The rumble of the motor, her muffler rattling everyone's bones. The smoke spilling out of the exhaust like a tail. The squeal of her nearly bald tires as she made the turn.

But when I hear the smooth purr of her car in its current state just before I see her drive into the lot, a peace settles over me. This car has hit perfection. So have April and I. So fitting.

I smile as I watch this work of art, if I do say so myself, pull into the exact same spot from day one. I shake my head when April stretches her neck and drags her fingers through her hair, as if she'd just driven a convertible across country with her top down.

Ah, hell. Now I've got images. Shit.

I keep my focus on the actual girl in front of me instead of the fantasy in my head. April gets out of her car the same way she did that first day. I watch as her boots emerge, then her legs, and finally all of her stands up and closes the car door. The only thing missing is her shades, but it's after sunset so of course those are unnecessary.

"Damn, baby. You are so smoking hot." I take her by the hand and move in to kiss her cheek. April turns at the last second and lays a freaking hot as hell kiss on me. I'm trying to go with it, but I am hyperaware of our moms' presence in the burger joint, most likely watching our public display.

"Come on, let's get that grease burger." I pull her toward the door.

"Don't you think about anything other than grease?"

"If you only knew, baby."

I open the door and drag her inside after me. I can sense the exact moment April notices who's waiting for us inside. Her hand squeezes mine and she comes to a complete hault.

"What's going on?" Her voice is full of suspicion.

I turn to face her, our family and friends behind me. "April, these are all of the people who are in your corner, behind you one hundred percent. I asked everyone to meet us here so you could see with your own eyes how many of us have your back."

It's something I realized even before she slammed the door in my face. April feels alone. Yeah, she was mad at me for walking away, but some of that stems from the fact that she felt like she had no one else. But she does.

April stands there shaking her head. "Nico." My name is the only thing she says. I can't tell if she's horrified or touched.

"Uh, yeah?" I rub the back of my neck, wondering if I just made the wrong move.

"You are..." She stops.

"What am I?"

April sighs. "A handful."

I laugh and lean to whisper seductively in her ear. "More than a handful, actually."

April smacks my shoulder, less playfully than my cheek earlier in the car.

"So is this some kind of party?" She takes my hand and we close in on our group.

"Nope. Just a gathering of people who are always going to be there for each other."

"Even Emily?" April laughs at her own joke. But she's kind of right about Emily. That girl is questionable on a good day.

"Not quite." I tell her. "But it's enough." We slide into a booth together, April's head resting on my shoulder.

"It is. Just enough. Who could ask for more than this?" Her hands wrap around my arm.

"Not me."

"Me neither."

***

April forced me to drive her Mustang back to my house. It's a good thing she did, because after that hot kiss on the side of the road, I don't think I'd be able to resist that little moan she gives when she starts the car. That's what I get for tuning her motor to perfection. Blue balls.

"You tired, April?" My hand is resting on her leg and she's leaning her head on my shoulder, completely quiet. Thank goodness it's not the heavy silence from those first few weeks. This is comfortable. Peaceful.

"Not really. Just thinking."

"About?"

April sighs. Before I can worry too much about what that means, her arms wrap around mine. "About everything. All of it. You. Me. The bullshit we had to go through to get here."

"So, nothing too serious, eh?" I laugh.

"Right, haha." April nuzzles into my side a little closer. I disentangle my arm from her grip and wrap it around her shoulders. "I never imagined this. Did you?" she says.

"This? As in you and I?" I feel April nod in acknowledgment. "Absolutely. From the second I saw you at the burger place."

"You weren't exaggerating that?" She sounds so unsure of herself. Like there was ever any doubt.

"Don't you remember the fool standing behind you in line, asking for your number, your name and your lips on mine?"

"Oh, I remember. I also remember dumping my soda over your head. But you still came back for more."

"A little soda wasn't going to keep me from my destiny, baby. You're it. I've got you. Ain't letting go now."

April reaches out and runs her hand along the newly restored dashboard. "I can't believe you did this. You shouldn't have spent that much money on me, Nico. I can't pay you back anytime soon."

I squeeze her shoulder. "First, there is no paying me back. This is my baby's ride. It needed to be safe for you and I'm the guy that can make it happen." I don't give a shit about the money, but I don't say this to her.

"Second," I continue, "I know people. Edgar didn't charge me more than paint because he's known me since I was a kid. Plus, I do half the work. Brax was teaching me a trade because I have a feeling that he wants to build his network with what he's planning, so he didn't charge me much either."

"What is he planning?"

"Classic car museum paired with monthly car shows. People like me bring restored classics to possibly sell, or to just show off. I could get a lot of business from that. Especially because I only have a few months until graduation."

"Hmmm." April just murmurs the sound with no follow up. I wait until she says something more. But a block later she's still said nothing, so I end up asking.

"Is there something else on your mind?"

"Not exactly. But now that I'm not planning on leaving town the second I turn eighteen, I just realized I don't have any idea what's next."

"What were you going to do once you left?" I don't like talking about this. When she dropped that little info-bomb on me earlier I nearly had a panic attack.

April just shrugs. "Not sure. Get a job, I guess."

"Doesn't sound like you had much planned anyway, so this isn't any different, is it?"

"I guess not. I still have the job at the salon. And Gladys has asked me to help her with event planning. I guess I could start there."

"As long as you are by my side, April, anything you want to do is fine with me."

We pull down my long driveway to the back of the house. I park her car just outside of the garage and turn to look at her.

My hands cradle her face, my eyes hold hers steady. "From now on, April, it's you and me. Doesn't matter where we go or what do from here. As long as we are together it will all work out."

April closes her eyes. "Nico, you can't make that kind of promise to me. You have no idea what could come our way."

I lean in, brushing my lips against hers. "I absolutely can, baby. Because who am I without you? Just some dumb guy with a black belt who fixes up cars. But you make me the guy who loves you. It's the best part about me, April, that I love you."

"Shit, Nico. I can't cry anymore."

"Shh, don't cry."

My girl looks up at me, her eyes shining with emotion. She leans in to kiss me but hesitates just before our lips touch. Her voice comes out in the thinnest whisper with the strongest punch possible.

"I love you too, bitch."

Yeah. That's my goddess.

Oof these two get me every time. Thoughts about Nico's little surprise?? Were you surprised? Did you catch the little title Easter eggs? I threw in a reference to both this title and More Than This.

This feels like the end to me. The wrap up about the relationship, the descending action all point to that. I was originally thinking there would be another chapter but now I'm feeling like we need to get to epilogues...what about you? 

I'm not positive if that's the case but I guess you'll find out next week! Let me know in the comments if there is any scene you are dying to have for these two! It wouldn't be the first time a reader suggestion became reality.

BIG NEWS FOR GRINDER!! If you've read inevitable, you might be curious about Grinder's story. I'm plotting it right now! More sneak peeks and teasers for that story will be posted with the epilogues of NQE (or...the additional chapters if something hits me)

I gotta let you know... this song is so High School for me. I was in love with this band senior year (yeah I'm that old) so it had to be on the list.

https://youtu.be/F93ywiGMDnQ

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