It wasn't that Nico didn't show her any kind of affection, Nico was the most loving person she had ever been around, once you got past that bristly exterior.
After they started dating, in secret at first, Nico was just all over her, it was like she was starved of attention with them being a secret and it all just exploded out of her when they were alone.
She would curled up against Karolina's chest, lay across her lap, rest her head against her chest with her leg thrown over Karolina. She was constantly playing with Karolina's fingers or kissing her neck.
But Karolina never pegged her as someone who was touchy feely in public, she didn't expect any PDA when they came out.
So, when they were kicked out of the closet by an angry Alex who caught them half naked, Nico with Karolina sitting on the dresser at Karolina's place, Nico wedges in between her legs as they kissed, she was surprised when Nico went from keeping a little distance between them to practically (and a few times literally) sitting on her lap.
The first time I happened was the day after they had been caught, they met up at Chase's place and Karolina took a seat on armchair, figured Nico would want to keep a little distance like she had the night before. But when Nico got there she shucked her jacket off and planted herself on Karolina's lap.
Karolina let out an embarrassing little squeak, making Chase smirk over at her, her arms hanging uselessly in the air for a few seconds before settling around Nico's hip, one settling on her thigh.
"Hey, baby." Nico whispered against her ear, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Uh, hey," Karolina croaked, her cheeks heating up, the tips of her ears probably red.
"You okay?" Nico asked.
"She's blushed," Molly grinned from the bean bag across from when, her mouth stuffed with the popcorn Gert had brought.
"Am not," Karolina huffed.
"Geez, I thought you guys were secretly dating for weeks before we found out." Gert commented.
"We were." Nico confirmed.
"And she still gets all flustered like that?" Chase whistled, looking almost impressed. "You gotta tell me how you pull that off, Minoru."
"I'm not flustered," Karolina huffed, choking a little on her saliva when Nico wiggled a little.
The group grinned over at her, bar Alex, who was uncharacteristically quiet during the whole exchange.
"Shut up," Karolina huffed.
Karolina thought Nico was just making a statement that night, making a point of showing the gang they were together, she figured Nico would stop after that night.
Boy was she wrong.
She was standing at her locker the next day, they weren't out in school so Karolina thought it would just be business as usual, stuffing books into her locker when Nico came over, her hand tickling the sliver of exposed skin on Karolina's lower back as she walked past and leant against the locker beside Karolina's. "I really like those jeans on you."
"Are you- we aren't out here yet, are you sure?"
"I'm sure if you are," Nico said, her lips hooking up into a little smirk as she pushed herself of the locker, looking at Karolina with a look that had her stomach fluttering.
"I am,"
"Good," Nico hummed, her hips landing on Karolina's hips, backing her up against the locker and kissing her pushing herself up onto her toes.
Karolina's entire body buzzed, her whole body shaking as she kissed back, her hands hovering by Nico's hips unsurely, until Nico grabbed them and placed them on her hips, a little lower than Karolina would have placed them. Then Nico's hands found Karolina's cheeks, softly creasing them and, god, Karolina just melted.
A wolf whistle forced them apart, Karolina leaning back against the locker, dazed, while Nico glanced to her left to see Chase grinning at them from down the hall , Molly on his back who was also grinning.
"Get it, Dean." Chase called in that obnoxious jock voice he had, making Molly laugh.
"Get a room, more like it." Molly said.
"We will," Nico whispered, looking up at Karolina through her eyelashes. "Mine. Tonight."
Karolina nodded dumbly, which was stupid, it wasn't like this was the first time they had had sex.
Karolina spent the rest of the day feeling like she could just barely breath, her cheeks seemed to be permanently red because Nico just didn't stop touching her.
In the hallways, at lunch, even in class, where she placed a hand on Karolina's leg, making her jump, her knee hitting off the table and her pen making a huge line through the work she had just done.
Nico just smirked down at her book, tracing little hearts on her thigh.
What truly surprised her, though, was the first time they were around their parents.
It was at a parents evening at the school and Karolina showed up with Leslie (Frank was away on some job for the church), and they had just stepped through the door when she had an armful of Nico.
"Save me," Nico whispered against her ear, making Karolina laugh, her face hiding in Nico's neck.
It could be played off as a friendly hug, but the kiss that followed couldn't, a soft, lingering on that smudged a little black lipstick on Karolina's lips (she really had to talk to Nico about getting smudge proof stuff).
"Nervous?" Nico asked, using her thumb to wipe Karolina's lips.
"Yeah," Karolina forced out through a dry throat.
"Why?" Nico said. "You're a straight A, goody two shoes, I think it's me who has to worry."
"Oh, no, not about that." Karolina admitted.
"Me?" Nico arched an eyebrow at her. "I make you nervous?"
"Are you surprised?" Karolina laughed softly.
"Let's go, Nico." Robert called and when Karolina looked over at him he was watching them with a soft smile.
"You're gonna be fine," Karolina assures, planting a kiss on Nico's forehead.
"See you in there, nerd."
Nico headed over to her dad, and Karolina dreaded the look on her mother's face, she had no real idea how she would react.
"You didn't tell me you two were finally together," her mother said, sliding her arm around Karolina's waist.
"Finally?"
"Well, yeah." Leslie laughed. "You have had a thing for that girl since you were kids."
That surprised Karolina, which must had came across in her expression cause Leslie smiled. "You knew?"
"About Nico, yes. I didn't, and don't, know where you sit on the spectrum."
"Girls," Karolina said. "Just girls."
That didn't seem to phase her mother, who just squeezed her side and gave her a stern look. "Is there anything you have to tell me before we go in here?"
Nico spent the entire event casting her looks, soft, loving ones and Karolina just melted every time.
This was something she couldn't wait to have Nico look at her like that for the rest of her life.