Limoncello

Chapter 12

"I want to find your smile in the epilogue." - Ghost Atlas, Tomato Red

—

For two weeks after the attack, Nick and Maeve were inseparable. Thankfully, Maeve was able to get someone out to fix her window the day after it had been shattered. Nick stayed by her side the entire day as it was repaired. She didn't speak much that day, exhausted and shocked from the events the night before. Throughout the day, they occasionally talked to the window repair team as needed. When they weren't doing that, Nick was watching Maeve as she tried to figure out the most efficient way to cover the large bruise spanning across her neck. She tried for hours to cover it with makeup, Nick around for support and encouragement. She ended up crying in Nick's arms when she couldn't cover it fully with makeup. Nick held her as she sobbed into his chest, rubbing her back and kissing her head. When she stopped crying, she was able to find a white linen scarf buried deep in her closet that she ended up wearing around her neck for a week until the bruise faded.

They slept at Maeve's house that night. No funny business. They just talked about anything that would distract her from the soreness of the knot on her head and the bruise on her neck; anything to distract from thinking about the previous day's events. They spent every night together, switching between her house and his house with the guys depending on when the band had practice. When they did have practice, Maeve sat in the garage, perched pretty on a stool with earplugs in, watching and listening, with her delicate linen scarf tied loosely around her neck.

By the second week, the bruise on her neck had faded into nothing and the knot on her head was no longer. It was a celebratory occasion in Maeve's eyes when she didn't have to put the scarf on. She walked out of the bathroom after getting ready for the day to see Nick sitting on the bed, on his phone, waiting patiently for her. "Hey," she said softly, holding back a smile.

"Hey," he chirped, looking up from his phone. "No scarf today?" he asked, an eyebrow raised as he smiled at her.

She allowed herself to smile. "No scarf!" She beamed. She strode over to him and plopped down onto his lap. "The bruise is, like, gone."

He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist and his small smile turned into his signature, goofy grin. "I think that calls for a celebration, don't you?"

"You read my mind," she giggled. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. She laughed a bit when she pulled back and noticed the shiny, slightly glittery, pink tint from her lip gloss had transferred onto his lips.

"Let me take you to breakfast," Nick murmured, pecking her lips again.

And that's what they did. They had a date every day that week, even on the days when the band had practice. He made the time. By the end of that second week, he'd fallen even more for Maeve than he thought possible. He was happy. He wanted to hold onto that happiness for as long as possible.

–

"I'm gonna ask her if we can make it official," Nick said to Noah as he watched Maeve tend to her flower beds through the kitchen window.

Noah chuckled, "You aren't already?"

Nick glanced over at Noah and shrugged. "I mean, no? Not technically," he sighed. "I just- I want to be with her. She makes me really happy. I hope I do that for her too."

Noah clapped Nick on the back. "Folio, if you're worried she's gonna say no, I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"I hope you're right," Nick stared out the window once more.

"I know I'm right," Noah said, following Nick's gaze. "How are you gonna ask her?"

Nick shrugged once more. "I'm not sure," he hummed. "I just know it has to be special, though. She deserves that."