After we cleaned the dishes downstairs, Mom headed straight to work, dropping by my father's office on the way to bid him goodbye. Theo retreated back to his room, and Nico and I made our way back to mine. We brushed our teeth side by side.

Once we stepped out of the bathroom, Nico picked up his hoodie and handed it to me. "Put this on."

I blinked. "You don't like the shirt?"

Nico ran a hand through the dark strands of his hair, and one corner of his mouth curled. His other hand pulled my wrist to tug me closer. "You know I love seeing you in it, Thea. But if we're going to talk, I really need to concentrate."

My cheeks heated again as I slipped it over my head. Nico's fingers clutched the hem of the shirt so that it wouldn't ride up, and his knuckles brushed my skin.

Once I had it on, I brushed my hands against the cotton and cleared my throat. "So..."

Nico's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't have to be nervous."

"I'm not," I denied quickly. "I'm just—I don't know if I should be afraid of what I'm going to hear or not."

His tongue slid across his lower lip. "Ask me anything and I promise I'll answer honestly."

I paused.

And I took a deep breath. "Four years?"

"Four years," he confirmed quietly. "Eighth grade. Whenever classes ended, we used to go to the open courtyard at the back of the school to play and watch basketball. Among ten players, you were always the only girl, and I remember that your hair always had a blue pin the shape of a ribbon."

I lowered my head and shut my eyes, feeling embarrassment course through me. Nico chuckled. "Theo wanted me to play..."

"Yeah," he agreed with a nod, "when you were tired and didn't want to play anymore, he dragged you up even when you were whining. I was always intrigued with the two of you, and it was funny."

My head still hung low. "I was a kid. Stop judging me."

Nico's hand slid from my waist and down to my arm. His touch made me feel warm. "It was funny for a while until I wanted him to stop forcing you. You were always being pushed by the other kids, and you got hurt a lot. But I just...couldn't volunteer to sub. I was nervous."

I finally looked up and met his gaze. "You had nothing to be nervous about. I was a slob of a kid, anyway. I was a loser at basketball, and I was always sweating through my clothes, and I—"

"I thought you were really pretty."

My breath caught in my throat. "You had poor eyesight."

Nico threw his head back and laughed once. "I had the most intense crush on you for years, Thea. Don't give me that bullshit."

I stepped out from his hold and huffed. "You have horrible taste then."

"Shut up before I get mad," Nico said, rolling his eyes as he reached for me again. "You wanna pick a fight, princess?"

I shook my head. Nico's thumb brushed gently across the back of my hand. "No."

"I thought you were really pretty," he repeated softly, "and I'm sure the other kids with me thought so too. One day, when Theo tried shooting the ball, it got stuck in the hoop, and then I thought you were incredibly brave and stupid when you decided to climb the tree next to it to get the ball down. The other boys tried to stop you, myself included, but you were also incredibly stubborn. The only thing I could do was to clench my hands into tight fists and dig my fingernails into my palm as I watched and prayed that you wouldn't fall."

The memory resurfaced itself into my mind as I stared up at him.

"You didn't," he murmured, and I could see all the gentleness and warmth and admiration in his eyes. "I did."

I inhaled sharply and clutched his arm. "Nico."

"When freshman year came, you stopped wearing the ribbon," he continued lowly, keeping my upright against his hold. "And you stopped playing with your brother. Whenever I saw you in school, my heart raced impossibly faster, and the words I wanted to say, even if it was just a hello, wouldn't make it out of my mouth. I couldn't approach you."

"I-I never noticed—I mean, I knew who you were but I—"

"I made sure you never did," Nico interjected with a shake of his head. "I felt that my chest would burst every time you looked at me, so I mostly stayed away and made sure not to bother you."

His hand ran down my back. "In tenth grade...others did. One of them did to no end. I had to do something."

My foot took a step back as if it had a mind of its own. I tilted my head in question. "Wait. The guy I was telling you about when we were drinking in your house...the one who asked me out relentlessly—"

"I took it upon myself to give him something else to worry about," Nico confirmed quietly. There was a certain edge to the features on his face, and a crease between his eyebrows appeared. "It was hard seeing the look on your face whenever he approached you, Thea. You always seemed as if you wanted to bolt."

"I did," I whispered. "I—I felt so relieved when he stopped..."

Nico bit his lip. "If I crossed a line, I'm sorry. I only kept a close watch so I knew you were safe. I'm sorry, Thea."

My hands were shaking. "Y-you don't need to apologize. I'm a...I'm a little overwhelmed."

"You wanna sit down?"

I hummed in affirmation.

Nico led me towards the bed. I sat against the headboard and hugged my knees. Nico settled beside me.

"I'm grateful," I started, staring ahead, "that you did that for me. It was one of the battles I couldn't win."

He took a deep breath. "You don't need to thank me."

Slowly, I slid down against the mattress and laid my head against his chest. Nico's heartbeat was erratic against my ear, and I wanted to smile. "What happened next?"

"I tried dating other girls," he confessed, wrapping an arm around my body, "but, ah, none of them were you. So I told myself to get a grip and man up." He paused, then let out a slight laugh. "I had a plan. I was going to ask you out junior year, but the incident happened between Theo and Faust and I didn't want to drag you into that mess. I was going to let everything cool down for a bit, let Theo's anger and rage simmer—you were his sister, after all—but Faust...Faust didn't care. He was charmed by you, I think. Anyone would be."

I raised my head to look at him. Nico's hand brushed the curve of my neck. "He didn't know, did he?"

"I told him the day we visited him. When you were downstairs making soup."

"Oh," I breathed. "That's why it seemed like you were in a fight..."

Nico sighed. "Yeah. Thea, when you were with Faust...I wanted to hate you just to make it a little bit easier. It was unfair, I know. I was an asshole, but no matter what I did, I couldn't." He finally met my gaze. The sincerity and intensity in his eyes made my heart waver. "You terrified me," he whispered.

The corner of my lips curled upwards. "You're not scared of anything, Nico. Why would I terrify you?"

He sat up slowly, pulling me up with him, and the proximity made my pulse pick up its pace. Nico brought his hand up, and with utter gentleness, he ran the pad of his thumb across my cheek, not once letting his eyes stray from my own. "My mother is the first woman I've only ever loved. When you were with Faust...I realized that I didn't just like you, Thea. And it was terrifying," he murmured, voice low and sweet and genuine, "but to love another woman, in a completely different and new way...I wanted it. I wanted even the smallest piece of your heart. I wanted anything that you could give me."

I clutched his arm. "Are you...still terrified now?"

Nico smiled. "No."

I exhaled deeply. Paused for one second. Two. Three. "Then what does this mean for us?"

His fingers brushed my thigh—back and forth, back and forth. "It's up to you," Nico responded quietly. "You can decide if you want to do this with me, or tell me to wait a few days, weeks or months—however long you want me to—until you're ready, or you can tell me to leave and I would without a word. It's your choice."

This beautiful, selfless man was willing to walk away even after he'd bared his soul to me.

And even though I knew the answer, I decided to ask, "What do you want?"

Nico's chest rose and fell with a heavy breath. "That doesn't matter. I told you I'd do anything and I meant it."

I believed him. God, how could I not?

"I love that I can finally say everything I want to say," he murmured. "I don't have to hurt you, or pretend to hate you just so I could love you a little easier."

"I'm sorry," I rushed out, sitting back on my heels. "I'm sorry for hurting you. Seeing me with Faust all those times, it couldn't have been easy on you—"

"Nothing was easy," Nico admitted softly. "But none of it was your fault. Don't apologize."

I swallowed hard. Then I asked, "If Faust and I hadn't broken up, were you ever going to tell me?"

"No," Nico said immediately, shaking his head. "I would've backed off and stayed by the sidelines in case you needed me. I would've wanted you to be safe and happy."

I bowed my head. My fingers played with the strings of the hoodie I wore. For a few heartbeats, we sat together in silence until I finally forced myself to look into his eyes and say, "I want this too. I think I've wanted this—you—for a while, and I just didn't know it yet, or I just didn't want to admit it to myself while I was still with Faust."

Nico stared at me. "Are you sure?"

I cracked a smile. "Yeah. I'm sure. Scout's honor."

With a grin, he took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers. "Thank you, Thea."

I raised his hand up and pressed my lips towards the inside of his wrist. Nico's pulse jumped with my touch. "I only ask one thing," I said in a small voice. "Please don't lie to me. I don't like secrets. Please. Promise me."

He paused for a second, and I held my breath. Then finally, he nodded. "Okay. I promise. No lies."

I tightened my grip on his hand. "Thank you."

Nico reached out and once again grazed his knuckles against my cheek, and I leaned into the warmth of his palm. "Thea, can I ask one thing in return?"

I waited, and his stare made me melt.

"Everything I have is yours. Everything I am is yours. I have nothing else left to give," Nico whispered. "Please don't break my heart."