Fate (PIPABETH FF) ✔️

So, Say It (Ditto)!

P I P E R

It'd be safe to assume that we didn't get anything done in Percy's cabin.

Not like that, anyway (unfortunately). There was a moment where just staring at Annabeth with my mouth agape like a fish out of water suddenly became more embarrassing than it needed to be, and the other girl seemed to agree, even if she didn't say anything out loud. It only took a few shared glances at one another and the door to the cabin before we'd silently agreed to take whatever this situation was out of Percy's abode and into...

I sighed, my head in my hands as we found ourselves back in the alcove of dreaded happenstance. Not that it was a bad place or anything—it was just an odd area that reminded me of the aftermath of the camp bathrooms, chocolate, and chapstick. It also reminded me too much of the talk we'd shared in the same exact spot, smiling earnestly to each other about our friendship and walking back to our own respective cabins rejuvenated.

Gods, the concept of speaking sounded really good right now. Anything would beat the horrid silence thickening the air around us. Just do it, Piper, I thought. Open your big mouth and say something, just say something, anything—!

"Is this—" Annabeth began, her voice hoarse. She paused to clear her throat, her cheeks a little redder than they'd been earlier. "Sorry. I just wanted to ask if I'm bothering you," she said simply, crossing her arms as if she'd finally decided on what she wanted to target. Her voice came out stronger now, more self-assured. Momentarily, I wished I could be like her, but the thought eluded me as her question finally registered in my brain.

"B-Bothering me?" I asked incredulously, meeting Annabeth's stormy gray eyes with my own. "No, hold on. Why would you be bothering me, Annabeth?" I questioned, my brows furrowing. I wanted to argue a little more because bothering me was the last thing Annabeth was doing to me, even if the thought made me want to explode into a trillion pieces. "You're not bothering me, you're just... you're..."

I swallowed hard, noting the way the blonde tilted her head, waiting for me to continue. I couldn't.

"Just trust me," I sighed quietly, shaking my head and running a hand through my choppy hair frustratedly. Why was it so hard to just say what I thought? To say that what I really wanted wasn't another kiss that would be swept under the rug of friendliness and camaraderie and other cartoon channel worthy qualities? That I wanted more than just whatever stasis we were in—something that Jason and Percy had for a while, when they nudged shoulders in public and laughed without ever sparing a glance at the campers that looked at them with puzzled expressions?

My chest ached. Did I even deserve that, after tiptoeing around Annabeth and playing along with whatever we had even though I desperately wanted to see how far we could go? After dodging her for three whole days because the feeling in my chest had twisted into guilt and regret instead of its usual strange flutter upon seeing the tall blonde, her expression unusually sullen with each passing moment?

Annabeth spoke before I could spiral any further. "I do trust you," she said adamantly, and I had to pretend that her ardent tone didn't stir anything inside me. "Which is why I'm asking, Piper. I just need to know if this..." she gestured to herself, then to me. "...you know."

I resisted the urge to slam my head into the nearest tree. Sure, I could say I knew a lot of things, but this was possibly one of the top things I didn't even have the slightest idea about. What do I know? I asked internally, the words heavy where they remained imprisoned within me. Is that where you think we're at, Annabeth?

Am I the only one lost here?

For some reason, the thought made me want to either cry or throw a childlike fit, kicking and screaming—maybe both! But I refused to acknowledge the burning in my throat and instead glared at the other girl, though I wasn't exactly sure I looked as mad as I maybe felt—perhaps just pathetically so.