It gives me some inconceivable feels.
“Well, I love him. He could be my brother-in-law any day,” she says, and I smile, my heart bursting in my chest.
“He’d love that.”
“Yeah, he’s great. Really, I love him for how much happier you are now. Who knew all you needed was for someone to get in your pants?”
For the love of God. “Calliope, come on!”
She snorts with laughter just as the door opens and in comes my super-hot date. He’s wearing a black tux with pants hemmed to the ankles to show off his fancy blue suede shoes. Every time I see them, I want to sing the song. I don’t want to sing now, though. Not that I can with my tongue hanging out of my mouth. With his hair slicked back, Nico is one fine man.
And he is all mine.
“Hey!” I call to him, excited to see him. When he comes in closer, though, I notice his body language. He’s not happy, more nervous. I come around the counter and go to him. “Hey, you okay?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. Don’t want to go.” I thread our fingers together as he comes down for a kiss. “You look incredible, babe.”
I want to swoon, but I’m worried about him. “We don’t have to go.”
“I do,” he says on an exhale. “They’re making me.”
I feel awful for him, but before I can try to help, Callie says, “Nico, you’re a rock star. You got this.”
He doesn’t seem convinced. “I don’t know about that.”
“You do. It’s a party. Just think of everyone as Vee, Chandler, Amelia, and me. You got this.”
He exhales hard, looking down at me. “I could just stare at you.”
My heart warms. “You could. I won’t leave your side, even if I’ve got to pee.”
“Man, that’s real right there. She always has to pee,” Callie teases, and thankfully, finally, he smiles the smile I adore.
I squeeze his hand. “We’ll have fun.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. But just a warning, I don’t know how long I’ll last, and I don’t know how I’ll act. This is a first for me.”
I’m so confused. “You don’t go to parties?”
“Not without a lot of alcohol, and my therapist is not letting me drink.”
I agree with his therapist. “That’s good. You don’t need to drink.”
“I beg to differ. It’s how I get through shit like this.”
“We got this,” I say once more, kissing his jaw. “Come on, let’s go.”
He hesitates, but then he lets out a sigh. “Fine.”
Well, I wasn’t nervous before, but now I am.
* * *
The gala for the IceCats foundation is in a ritzy hotel ballroom. I’ve never been to this hotel, but from the outside, I can tell it is fancy. Nico didn’t speak one word the whole way here, and I felt he needed a moment, so I didn’t speak either, just listened to the music. But when we come to a stop at the valet and my door opens, I glance over at him. He’s holding the steering wheel with white knuckles, and I don’t know if he’ll get out of the truck. I hold up my finger to the valet. “One second, please.”
I pull my door shut and then reach out to Nico, covering his hand with mine. “Nico, it’s okay. One thing at a time.”
He swallows hard. “Just let me be for a second.”
I pull my hand away and lean back in my seat. Seconds turn into minutes, and when I notice the line behind us, I clear my throat. “Nico—”
“Just a fucking minute.”
Okay then. I press my lips together because I really want to snap back at him. I know that he is struggling with this, though, so I will be patient. Finally, and without a word, he throws open his door and gets out.
“Okay,” I drawl as I pick up my bag, but before I can grab the door handle, it’s open and Nico is standing there.
He holds out his hand to me, and I take it. He isn’t looking at me, though. He’s looking around us. When my feet hit the ground, he wraps his arms around me, and I can feel him shaking. What in the world is causing this? I did some research, and OCD can trigger this kind of reaction, not being able to control the situation. But I worry it’s more. I want to ask. Man, I want to ask, but I feel that’s something he should tell me.
As we walk toward the entrance, his body is rock hard, and I see the sweat dripping down his neck. I’m really starting to get nervous. “I’m glad you asked me to come.”
“Yeah,” he says sharply, and I bite the inside of my cheek. He’s never this abrupt with me, and I don’t like it one bit.
I try to ignore it though as we head toward the ballroom. When we enter, I’m amazed by how gorgeous everything is. The team’s colors, red and silver, cover every inch of the place. Big white flower arrangements line the tables, and a huge chandelier hangs from the ceiling. It’s stunning in here.