Nico jolted awake at the sound of banging at her front door. She sighed and brushed back her curls, annoyed, groaning. Nico slid under the covers closing her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but the banging continued and became louder. Nico threw the covers off angrily and her legs off her bed, stretching before pushing herself off the bed. Nico didn't get that far because she tripped against something falling to the ground. Nico closed her eyes, bracing for impact, but her cold, uninviting floor felt oddly warm. 

"You know, if this is the treatment I get, then I should sleep over more often," Nico heard. She slowly raised her head and was met with amber eyes. Something about his eyes felt safe and inviting. Zane rested his hand on Nico's lower back, pulling her towards him, slightly closing the distance between them. Suddenly they were interrupted by banging at the front door, making Nico remember why she woke her up in the first place. Nico shifted off of Zane, but Zane tightened the hold on Nico's waist. After lying for a while, Zane finally let go of Nico. She slid off Zane, got to her feet, and walked out of her bedroom. Zane turned to his side, watched Nico walk out the door, and groaned. He sat up and shifted his gaze toward a nightstand where a book was placed. Zane tilted his head in curiosity, reaching for it. 

Nico walked down the hall, trying to calm herself down. She walked down the stairs, and the banging got louder.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Nico said, approaching the door. Nico threw it open and was met with her two best friends on the other side.

"Hey, girl, about time- "Emily said before the door slammed shut. Nico locked the door and leaned against it.

"What the hell, Nic? Open the door," Emily yelled.

"J-just a second," Nico called out.

"What are you doing? Open the door." Nate now called out. Nico was pacing back and forth, thinking over her options glancing at the door and back up the steps. As she was pacing, trying to figure out how to handle this one problem, another just walked down the stairs.

"What is going on." Nico heard. She rushed over to Zane, placed her hands on his mouth, and put one finger to her lips.

"Keep your voice down," Nico whispered angrily. Zane gently removed her hands from his mouth, holding them in his hands.

"Well, how about you tell me what is going on," Zane whispered.

"Isn't it obvious? We have a guest." Nico said, snatching her hands back.

"Yea, I figured. Who are the guests? "Zane said.

"My friends, idiot." Nico snapped at him.

"How was I supposed to know that? You were acting like the cops were at the door," Zane said, rolling his eyes. Nico remained quiet, shook her head, and began pacing in front of Zane. He glanced at the door and sighed, walking toward the door, and Nico stopped in her tracks and watched Zane walking towards the door and rushed towards Zane, tackling him to the ground with a heavy thud. Instead, Zane turned his body, so he was lying on his back to get a better view of the girl straddling him with a shock painted across her face.

 

"Are you crazy?" Nico questioned him.

"No, but you are. Just go and let your friends in." Zane said, propping himself up with his elbows staring at Nico, who lowered her head, and her hair fell in front of her face.

"I can't do that," Nico said in a whisper. Zane reached up and brushed some of her curls behind her ear, resting his hand against her cheek. Nico looked up, and Zane was staring deep into her eyes.

"And why not," Zane asked curiously, not breaking eye contact with her. Nico started to squirm from his intense gaze.

"I- I just don't want to answer all the questions they might have," Nico manages to get out. 

"Okay, what is so bad about that," Zane asked, removing his hand from her cheek.

"I just didn't want to deal with it," Nico said, shifting her gaze to the floor. Zane noticed that she was starting to get uncomfortable with the third degree. He sighed, ran a hand down his face, and rested his hands on her shoulders, causing her to snap her head back toward him.

"It is going to be okay," Zane said reassuringly.

"How," Nico said, barely in a whisper.

"Well, we can start by you getting off my lap," Zane said, gesturing that Nico was still sitting in his lap. Nico felt the heat rush to her cheeks, and she scrambled off his lap and to her feet. So Zane chuckled, got up, and looked at Nico, fidgeting with the end of her crop top, staring at the floor.

 

"Let them in," Zane said, taking a step towards her.

"But-" Nico started to object but was cut off by Zane placing a finger underneath her chin, tilting her head up, making eye contact with her.

"I'll wait upstairs until the coast is clear for me to leave," Zane said, sliding his hand down and resting it on her shoulder. Nico sighed a breath of relief and only nodded to him. Zane sighed again, pulled his hands from her shoulders, and proceeded up the stairs. He turned back after reaching the last step and saw that Nico hadn't moved an inch.

"I don't think that you want to keep them waiting. You better open it before your friends break down the door," Zane said.

"R-right," Nico manages to get out, causing Zane to chuckle before turning down the hall toward Nico's room. Nico walked up to the door and turned back one last time to ensure he was truly upstairs before unlocking the door and opening it. Then, as soon as she opened the door, an inch Emily leading the charge, pushed her way through with Nate in tow.

"Nico! Nico, where are you?" Emily called out.

"I'm here," Nico manages to get out weakly. Emily whipped her head toward the entrance and saw Nico slowly poke her head out behind the door. Emily stared at Nico in frustration and confusion, mostly confusion trying to understand what just happened.

"So, do you want to tell me what happened?" Emily huffed in annoyance as she crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation. Nico stepped out from behind the door and started to push it close. Once the door was closed and locked, she turned back to her two best friends with confused looks.

"I'm sorry about that. I made a mess here last night and forgot to clean up, and I didn't want you guys walking into a mess," Nico lied. 

"You never cared about cleaning up all the times we came over," Emily replied with a look that showed she was unaware of Nico's story.

"Well, yea, but I promised my dad that I would start to help out a little more by cleaning up a little," Nico said, rubbing the back of her arm.

"Okay, so what was that thud we heard," Emily said.

"Oh well, I tripped over one of my boots and fell," Nico nervously said.

"Well, that makes more sense than I thought," Nate shrugged his shoulders.

"And what did you think I was doing," Nico questioned, crossing her arms.

"Well, I thought you had someone over, and you were sneaking them out," Nate rubbing his chin.

"W-what," Nico said, starting to panic a little.

"Yeah, okay, like that would ever happen," Emily said, laughing at the thought.

"What is that supposed to mean," Nico asked, a little offended. Emily tilted her head in confusion at Nico's reaction to what she said. 

"Well, Nico, you are not what they call a 'social butterfly,' you know. Let alone you'll let some guy spend the night." Emily stated.

"You know she's not wrong," Nate agreed.

"Yeah, I guess," Nico muttered.

"So how was the studying," Nate said, walking into the living room hopping on the worn dark blue sofa.

"Boring, but that is how studying is supposed to be. How was bowling? Did you guys have fun," Nico asked, earning a groan from Nate.

"No, Emily is the worst wing-woman there is," Nate said, lying on the couch looking up at Nico.

"You know I am standing here," Emily said, somewhat annoyed. Nate just ignored it, waving Emily off, and she rolled her eyes and sat in the chair facing Nico, that stood in the doorway.

"I'm sorry," Nico said, but Nate sighed dramatically at her. 

"And you should be, but I will forgive you this time, but you are coming the next time," Nate said, grinning at Nico.

"If I have the day off again, then I will come," Nico said, smirking at him, earning a pout from Nate.

"Ugh, fine, come sit. We have to tell you about the plans for what is happening tonight," Nate told Nico, patting the empty spot next to him.

"I'll be there in a second. I have to go brush my teeth," Nico said, retreating towards the stairs.

"Oh, please do. I can smell your morning breath from here." Nate said, turning his nose up in disgust. Nico rolled her eyes, raced up the stairs, and hurried down the hall to her room as fast as she could, like she was being chased. As Nico threw open her bedroom door, she noticed that Zane was sitting comfortably in her bed with his feet up reading. Zane looked up and stared at Nico in the doorway with a look of confusion on her face.

"What are you doing," Nico asked.

"What does it look like I am reading," Zane said, holding up the book in his hands. The longer she looked at what he was holding, it clicked in her head, and it was the book she found at work. She forgot to put it away last night because she was so distracted by the idiot sitting on her bed looking through it.

"What do you think you're doing," Nico said again, with some irritation in her voice.

"I thought we just discussed this," Zane said as he continued to read it.

"No, I mean, what are you doing with my book," Nico said, walking up to Zane and snatching the book out of his hands.

"Well, I was reading it as I said before, you rudely snatching it out of my hands," Zane said, sitting up from his original comfortable position. Nico rolled her eyes, walked to her nightstand, and opened the drawer before shoving her book inside and closing it. She redirected her attention back to Zane, and he was staring at her like he was studying her.

"What," Nico asked, shifting uncomfortably. Zane sighed, moved off her bed, and turned his attention back to Nico. Nico started to shift uncomfortably at the fact Zane was not saying anything. After a while, he finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" Zane asked, stunning Nico a bit with this straightforward question.

"What, no, of course not," Nico stated, stepping away from him.

"Interesting," Zane said, leaving her even more confused.

"What does that suppose to mean?" Nico questioned Zane, causing him to shrug his shoulder, and he got up, taking a step close enough to Nico. Every time Zane walked up to Nico, she never felt uncomfortable; she felt the opposite, which scared her. Nico walked away from him, facing the open door of her bedroom, avoiding that piercing gaze he always has. Zane sighed and walked toward her again, but this time he walked past her toward her bedroom door and closed it before turning back.

"So I am guessing you came here to tell me that the coast is clear. "Zane said, leaning against the door and crossing his arms.

"N-no, they are camped out in the living room, so the chances of you walking out the front door undetected are slim to none. "Nico replied.

"So, what's the plan," Zane questioned.

"I don't know, let me think," Nico said as she started pacing, trying to devise a plan. Then, suddenly, Nico had an idea and turned to face Zane with a mischievous look.

"I don't like that look," Zane said.

"Why you should love this look. Many of my good ideas come from this look." Nico boasted about herself.

"Okay, tell me about this 'good idea' then," Zane said, arching his eyebrow, and Nico's smile grew wider.

"So, there is a way for you to leave without my friends noticing you," Nico said.

"And that is?" Zane questions nervously.

"Well, it's pretty simple. You leave the same way you came," Nico said, gesturing towards the window and Zane's mouth gaped slightly.

"No way, I am not doing that." Zane objected.

"Why not? You managed to climb up here last night. "Nico said, crossing her arms.

"That was different," Zane responded. Nico rolled her eyes. Before she could answer, their argument was interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door, followed by a voice.

"Hey, Nico, you okay in there." The voice belonging to Emily said. Nico walked towards the door, pushing Zane behind the door before opening it enough to where she could slip out, not overexposing her room.

"Hey, sorry about that. What up," Nico said, blocking the entrance to her room.

"Well, you have been up here for a while. I just wanted to see if you are okay and who were you talking to?" Emily asked.

"Oh, I was on the phone with my dad. He was checking in, ensuring I was okay and that he would be home soon." Nico said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I see. I am going back downstairs. Are you coming?" Emily responded.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a second. I have to change," Nico said, moving back into her room.

"Okay, well, don't take too long. We don't have all day," Emily announced as she walked down the hall, waving Nico off. Nico closed the door, rushed toward the window, and threw it open before she ran to her closet. Instead, Zane walked up to her bed and watched Nico grab a blue shirt and some black sweatpants and throws them on her bed. Nico stopped for a moment and saw that Zane was not going.

"You gotta go. You ain't staying here." Nico told Zane.

"Well, I am not climbing out the window. "Zane objected. Nico pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned at Zane's stubbornness. She walked up to Zane, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him to the window.

"Look, I will not do this back and forth with you. There are two ways you're leaving. Either you leave through the window of your free will, or I am pushing you out there myself. The choice is yours," Nico stated, reaching in the window and shoving Zane towards it.

"Fine." Zane groaned and began to climb out the window. Once he was out, Zane directed his attention to Nico and leaned on one side of the windowsill.

"You know, when people spend the night, they are usually treated with breakfast and such, not being threatened to be thrown out a window," Zane told Nico. Instead, she smiled to herself and leaned against the opposite side of the windowsill.

"Well, maybe you should have gone to those other people's houses if you want that treatment," Nico responded.

"That may be true, but they are missing one thing," Zane replied, drifting closer to Nico.

"Yeah, and what is that," Nico asked.

"Having a beautiful view to wake up to," Zane answered. Nico felt her cheeks heating up and backing away from him, spinning around, covering her face, embarrassed.

"W-well, don't expect it to happen again." Nico managed to get out as her hands still covered her face as her back faced him.

"Goodbye, Nico. Thanks again." Zane called out, chuckling to himself. 

Nico turned around to say bye, but she was met with an empty window. Nico felt her chest tighten up, and she was confused because she was disappointed that he was gone, so she just ignored it. Nico grabbed the clothes placed on her bed and threw them on before Emily came back up there. Nico, now dressed, opened her bedroom door, looking back to the window one last time before sighing to herself and walking out the door, shutting it close.