Repair me

3. Confront me

I was not enjoying being awake at 7am on a Monday morning, not one tiny bit.

"You look like you could murder something," Nico pointed out when he headed towards our usual table where I was slumped attempting to gain enough energy to lift my piece of toast to my mouth. Mitchell was sat beside me and slowly reached out to slide the knife beside me away from my plate. I gave them both a glowering stare.

"Wow!" Mitch laughed in his deep bellow at my face, he reached over to pull the corners of my mouth up with his fingers, "stop looking so grumpy it doesn't suit you."

"Stop it," I began sarcastically, "You're all making me feel too good about myself."

"Your fault that you look like Frankenstein's less attractive cousin," Nico shrugged a shoulder plopping into the seat beside me, at my mutinous expression he nudged his shoulder into mine, "you know I'm kidding you look as cute as ever."

At his compliment my cheeks heated up and I blinked in surprise, since we'd got back from Christmas break all their displays of affection had intensified completely. It was this shift that was part of the cause of my tiredness. I'd spent most of the night tossing and turning as my mind analysed every single second I'd spent with them to try and uncover their feelings. I was no closer to determining any of it, and now I was just exhausted for no reason.

I sucked in a long yawn and as I did so Nico reached out and popped a finger between my teeth so my lips clamped down on it before I could stop. My eyes widened in surprise as I stared at him.

"That should stop you yawning," Nico grinned completely nonchalant about it as he removed his finger from my mouth. I only stared at him before my lips slowly pulled themselves up contentedly.

"I'm not even going to ask," Sawyer stared as he sat opposite me his eyes flickering between Nico and I but I couldn't detect any jealously or annoyance in them, instead there was only good nature.

***

I'd been nervous at Sawyer's family event but that was nothing compared to the anxiety I felt now going in to have a family meal with Nico's family. Fortunately, Nico's dad wasn't going to be there or I never would have agreed to go, not after our last meeting where I confronted him about his treatment of Nico. But the rest of Nico's huge family was sat around the long oak table in their dining room, at least forty of them all dressed up nicely chatting away, some in Spanish. It was completely terrifying.

I lingered in the doorway, one arm across my chest hoping if I stayed there long enough his family would forget about me.

"Cara, Cara," Nico tutted from behind me, he was carrying a giant water jug in his hands.

"I'm nervous,"  I admitted, "what if your family hates me?"

"They could never hate you," Nico sounded so convinced I almost believed him too.

"Your dad does," I exhaled loudly.

"Well he's an idiot," Nico stated factually, "and this jug is really heavy so can we please go in just to stop my arms falling off."

"Well we wouldn't want that would we," I rolled my eyes and allowed him to lead the way in. I shuffled in behind him trying to hide behind his body.

"Cara! Bella!" A lady who I presumed was Nico's grandma clicked her fingers at me with a look on her face somewhere between angry and pleased which shouldn't go together but looked comfortable on her face.

"Abuela," Nico cautioned.

"Let your novia come sit down by me," she patted the seat beside her. I shot Nico a pleading look but he was glaring at his grandma instead.