GEMINI.
I woke up the next morning feeling completely and utterly refreshed. The sleep was deep and dreamless, the best I'd had in weeks, thanks entirely to the heavy, familiar weight of Percy's arm wrapped around me throughout the night. When I finally peeled myself out of the warm tangle of sheets, the other side of the bed was already empty.
Huh! Where did he go to?
I stepped out of my small bedroom and was immediately hit by the smell of coffee and something frying. The sound of cheerful, slightly off-key whistling guided me to the kitchen. And that's where the next unbelievable scene of my life unfolded.
Nana was at the kitchen sink, humming while she scrubbed a pot. But standing beside her, looking unnervingly competent in a simple white t-shirt, was Percy. He had a damp dishtowel hooked over one shoulder and was meticulously wiping down the kitchen counter—a kitchen counter that was already spotless.
What in the world is going on right now?
"Morning, Bunny," Nana greeted, turning with a beaming smile. "Look at this handsome helper I found! Percy, you make an excellent houseguest."
Percy gave me a blindingly perfect smile. "Good morning, sleepyhead. There's coffee." He said to me before turning to my grandmother. "I just finished organizing the spice rack, Nana. There's so much space for you to add more things now."
I had to blink twice. Right here, in the worn-out, cozy kitchen of my working-class Nana, stood the city's richest, fanciest guy. He was seriously alphabetizing the jars of cumin and turmeric, treating them like they were gold bricks.
"You're... helping," I stated, feeling my jaw drop.
"Of course, I am," Percy replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Your Nana is kind enough to welcome me into her home. It's time for me to contribute labor, even if the work is simple. Besides, I love how this place feels."
As we ate breakfast of Nana's legendary pancakes—which Percy devoured with genuine appreciation—Nana said something I'd been praying she wouldn't.
"You boys need to get out of this house," she declared, pushing a thermal bottle of coffee into my hands. "Gemini, you haven't been home since the holidays. Take Percy out after breakfast. Show him our town. He's traveled all this way for you."
I immediately started stammering out excuses. "Nana, I really should help you with that garden! Or I could run those errands downtown! I also need to catch up on some reading!"
I didn't want to show Percy my life. I knew this town inside and out, from the slightly dingy library where I spent my summers to the cramped grocery store where I worked. It wasn't the kind of scenery Percy was used to, and I was terrified of seeing pity, or worse, boredom, in his perfect green eyes.
Nana just smiled patiently. "Your Nana can handle a few petunias, Bunny. Go show your friend around. It'll do you good to breathe some fresh air. Be a good host."
I know it's pointless to argue with my Nana, I never win. She'll just find something more uncomfortable for us to do, like making us go to a sauna or something worse.
"Fine, I'll show you around town after breakfast, but you are going to do exactly as I say. I'm in charge today, you hear me?"
I said that knowing how much he loves being in charge. But Percy, surprisingly, agreed instantly. He leaned towards me, looking entirely too attractive in the morning sun.
The thought of spending the whole day with him around town sounds exciting and also very terrifying.
What if he doesn't like what he sees?
"I promise to do exactly as you say ," he said, his eyes intensely focused on me. "I want to walk everywhere you used to walk, and I want you to tell me everything about your life here, Gemini. Everything."
His request wasn't just about sightseeing; it was about having a glimpse into my history. And as we finished breakfast and went to dress up, I realized there was no truce now—only extreme determination from Percy to know every corner of the world I had tried to keep separate from him. It's fine really. I just need to decide how much of myself I'm willing to give away.
I reluctantly changed into clothes suitable for walking, while Percy came out looking like he was dressed for a yacht party, even in jeans. I was dreading showing him my small world, but I had one victory: I insisted we leave the Bentley parked outside Nana's house.
"We are taking the bus," I declared, holding up two crumpled bills. "It's how I got everywhere growing up. You want to experience my world? This is how you do it."
Percy's eyebrow arched in a perfect, elegant line. "The…public transport?" he asked, not with disgust, but with genuine, scholarly curiosity.
"Yes. The bus, Percy. Think you can manage?" I confirmed, pulling him out the door.
"The bus sounds like a perfect way to see the town. I don't mind at all." He replied waving goodbye at Nana as the door closed behind us.