safe in my arms | solangelo au | under editing

Chapter Eight

tw: implied eating disorder

Nico

True to his word, Will sleeps in the spare room that night. I feel really guilty. First I burden him with worrying about me by getting hurt, then I expect him to help Luke, even though it's obvious that he hates him. Then, I come into his home and sleep in his bed! I mean, I know he insisted on it, but I still feel really bad about it.

I just don't understand why he's being nice to me. What does he have to gain?

~~~

"Want any breakfast?" Will asks me. I'm standing at the doorway to his kitchen. I'm fully dressed, but he's in a dressing gown and pyjama pants. His hair is damp, droplets of water sparkling in the light. When he turns to face me, I can see the top of his chest. All in all, it's incredibly distracting.

"No thanks." I answer. Will frowns.
"You looking you haven't eaten in days." He says. Probably because I haven't, I think.
"I'm just not hungry."
"It's no trouble, you know."
"I'm not hungry." I insist. He shrugs, but still looks concerned.

"Okay. By the way, we have all day to do whatever you want." He smiles.
"But don't you have to go to work?"
"I took the rest of the week off."
"What? Why?"
"To look after you, duh."
"But what if you lose your job?" I worry.
"I won't." He assures me. "I've called them and asked and they said its fine, since I work so many weekends."

"Really?"
"Yep." He passes me a bowl of cereal.
"I said I didn't want any food." I tell him.
"Tough. Eat it."

I frown. He's beginning to sound like Luke. He sees my expression and sighs. "You don't have to eat it." He tells me. "It's just... I'm worried about you. You look like a walking skeleton."
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine. You look..." He shrugs. "Exhausted. Beaten. Depressed."
"Thanks." I say sarcastically.

Surprisingly, his face lights up. "Why are you smiling?" I ask.
"You're happy enough to make jokes!"
"It wasn't a joke. It was sarcasm."
"It's a type of joke." He waves his hand dismissively. I scoff at his naïvety and optimism, but he just keeps smiling.

~~~

"So what do you want to do?" Will asks me after getting dressed. He's wearing shorts, sandals and a blue shirt with a sunshine on it.
"I don't know." I shrug.
"We could watch TV." He suggests.
"No."
"Read?"
"No."
"Talk?"
"Definitely not."
"Aw, why not?" He pouts.

"I'm not a... people-person."
"Yes you are. Everyone's a people-person."
"Well I'm not." I say stubbornly.
"How about I talk, and you listen?" He asks.
"Fine." I sigh. I'll just block him out. He grins and starts to talk, and I zone out.

"Hey! Earth to Nico!" He snaps his fingers in front of my face, shocking me back to reality. It's a surprisingly loud snap.
"Huh?"
"You're not even listening, are you?" He asks. I glance over at him to see if he's angry, but he's just smiling, even looking a little amused.
"No. Sorry." I apologise, moving away slightly.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know." He says gently.
"But-"
"I'm not like him." Will tells me, avoiding closer.
"Luke was nice at first too." I say, looking down at my lap. Why am I telling him this?
"I'm not going to hurt you." He insists. I look up hesitantly, and he smiles, a trace of sadness in his eyes.'"I promise."