Solangelo One Shots

Città Dell'Amore (part 2)

"I'm not sure," Will frowned, squinting at the menu as he struggled to translate the words. "Maybe an egg sandwich."

"Get the cappuccino," came a voice from behind him, shockingly familiar. It was a beautiful voice, the accent smooth and thick and the words kind. "Best in Venice." The words sparked a memory of the previous night in the back of his mind and he turned around to stare into the dark brown eyes of Nico, his hair lazily framing his face and the sunlight streaming in through the window lighting him up like an angel. "I know I said that last night, but I'm serious about this one. I come here every day." Will's eyes flitted over to Jessica just in time to watch her eyebrows raise slightly and she set her menu down on the table with a quiet curiosity, not one of malice but it still sent fear shooting up Will's spine. 

"Last night?" she asked, frowning at him. "You never said anything about seeing Nico last night." Will made panicked eye contact with Nico before clearing his throat, giving Jessica his best smile.

"Sorry, I meant to tell you, but I guess I forgot," he explained hastily. "I ran into Nico at the store last night and he mentioned these cappuccinos, and showed me where to get them."

"Well, that explains why you forgot the milk," Jessica laughed. 

"Yeah," Will said with a nervous chuckle. "That's why I forgot the milk."

"Anyway, Nico, you were saying that the cappuccinos are good?" Jessica continued, turning her head to face Nico and her cheeks raising with her smile.

"They're amazing," Nico responded. 

"Well, I'll get one of those, too," she decided, flicking an imaginary speck of dust from the menu. "Will, do you want me to go up and order?"

"Yeah, that would be great," he said, smiling. It tightened when she kissed him lightly on the forehead before standing up, sauntering off to the counter. When she was out of earshot Nico pulled up a chair, flashing him a cheeky grin.

"You don't seem too happy when she kissed you," he pointed out, taking a sip of his coffee and gazing at him over the top of the cup.

"Of course I was happy," Will muttered, his eyes focused on a spot on the wall. He blurred his eyes until the light looked like a yellow smudge on a sheet of paper. "She's my girlfriend."

"Yeah, you don't seem too happy about that, either," Nico said. "You seem so tense around her, but you were so loose and carefree last night. You were like a completely different person."

"We've know each other for a day," Will said, scrambling for a defense. "What do you know?"

"I've spent a lot of time reading people, and you don't seem happy," Nico said, inching his hand closer to Will. "And Jessica seems like a nice person, but I think she's the root of your problem." Will bit his lip but as hard as he wracked his brain he couldn't seem to think of a comeback. Nico was staring at him, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the side of his paper cup. The sound was a bug burrowing its way into Will's brain and he rested his head in the palm of his hand, focusing his attention on the light-smudge on the wall. When he took his eyes off of it he would have to address Nico's claims, that it was his own girlfriend that was making him unhappy but he would shove the impossible task of unpacking his sexuality off as long as he possibly could.

"Food's up!" Jessica sang, sashaying over to them with two plates balanced on her arms and two paper cups of steaming liquid in her hands. "Will, here's your sandwich, and your drink." She set the food down in front of him and he caught a whiff of her rose perfume, artificially sweet. She sat down, grinning at him from across the table. Her fiery red hair bounced down her shoulder and her emerald green eyes glittered with happiness. She was pretty but something felt off, something that dug a pit in his stomach that had only been filled once since they had been dating, during a quiet night climbing the rooftops of Venice.