I'm trying some new writing techniques and flexing my brain, so I'm writing in first-person past which is super weird... But it's in Will's point of view for something different so enjoy!
---
I had a crush on Nico. That much was obvious to me. When everyone decided to do a Secret Santa gift exchange over the holidays and I got Nico, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited and panicked at the same time. These types of things are perfect opportunities, but when you don't actually know what to get someone, it's a bit of an obstacle.
I set out to ask around the camp, subtly yet doing my best keeping a low profile in hopes to keep the whole secret part of Secret Santa. Of course, everyone had just as good an idea of what to get him as I did.
"I don't know" and "I don't care" were on repeat for the entire day, which is even more frustrating looking back on it. Saying I had the best thought that afternoon would be a complete lie because breaking into another person's cabin should already be an off-limits train of thought. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
Nobody had to tell me that the middle of the night wasn't a good idea, so I chose the next day while Nico was out to sneak into the cabin through the back window. That led to a new pain in my back and the reminder that movies made everything look easier.
I was up on my feet as quickly as possible, wanting to get in and out before anybody had a chance to come in. I shuffled around the room, opening drawers, sifting through papers, all until I reached the nightstand by his bed. I opened the little drawer and saw a notebook I knew I should absolutely not touch.
That's his property, I told myself. Don't want to put your nose where you don't belong, I thought hesitantly before sitting on the floor and cracking it open. Poetry. There was a lot of poetry that melted my heart and some that brought tears to my eyes. Finding any entries was a little harder. I skimmed quickly, finding several of Nico's thoughts on the other campers- most of them being negative. I got so immersed that I didn't notice anyone near the cabin until there were footsteps right outside.
I panicked and rolled under the bed, taking the notebook with me. I watched from under the wooden frame as Nico kicked off his shoes and flopped on top of the very bed I was under. The sound of an opening drawer and then it slamming shut caused me to take in a breath and hold it, praying to every goddess and god that he didn't find me.
Nico was on his feet again and shoving his feet back in his shoes in two seconds flat. "I swear if this was Leo again I'm going to cut him!" he hissed. The second he was gone I rolled out from under the bed and went to put the notebook back in the drawer when I saw the bottom of the page by accident... Nico liked white lilies. I was going to get him white lilies.
It turned out white lilies were a little harder to get than I thought, but with some communication with satyrs and a decent price, I had them just the day I needed them. With some help, I got Nico out of his cabin in enough time to place two bouquets and a few flowers strewn around. Everything looked perfect and I took a moment to check once more, but it was a moment too long.
I was so focused that I didn't know Nico was near until he opened the door to the cabin and with one looked around, he was furious.
"Hi," I whispered, a little afraid for my life.
"Lilies," he said sharply.
"Lilies," I repeated.
"You took my dia- my notebook."
"I may have borrowed it for a few moments."
"What did you see in there?"
"Nothing, really I swear!" I shot my hands up in surrender. "I liked your poetry, though," I added quietly.
Nico looked completely embarrassed and even angrier until something in his expression softened a little and he did the exact opposite of what I thought he was going to do: he smiled- just slightly, but it was a smile. "They're pretty."
"Wh-what?" I stuttered.
"They're pretty. I like them."
"Oh," I felt a blush crawl to my cheeks. "I just wanted to do something special."
"They're very special. Thank you." He came over and wrapped his arms around me and I was too stunned to do anything back. After a few moments, he pulled away and walked over to the drawer to pull out his notebook and toss it towards me, hiding his face as he did so. "You should read the last entry. I'm a lot better at writing feelings than saying them."
