Angel of the Sun (The First Kiss)

Will

The towel fell.

I have no idea how it happened. All I know is that one second the towel was there, and the next it wasn't (helpful, I know). And, by the way, I still don't understand my reaction. Shock is my best guess.

Nico's face fell. It looked like an army of monsters had materialized in front of him, except that he also blushed. I couldn't see anything because Nico jumped into the shower the instant it happened.

And I just stood there like a moron, laughing. Nah, "laughing" sounds too manly. Giggling is what I was. I calmed down long enough to pass a few words between giggles.

"Dress yourself. I'll be outside. I want to talk," I said.

I did as I said, closing the bathroom door behind me. I couldn't bring myself to sit on Nico's bed again. Not when he was going to come back soon. So, I sat on the floor, cross-legged, and waited.

I should probably explain why I showed up at Nico's cabin, though I think it seems pretty obvious. I was upset. Very. I had wanted to speak to him since yesterday evening when that happened. By that, I mean the yelling and the crying and the swimming. And no, I didn't just let myself in (not at first, at least). I was afraid that exactly the thing that happened would happen. So, I knocked on the door several times. But no one answered, so then I worried, and then I let myself in. I heard the shower running, so I waited in the bedroom area – while staring at his bed and being a nervous, panicky mess, unsuccessfully trying to predict what would happen next –. Then, he came out wearing a towel only. And, well, yeah. And then– Hehe. Oopsies.

Anyway, as I waited for him to change, I rehearsed what I would say in my head. It sounded perfect. I had been thinking of exactly the thing to say for hours. I couldn't sleep last night, so I had time to plan. I thought of doing my speech in a song, I'm Apollo's son, after all, and my dad did that often. But the thought of doing that in front of Nico made me cringe, and I knew that so would he.

Nico got out of the bathroom, and even though he was dressed, seeing me made him jump. "Will. Out. You said you were gonna be out."

"I am out. I'm out of the bathroom."

"That's not– Out of the cabin," he said.

"But why?"

Nico looked down and blushed. "You didn't give me underwear."

I jumped up. "Oh! Okay. Sorry. I didn't think you'd want me to– Nevermind, I can get out... Unless you want me to stay, and I can close my eyes. And– I mean, only if you want me to. That's not what I mean. I mean– I just– Yeah, I'll... um... I'll be outside."

He suppressed a smile, the corners of his lips fighting to quirk up. Nico had such a strong jaw, and when he smiled, it made me dizzy. Cutie Death Boy. My eyes trailed on his mouth. Gods, his mouth was perfect. It had such a beautiful shape, and its pink shade contrasted with his pale face in a way that drew my eyes directly to it. Such a pain he was straight.

That's when Nico realized I was staring at his mouth. Let's be honest, I was basically drooling. "Why are you–"

"Let change I'll you. I mean– let you change. I'll let you change. Bye," I ran outside.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the son of the God of Poetry and Music. Thank you very much.

I waited for Nico outside, running over my speech in my mind. After a few minutes, he opened the door. He wasn't wearing the glittery jacket I picked out (or the Hawaiian shirt, but that shouldn't be a surprise).

Nico didn't say anything when he saw me, but he didn't walk away either, which I assumed meant that he was willing to listen to me. I cleared my throat, willing myself to start. Aaaand... I blanked out. All the well-thought-out words I had picked for my perfect speech disappeared from my brain the second I opened my mouth. Perfect. I'd have to improvise.