come on in, im so happy you’re here.

And sweet dreams they were. Too sweet. Not exactly the kind of dream you wanted to have when the star of the show was sleeping right next to you. 

You aren’t positive what time it is when you slowly slip back into the present, but the first thing you notice is the heavy weight pressing against your midsection. Then it was the heat pressed against your back, followed by the soft hum of breathing in your ear. Your own breathing falters as you slowly come to the realization that Nico was holding you. That he was keeping you against him like you were the only thing keeping him tethered to Earth. 

Your body stills as a few beats of silence pass, contemplating what you should do next. Though the feeling of his finger tips pressing into your hip was making that increasingly difficult. Do you try and free yourself from his nearly iron-clad hold, or do you accept your temporary fate and attempt to go back to sleep? Ultimately, you selfishly choose the latter and relax against him until you’re diving back into the sweetest of dreams. 

When you finally come to a few hours later, you’re uncomfortably aware that you are now very much so alone in the bed. The man that previously occupied the spot directly behind you left nothing but a half made bed and empty feeling in his wake, and you couldn’t stop the slight sense of embarrassment that was crawling up your neck. Had Nico purposely slipped out before you woke up because he was weirded out when he woke up to you practically glued to him? Had he gone down to ask if it was too late to switch to the couch?

Deep down, you knew you were likely reading far too much into than what was necessary, but you were never one to be an underthinker, or even a normal thinker. Everything about what went on in your mind was over the top and dramatic, and thinking about Nico was certainly not an exception to that. If anything, thinking about Nico only made that worse.

By the time you had rid yourself of your pajamas and made yourself presentable enough for breakfast, most of your anxieties had dissipated to more of a dull annoyance rather than a stabbing reminder. However, you’re positive you can credit your ability to relax to your cousin coming into your room halfway through getting ready and her distracting you with her own boy problems. Who knew fourteen year olds had so much drama?

A group of uncles, dads and eager to learn kids had all helped make breakfast on the blackstone out back, which you were grateful for because you didn’t have the energy to make anything that wasn’t a bowl of cereal. You were carefully shoveling food onto your plate while simultaneously scanning the small crowd. For no one in particular, of course. Your brows were slightly pinched together as you took the seat by your mom, but you tried to shake off your confusion before she noticed.

Wishful thinking.

“Some of the boys went into town to grab some last minute supplies,” She cooly informs, bringing her mug of coffee to her lips, “Though, Nico didn’t seem all too eager to go. You wouldn’t have any idea what that’s about?”

Your cheeks burn when you feel a few too many pairs of eyes fall to you, and you’re silently cursing your mom for saying something so incriminating around the biggest gossips in the family. She meetsyour narrow eyes with an amused twinkle in her own, giving you an innocent shrug as if she didn’t know what she was doing. Can’t trust anyone around here.

“No, I’m not sure,” You say through a strained breath, “I haven’t talked to him much.”

“Oh, honey, you should! He’s so handsome and you two are sharing a room. Maybe you could show a little leg and get him into bed with ya.”

“Aunt Myrna!” 

When the guys returned from their venture into town, everyone else was far too busy with setting up for the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding itself, to pay them any mind as they poured into the backyard. Except for Irene who was quick to branch off from her own task to curtly hand them their own, and none of them even dared to speak out against her orders. While they scramble to find their respective workstations, you can’t help but sneak a small peak at Nico as he follows after a few of the other groomsmen.

You watch as his gaze bounces from person to person until it lands on you, and the smile that forms on his face when he finds you already looking at him makes your legs turn to jelly. Even from across the yard, you can see the way his dimples indent his cheeks and his eyes shine with excitement. It makes the smile you give him in return come without effort , and hopefully just as bright as his own. With his focus solely on you, you can’t bring yourself to care about Zack’s suspicious gaze flickering between you, or Marni’s mischievous smile once she notices you from a few feet away. For that fleeting moment, it was only you and Nico, and you felt something you thought would never be real for you clawing its way to the surface. 

Once you were finished with your delegated job, you were darting up to your room to shower off all the sweat that clung to you before you began getting ready for the rehearsal. This time, you made sure to bring a pair of shorts and a tank top to change into while you were still in the bathroom so there wasn’t a repeat of yesterday's events. With your hair wrapped up in a towel, you step out of the bathroom to see Nico sitting in the desk chair and you nearly choke on the air that’s passing through to your lungs. 

The material of his shirt was clinging to his chest and biceps, his shorts were riding up his thighs because of the way he was sitting, his hair was damp with sweat and falling in his eyes. God, all he’s doing is sitting there and it’s making your brain short circuit. 

“Are you alright,” His voice breaks through the fog clouding your head. 

The smugness that was woven between his words didn’t go unnoticed by you, but you don’t acknowledge them either. You couldn’t. Not when he looked like that and all you wanted to do was kiss him until you couldn’t breathe. Among other things.

“Yeah,” You nervously clear your throat, avoiding his gaze as you make your way to the side of the bed, “Are you alright?”

“I will be,” He hums, and you can feel his eyes dragging the length of your body, “Are you done in the bathroom? I need to shower all this sweat off before the dinner.”

“All yours,” You wave off as you busy yourself with setting up the hair and makeup products you need, “Be careful when you walk in, though. I accidentally dropped the shower head and water got everywhere.”

“I skate for a living, I think I can handle it,” He playfully jokes as he grabs his clothes from his bag. 

You pause your movements, listening as the door closes behind him, and not soon after, you can hear a quick and quiet string of foreign curse words followed by the sound of, what you assume is, his hand slapping against the counter to steady himself. There was no stopping the laughter from escaping you, but you did try to at least stifle it so he didn’t hear you. However, you knew you failed when you heard his muffled shout of protest, which only makes you laugh harder. 

Music softly plays on your phone while you focus on getting hair dried and styled correctly before you can move on to your makeup. You were in the middle of curling your lashes when you hear the bathroom door clicking open, and your mouth drops open to make fun of Nico for nearly slipping, but the words get caught in your throat when you see him stepping into the room with nothing but a towel on. 

The material was snug against his hips, droplets of water falling from his hair and rolling down the planes of his toned chest. Your gaze slides further down, pausing when you get to the small happy trail beneath his belly button. You let out a shaky breath, one that you hope was subtle enough that missed it, and you force your stare further north just in time to watch his gaze flicker towards you.

“Sorry, forgot my pants,” He smoothly apologizes, tossing you an almost knowing smile before he disappears back into the bathroom.

Oh. My. God. You might need to lie down for a minute. Your entire body was on fire, burning with a type of desire you hadn’t felt in a long time, and a small part of you thinks that it’s not just you who can feel it. 

The ceremony rehearsal goes as well as it could have gone. Though, during the entire run through, you could feel Nico’s eyes on you and you tried to ignore it. You tried to focus on listening to the instructions being called out, moving when you needed to, but he was making it so damn hard. Every time you thought you had calmed down enough, your gaze would accidentally snag his own and you felt like your heart was that much closer to beating out of your chest.

It wasn’t any easier during the dinner itself, either. Especially not when Nico’s assigned seat was directly next to yours. The whole time he was making casual conversation with you, and you were doing your best to appear cool and collected, but that had never been your forte. Instead, you would actively seek out any one of the others around you to act as a sort of buffer to alleviate some of your nerves until everything was over and you could go your separate ways for the night.

Luckily for you, since tomorrow was the wedding, you and Zack were switching rooms so he was rooming with Nico while you got to stay with Marni for the night. You thought it would be easier to sleep without him less than a foot away from you, but it was nearing two in the morning and you had yet to fall asleep. Hopefully Stacy was good at concealing under eye bags, or maybe the photographer could just edit them out afterwards. 

After tossing and turning for far longer than you wanted to, you slowly slipped out of the bed and tiptoed towards the door. You were careful when you were sliding it open and closed, not wanting to  make any sort of noise loud enough to force her out of sleep. The last thing you wanted was to ruin the bride's sleep before the big day, even if she is a heavy sleeper. 

The house is quiet as you make your way through the halls, passing by Thomas who was halfway on the couch and completely uncovered by the blanket that was now on the floor. When you reach the kitchen, you leave the bigger lights off and use only the light coming through the wall of glass behind you to find your way to the fridge. You pull a bottle of water out and let the door shut on its own, leaning against the counter to unscrew the bottle cap. 

You were too zoned out to hear the sound of footsteps approaching you, or the sound of someone softly calling your name. It wasn’t until you felt the pressure of someone’s hand on your shoulder that a startled yelp passed through your lips and you noticed you were no longer alone anymore. Nico was biting back laughter as your hand clamped over your mouth, both of you letting a few beats pass to make sure your yell didn’t wake anyone up. 

“Sorry,” He quietly chuckles,  “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“What are you doing awake,” You redirect, placing the bow half-drunk water bottle on the counter behind you. 

“Same thing as you it seems,” He points out as he repeats your actions from not even five minutes ago, “Can’t sleep?”

“No,” You shake your head as you cross your arms against your chest, “Don’t know why. I’m exhausted, but I just can’t get my brain to turn off.” 

“I know the feeling,” He mumbles as he leans against the counter beside you, “So, I overheard a special someone wants to dance with you tomorrow.”

His words cause your eyes to widen and your brows to shoot up while asking, “Who?”

“Thomas,” Nico snickers, though you can hear an underlying tone to his voice that starkly contracts the amusement, “Said the first slow song that comes on, he’s finding you.” 

“Oh no,” You groan, throwing your head back in annoyance, “I can’t even slow dance, and, full offense, I do not want him to be the one to teach me.”

“What do you mean you can’t slow dance,” Nico’s face twists in confusion, his hair falling into his eyes as he angles himself to peer down at you. 

“Never learned,” You plainly shrug, “I never went to any school dances, and every wedding I’ve gone to, I went by myself, so I’ve just never done it.”

You watch as Nico discards his water bottle somewhere on the counter before he steps into your space, “Let me teach you.”

The air is sucked out of your lungs as you peer up at him, jaw slack as the words you want to say die in your throat. Nico’s staring at you expectantly, waiting for your response, but you’re not sure you trust yourself enough to speak without it coming out strangled and messy. Instead, you manage a weak nod he can barely see in the lowly lit kitchen, but that was all he needed.

Without breaking eye contact, he grabs your left hand and slowly guides it to grasp the nape of his neck before he places one of his on your hip. He uses his leverage on you to pull you into his chest, and he slides his other hand across the inside of your forearm to lace his fingers with your own. You let him move you however he wants, let him pull you so close that you’re almost certain he can feel your heart racing. 

“There’s no music,” You finally speak up through a shaky breath, goosebumps rising on your skin.

“We can pretend,” Nico’s voice is deep and gruff, making the warm feeling in your stomach spread.

He slips his hand to the small of your back, applying the tiniest amount of pressure as he begins to guide your body across the floor. The silence between you was palpable, almost suffocatingly so. Even in the darkness, you can see the way Nico’s eyes fall to your lips and it feels like the world around you fades away until only the two of you remain. 

His hand flexes against your back, and your fingers inch upwards to toy with the ends of his hair. Waiting. The space between you slowly disappears until you can feel his warm breath fanning across the bottom half of your face, and your lips are ghosting over his.  You’re teasing him, baiting him into chasing after you the same way he had done to you all those years ago when he kissed you the first time, but Nico wasn’t waiting anymore. He’d done plenty of that. 

His mouth was on yours and your head was soaring into the stars above. His mouth moves against yours like you were made for each other. When you drop his hand to grasp at the material of his shirt against his chest, Nico uses it as an opportunity to cradle the back of your head and deepen the kiss into something that makes your knees nearly give out. If it weren’t for his arm holding you against him, you’re positive they would have.

His hand slips under your t-shirt, fingers gently grazing your side in a way that makes your entire body shudder. Without breaking away from him, you slowly let your hand fall down the length of his chest, stopping just at the hem of his shirt when your fingers twitch for the waistband of his shorts. The want, the desire, is there, but you knew better than to open that door when you were in the middle of a kitchen you shared with over two dozen people who could walk in at any moment.

When your fingertips press against his toned stomach, it pulls a groan out of Nico that makes heat pool between your legs and that was when you knew you needed to stop before you started something that you weren’t going to be able to finish. At least, not here and not now. 

You breathlessly pull away from him, letting your forehead fall to his heaving chest and your arms relax over his shoulders. Your head was still spinning Nico delicately nudges your head with his own, bringing your attention back up to him. His parted lips were red and swollen, and it was taking everything in you to not capture them with your own all over again. 

“Hopefully that was better than last time,” He laughs, though you can hear traces of apprehension in his voice. 

“I mean, I think I was but,” You trail off, your head rolling to the side. 

“Alright now,” He playfully presses his fingers into the fleshy part of your hip, “I guess you’ll have to practice with me some more, then.”

Your response is smothered by the sounds of someone softly calling Nico’s name as they come down the stairs, and both of you share a knowing look before you’re begrudgingly stepping out of his grasp. Zack’s footsteps echo off the walls as they near, and you are turning on your heels to make your way back to Marni’s room. The last thing you needed was your brother seeing the two of you alone in the dark.

“Goodnight, Nico,” You quietly call over your shoulder, giving him one last look before you disappear down the hall.

You didn’t have time to think about the events of last night. The second you were woken up, you were forced into the shower and instructed to go to the makeshift bridal suite the moment you were done. Everything after that was a flurry of hair and makeup sessions, running off to grab whatever Marni or Irene needed you to grab, or various photo op sessions at her request. By the time everyone was being guided into their positions, you had almost forgotten the moment between you and Nico.

Almost. 

The sight of him walking down the hall with the others brought the memory to the forefront of your mind all over again. It made the warm feeling in your stomach return like it had never left, and you had to force yourself to turn away to steady your breathing and bring your heart rate down to something that could be considered normal. You can hear his voice floating past the people behind you, drifting into your ears, making an entire swarm of butterflies flutter around in your stomach. 

“Hey,” Nico calls out, pulling your attention back to him now that he’s standing right beside you, “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Your cheeks burn as you let your eyes dance across every inch of him, taking note of the way the suit was made to fit him perfectly. It was making it hard to focus on speaking, “You look pretty nice yourself.” 

“You think,” He playfully questions, running his hands along the front of his jacket, “I wasn’t sure if this was my color.”

“Nico, it’s a black suit,” You deadpan with a shake of your head. 

Whatever you were going to say next is cut off by the sound of Irene shouting at everyone to get in their places. Everyone begins to shuffle around the kitchen, lining up in their assigned position with their assigned partner. Minus Thomas who is, in fact, walking by himself. Hopefully, no one gave him enough time to sneak off and bribe whoever was in charge of the music. 

Nico settles into the spot to your right, wordlessly holding his arm out while he peeks at you from the corner of his eye. You slide your hand over the bend in his arm, resting your wrist against it as you adjust the small bouquet of flowers in your grasp. You shuffle on your feet and take a deep breath, trying to ignore the way the skin of your palm feels like it’s on fire. However, it soon falls to the back of your mind when the music begins to play outside and everyone is making their way out the door.

The ceremony was simple, yet insanely beautiful. Not a single dry eye left when it was time to make the short trip to the reception tent. You were grateful for Stacy’s impeccable makeup skills because, if it hadn’t been for your glassy eyes, you wouldn’t have been able to tell that you cried. Unless you were Nico, who had only looked away from you a total of three times the entire time.

Exactly like in the rehearsal, you were in the chair beside Nico, but this time you don’t shy away from him. You give him your full attention when you can, you let him press his thigh against yours without flinching away, you even scoot your chair closer to his. Well, technically he did that on his own when he grabbed the leg of the chair and tugged it in his direction.

“Can you believe,” Nico lowly calls out, leaning over to get a little closer to your ear, “Our boy is married. The same guy who once bailed off the roof because he swore his legs were unbreakable is married.”

“I know,” You chuckle, a soft look in your eyes as you watch the newlyweds dance, “I’m happy for them. I’m glad they found each other.”

As the first dance and parent dances come to an end, they announce that they were going to start playing music for everyone. You stay seated as most of the others dart to the dance floor, diving deeper into a conversation with a few of the other bridesmaids about your favorite memories with Marni. Meanwhile, Nico stays in the seat next to you with his arm slung around the back of your chair.

The upbeat song fades into something slower and with a gentle melody, and it wasn’t long until everyone was whisking their respective partners away to dance with them. Your shoulders slouch a little bit, but all it takes is a gentle nudge to your bicep to bring your attention to Nico. He doesn’t say anything, wordlessly glancing to the middle of the tent before his eyes shift to a few seats down from you. With one quick look behind you to see Thomas moving from his chair, you were grabbing Nico’s hand and dragging him to join the others.

You can feel everyone’s gaze on you as they watch you with curious and watchful eyes, but you force yours to stay trained on Nico’s face. Neither of you look away from the other as you position yourselves, both of you getting lost in whatever was filling the small space between you while your hands find their places against him. Finally, you take a shaky breath, briefly letting your eyes wander until you accidentally catch the suspicious stare that belonged to Zack. His eyes narrow at you, but you don’t linger for too long before you begin to move along to the music. 

You try to, at least. It took all of ten seconds for you to stumble over your own feet. 

“I told you I don’t know how to do this,” You sheepishly mumble, eyes falling to Nico’s chest as it rumbles with quiet laughter.

“You’re doing great,” His hand flexes on your hip, “Just let me guide you like I did last night.”

Your ears burn at the double meaning of his words, but you don’t say anything as you let your gaze crawl back to his face. He was biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling too smugly, but you could see the glint in his eyes that gave him away. It makes heat flood to your cheeks, and to your stomach. 

“I love weddings,” You hear who you think is Marni’s great aunt sigh from a few feet away, “They’re full of so much love and it brings people together.”

Her words hit a nerve within you, making your body go rigid despite Nico’s efforts to keep you moving across the floor. An ice cold realization washes over you, sending an uncomfortable chill straight to your bones. You watch as his face twists, his brows knitting together and his head tilting in confusion, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t ask. He just keeps you as close as possible until the final chords are filtering through the speakers. 

“I’m going to go see if they need any help at the bar,” You rush out before he can even get a word in, stepping away from him like his touch was burning you. 

You avoid Nico for the rest of the reception, and this time everyone notices. You’re dodging question after question from anyone who speaks to you, brushing their assumptions off with the simple excuse that it was just a dance. There was nothing between you and Nico. It was just the spirit of the wedding bringing two of the three single adults together. 

That was all any of this was, wasn’t it?

Zack doesn’t say anything to you about it, but there was a small period of time where he stepped away with Nico, and no one knew why. It was during that time that your parents had decided to corner you, pressing and prodding until you harshly snap at them to stop. The second they see the glossy look in your eyes, they’re smoothly changing the subject, but you know all that means is they’re making a mental bookmark to check in with you later. You just hope you’re able to lock yourself in your room before they get the chance to.

When the happy couple decides to make their break for the airport, you stay sandwiched between your parents and in front of your uncles so there’s no room for Nico around you. Shouts of goodbyes echo into the woods as they finally make their break to get their honeymoon started, and for a moment you forget about the nauseating ball in your throat. Despite the people of the hour being gone, no one makes a move to stop the party. In fact, you’re almost positive you heard your uncle yell something about grilling hamburgers for everyone. 

“I’m gonna go inside,” You mumble to your mom, an overwhelming wave of emotions hitting you all at once, “Just for a bit. I need a breather.”

“Okay, sunshine,” She wraps her arm around your shoulder and places a gentle kiss on your temple, “I’ll snag ya a burger when they’re done. I love you.”

Luckily for you, everyone was far too focused on finding more cases of beer and getting the grills fired up to notice you slipping into the house. You don’t let your shoulders fall until the door to your room is shut behind you, a heavy exhale passing through your lips as you lean your head back. Your brain was running a mile a minute trying to run through every interaction you’ve had with Nico over the last few days.

Was any of it real for him? Was he only interested because you were his only option? 

It made sense. You’ve known Nico for nearly a decade, and, outside of the awkward kiss, he had never shown any interest in you before. He typically would only text you first when it was related to a trip you were taking with Zack to visit, or related to your brother in general. Other times, it was you who was reaching out to him. Sure, he would respond within minutes. Sure he was always one of the first people to like your instagram pictures or tell you happy birthday, but those were things he had always done. It was just how he was.

You should’ve known better than to let yourself think it was anything more than a casual weekend fling for him.

Pushing yourself off the door, you step out of your shoes and navigate through the mess of blankets, clothes, and bags strewn across the floor. As you settle on the edge of the unmade bed, you tug at the neckline of your dress, the material uncomfortably clawing at your skin. The pins holding your hair felt like they were pressing into your skull, your feet were aching from the strap of your heels being too tight and all you wanted to do was sleep. After party be damned.

You were standing in front of the mirror trying to pull out all of the bobby pins that were keeping your hair in place when you heard the door opening. Assuming it was your mom or dad, you don’t bother to peek your head out the door, too focused on the task at hand. However, the person you hear calling your name makes your stomach sink.

“Hey,” He greets, voice hesitant and soft, “I saw you come up so I wanted to check on you.”

You keep your eyes focused on the mirror, trying to distract yourself from the way your heart was clenching in your chest, “I’m alright.”

Your response was short and curt in an attempt to come off impassive, but the way your hands were trembling gave you away. Not that Nico needed any help figuring out that something with you was off. He’s known that since the two of you danced together. What he didn’t know was why.

Silence clings to both of you, Nico unsure where to guide the conversation, and you not trusting the words that could come out of your mouth. With your hair free from what felt like a thousand pins, you wordlessly slipped passed Nico and tried to busy yourself with searching through one of your bags on the desk. Though you can feel his stare piercing your back, and you’re fairly certain you’ve flipped over the same shirt six times because you can’t seem to focus.

“I don’t buy it,” He rumbles, stepping closer to you, “Something's wrong.”

“What would be wrong,” You deflect as you zip the bag closed, turning to face him with smile so forced that it hurt.

Looking at Nico was a mistake. The way he was gazing down at you, like he was peeking into the deepest parts of your soul, made your heart skip and that warm feeling bloom in your chest, but you forced all of it down. You’d already made the mistake of letting yourself grasp onto the straws of hope, and you weren’t going to do that again.

“You tell me,” He shrugs, and you can tell that his patience is wearing thin, “I thought– I thought we were going in the right direction this whole time, and then you push me away out of nowhere. I thought you felt the same way, but now I’m confused.”

“Yeah like any of it was even real,” You scoff, shaking your head as you walk around him to avoid looking him in the eye, “Was it real? Or was it all brought out because I was your only option?”

Nico felt like you had slapped him across the face. His eyes narrow in disbelief as your words uncomfortably settle in his chest, but he knows that you’re reacting out of fear. He can tell that something had gotten to you somewhere throughout the dance the two of you had shared, and you’d been spiralling about it ever since. He’d gone over it in his head a dozen times, trying to figure out what he had done, but he came up empty every time. However, your accusation was the last thing he expected to hear.

“Do you really think that–,” His words come out strained, twinging with a kind of vulnerability that made your heart ache, “That I did all of that because you were ‘my only option’? Do you think that’s the kind of person I am?”

You fall onto the bed with a quiet thud, throwing your head into your hands as you try to keep your breathing even and your tears at bay. Nico’s questions ring in your ears so loudly it felt like it was splitting your head in two. Of course that wasn’t the kind of person you thought he was, but you feel like there’s no other explanation.

“I don’t know,” You sharply snap, pushing your palms into your eyes, “It just all seems very convenient. We’ve known each other forever and you’ve never made a move before, so why now?”

Nico’s footsteps softly echo in the room, and you hold your breath as he nears you. He pauses when he’s nearly a foot away from you, the few beats of silence that pass making your stomach twist itself into nearly unmanageable knots. Nico falls to his knees in front of you, his hands hovering over your forearms like he was contemplating whether or not touching you was a good idea. Ultimately, he gently pries your hands away from your face and smothers them with his own.

You press your cheek to your shoulder and squeeze your eyes closed, not wanting him to see your tear stained cheeks or the fractured look in your eyes. You were embarrassed enough as it is, the last thing you need is for him to see how deeply all of this affects you. 

“If you think this wasn’t real for me, you’re wrong,” He begins while caressing the skin of your hand with his thumb, your name delicately falling from his lips, “It’s been real since you came to me and asked me to teach you how to kiss and I told you you needed more practice just so I could kiss you again. It was real when Zack didn’t answer, so you called me crying because your college boyfriend broke up with you, and all I could think about was how I would never do that to you.

“It was real when I planned an entire day of tourist traps when you came to visit me with Zack because, even though he hates them, I knew you’d love them. It’s always been real for me, even if you never saw it.”

You still don’t face him. You can’t. Not when the weight of his words slams into you so harshly it makes your entire body ache. Not when your heart and mind were tugging and pulling at one another, waging an internal battle so intense that you aren’t sure which is going to win. If all of that was true, if Nico truly felt the same way, why had he never said something before?

Probably for the same reason you hadn’t.

“I don’t know what to say,” You whisper, finally letting your eyes flicker to Nico.

He was kneeling in front of you, his hands caressing your own as he peers up at you with soft yet anxious eyes. Nico’s always been one to wear his emotions without sha me, his face and eyes telling a story without him ever opening his mouth. You, on the other hand, had always tried to keep yourself together on the outside, but you can tell that Nico can see right through that facade. He’s always been able to.

“I can’t tell you what to feel, or what to say,” He lets out a shaky breath, “I just hope that you believe me.”

“I want to,” You croak, shaking his hands off yours so you could wipe at your cheeks, “It’s just– Fuck. I feel like a broken record, but I just don’t know. I don’t want to get hurt.”

You said that last part so quietly that Nico almost missed it. Almost. 

“Hey,” His voice is soft, pleading, while his heart clenches in his chest, “The last thing I would ever do is hurt you, I can promise that. When—,” He squeezes his eyes closed and takes a deep breath, “When Zack told me we would be sharing a room, the only thing I could think about was how maybe I’d finally get the chance to tell you how I feel about you. To tell you how I’m always thinking of you, always looking for you in everything I see and wishing you were by my side to experience it all.

“But I didn’t want to scare you away, so I tried to be subtle. I looked at you a little longer than necessary. I made up excuses about not knowing that many people just so I could be close to you. I even asked Irene if I could help you with setup, but she told me no. My point is, I’ve been trying this whole time because I’ve liked you for much longer and I—”

Without another thought, you cut him off. You’re grabbing him by the collar of his dress shirt, slamming your lips together as a way to tell him that he doesn’t need to explain himself anymore. You believe him. You want him, even if it absolutely terrifies you.

Nico doesn’t hesitate to return your kiss, his hands flying to cup your jaw and his mouth working against your own to deepen it into something that makes your body feel like it’s on fire. It’s not slow, but it’s not fast, either. He’s taking his time with you, savoring the way your lips feel all over again despite the slight salty taste they had. For a moment, he pulls away, his thumb brushing against your bottom lip as he gazes at you with heavy eyes. He’s looking at you like he was trying to commit your face to memory, and it made you nervous. The kind of nervous that sends bursts of electricity to the lower part of your belly. Before you have a chance to speak, he was crowding back into your space. 

His hands slide to the back of your thighs and, without breaking apart, he lifts you up and takes your place on the bed before he settles you in his lap. He grips at your waist, applying the slightest bit of pressure so you’re slowly, agonizingly slow, grinding down against him while he moves his mouth against you with a purpose. He’s kissing you, fervently, desperately, and you were more than willing to return the favor. Your hands were carding through his hair, tugging at the roots to pull low groans from Nico that made the warmth between your legs become almost unbearable.

“Nico,” You whine against his lips, “Stop that. Don’t start something we can’t finish.”

“Everyone else has done it,” He mumbles, kissing down your jaw until he reaches the expanse of your neck, “Maybe it’s our turn.”

Fuck. Hopefully no one comes looking for you two anytime soon.

You were tucked under Nico’s arm, breathless and a little sticky from the event of what just happened between you. Several events, actually. Three of which happened in the bathroom when you tried to clean up in the shower. So much for that. You figured Nico had high stamina because he was an athlete, but he certainly put your own to the test. 

You match your breathing to the own rise and fall of his chest, mind still a little foggy as the two of you lay together in silence. Nico’s hand was brushing against your spine, making goosebumps form on your skin and your body shudder just from his touch. As you come down from the euphoric feeling, you start to think. 

Think of possibilities, of outcomes and obstacles. While Nico had told you how he felt, you let your emotions take hold before you could ask the one question that could make or break everything. 

“Where do we go from here,” You meekly whisper, your fingers tracing delicate patterns against the planes of his chest.