Chapter 27 Nico
nico
A Few Weeks Later
I stared at two button-up shirts and couldn’t decide which one Pack would like better. Looking at them individually only made me swear, and I threw up my hands in exasperation. Finally, I realized what I was doing and shoved both into my bag.
Flying to San Francisco would mean seeing Pack again, but it also meant facing a conversation I’d been avoiding for weeks. I wanted more clarity on our situation. Were we building something real or having fun without thinking about the future?
Things were going well. Our outreach appearances were drawing crowds, and every photo or video of us sent social media into another frenzy. We tried to treat the hashtags, shipping posts, and fan edits like background noise, but they kept bugging us.
At least the chirping from our teammates had eased. Pack said the Warriors were giving him less shit, and my friends had gone from open mockery to a steady stream of you two are disgusting but adorable.
Pack and I talked constantly about almost everything. But the one thing we hadn’t touched on was the most important of all.
Where the fuck are we going?
We’d agreed to let the relationship grow naturally without pressure. For a while, that worked. But as the weeks passed, unease grew in the back of my mind. It wasn’t panic or doubt; it was the need to know if we wanted the same things.
I didn’t ask. Pack was still sorting himself out, exploring his sexuality and what it was like to have a boyfriend. I didn’t want to spook him, or worse, push him into saying something he didn’t mean. The problem was, I knew exactly how I felt.
I’d wanted him in college, and even when I thought I hated him, part of me was still attracted to him.
Now that we were finally together, I didn’t want to lose him.
He didn’t know all that, and I wasn’t sure how to tell him.
Maybe this weekend would be the right time, not for a big speech or dramatic promise, but for complete honesty.
I’m open to a future with you. Can you see one with me in it?
The flight was endless. Six hours of turbulence, a sad excuse for a snack, and me staring out the window, trying to stop my heart from racing every time I thought about Pack. His flight landed a couple of hours before mine, so he’d be waiting at the hotel when I arrived.
As the plane taxied to the gate, my phone buzzed.
PACK: Been tracking your flight online and saw you just landed. I’d say I’m not going crazy waiting to see you, but that would be a lie. Let me know when you’re on your way and I’ll order dinner for us. I’m in 2104.
I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face.
NICO: Can’t wait to see you, babe. I’ve been counting the miles.
I typed a heart, then deleted it. Typed it again. Deleted it again. In the end, I left it off because he hadn’t used one. As close as we’d become, I was scared of reaching for him with everything all at once.
By the time my Uber arrived at the Fairmont, the sun was setting behind the skyline. The city glowed warm and gold against the evening sky.
I checked in and took the fastest shower of my life.
Sweats, hoodie, and cologne were enough, so I grabbed my phone and headed out.
In the hall, I dodged other guests and nearly collided with a room-service waiter.
Outside Pack’s door, I stopped to breathe.
Seeing him after time apart always did this to me.
I knocked, and the door opened immediately. Pack was breathtaking in gray sweatpants and a Warriors hoodie with the sleeves shoved up his beefy forearms. He was obviously going commando, which made my heart beat faster.
Please let him want what I do.
“Hey, Nix.” His voice wrapped around me.
“Hi, Pack.”
He stepped back to let me in. When the door clicked shut behind me, the room felt too small.
“Long flight?” he asked.
“Longest of my life.”
“Yeah?” His lips curved into a smile. “Missed me that much?”
The words came out before I could stop them. “I always miss you. Every second we’re apart.”
He reached for me, fingers brushing the back of my neck and sliding into my hair. He tugged enough to pull me close, and I wrapped my arms around him.
We didn’t rush. The usual heat was there, but there was also something deeper. The kiss was about breath and skin, the gentle scratch of his scruff, and silence that said more than anything we could have said.
When he drew away, he kept his hand on my cheek. “You hungry?”
“No,” I whispered. “Not for food, anyway.”
He let out a soft, breathy laugh. “Good. I haven’t ordered yet.”
We held on to each other while the noise of the week faded. Whatever the weekend held, this moment felt like the beginning of something deeper.
I woke with Pack’s chest pressed against my back and his arm wrapped around my waist. His breath was slow and even against my neck. I didn’t move; for a few seconds, I didn’t even breathe. I just lay there in the quiet room, feeling secure because the universe had finally gotten something right.
My stomach flipped. I’d slept with boyfriends before, but it had never been like this. No one else had ever made me feel so lucky, so emotional that I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. The truth was wonderful, even if it was also terrifying.
I was in love with Pack.
Completely, recklessly, undeniably in love. And I still didn’t know what he wanted from me.
I shifted enough to look over my shoulder. He was still asleep, his hair a mess on the pillow. With his lips parted, he looked peaceful. Vulnerable, even. This was the version of him I used to imagine when we were twenty, before everything fell apart.
I turned to face him. His eyes opened, heavy with sleep, and he smiled.
My heart stuttered.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.”
He traced a slow line up my back. “Sleep okay?”
“Better than okay.”
His smile deepened. “Good. Last night was everything, being with you.”
This was it. He was open, and if I wanted to ask, this was the time.
My heart raced. “Pack, can I—”
A sharp knock on the door made us both jump.
“The hell was that?” Pack muttered.
There was another knock, followed by a bright voice. “Room service.”
Pack’s face crumpled. “Shit. I ordered breakfast last night.”
I checked the clock and sat up. “The event’s in two hours.”
He groaned. “Fuck me.”
“Want to,” I said, “but apparently it’s not happening right now.”
He sat up and rubbed his face. “If we don’t eat now, we’ll pass out halfway through. Whoever planned an event at eleven in the morning should’ve had the decency to serve lunch.”
Before he could get up, I caught his wrist. He turned and lifted his eyebrows.
I almost said it. Not everything, maybe something like, “I want a future with you.” But another knock cut the moment short.
“Room service,” the voice called again.
Pack stood, looked around, and finally pulled on my boxers. “Coming.”
“That’ll be later,” I sing-songed.
He laughed and headed for the door. I stayed tangled in the messy sheets, staring at the ceiling. I’d missed this moment, but there was still hope for another before the weekend was over.