Chapter 23
I woke up to the smell of eggs filling my nose.
Prying my eyes open, I sat up to see Nico next to me, holding a plate of eggs, toast and apple slices in front of me.
“Morning,” Nico said, a bashful smile on his face.
“Morning,” I replied groggily.
“Breakfast,” Nico said, presenting the plate to me.
“Thanks.” I smiled.
“So.”
“So.”
“Are we going to keep speaking with only one word back and forth all morning?” Nico asked with a light laugh.
“Maybe.”
A sly grin played on my face, and Nico started smiling bigger, and bigger, and bigger.
Soon we were both laughing.
“What the heck is wrong with us?” I questioned between giggles.
“Nothing,” Nico said. “Absolutely nothing at all.”
***
“So Nico, what did you want to tell us?” Aunt Jodi asked excitedly, bouncing up and down in her seat – literally. It was a nauseatingly cheerful habit she had ever since I could remember.
It was only a few weeks after the whole thing with Liam, and I was feeling better than ever. It was surprisingly easy to move on from the breakup. Melanie, on the other hand, wasn’t handling it so well. I made sure to drop by her apartment every other day or so, to check on her and Hallie. Liam was, according to Melanie, still going to have to be part of Hallie’s life, and so she got to sleep over at his place every once in awhile.
Aunt Jodi had invited us over for dinner because she “hadn’t seen me in awhile” and “was missing me.” Thus, I was compelled to go over for the night.
Aunt Jodi leaned eagerly across the table, waiting for Nico’s response. I didn’t know of anything Nico had to announce.
“Well, I’ve decided that I’m going to move to Australia,” Nico said.
“What?” I exclaimed, shocked that he hadn’t told me, though not upset in any way. Aunt Jodi and Mike also looked over at Nico with questioning stares.
“Yeah, I actually just got everything sorted out on Wednesday, and it’s all settled that I’m going home for a couple weeks to pack my stuff up, but then I’m transferring to the university here,” Nico explained.
“Nico, that’s fantastic!” Aunt Jodi sounded absolutely elated, all the while sneaking quick glances at me. Mike just sat smiling quietly. With a woman like Jodi, you had to be a pretty quiet guy.
I glanced over at Nico for a brief moment, exchanging the question in our gaze, and he gave me a little nod.
“Also, I have something to say,” I added. “Nico and I are kind of together now.”
Aunt Jodi stared at me for a moment before speaking.
“Together…like, together together?” she asked.
YOU ARE READING
A Bucket List for Ella
Teen FictionI had always lived a life of lists. To do lists, to remember lists, goal lists, you name it. Lists were my way of feeling in control, of staying organized. They lowered my stress level and made me feel better in general. So when I found out I ha...
