The day I realised I was in love with Will Solace, our canoe tipped over in the middle of the lake.
It was a bright afternoon, the sunshine reflecting off the water, the wind rustling through the trees in a slight breeze, and the smell of strawberries in the air. A perfect summer day.
But I was forlorn. Will had suggested we go for a paddle on the lake in an effort to cheer me up. But it just made it worse. The way the late afternoon sun made his obnoxiously blonde hair light up like a halo was doing things to my heart. He was leaving in three days to go back home for the school year. And I wasn't sure what I was going to do without him. It had been bad enough at the end of last summer.
I knew I could visit, of course, but that wasn't the same as being able to sneak him into the Hades Cabin so I could bury my face in the crook of his neck all night. Or spend whole days helping him out around the infirmary, watching as he bit his lip in concertation. Or holding his hand at campfires, where he would always kiss me goodnight afterward, the taste of burnt marshmallows still on his lips.
Indeed, in the last three months, Will Solace had taken up permanent residence in my fragile little heart. And the still slightly insecure part of my brain was afraid that once he left, things would change between us.
I was pondering all this when we were unceremoniously tipped over, and then suddenly everything was just very, very wet.
"Jackson!" I said once I surfaced, glaring through my sopping hair at the boy in question.
"Hey, sorry guys, you looked like you could use a little cooling off!" Percy laughed good-naturedly, speeding by on his own canoe to follow Annabeth, who was racing off without him.
I bent to offer Will my hand, which he took with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. I should've realised then what he intended to do, but I was still feeling rather dejected and cold, so I didn't notice anything amiss. And then he yanked me back down again, so I was fully submerged in the water. And my gods the boy was insufferable.
"Will!" I said, surfacing once more to cough up the water in my lungs.
But he just laughed. And I couldn't help but laugh back; his smile was infectious.
I didn't realise how close he'd gotten to me until he was brushing wet hair out of my eyes. He was practically beaming at me.
"Have I told you how much I love your laugh?" He said, voice low, and eyes searching mine.
He had. Many, many times.
"Maybe once or twice," I said, rolling my eyes. He was such a dork.
And then he was slowly leaning in and placing his lips softly to mine. So slowly, I almost had time to count all the freckles that painted the bridge of his nose. And it struck me, not for the first time, just how absurdly pretty he was.
When his tongue ran across mine, I practically melted into him; forgetting where we were. I usually wasn't one for such displays of public affection, but here he was, again, completely flipping my world upside down.
When he leaned down to place kisses along my neck, I had to clutch at the fabric of his shirt for leverage. I still wasn't used to how much his touches affected me, even after a year of being together. One of his hands was sill twined with mine, and I found myself squeezing it for dear life. And I thought to myself how much I simply could not get enough of him. I would never get enough of this. My heart was beating so fast, I felt like it was trying to escape my chest. He was the most beautiful, infuriating, lovely boy I'd ever known, and I was going to miss him so, so much when he left. It was going to be like missing a limb; he'd be taking part of me back home with him to Texas.
And when I finally realised what all those things meant, I had to remind myself to breathe. The thought hit me like a tonne of bricks, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
I abruptly pulled back to look at him.
His face was all sweet concern, making the need to tell him even more apparent. "Is everything ok?" He asked, just as breathless as I felt. "Did I do something to…"
"Do you have any idea how this feels, Solace?" I said, placing his hand to my chest. Will stared at me, all parted lips and wide eyes. "Do you have any idea how you make me feel?"
It took him a moment to respond, but then, quietly, he said: "How do I make you feel?"
And I couldn't help it. I swallowed; eyes locked in an endless dance with his. "I'm in love with you."
