Vanilla Cocoa

Chapter 15

I sat on my bed, fiddling absentmindedly with the hem of my shirt. I'd opted for a looser, more comfortable shirt today since this wasn't exactly a date. Nasos had seen me in it before anyway.

"Are you that nervous?" Nasos asked, placing a gentle hand on my back as he kissed my cheek and sat down next to me. He had slept over at my place last night so that we could leave together for our lunch with Aster and Lillie. He was dressed casually today as well, though he really just looked good in everything.

I leaned into him, nuzzling his cheek affectionately. "I already know there's a few things she's not going to like," I sighed.

"Oh? Like what?"

"Like the fact that we're not officially boyfriends yet."

"Oh."

I glanced at him, surprised that he'd suddenly gone so quiet. "Are you okay with the fact that we aren't official? I don't think I've ever directly asked."

"It doesn't bother me." He offered me a quick smile. "I'm not trying to rush into anything either. It's better to take our time instead of letting other people decide for us, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze. "Whatever happens today, let's both agree that we'll do what makes us both happy, okay?"

"Okay." I brushed my hand against his cheek and kissed his lips. "Even if Aster somehow doesn't like you, I think you're a good person. That's all that really matters, right?"

He kissed me back, then looked away. "I think you think too much of me. I'm just normal."

"If you say so. Anyway, we should probably get going. It's a bit of a walk to get to Aster and Lillie's apartment."

I took Nasos' warm hand in mine and pulled him up from the bed with me. This would probably be a very long day for everyone involved, but at least I had Nasos by my side.

***

It was still warm outside in the direct sunlight, but I could already tell the summer sun was waning into the cooler air of autumn. There was a refreshing breeze today too. It made holding Nasos' hand as we walked more comfortable.

My nerves kept me from looking at Nasos, but I hoped he was more relaxed than I was about this lunch. Aster had never been the type to hold back what she really thought about the guys I hooked up with, especially on the rare instances when she got to meet them in person. She would probably scare him off if he weren't so determined to stay in my life. Maybe today would be the day I found out how he really felt about me, if he truly meant all of the kind things he had said.

I held on more tightly to Nasos' hand as we made our way up the stairs to Aster and Lillie's apartment, and he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze in return. Once we were standing in front of their door, I finally risked a glance at Nasos. He smiled and gestured towards the door. I took a steadying breath and let it out before finally knocking on the door.

After a moment of muffled voices and general shuffling, Aster opened the door. She looked Nasos up and down, not even bothering to be discreet. "So you're Nasos?"

He smiled warmly. "And you're Aster. It's nice to meet you again now that we're both sober."

I looked from Nasos to Aster and back, unsure how Aster was going to respond to that. Before I could panic too much, though, Aster nodded and said, "Come in."

I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and followed Aster inside. So far so civil.

Lillie was setting the table as we entered the dining room. She fixed Nasos with one of her characteristically cold looks. "Welcome to our home."

Nasos' warmth never wavered. "Thank you for inviting me. Your home is lovely."

Lillie nodded and retreated to the kitchen without another word.

"Go ahead and sit down," Aster said, turning to follow Lillie.

We did as asked, and I finally released Nasos' hand. "You're doing really good so far," I whispered to him.

"What, were you afraid they'd slam the door in my face?" he whispered back.

"Yes."

"Oh. I guess I really am doing good."

Lillie and Aster came back from the kitchen with solid foods for everyone who could eat them and blood and tea for me. I focused on sipping on my tea to help sooth my nerves.

"The chicken is delicious," Nasos said after taking a bite.

"Lillie is a good cook," Aster said simply.

"You own the bar me and Seth met in, right?" he asked Lillie directly.

Lillie nodded, focused on her own meal.

"If I can ask, why did you open a bar instead of a restaurant?"

"I only cook for people I like."

"Then I'm grateful you were willing to cook for me."

She nodded again. "You get one free meal for taking care of Seth."

"I see..."

I didn't dare look up from my tea. Nasos had already made it further than any other guy I'd introduced to Aster and Lillie, but I could tell he was starting to flounder under the weight of Aster and Lillie's judgment.

"What do you do for a living," Aster asked.

"Well, I help my dads with their restaurant when they need extra hands, but primarily I'm a writer."

"What kind of writer?"

"Um... I write for a webcomic..."

"And you're able to make a living from that? Impressive."

"It's been a lot of hard work to get to this point, but, yeah, I make a living from it now."

"So you're not afraid of long-term commitments that require constant work and communication. Good."

"Yes..."

I placed a hand on Nasos' knee under the table, still not looking up from my tea. His muscles tensed and then relaxed before his hand found mine, lacing our fingers together.

"What are your intentions with Seth?" Aster asked.

"I care about him," Nasos said, sounding much more confident now. "I just want to be there for him in whatever way he needs."

"So you just want to support him like a good friend? Or are you his lover?"

I finally looked up from my tea to glare at Aster. "Aster! That's none of your business!"

She glared right back at me. "You know damn well why it's my business."

Before I could say anything else, Aster's phone chimed. She quickly whipped it out to see who had texted her, and all the color drained from her face.

"Mom's back from her business trip a week early."

My stomach dropped.

"Go out the back and take the long way home. Go, now!"

I jumped up from the table, pulling Nasos behind me as I practically ran out of the apartment. We ran down the back stairs and towards the narrow gap in the fence behind the building. I squeezed through easily but had to stop to help Nasos wiggle through. He scraped his hand on the rough stone as he almost toppled over after breaking free. The metallic scent of his blood made me regret neglecting the blood Lillie had offered me, but it was too late now. I took off running as fast as I could as soon as I was sure Nasos could still follow me. I was in such a panic that I would've run directly in front of a passing car if Nasos hadn't managed to grab me and pull me back at the last second, causing both of us to fall to the hot sidewalk.

"What... the hell... is going on?" Nasos panted.

I shook my head and tried to get back up, but Nasos wouldn't let me go. "Please! I... don't have... time to explain!"

Without another word, Nasos picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and started running again in the same direction. I was too stressed out at exhausted to protest, so I just held on as best I could and hoped beyond hope that my mom hadn't managed to see me.