Neon & Nets (Venom Next Gen #1)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Knight

I’m lying on my back, doomscrolling through socials, when the front door of my condo bursts open.

“Oh my God,” Sofia wails. “Knight, I need one million shots.”

I sit up and eye her warily, not sure how to react to… whatever’s going on. My lizard brain notes that screaming is bad, but the desire to consume alcohol doesn’t usually go hand in hand with an actual emergency.

“Can I get some clarification on what’s happening here?” I ask. “What level of emergency are we currently in?”

“Red, maybe. Whatever the big one is.” Sofia kicks off her boots and totters over to the sofa, where she sinks down onto the cushions near my feet. She’s shaking so badly that I swear the furniture trembles. “Knight, I… I did it.”

“Slow down, there. If you’re about to confess to a crime, I should warn you that I’m terrible at keeping secrets.”

Sofia shoots me a quelling glance. “I turned in my thesis.”

“You did?” I lurch toward her on the sofa and wrap my arms around her. “Sofia, that’s amazing.”

“I… I’m graduating. I’ve considered myself a full-time student for so many years, it’s become a part of me. What am I going to do now?” Her cheeks are flushed, and a bright red heat is creeping across her neck. “I don’t have a five-year plan!”

“Aww, baby.” I nuzzle my face into her neck. “You’re so cute when you’re having a meltdown.”

She laughs and tries to pull away. “Knock it off! Your stubble tickles.”

“It does?” I rub my face against her more intently. “Maybe that means you need to wrap your legs around my ears.” Sofia shrieks and squirms as she tries to get away from me. We tussle until I’m on top of her, pinning her to the cushions.

Only then do I push myself up, bracing my weight on my arms, to smile down at her. Sofia’s eyes are slightly glassy, and I’m pretty sure that she’d be receptive if I opted to take this cuddle session in a sexy direction, but she’s clearly having some big feelings right now. Enthusiastic dry humping can wait.

“I’m proud of you,” I tell her, shifting to one side so that I settle between her and the back of the couch. “This is a big deal. Should we do something to celebrate?”

“Maybe.” She rubs her palms over her eyes. “I’m sure that my parents will want to throw some kind of shindig at some point, but… I feel a little lost.”

I nod and hum my sympathy. “Want to talk about it?”

“It’s just…” She folds her arms over her chest and closes her eyes. “I’ve always had some sort of goalpost, you know? I wasn’t sure how to make my parents happy—which, turns out, I didn’t need to worry about after all. But as far as school, there’s always been a plan and a rubric and deadlines. I can track how I’m doing, because the rules have been clear. Even when I was applying to programs and waiting for answers, I was still waiting to be graded. Approved or rejected. It still made sense. Now I’m about to get my master’s, so unless I go for a Ph.D., or switch subjects entirely, I’m at the end of the line. I have to adult whether I like it or not.”

I trace my fingertips over the soft skin of her forearm. “That sounds like it could be liberating.”

“Or panic-inducing.” Sofia’s bark of laughter does sound a bit unhinged. “I guess I… get a job now? Design my own rubric of life? Ugh, that sounds terrifying.”

“So, take some time to figure things out,” I suggest.

“And do what in the meantime? Squat in my parents’ pool house forever?”

I laugh at her intensity. “Forever? Sofia, you haven’t even graduated yet. Take a deep breath.” I demonstrate.

Sofia follows my cues, flaring her nostrils and sucking in giant lungfuls of air.

“Good.” I kiss her cheek. “Now, get up. I want to show you something.”

Sofia clambers to her feet, which is easier said than done, given the way we’re mushed together on the sofa. Eventually, we untangle our limbs, and I lead her toward the door, slipping on a pair of slides as we go.

“Ugh,” Sofia mumbles, “socks with sandals. That should be a huge turn-off. I might need to revise my thesis.”

“Too late, you’re already done.” I take her hand. “Don’t worry, we’re not going far. You won’t have to be seen in public with me.”

Instead of taking the elevators, I lead her to the stairs. For what I have in mind, it’s easier to use the back hallway. Sofia follows me down.

When I stop at the staff entrance to the first-floor shop, she watches me fish out my keyring and unlock the door.

“What are you doing?” she hisses. “You can’t go in there. How did you get the key?”

I hold the door open for her and answer at full volume. “Of course I can. I bought it, after all.”

Sofia’s brow furrows. She takes a hesitant step toward the door but still doesn’t step inside. “What do you mean?”

“I bought this space with the condo. Which is why I picked this particular one.” I press my hand to her lower back to usher her through. “Come on, let’s take a look.”

Sofia’s eyes widen as we step through into the shop. There are two small rooms in the back, each with a door that can be locked. They’re both standing open right now, currently empty, although they’re just waiting to be fitted with shelves or desks or something to bring them to life.

Out front, the main floorspace is open. Blank. Inviting. I’m not sure what layout would be best, but from the moment I saw it, I was struck by the possibilities. Sofia, too, is visibly awed. She walks out into the middle of the floor and turns in a slow circle. Her eyes are huge and luminous, her earlier worries forgotten in the wake of this new mystery.

“What are you going to do with it?” she asks.

I stuff my hands into the pockets of my sweats. “That’s up to you.”

“Me?” She rotates back to me. “What am I going to do with it?”

“I was thinking…” I lower my head and clear my throat. Past Knight was pretty damn presumptuous, wasn’t he? “I was thinking it could be your jewelry store.”

Sofia’s mouth opens, and she makes a small, incoherent sound.

“I mean, if you hate the idea, I could lease it out,” I hurry on. “Or maybe you want to do something else entirely. But you love doing your livestreams, and you keep talking about how your jewelry business took off after your photoshoot. Just think about it… you could sell your pieces here. Or you could focus on supplies. You could have, like, a bead bar or something. And classes! I bet a lot of people would love to take classes with you in person. They love when you mentor them online.”

Sofia is staring at me as if I spontaneously grew a second head and started speaking exclusively in pig Latin. “I… what? ”

“I thought it would make sense with you living above the store. Sofia, I love you. I just want to make you happy.”

Sofia holds up both hands in a time-out T. “Back up. When did I move in?”

I shuffle my sandaled feet against the floor and scratch the back of my neck. “That’s what married people do, right?”

Her eye twitches. “I feel like in an effort to be a better communicator, you’ve skipped like nine steps.”

“Nine. That’s an oddly specific number.” I press my palms together. “Okay, here it goes.” Shit, I can’t believe I’m doing this in socks and sandals. I am woefully underprepared. But there’s no time like the present.

I get down on one knee.

“Oh!” Sofia’s hands fly to her mouth. Her eyes well up with tears. “Knight…”

I shake my head. “There’s no crying during a proposal, only after.”

“Are you sure? Is that what’s happening here?”

I take a deep breath as I nod. “Yes, Sofia. That’s what’s happening here. See, when we were little, my father told me to protect you before we climbed on the school bus for kindergarten. I’ve never wanted to stop. Now, after all these years, I still want to be your best friend. And your lover. I want to worship you, mind, body, and soul. I want to watch your stomach grow with our children. Then I want to be the best father I could possibly be, just like mine was to me. I want to share every moment with you for the rest of our lives. And I want to support all your passions, fulfill all your needs. So, I’m asking you: will you make my future complete and marry me?”

She fans her pink cheeks with both hands and tilts her head back. “That was a really good proposal. Just let me osmose this back into my tear ducts, since I’m apparently not supposed to get emotional.”

Ah, she’s joking about it. That’s… not a good sign. I bite back a sigh. “Is this where you tell me you need to think about it?”

“No.” Sofia keeps fanning her face. “I mean, yes. I mean, I don’t need to think about it… I totally want to marry you. I’m just having a lot of feelings right now, and today’s already been pretty intense, so I’m just having a moment here while I try to unscramble my brain. Your words were perfect, and I’m struggling to find any words at all.”

My smile creeps across my face, growing wider with each frantic word. “Really? Even though things have been kind of, uh, complicated lately?”

Sofia chuckles. “Getting cold feet already?”

“No!” I reach up for one of her hands, and she lowers it against my cupped palms. “No, I want to do this. I was going to ask you before, but I see that I did the thing again. The one where I make big decisions without consulting you. I just want to be super clear that, even if this is too much to take on right now…” I nod to encompass the blank walls of the shop. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

“I still can’t believe you bought this on a whim,” Sofia says.

“It wasn’t a whim. It was an investment. Oh, and speaking of jewelry… dang it.” I struggle to my feet. “Wait right here. Don’t go anywhere. Your ring is upstairs.”

“You have a ring picked out already?” I didn’t think Sofia’s eyes could get any wider, but they do.

“Don’t worry.” I bend to kiss her cheek. “I actually did consult you on this one.” I bolt for the stairs and take them two at a time. I don’t want to keep my girlfriend waiting.

No, scratch that, my fiancée.

It doesn’t take me long to retrieve the ring box from its hiding spot and bolt back to the ground level. Sofia is walking around the room, hands folded behind her back, examining the walls. I can tell that she’s imagining all the things she could do with the space.

“Getting some good ideas?” I ask.

“Mm.” She turns back to me. “A few.” She walks over, staring at the box in my hand expectantly. When I open it, she gasps. “Wait. This is the ring! When? How?”

“I bought it that day.” I hold out the box toward her, so that the metal setting flashes in the diffused light filtering through the paper over the windows. “I thought you were dropping hints about getting engaged. But maybe that was just wishful thinking.”

She looks at me, eyes wide, her expression softening as she realizes what’s happening. I slide the ring out of the box and gently take her hand, slipping the band onto her finger. Her breath hitches, and I can feel the slight tremble in her hand as the ring finds its place. It’s like the piece has always belonged there, just waiting for the right moment.

“Perfect fit,” I murmur, my heart pounding as I watch her take it in. This is it—our beginning.

“Knight.” Sofia’s lower lip wobbles. “Please tell me I’m allowed to cry for this part.”

“You can do whatever you want, babe.”

I open my arms, and Sofia falls into them. She presses her face to my shoulder and squeezes me tight.

I stroke her head and close my eyes. “I can’t believe you thought I was ashamed to be seen with you, Sof. Never again. I’m showing you off everywhere… unless you decide you want to skip an event. Got it? You’re gonna be my wife . We’re in this together.”

“And I can’t believe I ever thought you were icky, even for a moment.” She sniffles into my shirt. “You’re the least icky guy I know. Even if you wear animal slippers, and puffy headbands, and socks with sandals.”

“Mystery solved, then.” I kiss her forehead. “You’re not too picky. You just needed to find the right guy.”

Sofia pulls back, just enough to smile up at me through red-rimmed eyes. “I didn’t need to find him, though, did I? I had him all along.”

“Always have.” I lower my head until our lips almost touch. “Always will.”

She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me closer, closing the distance between us once and for all.