"As her best friend, I am telling you to wear your leather jacket."
"But it doesn't sound fancy enough for a first date."
"I'm telling you to wear it."
"I don't know..."
"Just wear the stupid jacket!"
"If it's stupid, I shouldn't wear it."
"Thalia, just wear the damn jacket! Reyna already said that she loves it, so please just wear it. Percy, how long has she been deciding on an outfit?"
"Like two hou- OW!"
"Should I really wear the jacket?"
"Oh my god! Thalia. Just wear the fu-"
"She's here! I have to go!"
Thalia hung up her phone and then turned to look at Percy. She couldn't get rid of the nervousness that she felt twisting her gut. It had been there ever since Reyna asked her out. Of course, Thalia was excited. She had been waiting for this moment for so long.
And terrified. Absolutely terrified of messing up this date and ruining her chances with Reyna. After imagining this for so long, it was finally coming true. She just couldn't believe it. Thalia was totally going to find a way to mess this up. Reyna wouldn't want to speak with her again, and that would be the end of their friendship.
"Thalia, you're going to be fine. Just calm down," Percy reassured as he gently grabbed her arm. "Just take a deep breath and chillax. And stop hitting me."
"Hitting you is my favorite hobby," Thalia commented.
"I know. So does the permanent bruises on my body," Percy complained. Thalia rolled her eyes. "Just wear the leather jacket. You can always take it off after you get there."
Thalia nodded. The words did make sense. She pulled on her leather jacket and looked down at herself, "I look terrible. Why did I pick these pants."
"Because they are the fanciest pants you have. You should get going. Reyna is waiting for you."
Thalia sighed and walked towards her door as Percy escorted her. She glanced back at him, "Don't steal anything while I'm gone."
"I wasn't going to. Now, I'm debating it," Percy said mischievously as he rubbed his chin. Thalia raised her hand again. "I'm kidding. I'll make some food, though."
"You can have the two crumbs that we agreed on," Thalia said. Percy smiled. His place was being fumigated, so he had to stay with Thalia for a day or two. It was a rather unexpected thing, and it was only unexpected because someone didn't check the notices they received in the mail.
"Good luck. Be yourself. Take deep breaths," Percy advised as he walked her towards the door. "Most importantly: have fun."
"I'll do my best," Thalia promised. She turned and walked out of her house. Her nervousness tripled as she saw Reyna's car. They were actually doing this. The two of them were going on a date.
And Thalia was totally going to screw this up.
Thalia knew it in her gut. She was going to say something wrong or do the wrong thing or spill her food on Reyna or choke on it.
"Hey."
Thalia snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her date. Reyna had gotten out of the car and was looking at her with a small smile. She was wearing her jacket from the store, but Thalia could see the blouse underneath. It looked like she was wearing pants that were the same kind as Thalia's.
"H...hey," Thalia said as her nervousness almost took over. She smiled at Reyna, and her date smiled back. Thalia cleared her throat. Reyna walked around and opened the car door for her. Thalia slowly got in and tried to keep herself from smiling too widely and looking like an idiot.
Reyna got back into the car and started to drive. Thalia stared ahead and tried to think of what to say. Asking Reyna about her day was dumb. They literally worked together. Should she ask how Reyna was after work? It wasn't that long of a gap, though.
Thalia was silent during the drive and staring ahead. She was just so nervous about saying something dumb and just ruining everything. Reyna was quiet as well, and her fingers tapped on the steering wheel. Her face was calm and emotionless like always.
"So... um," Thalia began. Her voice died on her, and she looked down. Her shoulder deflated. She was already ruining this.
"Are you okay?" Reyna asked as she glanced at Thalia.
"Yeah. Totally," Thalia said quickly. She saw Reyna raise an eyebrow, and a sigh left her. "Okay, I'm not. It's not because of you! I just..."
Reyna glanced at Thalia before focusing back on the road. It was nice that she didn't poke or prod. A sigh left Thalia, and she laid her head back. It took her another minute to find her voice, "Honestly, I'm nervous."
"I am too," Reyna admitted. Thalia looked at her in surprise.
"You're so calm right now. How can you be nervous?" Thalia questioned. Reyna smiled slightly.
"Because I haven't exactly been on a lot of dates," Reyna admitted with a small shrug. A wince left her as she moved her bad shoulder. "I was nervous to ask you. More nervous than when I asked Annabeth."
"Why did you ask Annabeth out anyway?" Thalia questioned as she felt herself relaxing. Hearing that Reyna was nervous too allowed some of her tension to resolve. Then, she realized what she had just asked. "Never mind. That's probably not a good question to ask before we have a date."
"I don't mind, Thalia. I'll let you know if I'm uncomfortable with any questions," Reyna promised. Thalia nodded. Reyna tapped her steering wheel as she pulled into the restaurant. Upon looking at the sign name, Thalia was surprised to see it was her favorite restaurant.
"Why did you then?" Thalia pressed again as she got out of the car. Reyna got out as well and walked towards the door with her.
"My therapist said that I needed to ask someone out. Or at least attempt to. Annabeth's pretty hot, and I thought she was into women. I also didn't know her well enough for it to be awkward afterwards if the date didn't go well."
"If it did go well, you wouldn't have asked me out," Thalia noted as they stepped inside. She looked at the hostess as they made it inside.
"Table for two please," Reyna said. As the two were led to the table, Reyna looked at her. "I wouldn't have started a relationship with Annabeth. I wasn't really ready at that point anyway."
"Are you ready now?" Thalia suddenly asked as they made it to the table. "Because it wasn't that long ago."
"I think I am," Reyna answered after a few moments. She looked at Thalia. "I just... it's going to be a change. I haven't dated anyone in forever. I want to make that leap, though."
"Believe it or not, I can be patient," Thalia said with a small smile. "I really will do whatever it takes. But, we should see how this date goes first."
Reyna nodded her agreement. Thalia was more than happy to just go ahead and date Reyna right then and there, but she had to be patient. Reyna needed to make sure this was the right thing for her to do. Thalia spoke, "Either way, I am giving you the biggest damn stuffed animal I can find after your surgery."
"A small one," Reyna relented.
"The biggest one I can find," Thalia promised. Reyna sighed, and a waitress walked up to them.
"Get whatever you want. Not the cheapest item," Reyna warned. "I know what you got last time, so don't try to trick me."
"Thank you," Thalia said as she ordered a soda. Reyna did as well, but both agreed they needed to look through the menu. The waitress walked away. Thalia studied the menu. "Is an appetizer okay?"
"Anything you want," Reyna repeated. "What appetizer?"
"Hmm," Thalia said as she looked over the appetizers. "Want to get the sample? Four different options."
Reyna nodded her agreement and studied the menu. There was a comfortable silence between them as the waitress came back and took their order. Thalia focused on Reyna and studied her. There was a content look on Reyna's face, and it looked like she was relaxed.
"So, were you going to grate cheese on my abs?" Reyna asked with a teasing grin. Thalia immediately choked on her soda as it was chugged down the wrong way. Thalia coughed for a few moments before she tried to take another sip to correct herself. Upon trying to speak she went into another coughing fit and had to take another sip of her drink.
The mischievous grin still split Reyna's lips. Thalia shook her head at her and glared, "You weren't supposed to hear that!"
"The first thing Nico told me was that you don't have a single ounce of muscle, let alone abs," Reyna informed. Thalia scoffed and flexed.
"Look at these guns!" Thalia awkwardly tried to show off. Reyna raised an eyebrow. Thalia glanced at her arms and realized she was still wearing her jacket. A blush came to her face. "I exercise more than him!"
"Nico and I go to the gym three times a week," Reyna retorted. Thalia deadpanned at her.
"You're lying," Thalia accused. Reyna shook her head. "Seriously, this is a prank. I'm not going to fall for it."
"Three times a week," Reyna swore. "Nico's deceptively strong, but he always hides it under his jackets. Will wouldn't stop nagging him about exercising more, so Nico decided to join me."
"You work out everyday?" Thalia assumed. Reyna nodded. "How?"
"It's my routine," Reyna answered with a shrug. She looked down. "My therapist said that I needed a routine to keep me stable. So, I always exercise in the morning, walk my dogs, and then go to work. It does help me, especially when I'm not having a good day."
"I usually wake up an hour before work. If I'm lucky," Thalia revealed. She studied Reyna. "We could try exercising sometime. I won't be a great partner, but I could spot you. Watch you do sit ups. Maybe decide what kind of cheese I want to grate."
Reyna's face shaded a beet red, and she lowered her face to take a sip from her drink. Thalia smirked at her victory. She glanced around the restaurant they were in. No one seemed to be paying attention to them. It wasn't that Thalia really cared about what anyone thought of her, but from what she gathered, Reyna wasn't exactly comfortable with her sexuality. Well, not when it pertained to her mother at least.
With Bellona being a politician, Thalia was sure her kids got interviewed a few times. She just expected to turn and see a reporter flashing pictures of them. Thalia realized she was scowling as Reyna looked at her and cocked an eyebrow, "Sorry, just thinking about things."
"Want to talk about it?" Reyna offered.
"No," Thalia said quickly. She looked down and exhaled. "Well, kind of. I guess. I don't know. It's either something really important or not important at all."
"How so?" Reyna asked. There was mild confusion on her face. Thalia sighed and shook her head.
"It's been bothering me ever since you asked me out," Thalia admitted softly. She sighed and shook her head. Thalia took a deep breath. If she didn't talk about this now, it would bother her. That thought would always be in the back of her mind. "If this goes well, what happens from here?"
"What do you mean?" Reyna asked as a small frown arched her lips. Thalia took time to consider the question as they were given the appetizer. Thalia extended the silence as she chewed on a potato skin. A sigh finally escaped her.
"I've had a crush on you for months now," Thalia admitted. "And, I really want this to go great. I really want to date you. I just... I've seen how your mom acts."
Thalia instantly knew she had said the wrong thing. That scowl on Reyna's face deepened into a ravine, and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Her shoulders tensed. Thalia looked away and spoke quickly, "I just don't want-"
"My mother has nothing to do with my personal relationships," Reyna said stiffly.
"I heard what she said about your sister," Thalia began. She slowly looked at Reyna, who had a glare that could pierce right through her skull. "I just don't want to date you and have that ruin your life. Because I really do like you."
Reyna studied her for a few moments before looking down. A deep sigh left her, "My mom isn't going to ruin this for me. If she doesn't accept you, I don't care."
Thalia studied her and then nervously nodded. She looked back at the food as that couldn't give her a death glare, "I didn't mean to make you mad or make things awkward."
"No. I understand," Reyna replied. She studied Thalia. "My mom has been trying to control my life for a long time now. I'm not going to let her do that anymore."
"Well, I can be here for you during that. If you want me to be," Thalia offered as a blush tinted her cheeks. "To you know, be your girlfriend."
"Let's see how the date goes first," Reyna said, but a small smirk returned to her features, and she gave Thalia a cute little wink. A huge grin split apart Thalia's face, and something told her that things would work out how she wanted them to.