once we made it to my favorite ice cream place in all of florida thirty something minutes later, i went to order while nick grabbed a table near the back. ever since he became so popular that he couldn't go outside without being attacked by fans, it became customary for us to sit in the corner with nick facing away from the door.
a few minutes later, i was handing nick a waffle cone filled with cookie dough ice cream, the same as mine.
"thanks," he said, glancing over his shoulder.
"nick, just relax. i don't think anyone in here is going to run at you and ask for a picture," i said.
"you're right. i just don't want to be surprised," he said.
i took a bite of my ice cream and immediately regretted it as the cold pierced through my teeth.
"that's what you get for biting into your ice cream like a psychopath," nick said, not bothering to hide his smile.
"oh shut up. i wanted the piece of cookie dough."
"it really must suck to be you," he commented, shaking his head sadly.
"it does actually because my best friend is nowhere near as great as yours," i teased, smirking at him.
nick just rolled his eyes. "you've literally got it made, thalia. you live with two popular streamers and you don't have to work or anything. your life is all fun and you don't have to worry about responsibilities."
"excuse you sir, i do too work. do you think my company runs itself?" i asked, giving him a look that said "i don't think so".
"by now it does. you just occasionally check in," nick said.
"hmm, you're right. i do have it made. the only thing that could make it better is if i became famous for like saving orphans or inventing a cure to cancer," i remarked.
"unfortunately, you aren't that smart," nick said.
"i am no longer accepting your little remarks. please mute yourself," i said in response.
"no."
"loser."
nick started laughing and i joined in a second later. "it's nice to spend time with you again. the gameshow was fun but i missed hanging out with you," nick told me, his expression almost nostalgic.
"i missed you too, nicky. speaking of, dream told me this morning that he thought you were feeling left out because we spent so much time apart and now i'm with julian a lot," i said, trying not to sound awkward at the whole talking-about-feelings things.
nick shifted uncomfortably in the booth. "i wouldn't say i feel left out, necessarily. i guess it just kind of hit me yesterday how much of your life i had missed. before i left, we'd stay up all night talking about every moment of our lives, even if we had spent most of it together. now, i didn't even know that you had been on a single date with this guy and suddenly you've got a boyfriend."
i reached over and squeezed his hand, giving him a winning smile. "i promise you that we will stay up tonight and i'll tell you every detail of everything you missed-and you'll do the same for me- until we are completely caught up on each other's lives again," i promised.
"sounds great," nick said, smiling at me.
"so what was it like being on the show?" i asked as i continued eating my ice cream, all awkwardness gone.
"it was...weird. i mean, i had a lot of fun and i met some great people, but i was on camera every minute of those three weeks. i didn't necessarily like that part," nick said. "and i couldn't walk around in my underwear."
"you don't do that at home either," i pointed out.
"i know i don't, it's the fact that i couldn't. millions of people would have seen. at home, it would just be you and dream."
i couldn't help but laugh and say, "you're so dumb."
before nick could say anything back, my phone vibrated on the table. "hold on, it's julian." i opened up the text message and saw that it was a picture of his newly born niece. "nick, look. his niece was finally born!"
"aww, she's so little," nick remarked. "what's her name?"
"he didn't say." i texted julian back, telling him how cute she was and asked him what sarah and her husband decided to name the little girl.
julian texted back almost immediately and a smile grew on my face.
"they named her teagan, like i suggested," i told nick.
"teagan. i like that," he commented.
i put my phone in my pocket and turned my attention back to my ice cream and to nick. "alright, what were we talking about?"
"me not being able to walk around in my underwear," nick reminded me.
"the things you worry about," i said with a sigh. "anyways, are you ready to go?"
"yeah, we better get home before dream plays with your makeup again," nick said.
"when did that happen?" i asked as we walked to my car.
"wait, it was your face masks, not the makeup," nick said to himself. "it was awhile ago anyways."
"and why did no one ever tell me about this?" i raised my eyebrows and gave him my evil eye.
"because you don't have to know everything," he replied.
"rude," i said under my breath but loud enough for him to hear.
once we were back home, dream joined nick and i to binge watch anne with an e since it was my turn to pick what we watched. they both complained at first, until around the third episode when they got really into it. we all stayed in the same position for hours- me laying against nick with my legs across dream- until we had watched all three seasons.
"there better be more," dream said. "i'm too invested now for it to be over."
"we need more seasons," nick agreed.
i couldn't help but laugh at them. "you guys are too cute."
"oh no, nick. thalia is getting sentimental," dream warned. "i feel it coming. hurry and take cover."
moving faster than i thought they would, they dived off the couch and rolled around on the floor before quickly crawling behind the couch and armchairs.
"i was just going to say that i'm glad you guys are my best friends. that's all," i told them.
dream came out from hiding and said, "i guess i'm also glad we're friends. now i'm going to run away before you insist on hugging me."
"you know thalia will just get you later, when you least expect it," nick pointed out.
dream just gave me one last look before disappearing upstairs.
"c'mon nicholas, let's go to the roof and talk about insightfully stupid things," i said.
"why do you call me nicholas?" he groaned, following after me.
"because i can," was all i said back.
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