CHAPTER 19
1085 Words
Nico’s laptop was open, but he wasn’t typing. Not really. His fingers hovered over the keys while his eyes stayed on Luna.
Luna was still on the couch, curled into the corner with her empty plate on her lap. She’d been muttering about “butter conspiracies” under her breath for the last two minutes, convinced he’d sabotaged her food on purpose.
“Butter is a vegetable,” she declared suddenly, very serious. “If you think about it hard enough.”
Nico’s mouth twitched. He didn’t look up. “If you think about it hard enough, that’s why you almost set my kitchen on fire last week.”
Luna gasped, offended. “That was one time. And the smoke detector agreed with me.”
“Smoke detectors agree with fire,” Nico said. Finally looked up. “Not with your cooking.”
Luna threw a couch pillow at him. He caught it one-handed, tossed it back, and hit her square in the forehead.
“Hey!” Luna rubbed her forehead, glaring. “Assault.”
“Self-defense,” Nico corrected. He closed his laptop a little, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “You started it.”
Luna opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. Because he was looking at her like that again. Not CEO Nico. Not Moretti who’d cut someone down with two words in a boardroom.
Just Nico. Tired eyes but soft. Hair still damp, collar of his shirt undone one button. The sharp edges dulled, like the apartment air had sanded them down.
Luna’s heart did a stupid flip. She hadn’t meant to stare. But he’d been looking at her the same way since she said “we saved each other” earlier. Like the words mattered. Like she mattered.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Luna asked. Her voice came out quieter than she intended.
Nico didn’t answer right away. He just kept looking. Like he was trying to figure something out. Like she was a problem he didn’t mind solving.
Luna felt her face heat. She cleared her throat. “Nico?”
He blinked, slow. “Hmm?”
Luna shifted on the couch, suddenly very aware of how little space was between them. Not much. Maybe a fist’s width. Close enough that she could see the faint scar above his eyebrow. Close enough that if she leaned forward—
No. Bad idea.
She opened her mouth to say something stupid about butter again. Anything to break the tension. But Nico spoke first.
“You’re not annoying today,” he said. Deadpan. Like he was reporting quarterly earnings.
Luna blinked. “Wow. Thanks. I try.”
“I mean it,” Nico said. He wasn’t smiling. But his eyes were. “You’re… easier. When you stop pretending you hate being here.”
Luna’s chest squeezed. She looked down at her hands. “I don’t pretend.”
“You do,” Nico said. Softer now. “But I like this version better.”
Luna’s heart flipped again. Hard. She risked a glance up and found him still watching her. No teasing. No sharp retorts. Just honest.
The air went still. Warm. Safe.
Luna forgot about butter. Forgot about the space between them. All she could see was his face, inches away, the way his eyes dropped to her mouth for half a second before coming back up.
They stared. Neither moved. Neither looked away.
The apartment held its breath with them.
Then—
“Okay, but why is it so quiet in here?”
Summer’s voice cut through like a fire alarm.
The front door swung open.
Summer stood there in her school uniform, blazer half-off one shoulder, backpack sliding down her arm. The driver’s voice called “See you tomorrow, Miss!” from outside before the car pulled away. It was 4pm, sunlight still bright through the windows.
Summer took one look at the scene: Luna red-faced and scrambling two feet away on the couch. Nico perfectly composed, but his fingers had frozen on his laptop keys. Two inches of couch between them like it was the Grand Canyon.
Summer’s eyes lit up. She lived for this.
“Oh,” she said, dragging the word out like taffy. “Ohhh. I see what’s happening here.”
Luna shot up like the couch was lava. “We were—discussing dairy. Nutritional facts.”
“Dairy,” Summer repeated, dropping her backpack with a thud. She kicked her shoes off and grinned. “At 4pm. On one couch. While making that face.”
Nico finally spoke, dry as dust. “Hello, Summer.”
“Hi, Brother-in-law ,” Summer said, all innocence. She plopped onto the couch right between them, forcing Luna to scoot further away. “Nice… dairy discussion.”
Luna’s ears burned. “I have work to finish.”
“Just stay Luna. I won’t interrupt you two any longer" Summer grinned
“I’m going upstairs,” Luna said, voice cracking. She fled without another word. Footsteps thundered up the stairs. Door slammed.
Silence.
Summer turned to Nico. Nico looked at his laptop. Typed one line. Deleted it.
Summer waited. When he didn’t speak, she bounced once on the couch. “Wow. Ice King mode: activated.”
“She has work,” Nico said without looking up.
“Right,” Summer said, seating next to him. “Work. Upstairs. After you two were caught staring like you forgot how to blink.”
Nico didn’t deny it. "Don't you have homework to do?"
Summer gasped, hand on her chest like he’d stabbed her. “Rude. I’m 17, not 7. I know what ‘pining’ looks like.”
Nico’s mouth twitched. “Chief menace.”
“I’ll take it,” Summer said, standing and slinging her backpack back on. She paused at the stairs, voice dropping to something softer, smarter than her years. “For what it’s worth? She ran because she likes you. Girls don’t sprint unless their heart’s panicking.”
Nico didn’t answer. But his hands seemed to freeze on his laptop.
“Also,” Summer added, grinning again as she went up, “I’m raiding the pantry for snacks. If Episode 2 of ‘Nico and Luna Almost Kiss’ happens tomorrow, I want popcorn.”
Upstairs, Luna heard everything. She buried her face in her pillow and groaned.
Downstairs, Nico kept typing. But his ears were red. And the corner of his mouth stayed up for the rest of the night.
- Writer
