Things have been really slow on recently for me, so I decided to post this, which was already in my docs.

I have one or two chapters left of my main story anyways, and my other one is wrapping up really quickly, so who knows. I might just retire from fanfiction soon.

Chapter 2

"Can you believe that he's getting Chiko? Can you?! He's totally unqualified to keep her. He doesn't know what kind of food she likes, or when to take her to the vet. He's never taken her to the vet! He never fed Chiko before! He only gets to keep her because he's the one who 'bought her' and put his name down on the papers! It's like he knew I would fall in love with that dog so he could take her away from me. It's so unfair." Annabeth ranted as Percy jumbled with his keys to close the bakery. The crisp spring night piercing through his jacket as he listened intently on what she was saying.

"Plus he gets half of everything. I'm the only full time working one who mostly paid for the house, the car and everything else. Now I have to sell my house, sell my car, divide my furniture OR compensate with equal payment."

"That's dumb." Percy agreed as he finally turned around. Eagerly shoving his hands into the warmth of his pocket. "Walk and talk?" he suggested. Not wanting to be late.

"Sure." Annabeth fell into stride with him. Percy had to make sure that he didn't take a second glance at her because dang she looked good. It was her casual wear too. Just a simple t-shirt and jeans. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy. But nothing that Percy didn't find uncomplimentary.

"Also, he's moved in with the girl he cheated me on. Something like Jenna Fairhoild." she trailed off. Her eyes wandering around the somewhat deserted streets of their small town. The quaint wood board, and brick houses alive with lit windows and the smell of blooming tulips coming from the town park was fresh against their lungs.

Apparently Annabeth had a rough day at work between balancing her real work and sorting through every last divorce paper that had been shoved under her nose.

"The brunette who's a waitress and lives in an apartment. Stupid wide eyed flat nose chick who knew Danny was married. The skinny little…. Stupid girl."

Percy took a glance at Annabeth. Her full lips were pursed, her shoulders drawn up with her arms firmly crossed over her midsection, the faraway look in her eyes and the sudden silence on her tongue spoke of danger. He gave her a few more moments to pick up her thoughts and keep on ranting but she stayed as silent as the grave. Her eyes falling to the ground as heavy thoughts burdened her.

Note: A quiet Annabeth in a time of particular unhappiness was not a healing Annabeth.

"C'mon Beth. Talk to me. What are you thinking in that smarty pants brain?" Percy asked softly. Watching with a clenched heart as she looked to him startled for a second before seeming to melt under his gaze. Her eyes softening in his.

"It's stupid." Annabeth chuckled sadly. Looking down as she avoided each crack in the pavement. Another quirk that Percy found endearing.

"I won't know it is until you tell me." he pointed out. Making a fair point that he knew she couldn't deny. He waited two seconds before;

"I was wondering what this Jenna Fairhoild girl has that I don't." Annabeth stopped walking. Her eyes watering again. "I mean it's so cliche of me to think but she was pretty. All she was, was pretty too. Was I such a bad wife that Danny would cheat on me with the first pretty face he saw? Was I really that much of a let down?"

"Oh Beth-"

"I tried so hard to be the perfect wife." Annabeth suddenly sniffled. Her thunderstorm grey eyes shimmering with emotion. "I did everything I could. I was so ready to try and make things to the way they were when we were first married. I- I-."

Percy grabbed her hand and yanked her into another hug. Feeling her tears descend upon him again. The shudders as she cried pricking his heart over and over.

"It's not your fault." Percy assured for what felt like the millionth time. Rubbing her back, rocking her gently. Letting her head fall in the crook of her neck where she seemed to fit so perfectly.

"Then why am I so sad?" Annabeth whimpered. "Why do I feel like this? I said I didn't love him that much. I knew it was falling apart… I just -I."

Percy shushed her. Pressing his chin against the top of her head. Letting the world around them melt.

"You did nothing wrong. It just didn't work out. You're going through a big change, but it's all going to be fine."

"I can't help it." She mumbled miserably into his shoulder. "It feels like I could've done something."

"You did everything and that was the problem," Percy huffed. "Daniel didn't act like a husband to you."

"Daniel did his part too… sometimes…"

"Sometimes isn't enough. He wasn't enough Beth. Even if you had made him happy, you'd never be happy. You can't just sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of someone who doesn't care. That's not right. You deserve way way better and you know it, so no more bringing yourself down on this matter alright? You're strong. You're competent and you're independent. Doubt yourself again and I'll be convinced that you're really not Annabeth but a commercial bakery spy here to feed on my recipes to mass produce my pastries and pump them full of preservers and artificial flavors."

It was a weak and really dumb joke but Annabeth softly snortled against his shirt nonetheless.

"Gee whiz, my cover has been blown," she breathed. Fruitlessly trying to wipe her eyes clean as she pried away from the hug. The warm imprint she left against him made his heart feel hollow. "Hopefully my other friends aren't as sharp as you Mr. Dagger Jackson."

Percy smirked playfully. Ignoring the throb in his chest. "No one is as sharp as I." he muttered. Hating how her eyes were red and had a desperate longing glint in them. Hating how she was feeling like this and there was not much he could do about it. Hating it all. Hating how he never had the courage or the reason to tell her how he felt.

He wasn't about to tell her now or ever. He didn't even have time to think about telling her because with a few more strides, they were there.

Bacchus Bowling screaming in flashing neon colors over the door. The only light up neon sign in town that had caused quite a stir when it had been erected. The blinking lights always made Percy's eyes bleed, and the sappy eighties boy band love songs playing on the decrepit speakers seemed to drive away business instead of enticing it.

Overall, it was a place that should've gone bankrupt a millennium ago but the management was decent and the sodas were the best in town. That and tourists couldn't resist a bout of bowling in a vintage style joint so it seemed to turn more of a profit then expected.

Stepping through the doors, Percy felt the familiar whoosh of heat and took in the smell of fabric disinfectant and cheap airspray. The red carpets, the vintage posters and pictures framed in gold against the wall, the old school theatre bulbs bordering the roof and glaring a yellow light.

It felt like home.

"I thought I told you kids ta keep outta ma alley." Bacchus yelled menacingly from the open door of his office as usual, and as usual they ignored him with smiles on their lips.

"Good gracious, he's still kicking." Annabeth muttered under breath to Percy with a devilish smile. Her eyes still slightly red, but quickly returning to normal.

"He was a hundred years old when I was ten."

"Rumor has it that the secret to immortality is wine and hate. In that order." Percy deadpanned.

"I better get started, I'm already an old maid." Annabeth muttered under her breath. Before Percy could huff back a response on her age they were already at the desk. Fingers tapping against the surface, and looking around for the old brass desk bell that never seemed to be in reach.

"Why do you even bother renting shoes. Ya come here every month." A drawled out voice was directed at them with an unimpressed tone.

Percy smiled at the saggy older woman with big hair and powdered up with the 60's 'prefect mom' look.

"Renting shoes is part of the charm Ruthie. You can't deny us that." Percy chipped in as he lent against the old wood counter. Years of scratches and paint overs chipped against the surface in a collage of history. White shoes with black stripes piled on boxed shelves behind the old lady who was gripping a spray bottle like a weapon.

"Okay doll." Ruthie snuffed with the least bit amount of interest. "It's your chance for foot fungus and warts. Not mine." and then just like that she half heartedly tossed the couple their shoes. Sizes already memorized.

"Man I missed this place." Annabeth grinned at Percy as they sat down on the bench. His heart started fluttering like a dang bird trying to escape a cage. "What, it's been almost eight months since I've been here?"

"Actually it's been a year." Percy corrected while focusing on his shoes. Not daring to look up at her. Knowing full well that the person that always kept her from coming was currently out of the picture.

"A year?"

"As you live and breath."

"Well, as stated before 'Man I missed this place."

He missed her here too. Correction, he missed her here alone. No Daniel gripping her by the waist and leeching off every conversation she had or running in late and making everyone start a new game over.

This whole no Daniel part made him excited. It was refreshing and promising and opened up that one possibility he wanted so so badly. But don't you dare even hope….

The mood however was dampened when they arrived at their usual bowling lane. The rest of the floor practically deserted as was normal for a thursday evening. The thunderous noise of heavy stone balls being violently rolled down a lane of thin wood panels and knocking into pins echoed in the background along with more sappy music Bacchus liked to bug them with.

Piper immediately got up and hugged Annabeth. A million apologies and sympathies in her eyes as she muttered a few things into her ear.

Don't remind her. Percy wanted to say. She'd just been crying, he didn't want her to be reminded of everything that was going on. He wanted her to have this night to forget about Daniel.

But what did he expect? Of course Piper and Hazel and Calypso would want to hear about the divorce and how things were going.

First of all they were girls, and girls liked to talk in depth about emotionally upsetting things. Secondly they didn't see Annabeth everyday like he did. They didn't own a bakery the blonde liked to come into every morning and sit by the window to sip coffee and chat. They got phone calls and arranged visits. Not the knowledge and comfort that as soon as she left for work after her coffee, they'd see her the next morning at practically the exact same time.

The girls peeled off to sit at one of the booths probably to interrogate her in privacy about everything that happened while rubbing her shoulders and encouraging to continue when she got too emotional.

Percy didn't understand girls.

Well, he'd never actually been with one longer then a few dates so that might've put a damper on his knowledge. But still, they never seemed to make any sense.

"Ew, emotional girl talk." Thalia materialized beside him, unashamedly sporting a glass beer bottle shimmering with condensation.

"You convince me more every day that you are in fact, not a girl." Frank appeared on the other side of Thalia with an unimpressed sound in his voice.

"Don't challenge her femininity. She'll only flash you with her boobs." Jason was there too.

"Someone say boobs?"

Of course Leo wouldn't miss this conversation.

"Thalia's boobs. Not safe boobs to talk about." Jason supplied while cocking his head at the ring of girls all centered around the booth. "How long do you think it'll take them to talk it out?"

"Talk what out?"

"Annabeth's divorce Leo. Keep up." Frank swayed backward on the balls of his feet. A can of soda in his hand and his eyes glued to the girls as if he were watching a football game.

Leo only balked. "Annabeth's getting a divorce?"

"Why else would all the girls flock into such a tight group unless something emotional was happening?" Jason asked rhetorically.

"All the girls?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"All of our girls." Frank corrected without so much as looking left.

"Percy doesn't have a girl." Leo pondered out loud. "So it can't just be all our girls."

Percy didn't grimace or flinch. He barely felt that pinch in his heart because he was so used to it. By definition, he was the always 'single guy' in the group. That label was stuck to him so tightly that it was almost apart of him.

"How long before they get bored of the topic?" Thalia pondered into empty air before taking a long sip of her beer.

"How long before the sun burns out?" Jason snorted sarcastically.

"How long before us watching them gets creepy?" Frank was swaying again. His question actually striking true.

"Too late." Percy sighed. "We're already creeps."

"I could've told you that!" Thalia cackled.

"So wait. Annabeth's getting a divorce?" Leo sounded confused. "Since when?"

"Since like last week bro." Percy rolled his eyes. The words seeming to bite his tongue. "Daniel cheated on her."

"For real?"

"As I live and breath."

"Man. That's tough."

"You sure you don't want to go over there and join them?" Thalia snickered. "I think they need one more girl to make it a party."

"Shut it Grace."

"OOohh tough guy wanna take this outside?"

Leo paused before scowling at the floor. "No." he answered quietly.

Thalia guffawed and reached over to pound him on the shoulder once, making him waver for his balance. "I'm kidding little man."

"I know that." Leo scoffed once he stopped flailing like a rookie tightrope walker. "Just fighting a man with boobs is embarrassing."

"Oh no he didn't." Jason gasped with fake shock. Really only stoking Thalia on as the groups sole attention turned from the girls to Leo and Thalia in a heartbeat. Percy internally sighing at how this always seemed to go down. Although, not that it wasn't amusing.

"Punk." Thalia snarled while shoving her beer into Jason's chest to hold onto.

Jason was ready for it.

In a second Leo was gone. Sprinting like a deer with its tail flashing white towards the door and Thalia hot on his heels. Her arms splicing through the air as she ran as straight as an unwavering arrow. Shimmers of excitement sparking in the group as they shouted at Leo to run for his life. A distinct scoff of endearing 'idiots' coming from the girls.

"20 bucks says Leo will get away." Frank looked to Jason with a calm this-is-totally-normal look.

Jason rolled his shoulders for no apparent reason. "Nah. Thalia's had a good week. I bet she will get a good knock on him."

"You're on."

Percy rolled his eyes when truthfully he'd been part of many a bet before. "We get it. Leo's fast but Thalia's got stamina. They're not race horses."

"Might as well be." Annabeth came stumbling up to them before gingerly plucking the beer bottle from Jason's hand and taking a generous swig. Her shoulders drawn back in forced perkiness and a void in her eyes as she tried to look casual. The cloud of girls following her like gloom stuck to eeyore.

It made Percy want to take a giant fly swatter and just shoo them away. Maybe burrito Annabeth in a blanket and lock the rest of the world outside.

Calypso's face pinched in confusion as she looked around momentarily before it gave into an exasperated understanding. "I reckon Leo's still taking a lap of the block with Thalia."

A series of nods confirmed her suspicions.

"Those two." she sighed as if they were her naughty children instead of boyfriend and friend.

"Thalia's hotheaded and Leo loves to tease. It was a match made in hell." Percy joined her with the fruitless head shaking and dismal sighing. A chorus of grunts of agreements followed as they blissfully stared in the direction there friends disappeared to this time. Watching a family usher its small kids out the door while trying to get them all to say goodbye to Ruth who in turn waved a dirty dish towel like a surrender flag. The old crow was probably streaming more profanities under her breath then pirate stuck on swabbing duty.

Those parents wouldn't be smiling if they were juuuust a bit closer to Ruth.

A lonely car passing by on the vacant street, its headlights glazing the glass doors for a second before disappearing. The sound of a grumbling bowling strike and less than enthusiastic cheers echoed in the hollow alleyways before Hazel crossed her arms in an almost bored manner.

"So should we start the game or…"

"Yea sure."

"I'm in."

"I'll put the names up on the screens."

"Should we get wings this time, or nachos?"

"Maybe both." Annabeth mused while swirling her stolen beer around thoughtfully. Her piercing grey eyes were staring in the distance as if she were thinking about something very very far away. Like she were trying to grasp a lost dream, or remember a childhood wish whispered into a dandelion head.

Thinking about Daniel. Percy concluded. Not sure how he exactly knew this, but knowing that it was true. Something in his gut could just tell.

Maybe it was the fact that he had spent hundreds of hours just gazing at Annabeth inconspicuously like sleazy stalker. He knew every little detail about her mannerisms and subtle expressions. He'd memorized every one of her looks.

She snapped out of it when Calypso hooked an arm around her and started chatting about her neighbor who was stickly about grass height and patio lights being left on. Annabeth smiled and laughed brightly but there was still that edge on her. A part of her that wasn't completely paying attention or was still thinking that faraway thought.

It was like Daniel had left a small blade in her side to agonize over. Or worse, it was like he chipped a piece of her away, hoarding that piece of her to take out and torture every once in a blue moon.

Percy's fists tightened. A bubble of anger swelling in him as he followed the gang back to their alley. Watching Annabeth as he always did; from a distance.

She slid into the booth and was promptly squished by Piper and Calypso on either side of her. Making few sarcastic jokes chirpily on the table sizes while setting her brown leather bag at her feet. In one brisk movement she swept her golden curls over her shoulder and leaned against the table to get into closer on a conversation. The one hooded light hanging above the table by a cord captured her features perfectly and seemed to make her glow.

Or maybe that was just Percy's 'Annabeth Vision' playing with him again. It happened all the time, and usually in the most bizarre of places.

Like at a gas station, or superstore, or even a fickle bar light. Screw all those romance movies that had stunning girls who got the glow under full moons and in fancy prom attire. Annabeth got this glow any fricking time any fricking where. It drove Percy crazy.

"Having fun there Kelp Head?" Thalia came up beside him with a mundane tone. Her eyes were full of sympathy as she slid her hands casually into her pockets of her black ripped jeans. "Have your eyes on the prize?"

Okay, Percy had two prominent regrets jutting out of his life like steak knives thrown against a cutting board.

One being a doozy of an argument he had with his mom right before she got sick when he was in middle school, and two being getting drunk at Annabeth's wedding.

Because when Percy got drunk that night, he first felt happy for Annabeth because she was happy and glittery and glowy. A few empty glasses of alcohol later and he felt miserable and sat there like a moping sloth pining for her. And yet a few hastily downed glasses more and he was wallowing in self pity so deep he started mumbling his problems for the whole world to hear.

The whole world, at that moment, being Thalia Grace who sobered up pretty damn fast to take care of him.

She found him staggering out back kicking a sound system the entertainment had put there. Telling the hunky box his dumb problems and how she loved Daniel not him over and over like a stupid broken record.

He didn't remember much after that, only that roughly twelve hours later when it felt like a chisel was being driven through the core of his brain, he was sitting on Thalia's bed as she withheld advil for information. He ended up cracking his biggest secret to her for two little pills and a glass of water.

Thank the heavens that Thalia was a friend to secrecy.

"No." Percy knew he was fooling no one as he peeled his eyes off Annabeth. A light blush on his cheek bones as her face burned behind his eyelids regardless of where he looked; another symptom of 'Annabeth Vision'.

Thalia clapped a hand on his shoulder. A strange sparkle of mischievousness in her eyes. "Well if you haven't heard; the prize is back on the counter so I'd get my eyes there pretty quick."

There. It was haunting him. That tone in her voice. Thalia was hoping for him. Egging him on. The hope was still there no matter how hard he stamped it out in himself.

"No, Thalia." Percy muttered sternly. Moodily turning around so none of the other gang could see his expression sour. Thankful that he was just barely out of earshot with all the background noise. "Not happening. I'm not going to put my eye on the prize."

Thalia's teasingly bright expression seemed to fold into itself as she gave into confusion. "Why not? Perce, she's single again."

"There's a collage of reasons why." Percy shuffled his blue sneakers and buried his hands in his pockets. A familiar throb yanking through his chest as if he had a knot jerking through his veins.

Thalia jutted her chin out and crossed her arms. The predictable defiance building itself up in her posture. "Give me one reason."

"I could give you a hundred."

"Just one Kelp Head." Thalia challenge with an arched brow. Her look of skepticism deepening as he sat there silently.

His tongue felt thick in his mouth as reason's flashed over his mind with every pump of his heart. It was suffocating to think of every reason he ever gave himself not to tell Annabeth, like a noose being tightened one notch per reason.

Thalia chuckled smugly before he could speak. "Can't think of one. Can you."

Percy waited a millisecond before shooting her the most withering look he could muster. "How about the fact that if I go for this, I'll just end up disappointed and out a best friend and possibly the greatest person I have?"

"Stupid reason," Thalia snorted. "Got any others?"

"Uhhh, the fact that what Annabeth wants Annabeth gets?" Percy pointed out like it was obvious.

When Thalia gave him an odd look, Percy buried his face in his hands. He really didn't want to talk about this. It kinda hurt. "Oh just forget it-"

"Or just explain it," Thalia interrupted with an euh duh look.

But he didn't want to.

"Annabeth doesn't shy away from things." Percy mumbled as he stared hopelessly at the floor. "When she wants something, she goes for it. It's how she started dating Daniel in the first place. She was the one who made the first move. She's always the first one."

Thalia's look only steepened. "And?" she asked critically. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Percy shot a doleful look over his look. His eyes naturally finding Annabeth out of all the faces. His heart tied in so many knots that it ached.

"If she wanted me, she'd come to me." Percy mumbled heavily. "But she doesn't want me. Not like that."

She was smiling. Staring at Piper who told a kickass grocery store encounter story and laughing at all the right times. Totally enveloped in the light flooded table so she never even bothered to glance around. She might've seen Percy at what he considered his worst.

Pining for her.

Again.

It was pitiful and awful and he considered it none other than a bad habit he absolutely had to eliminate. But he couldn't help it. She was just… Annabeth. Did she have to be anything more?

At that moment Leo came stumbling in with a crooked limp that he was obviously faking. The crowd around the table looked up to him and a gallery of grins broke their faces. Jokes were made, Leo waved them off while reliving his harrowing survival tale and Frank forked over a papery twenty dollar bill to a smug Jason. They were laughing and joking in this table of light, and Percy never felt so out of place. This feeling brought him down this low. The feeling that he wasn't good enough for her to look at him the way she looked at Daniel that night on their first dance. He just was never going to be good enough.

Thalia, who was quiet up to that point, put what seemed to be a sympathizing hand on his shoulder. Her eyes also focused on their vivacious group of friends.

"That's dumb," she said without a hint of regret. "Get over yourself and make a move."

Took a few seconds to process what she said as he stared dumbly at the table. Cue the feeling of stupidity in 3-2-1. Ew.

Pour your heart out. Check.

Slightly dramatic look over your shoulder. Check.

Expecting comfort. Check.

Be comforted, and move on. Not checked.

He'd done this whole talk with Thalia wrong. In fact he'd acted like a lovesick teenager. Percy was no teenager. He was twenty seven damn years old for crying out loud. He owned his own business, and could tie his shoes just fine. He got swept up in the moment again. Another lovely thing that happened to him when his affections for Annabeth was the subject of conversation. He got all gooey, and ended up doing things that would be put in a cliche sappy romance movie. Percy was not gooey. He was a man dammit. He needed to act like a man. Be a man.

"Yeah." Percy surprisingly agreed with Thalia. Puffing his chest slightly out at his new found manly confidence. "Yeah you're right!"

"Atta boy!" Thalia beamed proudly.

"Nothing will happen if I do nothing." Percy figured. "I need to do something. Even if she does reject me at least I'll finally get closure."

"That's right!"

"I'm going to do something." The sentence was uttered on a breath but it sent spasms of butterflies through his stomach. It was promising and exciting and let open the floodgates of hope that washed through his insides like a warm bath.

"Finally," Thalia grinned. "Alright, let's go!"

"Where?" His stomach suddenly stopped vibrating. That warm feeling went dry.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "To Annabeth?"

"Oh… you want me to make a move now?" Percy grimaced. Instant deflation of his few seconds of manly confidence. "As in right now, right now?"

Thalia sighed like an exhausted single parent. Rubbing her forehead as she leaned back on one leg. "Okay. Maybe not now. But soon."

A breath of relief escaped his mouth before he could cork it, meriting one annoyed look from Thalia.

"Soon!" She repeated while giving him a stern look. Her eyes remaining on him as she walked towards the table. Turning around, she immediately starting to bicker with Annabeth about her stolen beer. The argument turning into chaos as Thalia leaned over the table to grab it and Annabeth held it high above her head. Percy barely registered the immaturity. He was a bit shaken.

Soon. The word itself bounced around his skull like a ball in a gymnasium. In a way it felt threatening. A gun with its tricker clicking or a blade that was tossed at you. Either the bullet hit you or it didn't. Whether or not it was lethal was an entirely different boat of gravy.

Long story short, it took Percy awhile to actually walk up to the booth and squeeze onto the last ledge of seat beside Thalia. He only found the will to make it there because Leo noticed him standing in the background like useless lawn gnome and hooted at him to get his ass over there.

He hesitated twice because shit he was terrified. It was almost as if Annabeth would be able to sense that he had decided to make a move. It felt that way.

What that move was going to be, was to be determined on a later date, but he was going to make a move nonetheless!

And then the rest of the night was as normal as anything.

Thalia complained about the nicknames put up on the screen and Percy joined her. Jason got a strike every damn time while Franks shots were too powerful and would sometimes jump into other lanes while he sat there pink and sheepish.

Piper was really only competing against Jason because the rest of them sucked and Leo would make ball jokes while they hissed at him to shut up because this was supposed to be a 'family friendly environment' (cue Thalia hiding her beers) and ball jokes were just immature. Calypso would come after Leo swaggering and sashaying onto the platform like a model and then promptly gutter the ball and cheer loudly as if she hit a home run and Annabeth kept missing when it was her turn because she was so tied up in talking and laughing and hooting at everyone else that the gang would have to yell at her to snap her out of her fun.

All in all it was great.

It was always great. They were always great. Percy could never imagine a life without them.

The night only started to die down when Ruthie was standing by their alley tapping her foot impatiently because they'd already played three games, and closing time was like fifteen minutes ago and they'd gotten crumbs all over the bloody place so get to the curb ya mucky kids (always said with something like humor).

And that's when Percy realized that Annabeth had parked her car at the Bakery, and she was going to walk home with her alone and Thalia was giving him winks and nudges and grins and the butterflies took to life again so fast that his stomach was practically humming.

He knew he didn't have to do something tonight, or for a few months in fact. Annabeth did just get divorced and by all means he wasn't going to crowd her. It just made him nervous of what might come.

Of how many ways he could totally embarrass himself in front of her and then lose her friendship. He didn't want to lose her, or what they had. He wanted to hold onto it. Cradle it for a bit longer and continue watching from a comfortable distance. He was good at that.

While they walked in a more or less content silence Percy found a million reasons to talk himself out of that reckless decision of making a move.

Grow up already Percy. He told himself harshly. It's time you did something.

Taking a timid glance at Annabeth he felt his heart quiver slightly. The air felt rough against his lungs, and eyes could never stay on her for more than a second. He couldn't stop looking at her, but he couldn't look at her for long. It was as if she were a blinding comet orbiting his feelings.

He felt so scattered.

This was Annabeth; his best friend, and crush of a million years. He couldn't just pucker up and ask her out. But if anything were to happen…

No, he didn't need to think about this right now. The risk of it all stressed the dickens out of him. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to do anything tonight. What would he do? Subtly compliment her hair? Walk a bit closer? Maybe even just brushing his hand on the skin of her arm lightly?

"Man I'm exhausted," Annabeth sighed with a hearty smile. "But it's the most fun I've had in months."

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. Percy couldn't help but grin at it. At her.

"Well hopefully we'll all be back there next month doing the same thing," he chuckled deeply. "That is, if you would care to join us next month and not wait for almost a year to go by."

"You offend me Seaweed Brain," Annabeth scoffed. "I will be punctual as ever, and I'll even beat you there."

"Doubt it," he joked.

Annabeth shoved him playfully before sticking out her tongue. The bakery in sight before he knew it and their paths slowly starting to divert already. Percy heading towards the simple glass front door and Annabeth peeling off towards her car.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course," Annabeth replied. Her bright smile disappearing as she turned to unlock her car. Her waterfall of curls looking perfect in the streetlight.

Percy watched her go.

For those worrying this will get all complex and darkish like my other fics, don't worry! Next chapter (which is practically done) is mostly light. This fic is going to be all light and airy and fluffy if possible.