Chapter Seven (A Month Later)
Annabeth's POV
I sit on the sofa with Percy by my side. It's his birthday tomorrow and the present I'd bought for him online still hasn't arrived in the post yet. He hasn't mentioned what he's wants from me since the day on the beach and I don't think I'm going to be able to do it. I'm so nervous but I don't know why.
A knock on the door gets everyone's attention and they all run to open it while Percy and I roll our eyes and smile. "Do they always do that?" he asks, laughing and I nod.
"Annabeth!" Luke yells, coming back into the living room with everyone else. "It's for you."
I look at Percy and then at Luke, shrug, and then walk to the door. A middle-aged man stands with a package in his hands. "Annabeth Chase?" he asks and I nod. "Please can you sign here and here," he says, holding out a sheet of paper and a pen for me. I scribble my signature and he hands me the package. I nod to him in thanks and he leaves after I hand him the paper and pen.
"What was that all about?" Percy asks, coming into the hall. I turn around and hold the package in the air. "What's that?"
I tap my nose in a 'mind your own business' way and run to the elevator. "You're not getting a way from me that easily!" Percy yells and my eyes widen when I realise he's running after me.
I bang the button for the elevator several times before it opens but Percy steps inside just before the metal doors close. "What have you got here?" he teases and I shake my head and walk backwards. He steps forward and when my back hits the elevator wall I realise I'm trapped. I huff and cross my arms, trying to act angry.
"I'm not that stupid, Annabeth," Percy grins. "Besides, you can't be angry with me forever, you love me!" My face heats up when he says this and I beat myself wondering why he'd make me feel this way.
I mentally shake my head, trying to forget those thoughts. Percy puts a hand on the wall either side of me, crossing out my plan of running to the right or left corner of the elevator. He quickly snatches the package out of my hands and places it on the floor before going back to the previous position with his arms on the wall beside my face.
He starts to smile and our eyes meet. His smile freezes and I gulp, while he starts to lean in. Our eyes never meet and I start to lean in, too. Ding! The sound makes us jump apart and I look to find the elevator doors open. I scoop the package into my arms and run to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. As soon as I do that I press my back against the door and slide to the floor.
If the elevator doors hadn't opened then what would've happened? I think we both know what would've happened. I put my head in my hands and squeeze my eyes shut. I don't know why I'm overreacting, it's not like I haven't thought of Percy in that was because I have. He always manages to take over my thoughts. Like the other day in school, we had swimming class and this guy didn't know how to swim and I was thinking 'Percy knows how to swim' and when I had a free lesson I was sitting in the yard, reading a book, I'd been thinking 'Percy would be teasing me for reading when I had a free lesson,' or something like that.
Sometimes it bugs me when everything I do reminds me of him but at the same time it's comforting because he's my best friend. Would've kissing him ruined our friendship? Would've we pretended it never happened or would we avoid each other? I bang my head against the door and make a groaning noise, hating that I still can't stop thinking about him.
I'd been able to hide my feelings for months but I don't think I can go on forever. Jeez, he's only been here four months and he's got me feeling like… like this. What does 'this' mean? It's confusing and worrying me and then at the same time I like it. "Annabeth?" Percy whispers and he knocks the door.
I close my eyes again and take a deep breath, telling myself to calm down. "I'm sorry," he says. "I-if you don't talk to, I mean, if you don't want to see me or whatever again then I understand." Much to my disappointment I hear his footsteps quieten and I quickly swing the door open and grab his hand.
He spins around, startled. "Your not mad?" he asks. I shake my head. His face floods with relief and he puts his arms around me. "Thank god."
(The Next Day)
I wanted to give him his present last and I think he understood that because he didn't even glance at the present before he's opened the others. I admit I'm nervous. I'm not sure if he's going to like the present. It took me a while to find but I found them when Percy was out a few weeks ago and I new exactly what to get him.
"Thanks guys," Percy says, the smile he's had on his face since waking up still not disappearing. I wonder how he's really feeling. I mean, this is his first birthday with out both of his parents. I remember when it was my birthday; I stayed in my room all day and I didn't even eat. I'm glad Percy isn't like that. He looks at me with raised eyebrows and I hand the present over. It had taken me about an hour last night to sort the present out but hopefully it will be worth it.
Percy rips the wrapping paper and looks at the present. His eyes widen and his smile falls a little. He looks at me and then back to the photo album. He opens it and I watch his reaction. Tears fill his eyes as he takes in the photo of him and his mom and dad on a beach. The family had been smiling so wide and you could feel how happy they were. Percy seemed to forget about us all watching him as he turns the pages of the blue photo album, looking at each photo for about half a minute, sometimes smiling at a memory.
He turns over to the last page where I had stuck a picture of us. It was when we had went shopping one time and he's bought us ice creams and we'd dabbed some on each other's noses and taken a few pictures. The one he was looking at was my favourite. He closes the album and looks at me with a mixture of sadness and happiness in his eyes. "Thank you so much," he whispers. "I love it." I know it's not what he wanted. He wanted me to speak but who says I still can't do that? "I know I'd asked for something else but I realised it was selfish and that I was pushing you."
"It doesn't matter."
"It does because I pressured you and… wait!" his eyes widen. "What did you just say?"
"It doesn't matter."
Oh god, this is bad. SORRY!
