Theo wasn't home when we arrived, and Mom and Dad were sound asleep.

After filling our tummies in the dining room dressed fancy in a dress and a tuxedo, Nico followed me upstairs to my room. With my heartbeat threatening to escape from my chest, I led him there quietly, and his footsteps were quiet as well.

Nico placed the bag of his clothes and essentials on the floor once inside—we'd dropped by his house earlier to grab his stuff before going home. His eyes roamed, glancing towards my bed, to my dresser, to the pictures lined up against the desk. His silence only spiked my nervousness further.

I set a hand on the wall to take off my heels, and a sigh of relief escaped me. "You still haven't asked."

"Do you want me to?"

The intensity of his stare made me turn around and start pulling out the pins from my hair to keep myself and my hands busy. "I'm sure you're curious..."

Nico sighed. "I have a feeling I know what Theo was worried about. And I don't blame him."

"On a second thought, I don't want to talk about it anymore," I murmured, reaching behind me to unclasp the silver necklace I had on.

Goosebumps rose against my skin when large hands came softly around the nape of my neck and unclasped the necklace for me.

"Thanks," I muttered, placing the jewelry down on the desk and moving to open drawers. "You can take a shower first if you want."

Nico's mouth tugged up at one corner. "Go first, princess. I'll keep myself busy."

Once the bathroom door was closed, I put my head on my palms and tried to breathe.

Dear God.

I tried to ignore the shaking of my fingers as I first removed the makeup left on my face and brushed my teeth. I slipped out of the dress and entered the shower after, letting the water rinse my body as the events of tonight started to cloud my thoughts. My eyes still felt heavy once I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel before dressing in a thin cotton t-shirt and gym shorts, exhausted to the point that I didn't particularly care anymore that I was going to present myself as barefaced in front of Nico.

He was still seated at the same spot when I came out of the bathroom, but his elbows were propped against his knees and his head was down. I toyed with the hem of my shirt as I stared at him, and what came out of my mouth was, "You don't look very busy to me."

Nico's eyes met mine, and he stated lowly, "You're wearing my shirt."

I looked down, and a blush made its way to my cheeks. I hadn't even noticed that I pulled it out of my closet. "Oh, well, you don't want it back, right? Do you want me to change?"

He shook his head. Nico's gaze travelled down to my legs slowly before settling back on my eyes. I had half a mind to throw a pillow in his direction for checking me out so brazenly, but the words he spoke next made me want to hide in the bathroom forever. "I might need a cold shower, though. That fine?"

"Nico!"

"Just kidding." He stood and walked over to where I was standing, and I stayed—my feet frozen to the ground as though I suddenly couldn't move. He reached me in two strides and clutched the shirt by my waist with his two hands as he took a shaky breath. "Or not."

He saved me from responding when he squeezed my hip and entered the bathroom, grabbing his bag on the way.

I jumped on the bed and hid my face in the covers, feeling my pulse race and my face heat up.

Nico found me the same way a few minutes later. "You good there?"

"Fine," I answered.

A chuckle. "You don't look fine."

"I'm embarrassed."

"Don't be," he said softly. "Come on, babe. Look at me."

Slowly, I curled my knees against my body and twisted around to face him, hugging a pillow to my chest. The raven strands of his hair were mussed up and wet, and the hoodie he wore clung to the muscles of his body and his sweatpants swung low on his hips.

I quietly sat there as I watched him—and him me—before he walked over to where I sat and held out his hand for me to take. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"I like looking at you."

He smiled. I let him help me up. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"About how we never got to finish that dance."

And then he was close, so close, and his fingers dipped under my chin to tip it up. As bright as emeralds, as calm as the sea water, and as wild as the tides nearing the shore. Those were his eyes.

"I want you to want me as much as I want you," Nico whispered, his thumb grazing my bottom lip, and I sucked in a deep breath. "But I've waited four years. A little longer won't be a problem."

"You really meant that," I mumbled incredulously, looking up at him. "Four years."

Nico nodded, sliding his hand towards my sides where his fingers caressed the skin under the material of my shirt. "I did, yes."

Once again, I searched desperately for something to say, but my brain was still busy processing the newly-discovered information and I couldn't think properly. Not with him touching me, and not with him this close. "We really do need to talk, Nico."

"We'll talk tomorrow," he promised. "About everything. Right now, I just really want to dance with you."

My brows rose as I looked around. "Here? Now? There's no music."

Nico was grinning now—I couldn't remember the last time he smiled this widely, very devilishly handsome, too many times in one night—as he stepped back and headed towards my desk. He placed his phone against the wall and tapped the screen multiple times before a song played. Soft instruments filled the first few seconds, then a woman started singing in a soft, sweet voice.

The sensible part of me repeated Theo's words in my mind, that Nico and I—no matter how much these feelings we had ran deep—couldn't ever make sense. This was wrong. This was wrong.

"Stop thinking," Nico said, reaching out towards me. "Stop thinking about whatever your brother told you and look at me."

I bit my lip. "I wasn't."

He smiled again. With amusement, he murmured, "You can't lie to me, princess. It doesn't work. Dance with me."

"B-but I took off my makeup and my dress—"

Nico shook his head and placed his hands back on my waist. "Dolled up or dressed down," he cut me off in a quiet tone, all traces of humor gone as he extended his arm to twirl me around slowly. "I'll dance with you anytime."

I took a shaky breath and let my arms go around the broadness of his shoulders. With my head tucked against him, and my fingers on the nape of his neck, I swayed with him together with the music.

My thumb reached up to stroke the hardness of his jaw, where the bruise he'd gotten from Faust used to be. "It's gone."

"Yeah," he whispered. "Thea."

"Yes?"

He gripped the curve of my hip with his fingers and took a few steps closer to walk me backwards onto the bed. "I know I have no right to ask, but I have to know. I'll go crazy if I wonder about this any longer."

Gently, he laid me down on the softness of the mattress and settled on top of me, his knees on either side of my thighs and somehow I'd forgotten how to breathe. Leaning down, his nose brushed mine, once, twice, before pulling back just a little to continue, "You know how I feel for you, but if you're still torn about wanting Faust back, tell me now. I'll back off. Just say the word." Nico held his weight carefully on his forearms as he inhaled shakily. "I'll do whatever the hell you want. Just answer me this now, and I'll never ask you again."

I swallowed. "No."

Nico blinked, then drew his eyebrows together. "No?"

"No, I don't want him back. I've never had regrets about how Faust and I ended. And if you're asking me about love, then I never did. I liked him, I cared about him—I still do. Care, I mean. But I never loved him."

"Oh," he said. "Okay. Okay."

"We still need to talk tomorrow."

"I know. Just...give me a second."

So he stayed there, frozen in his position as he stared down at me. Unconsciously, my tongue darted out to lick my lower lip. His gaze dropped to my mouth.

My chest rose sharply and I used my hands to push him away gently and to prop myself up on my elbows. "We should probably get some sleep. It's late."

Nico ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. "Right. I'll sleep on the floor."

My response came quicker than expected. "No," I rushed out, and he looked back at me with an eyebrow arched. "I mean—I don't mind." My face was heating up as I said the words, and I had to turn away and pull the covers to myself to avoid seeing his reaction.

A few seconds later, the covers were being pulled back and Nico slipped in. My back was to him; I was pressed completely against his chest and I inhaled sharply at the closeness, my pulse racing. Nico shifted so that we completely fit, and his arm slowly went around my torso.

"Goodnight," he whispered, leaning over slightly to place a kiss against my temple.

"Sweet dreams," I said back, just as softly.

"Yes, you've been there too."