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Chapter 12: The Drive

Chapter 12: The Drive

Today was the day.

The day of the drive and picnic.

I pulled up to the gate of Mila's apartment complex, giving the security officials my temporary visitors code.

Mila lived in one of those high-end and gated apartment complexes. Security was tight but fortunately for me, she had sorted me out in advance.

After being cleared for entry, I drove in and quickly found the underground parking space. I followed Mila's instructions and parked at an empty spot near the elevator.

I texted her and within seconds, received a reply. She was coming down.

I didn't have to wait for too long before the elevator dinged and Mila stepped out. She was wearing a yellow floral dress, complete with straw hat and sunglasses.

I stepped out of the car to welcome her and pull the door open for her. She grinned, getting into the passenger's seat.

I got into the driver's seat and before long, we were cruising through the city streets, the sun setting behind the skyline, coating everything it touched in a warm, golden light.

"Finally! A well deserved break."

I glanced at Mila who was smiling widely beside me. She was practically bouncing in her seat, like a kid ready for the best amusement park ride of their life.

"Are you really that excited for the picnic?" I asked with a laugh.

"Of course! This picnic is my weekend getaway." She said, turning to look at me as she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and pulled off the straw hat. I could see the sparkle of excitement in her eyes. "So, where are we going?"

I grinned, turning back to keep my eyes on the road. "All in good time, Mila. Good things come to those who wait. Trust me, it's worth the suspense."

She laughed, shaking her head. "You're enjoying this way too much."

"You're not wrong." I admitted, giving her a quick wink before speeding up slightly as the road opened ahead of us. "But seriously, patience. I've got something special lined up."

She hummed, nodding her head but I could see from the corner of my eye the way she was holding herself back from asking more questions.

Instead, she leaned back in her seat, pulling her sunglasses back over her eyes. "Alright. I'll wait."

I nodded, picturing a younger version of her with a camera in hand. "That's cool. Why didn't you pursue it?"

She glanced out the window for a moment before responding. "I guess life just took me in a different direction. Social media started to grow, and opportunities kept popping up. Before I knew it, I was neck-deep in a whole other world."

I could hear a tinge of nostalgia in her voice, like she was wondering what might've been. I leaned back in my seat, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel.

My mind drifted to my previous life. My dreams of becoming a self made millionaire and my eventual end as another office drone. And yet, here I was, on my way to making two hundred million dollars.

"Yeah," I nodded, "life has a funny way of changing our paths."

She turned toward me, smirking playfully at me. "Okay, your turn. What did little Nico want to be?"

I laughed, shaking my head. I remembered little Nico, before he began dreaming about being rich enough to own his own space company. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"No promises."

I shot her a mock-glare. "Alright, fine. I wanted to be an astronaut."

She burst into laughter, covering her mouth. "An astronaut? Seriously? That's so cliche."

"Hey!" I defended, laughing along. "I was obsessed with space as a kid. NASA, rockets, the idea of floating around in zero gravity. I thought it'd be the coolest thing ever to explore the unknown."

Mila's laughter died down, but there was still a smile on her. "That's actually kind of adorable. I can totally picture it now."

"Well, I've since settled for staying grounded," I said with a grin, "but I guess I'm still chasing that feeling of going beyond limits."

She nodded, her eyes locking with mine for a brief second, a connection that felt real, not forced. "I get that."

But just before anything could come out of it, I had to drag my eyes back to the road as I pulled the car into a small dockyard.

Mila frowned as she glanced around. "Wait, what's this? Where are we? I thought we were going on a picnic?"

I pulled up to a spot near the dock and cut the engine. With a grin, I stepped out of the car and walked around to open her door.

"This," I said, gesturing toward the dock where a private boat sat waiting for us, "is our next ride. We'll be having the picnic at Emerald Isle."