Because I Care

Remember When

I just realized that not very many Percabeth moments happen in Percy's POV. so...

Percy.

Driving in a car. For already two hours. And two more to go.

WHY ME?

"C'mon, already!" I growled, and slammed my hands down on the steering wheel. Next to me Annabeth sighed. Today, for once, she had literally let her hair down, each strand of blond resting on her shoulder perfectly before tumbling down her back. It was safe to say she looked amazing.

"Just relax, Percy. It's just traffic." Behind us all of her stuff was packed into boxes and bags of all shapes and sizes, ready for unloading into her dorm room.

"If you haven't noticed, I have ADHD." I leaned back into my seat, keeping one hand on the wheel.

"It's not like I'm not."

"Humph."

Several minutes passed, according to the little watch on the dashboard, but it felt like hours. Annabeth twirled with her hair, and it reminded me of the time I was in this exact car with Rachel. But I pushed the memory away, knowing that Annabeth didn't even know about that. With all that time to think, I thought about too many things. I thought about Annabeth, how sure I was that I loved her. I really did, too. It wasn't a high school joke people made fun of anymore. I thought about how I told Clyde my plans. I re-thought my already re-planned plans.There was too much to think about.

And then Annabeth asked what I was thinking about.

"Nothing," I said.

"I almost believe that." I watched her lips pull into a little smile. "But seriously. What're you thinking?"

I could have said a lot of things, like 'nothing' or 'you,' and it wouldn't have been a complete lie. "I dunno," I sighed, "Just... later."

"You mean later as in the future? Or later as in I'll tell you later but I'll never get around to it."

"The future. Our future."

"Oh..." I turned to see her gazing at the windows. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she added quietly.

"No, I think I should. I was thinking about after you graduate."

"Oh," she said again, her smile replaced by a suppressing line.

"We'll be together that long, right?" I suddenly blurted out, and regretted it almost immediately afterwards.

"I really do hope so, Seaweed Brain," she said, leaning her head against the window. "It's already been almost three years. I don't think four more is going to hurt."

I stayed silent for a while. Four years, her voice echoed, and I ran my fingers through my hair. It suddenly felt so far away, such a long time, it was intimidating.

"Percy?" I turned to her. "You know I love you. You know that, right?"

I remembered that night perfectly. I had thought that she was half sleeping for a second, saying it in her dreams or something. But when she said it the second time, I knew she was fully aware of what she had said. "I love you, too."

We stared at each other, keeping our gazes on the other's eyes. The traffic wouldn't be disappearing anytime soon, though I kind of wished that it would. My fingers crawled over to her leg, resting on her knee, and she put both of her hands around mine. It was reassuring, to say the least, and it made little chills run up and down my spine. It was indescribable how secure it felt, even though she was merely holding my hand. I looked back at the road, trying not to grin like a crazy maniac. I felt cool lips on my cheek, and I couldn't contain the smile any longer.

Behind us cars honked and people yelled and once I saw a guy get out of his car and abandon it. I tried concentrating on anything else accept for Annabeth's finger, tracing small circles on the back of my hand, how her small kiss made my face feel all numb.

I rememebered going to the little shop back in New York, how the man behind the counter had said that there was only one ring left because all the fancy expensive ones had sold. How I knew just by that one sentence that was the one, without even looking at it.

I remembered how the first thing she had ever said to me was that I drooled in my sleep. I remembered comforting her in that stupid bubble in the Sea of Monsters, with all the fish watching. I remembered the kiss we shared under Mount St. Helens.

I remembered giving up immortality for her, knowing that I couldn't take it back, regretting not saying something to her sooner.

And remembering all those moments of us together distracted me just the slightest bit, but not enough to take me out of the present, where I was driving Annabeth to her college, her finger now beginning to trace figure eights instead of circles. It wasn't enough to keep me from remembering how that was the symbol for eternity.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 

hehe... dont judge my love for fluff :D

the song Remember When pops into my head, so that's why i called the chapter that.. but in truth i listened to Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol... again

happy reading!! <3 MAY THE FLUFF BE WITH YOU