Before Remi left, she apologized to me countless times for tonight. At the end of the day, she meant well. She did everything she could to help kick everyone out and clean up - even though both happened to involve Nico. So, I forgave her. Because, let's be real, true friends don't hold grudges. They might fight over stupid drama, but they always forgive.
Speaking of Nico, kid's still here. He refuses to leave until everything in this house looks as good as new.
"Nico, you can stop wiping down the counters now. They're so clean I can see my reflection through them."
"Do you know your mother?" he says.
He has a point.
He finally drops the rag onto the counter and meets my stance in the middle of the kitchen. My mind was so fixated on the party tonight that I didn't even take a second to notice the cut on Nico's right cheek. It's not deep, and it's not big, but it's definitely visible.
"What happened?" I nod my head at the mark and ask.
Nico immediately touches his face with his hand. "Oh, this little thing? Nothing," he shrugs like it's no big deal.
"Hope you're not getting into fights," I tease.
"I'm not, but if I was, you wouldn't have to worry. I always come out on top."
"Looks like somebody has a bit of an ego. What happened to my humble Nico? Not sure that I'm a fan of this new person."
He chuckles, but then his tone turns serious. "I haven't changed, BC."
I smirk and then tilt my head, taking in his cut again.
"What's wrong?" he asks me.
"You're bleeding."
"I'm what?"
"Bleeding," I repeat. "Your cut...it's bleeding."
He reaches for his cheek again, this time, wiping away a small amount of blood.
"Here, let me help," I say as I make my way towards the sink. "I think it just needs to be rinsed with some water."
"Thanks," he says as he follows me.
I wash my hands with soap and water, and then grab a clean rag from the drawer. I soak it under the water, and then turn to Nico.
"Uh," I say as I notice our height difference. Nico is almost a good foot taller than me. He's 6'2, and I'm about 5'4. "Maybe it'll be better if you sit down over there," I nod my head at the table and say.
"Whatever you want, BC," he says in a way like he means it.
Nico takes a seat, and I grab the other chair, scooting it towards him so that I can see his face better. I use my hand to hold onto his jaw, angling it so that I have a clear view of the cut. I notice Nico's breath getting louder at the same time that my heart rate speeds up. That's what being in close proximity to Nico does to me. You'd think that after all this time, my body would be used to him, but it's not.
I dab the cut with the soaked rag, then move my mouth closer to Nico's skin, letting the air escape from my lips to dry it. It's almost in this moment where, I swear, time freezes. Like everything around me and Nico isn't actually happening. The phone isn't ringing, the hand on the clock isn't ticking, the crickets aren't chirping. But then, my mind snaps back to reality, and I pull back slowly.
"I should probably get that," I say of the phone.
Nico gulps heavily then whispers, "okay."
"Hi, Grandma," I say into the phone. "Yeah, I'm okay." I glance at Nico, and he's raking his hands through his hair. "Yeah, she should be home soon." Pause. "I will. Have fun." Pause. "Love you, too."
I hang up the phone and walk back to Nico, who stands up once I'm in front of him. "I should probably get going," he says.
I look at him, not saying anything. How do you tell someone to stay when you know he shouldn't? I guess, you can't. Which is why I don't.
"Okay," I say, but before we know it, mom's walking through the front door.
"Nico?" she says once she sees him. "What are you doing here so late?"
I look at Nico like 'we need a lie, and we need a lie now'. Luckily, Nico's a pro at reading my mind before I even have a thought, so he's quick to cover his presence up.
"Hi, Carrie. Uh, I know it's late, but I came over to drop this off," he says, pulling out an envelope from his back pocket. Mom reaches for it, opens it, and reads whatever's inside.
I look at Nico, bewildered. What are the chances that he actually had something to give her? Would Nico have given it to me if mom didn't show up?
"How lovely! Your parents are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary," mom exclaims once she skims the invitation.
Celebrating? I guess Gillian Bradford isn't going through with the divorce after all.
"Yup, you know them...they'll find any excuse to throw a party."
"20 years is a big deal, Nico," mom tells him otherwise.
"Yeah, especially when you hate each other," Nico mumbles under his breath. I catch his snarky comment, but mom doesn't.
"We'll be there," mom says.
"We?" I immediately ask the second that the word slips from her mouth.
"Yes, 'we', Isabella. The envelope has your name on it, too." Mom turns it around and I see that it's addressed to me, mom, and Grandma Ruby.
"My parents are going to be so happy to see you," Nico says. He fiddles with his pockets before saying, "Well, I should get going."
"I'll see you out," I say, and mom smiles at us. That's all she does when she sees me with Nico. Smiles.
Nico and I walk side-by-side until we make it to the door. I open it for him and he takes a step outside, but then stops and turns to face me.
"Guess we're even then," he says.
I angle my head to the side and ask, "What do you mean?"
"I was going to tell you that you owed me for kicking everyone out, but then you helped me take care of this," he points to his cut. "So, I guess we're even."
"Guess so," I say. "You gonna tell me how you got that cut in the end?"
"A fight," he smiles, and I just roll my eyes. "Kidding, kidding. It's from shaving, believe it or not." He gives me one more smirk before heading for his car.
But then suddenly, he stops, and I see him turn around.
"BC?" he calls out, and I look at him before he continues. "I was just kidding, you know? You never have to owe me for anything. I'll have your back always."