I Like Me Better when I'm With You (COMPLETED)

Stay a while, I'm gazing the way you move from far

Author Notes: Chapter title is from the song Gaze by Adhitia Sofyan

***

Will was staring at the boxes of the coffee ground on the kitchen area of the coffee shop when the door swung opened. With a reflex, Will turned his head to the door, where Leo was peeking in his head.

"Hey, Will? Don't worry about doing that. Your shift will end in 5 minutes anyway. I'll do that."

"But I think I-"

"Tsk, tsk," Leo shook his head. "Just go, Will. You've finished your shift anyway. Besides, can't keep your pretty boyfriend waiting for too long, no?"

Will's cheeks blushed as he tried to glare at Leo.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

Leo chuckled. "I didn't even say his name but you already knew whom I was talking about."

Now his whole face was burning.

Will hissed. "Still, Nico is not my boyfriend."

"Okay, potential boyfriend then." Leo said, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the door frame.

Will's brows shot up. "Leo!"

"Or you prefer boyfriend-to-be?"

Will rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Leo," he said as he took off his blue apron. He tossed it into the hamper at the corner, then looked at Leo again. "But, are you sure that you're okay that I go now? I mean, I now that you hate doing the stocking so..."

Leo clicked his tongue. "Will, seriously. You've done all your job and finished your shift. Thank you for your offer, and yes, I do hate that job. But it doesn't mean I won't do it. Besides, it's my job today."

He walked to where Will was standing. He put his hands on Will's shoulders and turned the blond around.

"Now shoo..." he said as he pushed Will's shoulders, half-forcing him to walk to the door. "Don't let your, ah, boyfriend material waits for too long."

"Leo!"

But Leo already pulled the door open with one hand, then quickly pushed Will out.

"Bye, Will!" He said, along with an elvish grin and a wave.

Will turned around on his heels but the door was closed already. Will let out a sigh, then turned his head to where Nico was sitting, the one by the window, closest one to the counter. He had been sitting there for the last two weeks that he came here regularly, Leo once joked that they should put a RESERVED sign on that table.

It was not like Will never considered that idea before, but of course, Leo didn't need to know that.

And of course, Will would deny if anyone ever suspected how he got a bit anxious when a customer chose to sit there.

Nico was fiddling with his phone, his cup of coffee in front of him on the table. But it was like he had a sixth sense or something, he looked up and met Will's eyes. The right corner of his lips curled up into a half-smile. Will's heart fluttered a little. The familiar feeling that he always had whenever he knew that he was the receiving end of that smile.

Will quickly made the short trip from behind the counter to the table. Nico stood up once Will reached the table.

"So, library time now?" Nico asked.

Will gave him a small smile as he nodded. "Yep. Library time," he said.

Somehow, library time had become some sort of their routine for the last two weeks. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Nico would come to The Oracle, about half an hour before Will's shift was over. And once Will finished with his shift, they would walk together to the library, where they would sit in a group study room and spend hours there, working on their stuffs. Will himself had already had the habit of studying in the library since last year. But usually he just studied alone, or sometimes with Mitchell or another friend. But having Nico as a company was...nice. Even though sometimes they were too absorbed in anything that they were doing to talk, still, Will found it was nice. It was a nice feeling that every once in a while, when he lifted his head up from his notes or his textbooks, he would find a familiar face sitting on the chair across of him. So yeah, library time with Nico was a new routine for Will, a new routine that he secretly enjoyed.

***

"So, how's your project going?" Nico asked as they walked back to their apartment from the library a few hours later.

"Which project?"

"The one that you're working with Mitchell? Something about a health campaign?"

"Oh, yeah, that one!"

That was one thing about Nico. He listened. Like, he really listened to what Will told him. Almost like he took a note of things that Will said. Sometimes Will didn't even realize that he told Nico about something until Nico brought it up.

Will started telling Nico about how far he and Mitchel were progressing on that project as they kept walking on to their apartment complex.

"So yeah, I am just...nervous about the presentation on Wednesday," Will said, as they climbed up the stairs. "I just... What if I forgot everything?"

"Don't worry about it, Will. You can do it."

Will took a deep breath and let it out in a long exhale. "I hope so," he said.

Will stopped in front of his door, while Nico walked to his, only a few steps away from Will's.

He took his keys out of his bag, and inserted it in the lock.

"So," he said, still holding the doorknob as he looked at Nico. Nico was standing with his back against the door frame, hands hidden in the pocket of his jacket. "Good night, Neeks."

Something flickered across Nico's face, but it was gone as fast as it came, Will thought maybe he was just imagining it. Nico stretched his lips into a half-smile.

"Good night, Sunshine."

***

A thought crossed Will's mind that night, right before he fell asleep.

Nico never called him Sunshine before.

Nobody ever called him Sunshine before.

***

Will rushed into his class that Wednesday morning, and quickly took a seat next to Mitchell. Mitchell turned his head to Will.

"Ready for the presentation?"

Will responded with a grin as he raised a thumb up at Mitchell. He busied himself by taking out his notes and the index cards that he has made to help him with the presentation.

"Will?"

"Huh?" Will lifted his head up from the index card and turned his neck to look at Mitchell. His best friend was staring at him with a strange look.

Will blinked.

"What?" He asked.

"What happened?"

Will raised his brows up, half-confused. "What what?"

"You... Look different..." Mitchell said, still eyeing Will carefully, like he was trying to find out what it was that was different about Will.

Will could feel his cheeks started blushing for reasons that Will would never admit in front of anyone.

"Oh," Will said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I am just...you know..." He shrugged his shoulders. "I am just excited about this presentation."

Mitchell arched an eyebrow at him, looking almost impressed. "Really?"

"Yeah," Will said, and quickly looked back to his cards. He could practically feel Mitchell's eyes still lingered at him. But at least he no longer asked questions.

Will continued reading his cards, mouth moving silently as he read his own handwriting there. But then his mind wandered to the text that he received earlier that morning, and his heart fluttered a bit, as the words from the message that Nico sent him resounding in his head.

Good luck with the presentation, Will. You can do it, Sunshine.

***