Chapter XXII

Will Solace

I dropped Nico off at his cabin on the way to the infirmary."I have an hour shift right now. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Nico nodded, his black hair falling across his eyes.He reminded me of a cute puppy — the kind that pretends not to want affection but secretly wants it more than anyone.

I stood there a second too long.I wanted to kiss him goodbye so badly, but I didn't know if he would want that... not when we had just fixed things. I did not want to push anything.

"Bye," I said instead, settling for a smile I hoped looked casual.

He smiled back. His smile was crooked and a little sleepy, but every time he did it, my stomach felt like it was full of fireworks.

_

After my shift, I practically sprinted back to my cabin.I had lied — it was only a forty-five-minute shift — but I needed time to get ready before going to Nico's.

It was ridiculous how nervous I was. I had dated people before, but something about Nico turned all my confidence into dust. My hands shook just thinking about him.

I knocked on Cabin 13's door. It swung open immediately.

"Hi!" Nico said quickly. His whole face lit up, and I almost melted on the spot.

"Hi," I breathed, trying not to freak out at how excited he sounded.

We sat on the couch, leaving a person-sized gap between us — which suddenly felt like the Grand Canyon.

"Alright," Nico said, curling up in a blanket until only his face showed. "What do you want to watch?"

"Hmmm... how about Star Wars?"

Nico raised an eyebrow. "I haven't heard of it."

"NICO DI ANGELO. YOU'VE NEVER SEEN STAR WARS?!"I practically dove for the remote.

"There are so many words..." Nico whispered at the opening crawl.

"Shhh! Pay attention."

_

After twenty minutes, I shifted ever so slightly closer to him.At least, I thought it was discreet — but Nico's cheeks flushed bright red, so apparently not.

A few more minutes passed. Our fingertips were barely brushing, feather-light touches that made my heartbeat go insane. I was waiting for him to grab my hand. I could do it myself, but I wanted to be absolutely sure he was okay with it.

Ten minutes later, after what looked like Nico hyping himself up through three separate scenes, his cold fingers finally slid around mine.

Something inside my chest exploded.I hoped my hands were not sweaty.

I risked a glance at him. His face was bright red, eyes glued to the screen as if Star Wars required his full, life-or-death attention.

Then his grip tightened just a little.My breath caught.I swear the room tilted.

"Hey, Nico," I whispered.

"Hey, Will," he whispered back, not looking away from the screen.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?"

Nico finally turned, his lips lifting into the smallest, shyest smile."You don't have to ask every time."

"Sorry. I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"No," he murmured, leaning closer. "You won't."

His lips brushed mine — soft and warm, my heartbeat jumped into my throat. I kissed him back, lifting my hand slightly, hovering it near his cheek. I did not know if he wanted to be touched there.

He nudged into my palm without breaking the kiss.

So I let myself cup his cheek gently, holding him like something fragile and precious.

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