Nico POV
The wedding is tomorrow.
Yesterday Will spent the entire day with Mr. Anderson's kids and watching them hang out together made it seem as if they'd always been siblings and didn't just meet a week or two ago.
It all seemed like everything was going well until the live band that Naomi booked said they might not be able to make it here tomorrow and she's been in a panic ever since. Mr. Anderson had been trying to go into their room and comfort her but she's locked him out, saying that they couldn't see each other until the wedding so eventually, he left.
It's been an hour since then, and I seem to be the only one noticing her haggard looking form slumping its way down the stairs. With smudged mascara and bloodshot eyes, she walks into the living room and knocks so quietly on the wall, I'm not even sure I heard it or simply imagined it.
Everyone seems too engrossed in the game of Candyland (M.J's request) to notice her. I lightly nudge Will's shoulder with my own and he looks up, his smile seeming brighter than the sun. I jut my chin forward toward where Naomi is and he turns toward her. "Hey, mom." He says, loud enough so that everyone knows to quiet down.
Naomi sends him a groggy smile. "I just wanted to use the phone." She says quietly, pointing to the landline hoisted up on the wall to my left. Will nods his head immediately and clears his throat.
"M.J, would it be alright if we played this another time?" He says in a soft voice. M.J takes one rather pitiful look at Naomi and nods her head before cleaning up the game pieces.
We all clear out of the room as Naomi hobbles over to the landline, punches in some numbers, and brings the receiver up to her ear. "That was weird." I hear Monique murmur next to me.
"What was?" I ask, forcing my gaze away from Ms. Solace.
"Candyland."
"It's a game for kids."
"I know that, but there was no actually candy. It was just painted onto the board so what was the point?"
"That's pretty cynical of you." I chuckle.
"Whatever, Ghost King." She retorts with a smile before heading into the kitchen.
"Mom!" I hear Will say in a rather strained voice. I whip around to find him tight in the embrace of his mother's arms.
"It's all going to be fine!" She exclaims. "The band will be here tomorrow!"
"That's... great, mom! I can't... really breathe-"
"Sorry, honey." Naomi says as she lets go of Will with a smile. "I thought the wedding was going to be ruined! Thank God, everything worked out."
"It's your big day, mom. Everything will be perfect, as long as you remember the dress." Will starts to chuckle but Naomi's face has gone chalk white, eyes as wide as saucers.
"Did I get the dress?" She mutters under her breath.
"Mom." Will says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You got it last weekend, remember?" Naomi exhales heavily with a forced laugh.
"I- I think I'm going to go take a nap." She says with a smile before marching her way back up to her room. Will furrows his eyebrows before shaking his head and turning to me with a smile.
"Time to go shopping!"
***
We arrived at this store in the mall that sells fancy clothing just like the kind we're looking for. Will's mom loaned him some money so that we'd be able to get some new clothes since she deemed the suits we'd already had as "underdressed". Plus, she wanted the kids to all have on pink, blue, or any assortment of pastel colors.
After searching through the sales racks, I decided on a dark blue tux with black linings. Will chose a yellow tux with black lining and a black bow tie (which is honestly pretty cute on him).
After doing a once over in the mirror to make sure that I don't have my normal shirt on backwards or anything, I grab the tux with the hanger and walk out of the changing room in search of Will.
It doesn't take long.
It's quite easy considering he's being crowded by a group of teenage girls. Before I can find myself freaking out, I take a deep breath and count to five, trying to remind myself of the type of guy my boyfriend is.
My boyfriend.
Not theirs.
It's fine.
I clear my throat lightly and watch as Will's eyes flicker over to mine. He smiles sheepishly and says something to the girls before going back into the changing room. He comes back out a few moments later and like vultures swooping down on a dead animal carcass, the girls swarm him again and he almost stumbles in his walk. "I kind of have to go." He chuckles nervously.
They all, "awwww" in unison but clear a small path for him to walk away. I notice one of them slipping a piece of paper into the back pocket of his khakis. When another one pulls him by the arm and presses a firm kiss to his cheek, I try to contain my laughs as he walks over to me, face red.
"Have fun, Solace?" I say, biting my lip. Instead of answering verbally, he cups my cheek with the hand not holding his tux and presses our lips together in a sweet yet passionate kiss that turns my legs to jelly. When he pulls away, I look over his shoulder to the girls who's eyes have widened to the size of saucers and one of them looks as if she may cry.
"Not really." He breathes out with a smile. "I haven't been swarmed like that since I rejected Drew Tanaka and she sent the Aphrodite Cabin girls after me to give me a surprise make-over to show there were no harsh feelings."
"Okay." I say, cursing myself for how squeaky I sound. He smiles before kissing my forehead.
"Let's get back to the house."
***
After paying for everything and dropping the bags off at the house, we make our way to the park to meet with Rikki and Holly.
"Hey, guys!" Rikki shouts. Will waves with our conjoined hands before rushing over and collapsing onto the grass, the same grass we'd had our first date on.
"Who's ready for a wedding?!" Holly exclaims, shooting her hands into the air.
"You definitely are." I say with a smile.
"How could I not be? Weddings are so magical." She says dreamily.
"Every time I forget she's a hopeless romantic, she finds a way to remind me." Rikki says with a roll of her eyes.
"Hush!" Holly says quickly with a blush. "Anyway, I was thinking we make the most of today and go out on another double date!"
"Why?" I ask bluntly.
Rikki answers before Holly can, "A couple days after the wedding, my parents are going to be taking me to study abroad for the rest of the school year. This one's going to miss me." She turns to Holly and grabs her face between her hands, bringing their faces a mere centimeters apart. "She doesn't understand that I could never forget her weird, adorable, sometimes stupid habits, and that I will always love her more than anything." She leans in and pecks her on the lips.
"Rikki, I'm just being realistic," Holly says, bringing Rikki's hands down from her face. "Long distance never really works."
"It'll work for us, Hols."
"Let's just talk about it later, okay?" Rikki nods her head slightly with a sigh and Holly kisses her on the nose with a smile. "And I love you too. More than anything."
"Okay, well I can feel Nico and Will staring at us in wonder so-"
"Oh my God!" Holly exclaims, turning her attention back to us with a deep blush across her cheeks. "I'm sorry, uh, where was I?"
"Double date." Will says with a snort.
"Right! So, we go on another double date and just enjoy ourselves for the day! First stop is Starbucks!"
We don't have a chance to respond as Holly pulls us all up and onto our feet. "There's a shopping center that we can drive to in Beverly Hills."
"Isn't that like, an hour and a half away?" Will asks in confusion.
I shrug my shoulders and say, "Well-"
"No." He cuts me off immediately.
"It shouldn't be too bad." Holly says. "Besides, it'll be like a little road trip. I could even drive-"
"Ha!" Rikki laughs humorlessly. "Didn't you get your license taken away?" Holly scowls at her.
"I'll get it back tomorrow."
"Yeah, no. I'll drive. So let's get going before we hit traffic."
***
We made it into Los Angeles in pretty good time and like Holly said, made our first stop at Starbucks.
While Rikki and Holly got iced coffees, me and Will got waters and we continued to walk down the huge paths of Beverly Hills Center, enjoying each other's company.
Before long, we all get hungry and decide to sit down at this place called Olive Garden for an early dinner. We get seated at a booth with me by the window seat, Will at my side, and Rikki across from me with Holly next to her.
A man comes by and puts a small basket of breadsticks in the center of the table which Rikki and Holly practically attack while Will has half of one and I nibble on the other half.
It's not long before a women of about seventeen or eighteen comes over with a notepad, asking for our orders. She has fawn colored hair thrown up in a messy bun with strands framing the sides of her face, making her look sort of magical.
"Hey, guys! My name is Ashken and I will be your waitress for the night! Really quick, I like to get names so I can properly address you guys when I bring out your orders so would that be alright?" We all nod our heads and she smiles brightly. "Great! Okay so just say your names with your orders."
"I'm Holly, and I will get the chicken marsala. Rikki is probably having the five cheese ziti al forno." Rikki whips her head around in surprise.
"I've literally never gotten that, how did you-"
"You have a pattern of the new things you try. Just take it as a sign of love and move on." The waitress chuckles before turning to Will and I.
"I'll have the fettuccine alfredo." I say politely. "Oh, and I'm Nico."
"I'm Will, and can I get the house salad and cheese ravioli?" Will asks.
"O-of course!" The waitress stutter out. I turn to look at her and notice the redness in her cheeks. My immediate thought is, why does everyone keep falling for my boyfriend today? Rikki picks up on it too and snorts at me rolling my eyes. "If you guys need anything else," she continues, letting her gaze linger on Will a moment too long. "don't hesitate to tell me." With that, she smiles and walks away from the table.
"Something tells me that waitress got a bite from the love bug." Rikki says once she's out of earshot.
"What do you mean?" Will asks, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.
"Oh come on, Will. She was practically drooling on you."
Will shrugs his shoulders with a smile. "I'm taken, so I don't really care." I smile at his words and Rikki wiggles her eyebrows at me suggestively. "So what are you girls wearing to the wedding?"
"You'll see." Holly says, taking a bite out of the last breadstick while Rikki glares holes into the side of her head. "All you need to know is that we're going to be the most gorgeous dates you ever have in your lives."
"Oh, well I doubt that." Will says, bumping my shoulder with his own.
"I don't know, Will." Rikki says as she gingerly takes hold of Holly's chin, tilting it so they're facing each other. She leans in and bites off a quarter of the breadstick, making it so her lips are mere centimeter's from her girlfriend's. She continues talking with her mouth full. "Holly's pretty hot." Holly gives a wack to the back of Rikki's head with a blush. Quicker than we thought it would be, Ashken comes back with our meals.
"Okay!" She says cheerfully. "The chicken marsala for Holly, fettuccine alfredo for Nico, five cheese ziti forno for Rikki, and last but certainly not least, a house salad and cheese ravioli for Will! I hope you all enjoy your food and like I said, if you need anything, at all, just ask." She claps her hands once before walking off again.
We all enjoy our food, and it isn't long before we're waiting for Ashken to come back and give us the check. "You ate nothing." Will says, glaring at me slightly.
"You watched me eat." I retort.
"Like, three bites."
"Well, I'm full."
Will sighs and kisses my forehead. "You didn't even have breakfast this morning, at least one more bite?"
"No."
"Angel..."
"Don't even try it."
"Please?"
"I'm already ignoring you."
"See, this is what I mean when I call you dense."
"Yet you still chose to date me."
"And it's the best choice I've ever made."
"Solace..."
"One more bite?" I tear my gaze away from his and notice how Rikki and Holly have been looking back and forth between us like a tennis match.
"Whatever." I mutter, bringing another forkful of pasta up to my lips.
"Hey! Seems like you guys are finished!" Ashken says, smiling down at Will before zeroing in on me. "Would you like a box for that?"
"Sure." I reply.
"Alright. I'll be right back with that. Is there anything else needed? Will?" I feel myself cringe as she says his name. Why does she have to know his name?
"Yes, actually." He says with a kind smile. Her eyes light up.
"Sure! Anything, anything at all."
"I don't know if this is weird to ask, I honestly haven't been here since I was a kid." He says sheepishly while dragging his fingers through his hair. "I'm not sure if you get asked this a lot."
"I can assure you, I've heard it all at this point." She replies with a giggle.
"Okay. Well I was just wondering if we get a box of bread sticks to take home?"
Her smile wavers for a moment but she tries to reel herself in just as quick. "Uh- I- of-of course! I mean, technically we aren't supposed to give extras, but for you, I'll make sure to accidentally grab them. How does that sound?"
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to get you in trouble."
"Oh, no! It's completely fine!" Ashken leans a little closer to Will and I stiffen in my seat. She continues on in a slight whisper, "Between you and me, I actually take home a doggy bag of breadsticks after every shift, and I've yet to be caught. This'll be a breeze."
"That'd be amazing. Thank you, Ashken." She blushes and straightens out her posture with a nod and goes back to the kitchen. Once out of ear shot, the rest of us burst into laughter, Will joining in a few seconds after.
"The look on her face!" Rikki marvels. "Priceless!"
"I honestly didn't mean anything by it!" Will defends, still chuckling along with us. "I wouldn't have asked if I'd known she'd get all flustered. I feel kind of bad."
"You should!" Holly says, trying to kill off her giggles and be serious. "You probably just broke the poor girl's heart."
"Hush!" Rikki says as Ashken walks back over.
"Alright, I got the secret bread sticks and I will be back with the check."
"Oh, wait!" Will says putting a hand out as if to stop her and just having his fingers brush against her arm. "I'm sorry, it's just you forgot the box."
"Box?" She blinks, seemingly coming out of a trance.
"The one that Nico asked for." Will explains.
"Oh! The box." She says, facepalming. "I'll be back with that and the check." She says before scurrying off.
"Ooh, she's got it bad." Rikki observes. "Anyway, let's play spin the bottle but the Rikki version."
"What's the Rikki version?" Will asks with a chuckle.
"I'll give you an example." She pulls an empty Snapple bottle from Holly's bag and spins it on the center of the table. Once it finally spins to a halt, it points to Will and I immediately reach down to squeeze his hand. Rikki then turns the bottle so that it faces Holly instead and grabs her face to kiss her.
I snort as Will goes to spin and it actually lands on me. He turns and tilts my chin up before pressing our lips together in a soft kiss as Rikki and Holly quietly cheer.
"Oh!" We pull away from each other so quickly that my head hits the window behind me and I let out a tiny whimper that I'm not very proud of. "Playing spin the bottle, I see." Ashken says, giggling slightly while gesturing towards the bottle.
"Yeah, but the Rikki edition." Rikki says with pride.
"What's that?"
"It doesn't matter who the bottle lands on. Just do what you want."
"I don't get it. Why would Will wanna kiss a boy?" She asks with a forced laugh.
"Well, that boy happens to be my boyfriend." Will says with a smile.
"Oh! Wait.. so you- you're gay?"
"Yep," he confirms simply.
"Wow. Um, well I'm gonna just- um, have a good night, guys."
"You're a heartbreaker, Will," Rikki said with a smirk, grabbing the bottle from the center of the table.
Will furrows his brows and shakes his head, disagreeing, "I truly don't mean to be."
I tug lightly on the side of his shirt and he turns to me curiously. "Why didn't you correct her?" I ask.
Will thinks for a moment. "About what?"
"She said you were gay," I explain shortly. "You're not."
"Well, I've tortured the poor girl enough. Better to not let her think she has a chance, y'know?"
I scowl at him, somewhat playfully. "So she has a chance? Because you're bisexual?"
The smile on his face comes easily as he pulls me in and kisses the side of my head. "I'm so in love with you." He breathes quietly.
I frown, confused by his answer. Of course, I don't think he'll leave me for our ditsy waitress, but his answer made me doubt that security. "Will-"
"She doesn't," Will cuts me off with a chuckle. "No one has a chance against you."
I look over and lock eyes with the girls sitting opposite us, expecting their excited eyes and smiles. However, instead they seem to have forgotten the two of us and began staring lovingly into each other's eyes, Holly playing with the ends of Rikki's hair. For a moment, I really feel what they must be feeling when they look at us. They're truly adorable together.
Instead of continuing to be a creep, staring at their private moment, I snuggle closer into Will's side, breathing in his scent. "That's a relief," I say to Will with a smile.
A/N: Fun fact, the waitress was originally a lot more predatory and was named Nikki because Nikki from Dork Diaries was annoying to me for some reason. So much so that I wrote her out to be disgustingly all over Will.