Sheets | ✓

EIGHTEEN

"Nicolas, if you have a friend coming over you can't just stay in bed," Bell scolded as Nico and I walked into the kitchen. Bell gave me an apologetic look, before turning back to Nico with a frown. "And aren't you going to offer him something to drink? He'll think you were raised by a cretin or something."

"Yeah, yeah," Nico said, giving his grandma a kiss on the top of her head as she let out a breath, murmuring something under her breath, though her mouth quirked as Nico pulled her into a hug. I could only watch with curiosity as Nico released his grandma, something about the way he carried himself different from his usual self. He seemed... relaxed. Open. Warm. 

It was nice.

"Don't 'yeah, yeah' me, mister," Bell said, hitting his side as she turned to me. "And Wesley, dear, it was lovely meeting you but I'm running late for my pottery class. Do come again another day, I would love to chat with you properly. Over refreshments." Bell's last words were stressed as she gave Nico a look, the boy snorting as I covered my laugh with my hand. Bell soon left, leaving me and Nico in the kitchen once again. I ran my finger over the stone surface of the kitchen island, remembering how just a few weeks ago Nico and I had sat here, in a situation far different from the one we were in now. What had felt like an unfamiliar, daunting space had changed at some point, though I couldn't exactly pinpoint when. 

"So, you're not going to offer me something to drink, Nicolas?" I asked, smirking a little as Nico just shook his head, an amused smile on his face. 

"We're going to head out in a second anyway," Nico said, and I tilted my head to the side, confused. "What? You thought we were just going to lounge around here all day?"

"Honestly? Yeah, kind of," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly.

"If you want to just stay in, I don't mind. I can think of... plenty of things we could do here," Nico said, smirk deepening as his eyes looked me up and down once, the movement of his vibrant eyes saying everything his lips hinted at. My ears grew hot as I shook my head, already hoisting my backpack over my shoulders. 

"Nope, let's go out," I said hurriedly, Nico laughing as he opened the fridge. He rummaged around for a few moments, before pulling out a few pre-prepared containers and a bottle of iced tea. "What's that for?"

"Food, to eat," Nico replied simply, leaning back to look at me from behind the open refrigerator door. "Behind you in the bottom cupboard should be a picnic basket. Grab it for me?" 

Listening to Nico, I searched around the cupboards until I found a bright green picnic basket. 

"This one?" I asked, Nico nodding. 

"Yeah, just put it on the counter there." It took Nico a few minutes to load everything that he wanted to into the basket, closing the latch on the top when he was done. Picking up the basket and grabbing his car keys from the tray on the counter, Nico jerked his head towards the door as he walked past. 

"Where are we going?" I asked as Nico loaded up the basket into the backseat of his car. Sliding into the passenger seat, Nico just gave me a secretive smile as he pulled out of the driveway. "Seriously, Nico. You're not going to take me into the forest or something, fatten me up and then kill me, right?"

"Fatten, yes. Kill, maybe," Nico replied teasingly, making me roll my eyes. After a moment's silence, he spoke again. "We're going to a place with a really nice view of the city. Calm down, Wes." 

"Good, I'm too young to die," I said, trying to hide the grin that tugged at my lips. Nico laughed, the sound rough but light, his eyes crinkling and his lip ring shaking. The rest of the car ride was uneventful, Nico rolling down the window to get a wash of the cool breeze that burst through. The suburban landscape slowly began to bleed away into concrete buildings spotted with colourful graffiti, the sidewalk becoming more barren and the building more decrepit. I gulped as the midday sun was obscured behind the grey buildings, and hastily rolled up the window on my side.