Music, Ink, and Love by Jude Ouvrard

everyone who told her to quit that she could get her credits this semester. I told her to wait a week or two before going back to work and she agreed. We had no financial issues whatsoever. Her classes meant more than a paycheck.
    Picking her up after her class or tutoring had become my new habit this week. I waited for her in the car or at the door of her classroom. The smile on her face each and every time made it all worth it. To my pleasure and Kyle's, Nix started to hang out at the shop again. She mostly had her headphones on with some schoolwork but she was fucking here! Her, in my shop, I was in heaven. I could stare at her as much as I wanted. My muse, my fiancée, nobody had ever made me so damn happy.
    “Lev, I'm done for the day. I can't see straight anymore.”
    “You've been studying for two hours now. You need a break.”
    “Are you ready to head back home?” she asked. There was nothing I couldn't do tomorrow. My designs were close to perfection and I had no appointments scheduled.
    “Let's go.” I told her, and she threw her books in her backpack. “Are you hungry? We could grab something on the way.” I said, putting my designs away in my folder.
    “I feel like cooking something, together.”
    “Good idea, Star.”
    I knew she wasn't really fond of cooking, but I liked it and any excuse to do something together sounded good to me.
    “Anything in particular?” I asked thinking about what food we had.
    “Surprise me.”
    “I can surprise you alright.”
    Shit! I had no idea but I had to come up with something good. Since her return, we had eaten take out or frozen meals. Nothing fancy and I knew she deserved better than this. We had been both focused on her schoolwork. Nix impressed me: she worked so hard on herself recently and yet, she still had energy to learn a bunch of stuff in a very short period of time. Her friends at school were very helpful. If I remembered something about University, it had to be the amount of time I spent studying and learning laws. My brain felt like it was full by the time I graduated. It felt like a lifetime ago but it had been a couple of years.
    We sat in my car, Incubus played in the background. Her old favorite band and also a band I liked a lot, it hadn’t stopped playing since the first time she sat in my car. One of the things I didn’t want to change.
    “I think next week I’ll be ready to go back to work. I’ll have to work hard, again.” She sighed. “But I have stuff to pay.”
    “Work at the shop. You’re always there anyway. At the club, you’ll have to stay up late. Are you ready for that?”
    She listened and thought about what I had just said. “I don’t know, Levi. I’m not sure what to do, I think I’m getting better with my classes. I’m catching up fast. But moneywise, I need to work.”
    “I told you not to worry about money. I’ve got it covered. We’re in this together, babe. If you’re going to let me be your husband, you’ll have to learn to let me pay for your stuff when you need it. It’s just money, and I happen to have it. Let me help you. Focus on your classes, now. Work on your homework and when you’ll be ready, we’ll call Tyler and you’ll have your place back.”
    “Why do you make it seem so easy?” She looked down to her fingers.
    “Because there is nothing complicated. I know you’re strong, babe, but you just got through some heavy shit. I don’t feel like now is a good time for you to stress about shit that isn’t necessary, okay?” I took her hands in mine and kissed her. “I hope you understand my point. I want you to do what you want, but I hope you’ll consider what I’m offering you.”
    “We’re in this together. The Save Nix from her Past Struggles foundation.” She chuckled.
    “No, babe. I’m just looking after you. That’s what couples do, right?”
    “Right.” She sighed looking out the window. “Thank you, I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
    “No, babe. You don’t