Chapter 11: Treat You a Meal

Annabeth

It went something like this: Percy sat opposite me on the table while I helped out with his homework by occasionally leaning over and correcting his mistakes. We would laugh and smile in between the longer we studied, then after putting in all that 'hard' work we would say our goodbyes for tonight and leave for the day. I would get in our limo with Alfred before he would drive me back to our penthouse on the Upper East Side.

Or…

That's what was supposed to happen. Instead, our tutoring session went completely off the rails from how I originally envisioned it.

"…." I sat on my seat with mostly seal lips, unable to muster up a single word to say to him. Forcing myself to look down at the table where the piles of works were scattered around, I rested my hands over my thighs and subconsciously pulled on my skirt. Of course, it couldn't be helped that my face was quietly blushing quite red too.

Meanwhile, Percy was sitting next to me like how it was the last time we were at the library together. I didn't know how it happened, but now that we found ourselves a few inches apart, I was very aware of the heat that won't leave from my cheeks, nor from the rest of my tense body.

"Umm… Can you help explain that again?"

I could tell he was feeling just about as much as I was, yet I couldn't even begin to think how we were going to get away from this tension that surrounded us like a thick veil that refused to leave.

"Yeah," I managed to say and leaned over to help.

Again, the library was empty and devoid of a single soul around. The only person here beside us was the librarian who was a different person from last Friday. She also didn't seem to care that we were the only two in here, fortunately… Being the one and only outliner, I would have imagined that we would capture her attention, but she was so focused on reading her book that she hardly gave us a glance or two. Not that I was complaining…

"I know I have to find out the hypotenuse for the triangle, but I don't really know if I should use sine or cosine," Percy explained much to my surprise. I focused on the question, and less than a second later I was able to see the answer and the way to approach it.

"It's cosine…" I said, "Do you know the formula for this?"

Percy shook his head, "Uh… I don't remember?"

I sighed. Never mind, I'll take my surprise back…

"Give me your pen." I reached out.

About halfway through all his work for today, Percy didn't hesitate and handed me it. Of course, our hands brushed over one another which made us both pause on the spot. My fingers fumbled when I touch his hand. At the same time, I was pretty sure he shrunk back from mine which dropped the pen on the table before us. I cleared my throat.

"Ah-hem…" I picked it back up, "Here. I'll write the formula down. Just plug in the values and solve it like an algebra equation."

Maybe I should have explained the concept behind it. Given that he didn't have problems solving algebra questions; this was his trigonometry class after all, so without understanding why I wrote the formula nor what it meant he wouldn't be able to do it a second time.

Yet even with all these sound reasonings in my head, I couldn't bring myself to do it. For one thing, I was too distracted by the fact that I was blushing crazily like a red bubble around him; he was pretty much the same way too. I also couldn't stop overthinking about what happened between us and what all those things meant. And secondly: this was the crazier part, there was something that made me wanted to keep Percy from learning too much, sort of. I have a soft inclining as to why I would do something so horrible, but I didn't want to admit it.

I want to keep tutoring Percy as long as possible… It was a voice from deep inside my heart, yet I refused to accept this embarrassing thought that won't go away.

As for why I even had this idea in the first place, it's just a full circle back to the very person that made it possible. From the moment this responsibility was handed down to me, I've told myself that it's best to end this tutoring arrangement as quickly and painless as possible. Since then, the memorable and even sometimes amusing moments that I'd never expected to share with Percy- from our brief time today and last Friday, made that thought less and less appealing.

I finished scribble the formula on an empty space and handed him his pen back, "There…"

"Oh," Percy commented with a hanging question over his lips.

Perhaps it was because of my stubborn nature, but I couldn't stop thinking about that wild thought in a selfish way. Of course, I wanted Percy to improve his academics too so he could keep up with his classes in Goode high school. Yet, I had a nagging feeling that anything I spent time explaining would just get lost from his memories in less than a day. Wow! What a mean thing to say about him…

And that was such a weak excuse, you'd know it! I scold myself.

Subconsciously, even I knew what I was doing by thinking about this in the most roundtable way possible. I wasn't able to admit it, and I could make up as many excuses or whatnot to hide my true feelings, but in the end, I couldn't deny that there was a huge part of me that just wanted to spend more time with Percy in any way possible. To be honest, I was beginning to find it hard to not enjoy the time I've spent with him now.

The thoughts about keeping Percy from learning too much or saying he would just forget everything I taught him were all excuses for the real reason in my head… I knew it from the start, and because tutoring him was the only excuse I had…

"Do you want me to explain it?" I asked and tried to be a good person.

To my surprise, he nodded for me to continue which froze me in place for longer than a second. Given that Percy was already levels behind his actual school years, I pretty much just assumed that he wasn't a person who worked too hard, always doing the minimum possible, or maybe he was one of those people that just forgets everything he learned, information passing from one ear out the other.

For once, I was completely off the ballpark with that assumption.

"Okay." I scooched myself a bit closer to his seat, ignoring as my blush grew steadily.

My tongue began to formulate an approach to explain the question at hand, "First, you have to know which angle is the one you are looking for to solve the hypotenuse."

As I went on while he began to listen intently; I certainly hoped I wasn't going too fast for him to understand, a part of my mind began to drift slightly away from the topic before us. Still, I could keep my words flowing normally. It's almost like an instinct of sort, and I could keep up with my explanation while I was anything but focused on it.

"Let's assumed that this angle is a, that means its adjacent side must be both B and C." I pointed at the sheets.

Meanwhile, Percy nodded in between intervals as he replied with soft "uh-huh" or "okay" acknowledgments. Given that he understood that concept at least, I continued as I've planned.

"How come I am not at all bothered by how close we were?" A different kind of question began to formulate in my head. Regardless, my words kept flowing through my mouth. "Why do I feel so different than last Friday when I am with him?"

Basic Math like trigonometry was an effortless concept that I could easily understand, yet the illogical equations inside my head; the likes of which all revolved around the boy next to me, it was hard to find any concrete way to solve, let alone reach some semblance of a final answer to it all.

Stuck like a contagious virus that refused to go away, I still remembered that embarrassing scene so vividly at the tip of my memory; the very awkward thing that I went through with Percy when we were inside the restroom… Both of us were totally alone, my arms wrapped around the back of his head, his wet body pressing little by little against mine, my face literally inches away from his, my heart beating out of my chest… One could very well assume that we were about to… do something irreversible. If not for my sudden interruption, it would have no doubt ended that way for sure. I shivered at the possibility, not even wanting to imagine how things would have ended up if that were the case.

Much to my relief though, it seemed like Percy was glad when we separated. The nervous and sheepish reflection in his green eyes, also when he heaved a gentle sigh was enough for me to figure that out. Not that it comforted me the slightest though. I still didn't know what he thought about that tense moment between us, nor what he was feeling right now.

Currently, he ran his right hand through his messy hair and I saw a short moment of him blinking in confusion. I paused and held in a breath, though it wasn't totally for that reason alone.

"But that's not B side… It should be over here, shouldn't it?"

Hopefully; and I was being really optimistic here, that sudden irresistible urge inside me when we were alone in the restroom wouldn't come up again. Because if it did, I probably won't be able to break away a second time. But in any case, his random and clearly ridiculous question made me blinked in confusion too. His finger pointed at the bottom of the triangle, the side clearly labeled as A.

"What are you talking about? Are you really that tired? It clearly states that this side is B…" I responded with genuine concern. If he was already falling asleep, then I might have to stay here for longer than I was expecting. Yet—

Is that hopefulness I am feeling?

Percy then squinted really hard at the paper, his green eyes flickered with a wavy glow to them. His sudden gesture made me pause on the spot as it reminded me of my best friend who now lived with us at the Chase Manor, the fact that she always had to squint hard to read something right.

"Wait, you are dyslexic too?" I blurted out as a sudden shock ran through me.

Lost in his focus, Percy shifted his eyes away from the paper and look right at me. It's not hard to see that Percy was just as shocked as I was, "How did you know?"

Wow! That's wild… What are the chances that Percy has dyslexia too? –just like the Grace siblings… and me.

"My friends have it since they were born, and I always see them squinting when they tried to read something, so when I saw you… I just connected the dots." I said softly, "Plus, I have it too…"

Facing me with disbelief plastered over his expressions, his face was blanketed over with surprise and intrigue like he didn't believe me, "But you don't—"

"I have a milder symptom, so it's not as serious." I told him after a slight pause in my words, "Plus, I've gotten used to it for a while now so it doesn't really affect me anymore."

"Oh." Percy replied only for a slow paused settled between us. After revealing something pretty sensitive about myself, I felt more than a little uncomfortable and insecure by his empty reaction, not that I was hoping for something though… Fortunately, a gentle and relieved sigh escaped me when moments later he followed up with an amusing chuckle, "Haha— Wow, what are the chances that I have a new tutor in school who was way smarter than me but also have dyslexia?"

I had the exact same thought, yet I blushed at his smiling remark and bumped his left shoulder, "Shut it, you idiot… No one else knows this about me."

His smile faded as he quickly realized the gravity of the situation, not the fact that I have a mild form of dyslexia, but the fact that he was the only one I've ever reveal this to, "Oh. Sorry,"

I sighed and shook my head hopelessly at him.

Oh my God- why did I even tell him that? Not even Piper knew this about me…

Percy then nodded his head as he tried to hide his growing embarrassment, "Y-Yeah… Anyways, I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I guess that's why I had a feeling that things weren't going to work out with me and this school, you know? –when I told you last Friday that I might not be a good fit."

I remembered that particular conversation. In fact, I remember most of what we talked about since I first met Percy. It caused a little flutter in my beating heart.

"Oh, that's what you meant?" I didn't expect that to be his reasoning.

Percy nodded and shrugged with an It's-no-big-deal type of way, "To be honest, I tried my best. I just don't know how I am going to keep up with all these assignments. I am probably way behind on my studies as it is. Of course, I am glad you wanted to help me out, but worst-case scenario, they just replaced someone who actually could do something good with this opportunity, right?"

A soft chuckle… but it wasn't a real laugh. There was a subtle sadness in them. Like the feeling of missing something valuable, I could hear it loud and clear without him needing to say anything.

The fact that Percy believed he would get kick out from Goode eventually with such strong conviction… I didn't like that, to see him believing it so wholeheartedly. It made me feel sorry for him at the same time and I wanted to cheer up his spirit out of my own free will.

"I don't think you are that bad…" I brought it up, though I still had my doubts, "It's not like you are completely clueless or didn't understand anything. Plus, I am your tutor as much as I hate to say it. You can always count on me to help you out every day after school, you know?"

A sincere smile moved across my lips. It was the first time where I genuinely cared about his wellbeing out of my own accord. Even though it scared me a bit to know that I was starting to feel this way, I pushed through the lingering resistance in my heart, "Anyways, you are not going to get replace, Percy… at least, I am not going to let you."

We had been keeping eye contact for a long time now. It might have been the longest that we've stared at each other while having a conversation. Meanwhile, Percy's green eyes were beginning to make me feel a familiar warmth as he looked inquisitively into mine. He was searching for something, and like him, I was searching for the same thing too. I might have very well found what I was looking for a second later, but I resisted as much as I could. Feeling a strong wild pull over my heart, and just when I was least expecting it, Percy smiled and reveal his feelings about me.

"You are a very kind girl, Annabeth. Most people wouldn't have bothered…" Percy said with an honest and straight face, yet it didn't help me the slightest because that comment alone made me grew as red as a tomato. I was pretty sure he noticed too, but he was nice enough to not point it out. Right after, he shot me a radiant smile which did more than just froze me in place, "Well, I guess I'll take you up on that offer then."

A soft pink glow— A velvet red blush— An uninterrupted wild look on my face—

In essence, my cheeks were approaching a combination of different shades at the same time. Surely, my face must have been expressionless yet spoke more volume than actually speaking out loud.

Completely embarrassed by his sudden and out-of-the-blue outburst, I scoffed and nodded away from him, "You better! I didn't get drag into tutoring you only for you to get kicked out of school in the middle of the year. So, promise me you'll come here every day to study and work your butt off, okay?"

There was a somewhat mischievous tone when he replied with a chuckle, "Sure."

I wasn't satisfied with that, "Promise?"

There must be something funny with my reply because Percy laughed humorous at me. I immediately shove at his shoulder and rolled my eyes. It was just to myself, but I mumbled underneath my breath and didn't hesitate to call him a jerk. Regardless, I couldn't fix my gaze back on him. I had to force myself to look at the hefty amount of work still left on the desk for him to finish.

"Okay, I promise." He agreed to the deal with a lighthearted reply.

Our first promise with each other… Gosh, what are you even doing to yourself, Annabeth?

I said as nonchalantly as possible, "I'll hold you to that."

Just as we promise to study here every day after school, a deep yawn broke out of my weary state. I was pretty worn out after another long day in school, not to mention tutoring Percy for a while now. I sighed tiredly and tapped my phone. It was a little after six-thirty in the evening. The orange glow of the sun was soon going to disappear from the horizon that the windows in the library faced.

… yet there was still a mountain of homework still needed to be done.

"It's okay if you are tired and want to go." Percy said out of nowhere and surprised me with how perceptive he's been since I met him, "I think I can handle the rest myself."

While I acknowledge that today was taking a lot out of me, maybe even more than it's supposed to, I didn't want to leave him hanging by himself. Sure, he might act tough now, but I knew for sure he'd be scratching his head with steam coming out of his ears when he gets to calculus on the very bottom of the stacks. I shook my head back at him, "Hum-umm— I'll stay."

An embarrassed Percy blushed right back at me, "Thanks."

Thinking that I saw right through his tough front, I patted myself in the back for knowing what he was feeling without consciously knowing it. A grin that threatened to split my face moved across my lips, my cheeks puffed out more than usual before I looked at him again. Percy returned with a smile of his own.

"How are your clothes?" I decided to bring up something else instead.

This was probably a good time for a break. I relaxed into my chair and noticed that his uniform was a lot drier than before, yet I still wanted to know how he was doing now and be sure that he was fine. If anything, I still feel bad about what happened with Luke. Hence, the reason why I kept up my worry this whole time. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too bothered by it.

"Meh… It's fine." Percy mumbled and relaxed into the chair too. He did an arm stretch behind his back and let out a slow grunt, "I don't really mind it. Sure, it's still a little wet, but I can deal with it no problem."

"Hmm." I acknowledged.

His carefree reassurance made me worry a little less, but I insisted on apologizing again, "Yeah, but I still feel bad about it, you know? I didn't think he would do something like that to you."

Percy turned to me and asked with a semi-serious expression, "Is he the jealous type?"

My surprise held me rigid as he was bold enough to ask me something about Luke, but I didn't recoil from his question. Unlike other times, something about us just made me feel safe enough to talk about my one and only relationship woes. Beyond that! If only you'd known what he did to me…

"Like you wouldn't know…" I nodded and show my exasperation, "Plus, he—"

I couldn't finish what I wanted to say. Maybe this wasn't the right time to reveal something about that horrible and one-sided relationship I had with Luke. Just being reminded of how it ended and its lasting impact left me with a frown and I grimace at the miserable memories.

Percy must have sensed that I wasn't ready to talk about it because he cleared his voice awkwardly and said calmly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. And it's not like there is anything to be jealous about anyway, right? I mean, you and I aren't… you know?"

I was tensed up at his words before I laughed nervously at him, "O-Of course not… I wouldn't imagine us having any— you know? Yep! He's just being stupid thinking there is something more… I guess."

Percy nodded along with me.

"Anyways, you can stop worrying about that." Percy said and I could hear the truthfulness in his voice, "I am fine about it. It doesn't bother me."

It was very sudden, but when a smug-looking expression appeared and grew across his face, I tensed and felt like something detrimental to my wellbeing was about to happen. He said calmly but behind his voice was filled with pure amusement, "Besides, this was much better than being wet with sticky caramel all over me and my clothes."

It took me longer than a second for his words to sink in, but not until I realized what he just said… I gasped aloud when I realize what he was doing in the end. Half-stupefied by his light tease, I heard his brief and soft chuckles which lead me to stare wide-eyed at him. A bit of a cheeky move, but I welcome his challenge nevertheless. Percy didn't know this about me- he most certainly will after this, but when you dare play this game with a girl like me; I wasn't one to back down nor would I let anything stand in my way from winning at any cost, all you could really do was prayed that you wouldn't lose too horribly.

"Oh? Are you making fun of me, Percy?" I shot him a playful semi-feign smile— definitely made sure that he saw my eyebrows raised to an uncomfortable degree at him, giving him false hope that I wasn't about to unleash a powerful smack in the back of his head. Of course, it couldn't go wrong with half a glare at his direction too to add to some flair. Still keeping my fake amusing smile, I threw in an extra 'Are you ready to die?' look into my expression too.

I can't believe I am having fun with Percy… Is that even possible?

As expected, Percy's lips twirled into a proper smirk before he said, "Hey, it was a good joke… Geez, you don't have to look at me like that, Annabeth..."

Aww… He's such a wuss. Just when I thought he was going to keep teasing me so I can tease him back.

"… And before you hit me on the head or something, this reminds me…"

Percy picked up his phone on the desk and did something with it. It was out of view, but he was smirking that whole time while he tapped his screen again and again. I wondered what he might be doing, but I honestly have no clue whatsoever.

"Here. This might make you feel better." Percy tapped one final time.

I didn't understand- until my phone vibrated on the desk and startled me like a thunderous storm just boom overhead, I flinched abruptly.

"Huh?" I was still confused at his meaning.

Percy grinned, "Just look…"

While I did remember giving him my number at our faithful coffee shop incident, it really was anyone's guess why he texted me just now. That aside, another blush surfaced because this was the first text that I've ever gotten from Percy, but he was already sitting right beside me.

"Fine. I'll humor you…"

I picked up my phone and scroll through to my messaging notification. Indeed, there was a new message from coffee boy, and it was a picture along with a caption.

(As you requested.)

After a casual smiley face at the end of that sentence, there was a picture below and it showed a twin bed- I assumed it was his- with a few shirts and pants. They looked familiar till I recognized them soon after, it was the outfit he wore that day. About all that was a piece of yellow paper with a Thank You note printed on top. I looked a bit closer.

WAIT A MINUTE? $70 DOLLARS?!

"W-What?! W-Where- do you even get your clothes washed?" I asked, but inside my head, I screaming at the price tag on that flimsy piece of paper.

With a price tag like that, I wouldn't be surprised if his local laundry mat was run by loan sharks. Gasping for air, I wasn't in shocked because it wasn't like I couldn't pay for it. It's just… His clothes ruined by my drink must be really clean right now.

"FYI, that's some strong caramel in your drink." Percy laughed, "It took the cleaning lady almost the whole weekend just to wash my jacket."

He grinned as he revealed one last bit of information, "To be honest, it's still a bit sticky even now, and it still has that caramel smell on it."

Percy pointed at the picture of my phone, "Hence, the lady charged me $70 bucks for the service."

I stuttered, "I- I…"

I guess I couldn't blame the laundry mat lady… that was a large cup after all.

I heard his chuckles at my speechlessness, "Look Annabeth, you really don't' have to worry too much. I already said I am fine with it, okay? But if it makes you feel better about your ex-boyfriend soaking me from head to toe, just treat me back with that and we'll call it even, hum?"

It was then I snapped from my speechlessness. Now I realized what he was doing on his phone, and the funny way he went about it gave me a huge pause as well as caught my breath in place. Why does he care so much about me not worrying about him?

There was no way that I would be satisfied with his suggestion. For one thing, I hated that fact that he made it sound like there was a score to settle, and if that's the case, then this merely 70 dollars bill wouldn't even begin to cover the cost of how much trouble I made for him.

Secondly, I- I just didn't feel right about this arrangement. If and when I paid him back, there was a part of me- perhaps it was some sort of innate instinct inside me- a lingering feeling that it would be the end of something… something I didn't want to let go of and miss it afterward.

"No." I shook my head and saw a little surprise in his expression.

I spoke way too soon and too abruptly. While I didn't want to accept his olive branch- even if it would surely keep everything the same, I didn't have any alternative to his suggestion either. Of course, I would very much like to pay him back for the cost of the dry cleaning, but to outright shoved some cash at him was what I specifically wanted to avoid. I wanted something else.

He's very kind to me too… I thought back to when he made me blush outright. Sure, he was a little bit on the annoying side, but…

Desperately thinking about something that I could do for him instead of just paying him back, I looked around our table where our work was scattered all over, then my eyes settled on the windows of the library where the sun was just a few minutes away from setting. At the same time, the time on my phone told me that it's almost approaching 7:00 pm of the evening, which meant that it's pretty much time for dinner. Hmm? I wondered what I wanted to eat for tonight…

Wait? Dinner... Oh..?

All that thinking had finally got me an idea, but it was a really, really bad one. On the edge of deciding to say it or not to say it, I twisted my tongue at my teeth and struggled so much even Percy began to notice something wrong. After all, I refused his suggestion but didn't come up with a reason why, or technically I did, but it was difficult to think about it, much less say it out loud. I could almost hear the internal struggles and screams in my head from ruminating so much. Honestly, it was a pretty good idea until a few seconds ago… at least within my imagination.

"A meal..." I said underneath my breath.

It's not like I was asking him to a dinner date or something. I told myself repeatedly but to no avail, that discomforting thought was already stuck inside my head for better or worse.

Percy blinked, "Huh?"

I hid my eyes when I turned to look at him, "A meal! I'll treat you to dinner tonight and that's it."

I-I can't believe I just said that… My automatic reaction completely betrayed everything I was internally saying at that point. It's just a meal… It's just a friendly meal…

Percy blinked a little more and went completely slack jaw, "Huh?!"

I was too embarrassed for my own good, but I pushed through because it was the only way for me to keep my composure under control, "I- I'll treat you to dinner tonight, Percy. I am picking the place, of course."

"Umm…" Percy began with disbelief over his voice, as expected, "W-Why?"

Because I wanted to- to— Even I didn't know the real reason why, but luckily my brain circuit wasn't too damaged so those words didn't come out of my mouth involuntarily.

I scoffed and explained with a half-truth excuse instead, "To pay you back, of course. Gosh, Percy… how slow can you be sometimes?"

He blinked and his lips pursed only for a second. He had a strange look on his face, one that I haven't seen yet before. His eyebrows went high up… His forehead scrunched up with a few wrinkles… His mouth was half-open with drool threatening to spill out… Overall, I could tell his confusion overturned almost every other feeling he must be having right now.

Still, I didn't stop there from trying to convince him- and probably myself too, "Plus, I don't have that kinda cash right now so I couldn't pay you back even if I wanted to."

That wasn't a lie… I wasn't used to bringing a lot of cash when I went outside since I can always just used my credit card and the wallet in my phone, and If I remember correctly, I didn't even have a single cent on me today. Hence, this arrangement I set up might be the best choice I could make right now, as much as it killed me to say it.

"Oh." It was all Percy could say after my out-of-nowhere offer and my pathetic excuses. Oh, how lame can I be sometimes? Please say something, Percy…

No luck… He wasn't initiating anything other than staring at me with that shocked look on his handsome face. Oh no… Did I just call him— Oh Gosh, no no no…

"In any case, I am getting hungry, and after tutoring you for so long it's only right that you accompany me to dinner." I said with nothing but blushes everywhere on my body, "So? Are you okay with that?"

Percy looked real confused and downright nervous after all the stuff I just dropped on him, but he managed to say, "Um, sure…?"

Thankfully he didn't throw in any awkward questions into the mix, and that was all the confirmation I needed from him before I nodded my head, "Well, let's pack up for today. We can deal with this tomorrow, 'kay?"

I shifted on my seat and began to pack up my stuff. The mostly random but definitely intrusive thoughts in my head were running wild, but I managed to ignore it for now so I could focus on getting out of our second day of tutoring at the library.

"Um…" Percy tried to say something, but his hesitation overtook him and he paused in the middle. I knew what he wanted to say though.

I sighed, "Don't worry… It's not like I couldn't help you out tomorrow anyway. In any case, you need a break too, don't you?"

After a little persuasion, it didn't take very long before Percy copied my gesture and began to pack up his stuff too. It was probably just me imagining it, but I was pretty sure I saw a relief expression when he hurriedly stuffed his books and papers back inside his backpack.

I couldn't stop a smile from moving across my lips at his Thank the God tutoring is over impression.