Truth Or Dare? ✓

26. welcome home

"Welcome home!" Nico exclaims once he unlocks the door.

His apartment complex looks ten times better than mine already, so I don't even know why I let out a gasp once I see his apartment from the inside.

"Nic, it's huge!" I let out, spinning around like a kid, smiling big.

"I know!" He laughs and I hit his head.

"I have pasta leftovers if you want something normal."

"I'd love that!" I smile at him, following him to the kitchen that's open space with the living room.

"If you want, you can go in my bedroom and pick something more comfortable to wear while I heat up the food. I will probably take a quick shower anyways." He says with his back turned against me.

Then he surprises me and takes off his shirt, placing it on one of the kitchen chairs, taking the pasta off the fridge, then entering a room that's bathroom from what I can tell.

For the first time I notice that he's hot. And that he has freckles all over his back too. That's definitely a nice back.

My mind's a weird place at the moment. I want to believe that I'm catching feelings for him, I just don't know how real they are right now.

I find his bedroom very easily. It's next to the bathroom.

He has a big bed in the middle, books laying down in towers on the floor, some framed pictures, a big desk, sketches of weird looking people, paperwork for the other company he works for, a record player, fake plants and a big closet.

I feel calm in his room. I almost don't want to leave.

I pick out one black shirt and put it on. As expected, it's almost to my knees.

I kind of throw my jeans and hoodie on his chair where he has a pair of pants laying there himself.

Will I make him nervous again wearing only a shirt? Do I want to make him nervous? Why am I nervous now?

I look at myself in the mirror and for a while I see Isabel who's at Nico's apartment, living in Boston. I see my long legs and my wavy hair, my big eyes and blushed cheeks. But the fantasy doesn't last long enough, because I'm back at seeing my fragile self. I start to hate the bags under my eyes and how pale I look now that it's almost winter time.

I walk away from the mirror.

I see Nico sitting on one of the kitchen chairs, holding two bowls of steaming pasta.

His eyes quickly travel down from my eyes to my waist, then to my legs.

He looks away too soon for my liking and my insecurities hit again.

Is this something he didn't expect to see? Did he imagine me looking better?

So I sit down and take a bowl that he's handing me over.

"So what do you want to watch once we've eaten?" He has a new shirt on.

"I think I liked you better without your shirt on." I say quietly while stabbing the food with my fork, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore.

"Izzy, don't!" He says and leans over for my hand.

"Don't what, Nico?" I ask, looking at him up from my bowl.

"Don't make me get my hopes up." He sighs and taps his finger against the desk with his other hand that's free.

A weird feeling strikes through my body. Maybe it's anger that he decided all alone to start to feel this way towards me and now I feel trapped. Or maybe it was adrenaline kicking in, because I felt something too.

I quickly release our hands and get up to fill the glass that was in front of me with some water.

I stand besides the sink and my whole body aches.

"I like you. So much! I've always had." I hear him saying.

Then I do the one thing none of us would have expected to happen.

I put down the glass, turn around and walk straight into his arms and I kiss him.

I feel him holding his breath, but then he kisses me back.

I open my mouth for his tongue to deepen our kiss and he grabs me by my waist, lifting me up a little then placing me on him as a way of saying thank you.

Our breathing turns into panting, our tongues become aggressive and create a rhythm, our hands begin to explore each other.

:) author's note

lovelies, should i keep this cover or change it for the millionth time?
tell me your opinion about what's about to happen next!