A/N: Hey guys! Back again with the next chapter! Hope you like it!
Piper squeals when she tells her about the date and it's exactly what Annabeth's been feeling since she closed the door after saying yes. But she's been playing it cool. Kinda. The squeal is immediately followed by plans of coming over beforehand to assist.
She half-heartedly protests, knowing full well she'll want Piper's help. "I can dress myself for a date."
Piper doesn't even dignify that with a response.
True to her word, Piper shows up Friday after work and throws open the door to the closet. All Percy had said was he was going to show up at 7 and they were going to get dinner, without specifying anything else.
"You're lucky it's fall," Piper says. "A nice sweater and dark jeans go a long way."
Annabeth nods, letting Piper do most of the decision making. She's nervous, and she has no idea why. She's been on dates before, and she even knows Percy pretty well, so this should be easier.
But for some reason, it's not, and it feels like a bigger deal.
"It's 'cause it's your first date as a real adult," Piper answers the question she didn't actually ask out loud. Piper adjusts the scarf around her neck and steps back, scrutinizing it. Annabeth stands still as she does, and hopes Piper doesn't like it because it's getting a little too warm.
Piper tosses the scarf.
"Yeah...that could be it," she muses, now that the scarf is off. Everything does feel different now, even the things she used to do before. School ending had completely flipped her perspective.
Like now, she'd be starting her fall semester, which she'd always associated with beginnings. But now, this is it. This is her life and school isn't around to make it feel like a fresh start. It's just a season, where the leaves turn pretty colors.
Piper comes back with a different scarf, and after another moment of scrutiny, declares the outfit complete.
Annabeth decides to not dwell on the whole fall and school and things being different because she doesn't need to be even more nervous for this date than she already is. She follows Piper's lead and starts talking about hair.
Luckily, she'd had the foresight to do some light makeup before Piper showed up, so she's ready by 6:40.
"Alright, my work here is done." Piper pushes back a strand of her caramel hair and grins.
Annabeth nods appreciatively as she looks at herself in the mirror. Piper had done an amazing job.
"Thank you so much Piper, I have no idea how I could have done this without you." And she really is grateful. She's been so in her own head about the whole thing that she really doesn't know if she would've been ready in time.
"That's what best friends are for!" Piper replies with a smile. "Now I'm gonna get out of your hair before Percy shows up. I want to meet him, but now is not the time."
Annabeth nods. "Yeah, don't worry, he's never early. I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick."
Piper starts to gather her things as Annabeth shuts the door to the bathroom.
Not a minute later, the doorbell rings.
"Um, Annabeth," Piper calls, through the bathroom door.
"Fuck," she curses. "Go get the door and tell him I'll be right there."
She hears the door open and sounds of their voices drifting through the apartment. She can feel her heart beat faster, the date all of a sudden a reality, and she takes a breath in front of the mirror.
Well, Piper had to meet Percy somehow. Now that it's happening, she might as well let it. She tries to take it slow with her lipstick and lets out another nervous breath before walking out.
When she steps out, Percy is sitting on the couch while Piper perches on the armchair. They're chatting about something which stops when Piper notices her entrance.
Percy whips his head around to look and she won't lie and say that his expression doesn't bring warmth to her face and further quicken her already fast-beating heart. He stands up and walks over.
In dark jeans, and a nice button up, he looks really good. There even seems to have been an attempt at taming his hair. She just wants to pull him close.
"Wow, Annabeth, you, um, you look good." He stumbles over the words a bit, but it's cute and she's glad she's not the only nervous one.
Maybe the anticipation of the date was what was getting to her, because now that she's seen him, she feels a little bit better about the entire thing.
"Thanks, you too Percy."
They stand there, staring at each other, for another moment until Piper cuts in.
"Well," she says loudly, clapping her hands and startling them both. "You two have a date to go on…"
That seems to shake Percy. "Right, we should go."
He opens the door and they step out, Annabeth taking his offered arm.
"It was nice to meet you Piper," Percy says to Piper who's moved towards the door to close it after them.
Piper smiles back. "You too, Percy. Have fun you guys!" And with that she closes the door on them, giving Annabeth a look that said don't worry about it.
Annabeth isn't worried about it. Piper has the spare key and can easily let herself out. So she focuses instead on the handsome guy at her side.
-.-
Percy hopes his nerves aren't showing.
You'd think he was sixteen by the way he was acting. It had gotten so ridiculous that the only reason he'd been so early was that Nico had gotten fed up with the fussing and second- guessing that he had thrown him out of the apartment.
He's grateful for it now though, because at least he's made it this far.
Made it as far as walking down the street with Annabeth beside him, chatting about her day and generally making him feel more at ease about this entire thing. She looks great, as always, and a part of him still can't believe that he's actually on a date with her.
His first date in forever, really. But that's beside the point and not something he wants to think about. Because for once, the weather is cooperating and he's walking down the street with Annabeth by his side.
They end up at the Italian place down the street because it's moderately fancy and Annabeth never had it when she was over that one time. Plus,Nico and Will are officially together now so maybe it's good luck.
"I've been meaning to come to this place," Annabeth says as they walk in. (He's not going to lie and say that there isn't a small sigh of relief upon hearing her say that).
"Today's your lucky day," he replies as he opens the door for her, grinning cheesily because that's how he meant it, and definitely not that it was just the best he could come up with.
"Oh, I know," she responds, winking at him. Winking. She just winked at him. He only stumbles a little bit as he follows her in.
"You know, you should try the spaghetti," he recommends, smiling inwardly.
-.-
By the time dinner, dessert, and drinks have ended and they're walking back to the apartment, it's gotten significantly colder. There's a flush to her cheeks, a mixture of alcohol and the amount of times he's made her laugh.
She's pressed up close, because it's cold, obviously, and definitely not because she's wanted to be this close to him for a while now.
They chat easily as they enter the building and make their way up to the second floor, stopping at her door.
It's in that moment that the easy air of laughter fades, replaced with a slightly awkward and unsure tension. Percy's rubbing the back of his neck, stammering out something about having a good time and after taking one look at his flushed face and messed-up hair (because it wasn't going to stay put for that long), she makes up her mind.
"Want to come in?"
And with that, all her cool leaves her, and she can't stop the blush as he readily agrees.
She unlocks the door and immediately notices that Piper had tided up the shoes that had been strewn about from her hunting for her heels, and therefore no doubt had cleaned her room of all the clothes that she had left lying around.
She makes a mental note to buy Piper a drink to remind her just how grateful she was.
They make their way to the couch, chatting once again. They had been talking all night, and they still hadn't run out of topics. It actually amazes Annabeth, but also leaves her with the slight worry that they actually will at some point and be left staring blankly at each other.
Of course, she's had the best night with Percy. She figured it would be, especially since she's spent many nights with Percy. But those had been chatting casually on The Roof as friends and not across from each other on a date.
The conversation winds down, and the awkward, unsure tension returns.
They're settled down pretty close together, the way they would had they been getting ready to watch Doctor Who, but it's different.
She can feel it. And she can tell he feels it too.
Everything's a bit more...charged.
Percy leans closer to her and her heartrate quickens in anticipation. This is the moment she's both looked forward to the most and been the most nervous about.
There's a brief moment of fear as she wonders if maybe she's forgotten how to kiss. It's been such a long time, after all. But she pushes it down as his green eyes get closer and she can feel his breath.
"I've been meaning to kiss you," he says softly.
Throwing her fears to the side she gives in to what she knows she wants. Mustering up some courage she twinkles at him. "Today's your lucky day."
He chuckles at that. "Oh, I know," he replies, with a wink.
A second later he's kissing her and that's all that matters.
A/N: Finally a date and a kiss! Now they're getting somewhere lol. I hope you guys liked the fluffy chapter!
Please Review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!
And as always, thanks for reading!
See ya! :)