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Nico was blaming Jason and Percy for this. It wasn’t their fault. Actually, it was Hazel’s fault. Hazel was Nico’s sister, and he had a weak spot for her. He couldn’t say no to her. But still wanting to blame someone, Percy and Jason had been mentally cursed into oblivion.
Of course, Nico was used to Jason and Percy’s shenanigans, he had been dragged into things that have scarred him for life. But usually Hazel disapproved of their ideas, finding them a bit too dangerous. But the idea of forcing Nico to join a dating show somehow gotten Hazel’s stamp of approval.
The issue was that everyone but Nico worried about the fact that Nico was still single. He didn’t care that he was a bachelor. He had his dog Mrs. O’Leary, his books and his budding writing career. His first book has done well. Not New York Times Best Sellers kind of successful, but it had passed break-even point after a few months. This meant a sequel was coming up. This also meant he didn’t have a lot of free time — and said free time was spend on the essential things in his life. This included Saturday dinner with Hazel and Frank, her fiancé, walking Mrs. O’Leary and doing some groceries. Finding a boyfriend was far from something he considered necessary.
Nevertheless, aside from explicitly saying he didn’t want a boyfriend, Hazel had signed him up for a dating show. It wasn’t a large scaled one, thankfully. The dating show was being hosted by the locals, and it was advertised as a charity event. Local shops and entertainment facilities sponsored by offering dates, like movie tickets and restaurant reservations. All the proceeds the show made would go to the local charities.
Though not fond of the idea — mainly because Nico had been unwillingly signed up by his sister — he thought it was a brilliant idea. There were a lot of bachelors and bachelorettes in the city, mainly because they had a university here. It turned out that the majority of the student-community was single, not having time to find a partner. When the idea was proposed for this year’s charity event, it was an immediate hit.
In the end, Nico could blame as many people as he wanted, it wouldn’t make a difference. Because today, on doom date itself, he was standing behind the scene of a large stage, the set-up basking in spotlights.
Nico had arrived somewhere the third round, just in time to catch one of the volunteers hitting one of the candidates square on the jaw. Afterwards, Nico had heard whispers of other participants, mentioning that the guy had said he didn’t date women taller than him. Reyna, the volunteer in question, took no prisoners, and before the guy realised it, he was being sent off the stage. When he complained and protested, she just decked him. Percy, who was the host of the show and the poor soul that had to go through all the question, needed a solid five minutes to regain his composure. The movie tickets went to Reyna and one of the three ladies the guy could have picked to go on a date. Idiot — they had seemed like genuinely nice people.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Percy said, his voice magnified by the microphone. “We’ll start the fifth round soon. Use this as the opportunity to grab some refreshments. All earnings go to the charities this show is hosted for. For the newcomers, I’ll go through the process how this show works. Participants for round five, make sure you’re ready!”
Leaning against a wall, Nico listened to Percy droning up how the show worked. It was based on other dating shows, like The Dating Game and Blind Date. The show required four people, one bachelor or bachelorette would get the chance to ask questions and choose out of three people. Their decision would be based on a series of questions the three candidates would answer. The exciting part of the game was that the bachelor or bachelorette couldn’t see the three possible candidates and vice versa. The two parties were separated by a mechanical wall.
Realising that Percy had stopped talking and Leo had started the obnoxious drum roll — that guy had a field day as their sound technician — Nico forced himself to focus on Percy’s awfully long pause. The previous time the drum roll had sounded was when Percy had announced where the date was being held. Nico hoped it was somewhere nice.
“And round five’s date will be held at t Olive Garden!”
Well, another reason to not try his best and try not to win the date. Olive Garden, seriously? Especially since the last one was for a bowling date — he would rather go on a bowling date than having dinner together. Because, if it was awkward, he could spend his time bowling and maybe staring at a nice ass. But dinner required them to talk with each other unless they wanted to make it very, very awkward.
Nico flinched as someone — most likely Jason — placed a hand on his shoulder. He should stop spacing out at public places.
“Nervous?” the guy asked. Yup, that was Jason. “You’re trying to stare in a hole in the wall, which usually happens when you have a lot on your mind, and you tend to overthink when you’re nervous.”
Relaxing a little, Nico offered Jason a grimace. No reason to play nice. “Hazel signed me up for this, not me. I don’t want to go on a date with a random guy at Olive Garden, and I don’t like being on stage with many people watching me — I didn’t become a writer to entertain a crowd by being unlikable and awkward. I leave that to Percy. He is good with crowds, and they eat him up.”
“You can use this as experience for writing,” Jason offered. “I recalled that you said you were struggling with the romantic scenes, so maybe this will help with fleshing out the feelings of the characters. Plus, it’s for charity.”
Nico was surprised that Jason’s reasoning was actually convincing. This was the perfect experience to get a better grasp on the romance scenes. However, this wasn’t good for his nerves.
Smoothing out his dress shirt, Nico looked around in the hope he wasn’t underdressed. He was. Most men walking around in a three-piece suit and most of the ladies wore pretty dresses. He was just wearing skinny jeans, clean All-Stars and a dress shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbow to show off a hint of tattoos. Maybe he should roll the sleeves down, the tattoos might not give off a good first impression.
“Great, now I’m nervous,” Nico grumbled, punching Jason’s arm. “Who are the other two—”
Before Nico could finish his question, two people were ushered to where he and Jason were standing. Considering it was the staff that was ushering them along, they were the two other candidates Nico would have to share the stage with.
Blinking at the two other participants, Nico felt ice cold realisation wash over him. The candidate was bisexual, and of course, Nico was the only male joining this round. The other two candidates were women. One of the women was of Asian descent, with black hair, brown eyes and a lot of make-up. She looked very glamorous, almost like a movie star. She was also eyeing Nico with mild distaste, mostly inspecting his tattoos. The other woman was a bit more ‘normal’. Or at least more up on Nico’s ally. She had black hair with bright purple tips and piercing green eyes. As Jason had disappeared with the two other volunteers, Nico immediately shuffled towards the other women, almost trying to find protection behind her. The first lady frightened him a little.
“Cool tattoos,” the woman used as a conversation starter. “I’m Lou Ellen. By the looks of it, we share the joy of being here,” she added with a grin.
Ignoring the urge to pull his sleeves down, Nico nodded and offered her a forced smile. “Nico. Signed up by friends.”
Lou Ellen grinned. “Same here. It’s nice to see that I’m not the only one suffering under the guise of charity.”
The conversation was cut short by one of the volunteers telling them to enter the stage in order. The first one was the unknown women, who looked like she was heading out to accept an Emmy instead of playing a C-grade dating show. Nico admired her confidence though, he would trip and die in those heels. Nico followed after and Lou Ellen was the last one to enter the stage. Scrap Jason’s idea that this was useful for his writing experience, this was an awful idea.
The first five minutes passed by in a blur. Drew Tanaka, the first lady, introduced herself as a hair and make-up specialist, owning the local beauty store. She liked classy things, wouldn’t mind if her man was handsome, and her dream proposal would be wine and dine in an expensive restaurant where the guy would pop the question just between dinner and dessert. Nico had introduced himself as a writer, that he was mainly there to support the charities and not really to find his dream guy. Percy, the jerk he was, kept urging him on until he gave a vague sketch of his dream guy. He ended up with patient, caring and dorky. Basically the opposite of Drew’s preference. Lou Ellen Blackstone worked in her family restaurant but wanted to become a fashion designer. When the preference in men arose, she simply mentioned that she was here to support the charities and tried to get a friend out of the show. The unfair part was that Percy didn’t urge Lou Ellen on to sketch her dream guy.
“Okay, now we know a little about our candidates, I want to welcome our bachelor, Will!” Percy said, making wild motions with his arms. The public ate it up, offering cheers for the incoming bachelor.
While Will made his way to the other side of the Nico stared blankly into the crowd. He didn’t want to win. Yes, a date would be great material for his novel, but he didn’t stand a chance. Drew looked ready to take the win home with her, and the guy. She wasn’t Nico’s type, but some people liked competent, boss-ass women. On the other hand, not wanting to be picked made everything easy. He just had to answer the questions Will ask them and keep true to himself. Unless Will had the same hobbies as Nico, he wouldn’t be interested in Nico. Oh well — Hazel would be happy he tried, and she would back off for a while.
“To get this show on the road, will you tell a bit about yourself?” Percy asked Will, immediately making a marvellous impression. Nico hoped that Percy would tone down on the count of garbagy word-plays. “Why are you still single to begin with? And maybe tell us a bit about yourself, like your occupation, age, and what you’re looking for in a partner.”
It took Will a bit to answer, probably spending a few seconds to cringe at Percy’s word-play and taking some time to answer. “Well, the reason I’m single is that I don’t have a lot of free time and most of my partners weren’t too happy with that, so I haven’t dated in a while. I’m twenty-seven-years-old, graduated from university two years ago and am now a full-time doctor,” Will trailed off, voice filled with uncertainty.
Nico hated pauses because it gave him time to reflect on things. Like the fact the guy was the right age — Nico found it awkward to date people much younger than him — but he was a doctor. There was nothing wrong with doctors, his brother-in-law was a doctor, but some romance novels had painted an unhealthy picture of doctors. Rich men and women, living in a fancy apartment, having fancy clothes and drive in cars that Nico could only dream about. Not that doctors didn’t deserve it the money. Becoming a doctor alone could take eight years or more, not to mention other people their lives depended on you and you had little free time. Nico could never do it, he already felt guilty for killing off fictional characters.
“And what are you looking for in a partner?” Percy repeated. There was nothing but patience audible in his voice.
“Understanding,” Will started. “I work many hours, odd hours and I can be called in at any time. I want someone who understands that. Someone who trusts me that I actually work that many hours and that I don’t cheat on them. But foremost, someone who offers me a home to come back to.”
Some of the ladies in the crowd started to reach for their handkerchiefs. Annabeth had made a good choice putting Will in the bachelor’s chair, as the public clearly loved him.
“So, correct me if I’m wrong, you’re looking for someone who wouldn’t mind your odd and long hours as a doctor and someone who offers you a home?” Percy recapped, offering Nico and the two ladies a bright smile.
“Yes and no,” Will answered. “I’m not looking for a physical home — I’m looking for someone who I can call home.”
More handkerchiefs were taken out, and Nico started to make mental notes. This would be very, very useful for his novel.
“So, I suppose you’re looking for a steady partner?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect,” Percy said, clapping his hands together. “Well, it’s time for the first question. Will, are you ready?”
Will made an inaudible sound before getting on with the first question. “Question one,” Will said with a shaking voice. “Imagine, I finally have an evening off, and I’m home before dinner. What kind of evening would you spend with me?”
“Great question,” Percy said. “It’s so important to separate work from home — it’s the reason me and Annabeth, ah, nevermind. We’re getting off topic. Candidate number one, the floor is yours,” he ended, sounding and probably looking sheepish.
Drew smoothed out her dress, crossed her legs and straightened her back. She was in for the kill— eh, win. Same thing.
“First we go to a restaurant,” Drew started up, voice filled with promise. “We’ll spend most of our evening catching up, talking about our day and check our agenda what comes up. Family visits, business meetings, planning on our next date. After that — we’ll need a taxi home because I don’t do drink and drive — we’ll go back home and move our activities to the bedroom,” Drew said, smirking a little as a chocked off noise came for the other side of the wall.
It turned out that Will was as prepared as Nico was for the sex-related questions. Not. There was no need for sex to get a stable relationship — actually, by now Nico had started to associate sex with one-night stands. A relationship didn’t start off with sex — it was a bonus. Sex shouldn’t make or break a relationship. At least, that was according to the more romantic and less erotic novels he read.
Percy made a wheezing noise, needing a few seconds to regain his breathing and voice. “That sounds like a lovely evening. Though, a reminder to all, this show has to remain PG. Up to this level, it’s fine, but try to refrain from pushing the borders. Candidate two, if you may?”
Nico was impressed by the level of self-control Percy showed. Nico couldn’t count the number of people who would have burst out into giggles on two hands, he included if he was in Percy’s position.
Splaying his fingers on his legs and controlling his nerves, Nico started to describe his own, perfect evening with his boyfriend, if he ever got one. “Well, we either order takeout or I cook — I love to cook. We’ll eat on the couch, no television, and use the time to catch up. After that, we either settle down to watch television. I watch a lot, from the likes of Cutthroat Kitchen to Game of Thrones. Or we both grab a book and read the night away. There is a lot of blankets involved, and maybe some cheap wine or beer. We either fall asleep on the couch — that happens a lot to me, or we fall asleep in bed.,” Nico made a shrugging motion. “That sounds like a good night to me.”
Trying to control his irregular breathing — damn you nerves — Nico cast his gaze into the audience till he spotted Hazel and Frank. Familiar faces meant safety. Breathe, stop worrying, and file these feelings for later. He either had made a great first impression, or it was terrible. Most likely the latter, because why would a doctor want something with a mediocre writer? As Hazel caught his gaze, her smile widened. Two thumbs up with a terrible wink. Hazel shouldn’t wink.
Hazel’s reaction left him slightly puzzled. He supposed Hazel thought he was doing okay, maybe was proud of him, but that didn’t explain the wink. Maybe Will had a positive reaction on Nico’s answer after all, though he wondered why. Drew sounded like the right woman for him. Both had a successful career, and having a successful, beautiful girlfriend at your side wouldn’t do any harm. Because Drew was a beautiful woman, though the make-up was a bit too much for him. But on the other hand, he was gay, his partners rarely wore make-up.
Not wanting to expose himself to another terrible wink from Hazel, Nico put his focus back on the show itself. He had completely missed Lou Ellen’s answer. Lou Ellen hadn’t noticed, but Drew offered him a raised, thin eyebrow. Ignoring the uneasiness in his stomach, Nico shrugged. It was none of Drew’s business, plus he didn’t have to know Lou Ellen’s answer. As long as Will paid attention to the answers.
“We just got three interesting, and rather different answers, so I can assume we had a successful first round,” Percy said, moving the show forward. “So, Will, what will the next question be? And which answer do you want to have first?”
There was some shuffling on the other side of the wall, followed by an exchange of a few hushed words between Percy and Will. Nico stained his ears to pick up the conversation, but the faint music and the whispers among the crowd made it impossible to hear it. Oh well, Percy would tell him afterwards, if it was worth telling. Maybe Will was getting cold feet and was debating with Percy whenever he—
“Um, second question,” Bachelor said sudden and loudly, caused his microphone to speak. This caused Drew to jump a little, Nico denied the fact he yelped and Lou Ellen nearly fell off her chair, which she had been balancing on two legs instead of four.
“Imagine, there is a fire. The situation isn’t exactly realistic, but let’s ignore that. You only can save five things from the fire. Wallet, car-keys and phone are excluded as you won’t leave with them anyway. Knowing this, what would you save from the fire?” Will asked.
Nico was genuinely surprised with Will’s questions. He had seen a couple of the other questions beforehand, as Nico could walk around behind the scenes all he wanted because his friends organised it, and they weren’t pretty. Between the ‘do you want to have kids’, ‘my career is more important than yours’ and the ‘what would you change about yourself’ questions, Will was a genuinely nice guy with an actual interest in finding a partner.
“So like the island question, only your answer has to be less about being practical and more about what you care about. At least, I imagine that’s your intent with the question?” Percy asked.
Will hummed in agreement. The only reason that Nico even picked up the sound was that the crowd was surprisingly quiet. They were excited. Maybe because Will now had to pick which answer he wanted to hear first, which showed at least interest.
“With that settled,” Percy said, forcing the show onwards. They really needed someone who got the show going otherwise they would have fallen into a lull a long time ago. “Whose answer do you want to hear first?”
Nico prayed that Will pick one of the two ladies, which gave him more time to figure out what he wanted to take with him. Five things. It should be easy, at least, it depended on how far he could push the borders of the meaning of the question. Were his hard drives considered one item or was it a collection of items. Because if it were the latter, it would be a hard question to answer.
Of course, he wasn’t lucky.
“Number two, please,” Will asked, mild excitement laced with his words. Well, Nico at least had caught Will’s attention.
Cursing under his breath, hoping that the mic wouldn’t pick it up, Nico tried to figure out his answer.
“Well, for starters, my writing set-up: laptop, charger, hard drives — assuming as that counts as one?” Nico asked, hoping that asking questions was even allowed. It at least would buy him time to figure out numbers three to five, considering he wouldn’t be disqualified over this, and number two was easy.
“That’s fine,” Will answered. “You can group items if you want. I’m not letting people go through the torture of picking their favourite book or favourite piece of clothing.”
Not even bothering to suppress his grin, Nico mentally thanked Will. That was item three and four, and it didn’t take long for him to figure out the last item. This question wasn’t as bad as he originally expected it to bed.
“Well, after that, it would be my dog, though she could find the way out just fine on her own. But, if she couldn’t leave on her own, I would run into a burning building to save her—” and now he sounded like a crazy dog guy. Oh well, at least better than crazy cat lady. “The third item would be my aviator jacket which was a gift from my late sister, the painting my younger sister made and the last thing I would save are my books.”
One question to go and Nico was a free man and got Hazel off his back. Plus, he could go back to writing his first draft and finally nail the romance scene.
“I’m breaking the rules by asking people extra questions, aren’t I?” Will asked.
“You’re,” Percy said, but he was more amused than anything else. “But as this isn’t an official dating show, knock yourself out.”
Nico could almost imagine Will grinning — he started to wonder how Will looked. Black hair? Nah, that sounded wrong. Light hair and a great smile, that fitted him somehow. “Without sounding like a crazy dog guy, what kind of dog is she, and what’s her name.?”
Drew scrunched up her nose in distaste — most likely not a dog fan — and Lou Ellen looked rather amused, eyes set with deviousness. Maybe she had a dog too and was planning on scoring points?
“Italian Mastiff, her name is Mrs. O’Leary,” Nico said, not bothering to keep out the fondness he held for his dog. He loved Mrs. O’Leary, and Will was entitled to know that, made making decisions easier.
Because, if Will wasn’t really fond of dogs, having an Italian Mastiff in the equation was a definite no-go. Nico’s last attempt to date had ended with the guy forcing him to choose between Mrs. O’Leary and him. He got the boot. Until Nico honestly couldn’t take care of Mrs. O’Leary anymore, she wasn’t going anywhere. There was no guy worth it — unless he was allergic. But event than Will must be his dream guy to be worth giving Mrs. O’Leary up.
Spending too much time daydreaming, or in his pondering, Nico only picked up the last two things Drew would save from her home: her wine collection and her heels. He could imagine things like ‘clothes’ and ‘make-up’ were also part of that list. High school him would have laughed his ass off, but after realising how expensive these things were, Nico mentally agreed with her. If his clothes and shoes had any value, he would have saved them too. They had no value, he didn’t do expensive clothes because he didn’t need them. He spends most of his time sitting inside working on his stories. He spends more time in his pyjama’s than in proper clothing.
Lou Ellen a list that was a mismatch of Nico and Drew’s items. Her sketchbooks, clothes, her gemstone collection — which was pretty cool in Nico’s opinion — her laptop with equipment included and her pet ferret.
Well, by now Nico could conclude that either, the guy was interested in Drew, or was deciding between Nico and Lou Ellen. Not that he was the same as Lou Ellen, but their way of living was quite similar; finding joy in smaller, cheaper things. Though gemstones weren’t cheap, on the other hand, it wasn’t like Nico’s book collection was cheap either. There were a few books that had cost him a lot of time and a lot of money. He never regretted it, though his wallet hadn’t been happy at the time.
“With candidate number three her answer, we can wrap up the second round quite nicely,” Percy sounded still as excited as when he started this round, which was admirable. Nico would have gone crazy. “Also, everyone, remember that the next round will be the last one. After that, Will will pick his choice of date for the evening, which, if I have to remind you, is free dinner at Olive Garden for two.”
Drew didn’t look too thrilled with the dinner-date, though Nico supposed she should be happy that it was an actual restaurant and not McDonalds or KFC. These would have been more up Nico’s ally. Though, Olive Garden started to sound just fine — the food was decent, and he had been living on frozen food and occasional take-out for the last couple of weeks. Sitting down at an actual table and have fresh, warm food started to sound appealing.
Smacking her lips together, Lou Ellen leaned close to him and covered her mic. “I was actually looking forward to Olive Garden,” she admitted in a whisper. “But I don’t think I’ll win.”
Nico scrunched up his face a little. “I’m not the fondest of Olive Garden, a bit too expensive,” he whispered back. “But I suppose it isn’t too bad — I haven’t had proper dinner in weeks, but I would guess that neither of us wins.”
Lou Ellen offered him a raised eyebrow and a ‘really’ look on her face. “Why so?”
It should be obvious why, but he supposed that Nico was a bit more pessimistic than Lou Ellen. Or he had read too many romance novels. The latter was more likely than the former. “He’s a doctor,” he said as if that explained everything. “I don’t even own a suit, and I live on cheap wine because the real deal is too expensive. How can I even appeal to him?”
Nico winced a little on Lou Ellen’s piercing gaze. “So all doctors are rich, stuck-up, men and women who live in expensive studio apartments and dine at restaurants we wouldn’t be able to afford in our entire lifetime?” Lou Ellen asked.
‘In the books, yes’ wouldn’t be a well-reasoned answer. Defeated, Nico shrugged and mouthed ‘I don’t know’. It was really judgemental of him, Frank was one of the kindest people Nico had met, and he was a doctor. Though Nico supposed if Will weren’t a doctor, he wouldn’t expect for anything to come out of it either. Nico was just… well, Nico.
It was surprising that Lou Ellen found herself satisfied with Nico’s nonverbal answer. “So, say if we both don’t make it, how does Olive Garden sound? Just the two of us.”
Nico stared at Lou Ellen with was surely a flabbergasted expression. “I’m gay,” he said.
“So?” Lou Ellen was grinning, her eyes flashing with mischief. “I’m lesbian — I have a girlfriend.”
Before Nico could ask more questions, Percy’s loud voice asked for their attention. Flustered, forgetting about his initial confusion, Nico repositioned himself in the chair, ignoring the stares he was getting from the public. It must have looked like he had been plotting something with Lou Ellen, or worse, flirting. What if the volunteers had picked up on it and would kick them off without even finishing the game? That would suck, a lot.
“We officially have arrived at the last question. Will, the floor is yours and make it count,” Percy said, a big grin was plastered on his lips. It must be a good one, considering Percy’s reaction.
Using the brief pause that Will by now should be famous for, Nico shot Lou Ellen a quick look and a subtle thumbs-up. If Will picked Drew — which Nico couldn’t blame him for — he at least wouldn’t spend the evening alone and the best thing? There were no strings attached. Lou Ellen had a girlfriend, was lesbian, and seemed like good company for the night. Also, they both would get their wish. Nico supported the charities, and Lou Ellen would get a friend out of it.
“Say, our relationship is solid — we’re ready to move in together,” Will started. “Where would you want to live, and what kind of house? An apartment? A mansion? A house with a white, picket fence?”
Percy faked a cough, most likely hiding his laughter. It was such a silly question, yet Nico could understand the importance. What would someone call home? And how would someone merge their lives together? Did one person make all the sacrifices, or did they compromise, dive the burdens and sacrifices fair and square. Both gained equally as much, and both would lose the same amount.
“Candidate three,” Percy said, voice strangled and slightly squeaky. “Go ahead.”
Lou Ellen rubbed her hands together in excitement. “Well, assuming that by then, I have my career as a designer on the road, and I have my own design studio, I suppose we’ll live above it. If not, we’ll settle down for a small house, where there is plenty of room for a study and a room for the kids, I mean, if you’re serious about settling down, I assume kids are also part of the equation.”
During the entire answer, Lou Ellen had been perfectly at ease. It was as if she was talking about the weather instead of her plans for the future, what she wanted to reach within her lifetime. But that wasn’t the oddest thing. It almost sounded like Lou Ellen was teasing Will. The comment about kids was a bit odd, as clearly Will hadn’t asked about kids or plans for the future — well, at least not to the extent of expanding their family. Moving in together was the first major step in an adult relationship, getting kids was maybe the third or fourth step.
With a lot of effort, Percy managed to croak out a ‘number one, you’re up’, or at least something along those lines. As it wasn’t his turn anyway, Nico could take his sweet time watching Percy being close to tears, laughter muffled by faked coughing. Will’s reaction to Lou Ellen’s plans for the future must have been hilarious, as simply getting flustered wouldn’t get Percy struggling to remain professional. As far as there was professionalism expected during a low-budget dating show that was held as a charity event.
“Now for the last answer of this round,” Percy said, startling Nico out of his not-so-subtle spacing out. “Number two, we would like your answer please.”
Right — dream house. That was easy.
“Well, to be honest, I don’t have a dream house,” Nico started. “I work at home — so I suppose the house must be close to your work, especially considering you’re a doctor and can be called in at any moment. I mean, I’m pretty sure you even can be called in right now,” he continued. “It must have a garden; it doesn’t have to be large, but a private garden is a must. A separated study for work — enough space for bookshelves. And close to a park, I suppose. I mean, that’s useful with my dog, and the fact that I’m on regular babysitting duty — a park is a great place to let kids run wild.”
Oh gods, he actually had mentioned the fact he was regularly babysitting. If Lou Ellen’s remark on getting a kid in the future freaked Will out, the fact that Nico spends a lot of time watching kids that weren’t even his own must have Will sprinting for the door. On the other hand, living close to a park was useful. The moment the kids were old enough, you could release them in a park and sit down and read a book, or do some writing. Considering reading and writing was Nico’s job, he never minded it. Plus, Nico was good with kids — though he spoils them rotten according to Annabeth and Piper, who was Jason’s wife.
“Thank you very much, candidate two,” Percy said, voice filled with amusement and teasing. Nico was going to kill Percy the moment this was over. “With your answer, we are finally done, and Will has to make a choice,” he paused dramatically, putting the public on the edge of their seats. “At least, do you have decided who you want to take on a date?”
Will laughed merrily. It the first laugh Nico had heard coming from that side of the wall. He supposed the guy had been nervous, and his case, nerves resulted in silence. Nico was glad because if Will had laughed throughout the entire show, Nico would have been a goner. Maybe his voice wasn’t special, but Nico could wax poetry about that laugh. (He filed these feelings away for later — they were useful for the romance scene.)
“Before I started, I wasn’t sure if I would even consider saying yes,” Will admitted. “But from question one, I just knew that the person I was looking for was out there, and the other two questions made it all the clearer to me. There is someone I want to say yes to among the three.”
Percy was grinning broadly. “I suppose they left a good first impression?” he asked, obviously stalling for time and prodding Will. Such a show wouldn’t do good without a healthy dose of sappiness.
“Definitely,” Will said, and Nico realised this was the second time Will was confident in what he was saying. The first time was when he was confirming that he was looking for someone steady. So, adding two and two together, Nico supposed that he had found the person he wanted to go steady with.
“Let’s see what your options are,” Percy said, obviously starting with the last phase of the show. The recap and the reaping— choosing. Same thing.
“Candidate number one likes long evenings in restaurants and the bedroom, preferably in a large penthouse which can hold her collection of clothing and make-up collection. She is future driven and faithful to her job and what she stands for,” Drew puffed up her chest in pride, holding her head high.
“Candidate number two offers you lazy evening cuddling on the couch, shelves filled with books and a full home, whenever it is filled with dogs or screaming children,” Percy summed up, which was pretty spot on if Nico had to say so. Though he never had mentioned the cuddling on the couch. Sharing a couch and cuddling were two different things.
“Last but not least,” Percy said, offering Lou Ellen a small wave. “Our third candidate dreams of becoming a clothing designer, wish to spend evenings together going out to movies or shows and is already preparing ahead for kids.”
Lou Ellen kicked up her legs, slouching in her chair with a grin. She didn’t seem worried, which was a tad surprising. Nico was a bit nervous, and Drew’s facade was crumbling a bit. He was too invested in a C-grade dating show.
“Now that we have refreshed our memories of the candidates, I have to ask you to tell us who you are not going to pick for a date,” Percy said, sounding like a kid on Christmas. Nico supposed that this part was the highlight of the show, seeing what actually was going on in the mind of Will, or whoever was sitting there.
“Number three,” Bachelor said, sounding not all that remorseful.
As Nico offered Lou Ellen an apologetic look. In return, she just shrugged and hopped off the chair.
Nico watched her disappear behind the wall, exchange a few words with Will, maybe a kiss on the cheek, before she strode off the stage as if she just didn’t get rejected. On the other hand, she had mentioned she already had a girlfriend, and maybe she just had signed up to round up the participant count. After all, the more rounds they could do, the more money they would make for the charities.
“Okay, we’ve wished Lou Ellen good luck in the future when it comes to romance, but now we’re coming to the final showdown,” Percy was wringing his hands together as if he was going to announce who had won a life-or-dead battle. “Now, with who will you go on a date?”
“Number two, definitely.”
Nico flinched as the audience started to clap loudly. Smiles, wolf whistles and whoops of joy were shared among the crowd, which was puzzling. Had they been rooting for him?
“Um, you know that number two is the guy, right?” Nico asked, assuming that it was most likely a mistake.
“Yup,” Will said, popping the ‘p’. “I know.”
Drew looked defeated, not getting up as fast as Lou Ellen to say goodbye to Will. However, she offered Nico a curt nod and a faint smile. She agreed with Will’s decision, which made him almost blurt out that, in fact, he was gay. If it didn’t work out with Will, he wasn’t going after the other contestants, especially not the female ones.
A few words were exchanged between Will and Drew before the latter strode off the stage, and Percy beckoned him to stand in front of the dividing wall. It was hard to believe he just had won a dating show, and he was going to Olive Garden of all places, on a date. He hadn’t been on a date for years. Though, what if the guy didn’t want to go on a date with him? Compared to Drew, who looked like she could take on the world, and Lou Ellen with her vibrant purple tips and piercing green eyes, he looked… boring. Of course, he was a guy, but still, he wasn’t even anything special compared to other guys.
“It’s showtime!” Percy shouted, and the mechanics of the dividing wall started to groan, pulling the slab of plywood from between them. Okay, time to take in the situation, file it and use it as inspiration. Maybe this was what he had been looking for to add in his novel.
The first thing Nico noticed was Will’s height. He was a few inches taller than Nico. Body language: he looked a bit tense, shoulders drawn up, tanned fingers flexing. His bottom lip was red and slightly swollen — habit, biting it out of nerves. He also noticed that Will’s lips were twisted in a nervous smile, but it wasn’t forced. Looking up further, Nico saw a slightly crooked nose with freckles adorning it. Skipping the eyes, Nico took in tousled blond hair, recently cut and not dyed by the looks of it. He almost looked like some of the beach boys that adorned some book covers, almost. He wasn’t too perfect, there were imperfections and—
Nico was a good writer. He could write beautiful scenes, complex characters and a good storyline. However, there was one thing he always struggled with, romance, emotions coming with romance. It all has been based on second-handed experience. The love between Hazel and Frank, Percy and Annabeth, Jason and Piper. These were the inspiration for his love, for his romance. After all, nobody had looked at him with fondness, as if he meant something more to them than a warm body in a bed.
One set of cornflower blue eyes — he definitely was pocketing that for later — changed that. Will was staring at him with these eyes that held too many emotions for Nico to even take in. Awe, adoration, surprise, protectiveness, affection, joy and so much more. It was stupid that he wanted to reach up and kiss Will straight on the lips, as if it was the rightest thing to do, as if the fondness Will held was built on years of knowing each other and not three questions and three answers.
“Hi,” Will whispered.
“Hi back,” Nico said, lips curling up into a faint smile. “Nice to match a face to the voice,” he added.
“I’m going to be cliché, but same,” a callused hand took his — not intertwining their fingers but still holding it gently as if Nico was going to disappear the moment he let go. “Will Solace,” Will introduced himself.
“Nico di Angelo,” Nico said, surprised that Will’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second. “Nice to meet you.”
Well, the public must have a field day with this, though Nico had no idea what exactly was going on around him. Even Percy’s well-meant questions flew past him. It was like he was drowning in a sea of voices, but because there were so many of them, so many voices that demanded his attention, but Nico cared little for them. There were five senses: audition, gustation, olfaction, somatosensation, and the one that mattered the most, vision, sight. Because even without a voice, without touch, Nico could read Will like an open book. (Today definitely wasn’t a waste of time. Even if the date didn't work out, Nico would have a field day with his book. Though he hoped that the date would go well.)
Epilogue
“You have an odd love for breadsticks,” Will pointed out as Nico shamelessly — he was showing his face at Olive Garden anyway, might as well enjoy it — working through his second order of breadsticks. They were still on their appetisers, well, at least Will was. Nico was enjoying himself with the breadsticks and the Five Cheese Marinara Sauce.
“I haven’t had a proper dinner in weeks — I take what I can have,” Nico pointed out. This was the second person he told this to, third if he took himself into the equation. “Did you know that Lou Ellen, candidate number three, also had invited me to visit Olive Garden if you picked Drew — which I still don’t understand because—”
Will nearly choked on his own appetiser — Chicken & Cheese Padania that could be marketed as a main course in Nico’s opinion — and stared at him with watery eyes.
It was silly how much Nico was attracted to Will’s eyes. They weren’t anything special. They couldn’t compare to Jason’s electric blue eyes or Annabeth’s steel grey eyes. On the other hand, his eyes held so many emotions, emotions that the rest of his body hid. And now, even as he was actually on a date and he had enough information for his book, Nico still picked up each emotion that Will’s eyes held.
“Lou Ellen did that?” Will asked, wheezing a little as his windpipe tried to remove the unwanted food. “Also — we haven’t talked about it yet, but there is a reason I picked you above Drew. Actually, not just one reason — so many reasons.”
Annoyance, shame, disbelief, adoration, fondness, care.
“Enlighten me — I mean, what did I offer what she didn’t?” Nico asked.
It was a silly question, as he and Drew offered two completely different lives. It was just puzzling what made Will interested in him and not Drew.
Will’s lips curled up into a smile. “Home,” he answered, taking a bite of his Padania. “That’s what you offer, home. When I’m at work, I’m at work, it’s simple as that. But when I’m home, I want to be home. I don’t want to be constantly reminded of what I do for a living, I wanted a place to wind down, sit down and relax, and you offered me that. Also, you have a dog,” Will’s eyes matched the excitement in his voice. “And you like books — you read. I always have wanted a partner with whom I could share my bookshelves with, that at some point I don’t know which book originally was mine and which one was originally yours…” Will adverted his gaze, embarrassment bloomed on his cheeks. “Sorry, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself, and our relationship.”
Nico used a new breadstick to hide his smile. It was endearing, but it also felt right. Home. Nico always has been home, a place that he called his own, his safe-haven. But sometimes it gets lonely, sometimes you wanted to share your home, moving it from a physical place to a person. But as they were entering extreme feelings territory, which Will mentioned, Nico decided to steer the next question to a safer topic.
“But, going back to the topic on Lou Ellen, do you know her?” Nico asked. “I mean, she confessed to me she was already in a relationship, with a girl. So it was a bit odd to see that she was willing to go on a date with a guy.”
Alarm, embarrassment, shyness, guilt, determination.
“Lou Ellen was my safety net,” Will confessed. “In case there was no click between the other candidates and me. I rather would spend the evening with someone I get along with instead of someone I can’t get along with, someone that would make a dinner awkward because we can’t hold a conversation.”
Oh, that made a lot of sense. “So that explains why it looked like she knew you — though why her?”
Will grinned. “Well, she is my best friend, it was easy to pick her. My sister wasn’t too thrilled about, but as she still owed me some favours, she was out of luck.”
Nico dug through his memory, trying to recall what Will’s sister was called. “Kayla, right? What does she have to do—”
“Oh,” Nico offered Will a sympathetic look. “Your best friend is dating your sister.”
Will nodded.
“It isn’t too bad,” Will added. “I mean; she is still my best friend. On the topic of siblings, what about Hazel? I recall you saying she’s engaged?”
Nico hadn’t told Will a lot about his family yet, and he was happy that Will wasn’t prodding too much. He already had mentioned that one of his sisters has passed away, though that was years ago. Also, Will had seen Hazel for a brief moment, as Nico had said goodbye to her before leaving with Will for their date.
“She’s engaged to Frank, he’s a paediatric surgeon at the local hospital,” Nico said, watching Will to see if the name rang any bells.
Considering how Will’s face lit up, he recognised the name. “Know him, he’s a great guy and a good paediatrician, the kids love him.”
A few seconds passed by before Will grew flustered out of literally nowhere. “Actually,” he said, voice a few octaves higher. “I just recalled something. When I finished university and could start working full time, there was this party. I was single, and Frank said he knew someone who was willing to play pretend for the evening as my boyfriend, to avoid unwanted advances and such. Of course, I asked what the catch was, and Frank assured that there was no catch. Turned out later that he was talking about his brother-in-law, who was writing a novel and needed the experience of a more upstate party, and considering you’re a writer, and Frank is your brother-in-law… does this mean we could have met two years ago? Or do you have another brother or there are two Franks who have a brother-in-law that writes books?”
Nerves, hope, surprise, delight, excitement.
It took a bit, but Nico recalled Frank asking if he wouldn’t mind pretending to date some doctor, to experience an upstate party he wanted to add to his novel. He had agreed, but the doctor had declined Frank’s offer. In the end, Nico had gone as Frank’s plus one, taking Hazel’s place. This way he still could see the party, wander around, taking everything in and—
“Wait a second,” he eyed Will with narrowed eyes. “You were there, with a girl, and after a couple of wines, I was complaining to Frank that all handsome men were straight or dating. And Frank isn’t the only one who knows, Percy knows too,” mild panic seised him. “Percy is going to have a field day teasing me with this if he knows that I’m dating ‘all the handsome men are dating number five’.”
Will looked baffled, his fork with Padania hanging somewhere mid-air. “Oh,” he said. “Right, um, wait—”
Admiration, warmth, eagerness, happiness.
“Does this mean that we’ll go on a second date?”
Nico blinked, forgetting about his own breadsticks. Did he want another date with Will? They hadn’t even started the main course, and yet, he wasn’t bored, it wasn’t dull, and he genuinely liked Will. Plus, he just had mentioned that Percy would tease him if they remained dating. This was a good implication that Nico wanted it.
“Maybe,” Nico shrugged, unsure how to answer. “I wouldn’t mind, I think. Though we haven’t even finished the first date. Maybe you’ll change your mind at the end of the date.”
Will’s eyes lit up. “It’s a date!” he said happily, smile big and bright. “Second date — same thing, and never. I don’t think I ever get tired of you.”
“Then I wouldn’t mind,” Nico said, hiding his smile behind his hand. “Actually, I would love to on a second date with you.”