Across the Pond

Chapter 41

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a nervous wreck right now. I'm in my room, pacing back and forth, my focus all over the place. While I should be worrying about what to wear, I'm panicking about other things. Like Nico being nice to Danny. Danny getting along with Grandma Ruby and mom. I'm less concerned about the latter because I know that my family will love Danny, but I know Nico, and besides the fact that he dislikes Danny for his own reasons, he doesn't do well with other guys in my life.

Pushing my thoughts to the side, I start rummaging through my drawers. I end up in a white romper and ballet flats. I decide to change up my hairstyle, letting it flow down. I also lift my lashes with a bit of mascara and color my lips with a light tint of pink lipstick.

I get a text from Danny saying that he's on his way, so I make my way into the kitchen, which smells delicious.

"What can I help with?" I ask as Grandma Ruby preps dinner while mom sets the table.

"Nothing, sweetie! We've got it taken care of," mom says, smiling at me. "You look beautiful, Isabella."

"Thank you, mom," I smile back.

"I second that!" Grandma Ruby says, and suddenly, I hear a car pull into the driveway.

"Excuse me," I tell them.

"Go do your thing, honey," mom says.

I make my way to the front and wait until I hear the bell ring before answering it. When it does, I count to 3 and then open the door. But it's not who I was expecting.

"Nico?" I say more like a question.

"Hi, BC," he greets me, immediately coming in for a kiss on the cheek. When he pulls back, I can't help but feel my eyes take him in. My eyes are always taking him in.

He looks very handsome.

He also looks like he just raided Brooks' closet. Nico's style is usually more casual. He likes his jeans, basic shirts, and Air Jordans. But tonight, he's dressed in beige khakis with a brown belt in between the loops and a white button down tucked in. His light brown hair is swept off of his face and his emerald eyes are burning green. I don't know if it's the way that the light is hitting them right now, but they're super bright.

"You look beautiful," he tells me, and then hands me the gorgeous orchids that he's holding. "These are for you."

"Thank you," I smirk, taking them from his grip.

I follow him as he walks into the hallway with his hands in his pockets.

"Smells like Ruby's famous apple tart," he says before turning around to face me.

"She only makes it on special occasions," I tell him, hoping that the comment will imply that someone else is joining us.

"Tonight a special occasion?" he squints his eyes at me and asks in a tone that sounds more flirty than usual.

"You could say that."

Nico walks up to me and reaches for my hands, holding them in his, rubbing my skin with his thumbs. "Bella," he begins, and I look up from our hands to his piercing green eyes. "There's something that I want to tell you." I don't say anything so that he can continue, but the doorbell rings again and his forehead creases together. "You expecting someone else?"

I press my lips together and remain quiet, until I realize that someone is waiting for me on the other side of that door. "Yeah. I am."

I go to open the door and Danny stands before me. He's not dressed as formally as Nico, but he definitely put in the effort to look good. He's wearing dark jeans and a flannel shirt. His hair is styled a little differently than what he usually sports. It's more kept together as opposed to shaggy. He's holding a bottle of Sancerre - which I had mentioned to him is Grandma Ruby's favorite kind of white wine. I'm impressed that he was paying attention to that minor detail.

"Hi," he says softly with a smile on his face.

"Hi," I say back in the same soft tone. I almost forget that Nico's standing behind me, but he reminds me - in pure Nico fashion - when he clears his throat.

"You invited him?" Nico asks me of Danny.

I don't have to look at Danny to know that he must feel uncomfortable by Nico's question. Nico's tone is offensive and not at all welcoming.

"Yes, I did," I state with confidence.

I can tell with just a glance that Nico is not happy with this situation, but it's not my job to ensure that Nico's always happy. That's the thing with Nico, he wears his emotions on his sleeve, so it's not rocket-science to know what he's feeling.

"Is that Nico I hear?" mom exclaims before she enters the hallway. She drops her hands down and smiles. "I'm so happy you're here."

"Are you kidding? Where else would I be?" he says.

Mom turns to face Danny once she pulls away from Nico's embrace. "And you must be Danny," she points at him and says.

"Hi, Ms. Cooper. Thank you so much for having me." Danny lends his hand out for mom to shake, but little does he know, she's a hugger.

"Please, call me Carrie. And it's my pleasure."

When mom hugs Danny, I take that as my opportunity to glance at Nico, but he's not looking at me.

"Dinner should be ready shortly. Why don't we sit outside in the meantime?" mom says.

"Sure," Nico responds, but he doesn't move. Mom passes him, and then Danny does, but when it's my turn, Nico stops me by grabbing my hand.

"Can we talk?" he asks me.

My eyes move from side-to-side. "What about?"

Nico peeks into the other room to make sure that no one can hear.

"You invited Danny tonight?"

"I didn't know that you'd be here, Nico."

"That's not what I asked you, BC. I thought you guys were over."

"We're working it out," I say, intentionally keeping my answer short.

"Working it out?" Nico repeats with a chuckle. "Bella, you dated this guy for two days before ending it. You're clearly not into him."

"Don't be an asshole."

"I know you, Bella. You wouldn't bring a guy home to meet your mom unless you were serious about him."

"Right. Then what does this tell you?"

Nico snickers. "You're not serious about Danny."

"You don't know what I feel for him."

"You know nothing about him."

"Neither do you!" I snap. "Hate him all you want, but leave me out of your beef with him."

"He's just trying to take advantage of your innocence."

"Screw you, Nico," I say, and just as I'm about to walk away from him, Grandma Ruby enters the room.

"What's going on over here?" she asks in a concerned tone.

Nico and I are looking at each other in a way we've never looked at each other before. With disgust.

"Nothing," I say. "Nothing's going on here."