GEMINI.
We stood at the curb, and when the rickety, loud town bus finally rattled up, I saw a flicker of pure astonishment cross Percy's face. I'm going to make the Perseus Ser-Dominic Sinclair Morre enter a public bus for the first time in his life..
How great is that?
He tried his best to fit in, standing ramrod straight in the aisle as the bus lurched forward, but the difference was obvious. His presence was loud, even though he was silent. He stood out like a sore thumb, smelling faintly of expensive cologne and looking so handsome in his perfectly tailored clothes.
But he seemed to be enjoying himself, which mitigated my embarrassment. He kept his arm loosely around my arm or my shoulder to steady himself against the bumps, his eyes wide as he watched the mundane details of my town flash by.
"That's the park where I learned how to ride my bike," I mumbled, pointing to a patch of grass.
"Messy ground work," Percy commented as he squeezed my shoulder. "Did you fall a lot?"
"Only once," I admitted.
Percy chuckled quietly before saying, "You must've been in good form as a kid, then. I fell a lot till I got older."
We hopped off downtown, and Percy immediately turned the local stores into the perfect location for his shopping spree. He bought a vintage vinyl record, a quirky antique map from a pawn shop, and insisted on buying me an oversized, ridiculously soft sweater because "Your coat's fabric is too thin for this climate, Gemini." I seriously don't know how we were going to carry all these bags home.
When I finally complained about the growing mountain of bags, he just looked at me with a triumphant smirk and said, "Serves you right for not allowing me to bring the car, Bunny."
Is it weird that I like how it feels when he calls me that?
Our final stop was the little diner I used to work at, where I promised Percy the best slice of small-town pie. We were sitting in a booth, surrounded by all the bags, and then disaster struck—in the form of my old high school classmates—struck.
They were still the same: a bunch of annoying people who derived joy from making others miserable. They had apparently heard I was home and about the fancy car parked in front of my Nana's house, and they wanted to confirm the truth—likely to find something to mock.
But then they saw Percy.
The table of four stopped talking mid-sentence. Like I said, he stood out like a sore thumb, but in a devastatingly good way. His perfectly carved eyebrows, his shiny blonde hair, his neatly pressed clothes, and his expensive shoes and perfume. Everything about him was perfect.
Like everyone else who meets him for the first time, they were fascinated, scared, and completely enchanted. Why wouldn't they? He's perfect. The two girls, Ashley and Brenda, immediately started trying to catch his eye, smoothing down their hair. The guys were just quiet, clearly intimidated.
Percy just sat there, magnificent and oblivious, with his handsome face only talking or looking at me, utterly ignoring the attention. Ashley finally worked up the nerve to approach our table, fluttering her eyelashes.
"Excuse me, I don't think we've met. I'm Ashley. Are you visiting? I could give you a tour—"
Percy glanced at her, his expression utterly neutral, and then his eyes snapped back to mine. "Gemini, you promised me the best slice of pie this town has to offer, am I getting one anytime soon? This place smells fantastic."
The girls and guys all tried variations of getting his number, asking about his job, and inviting him to a non-existent party. He just politely but dismissively shot them down.
Finally, as I finished my water, he stood up, collected the bags, and held out his hand to me. He looked directly at my former classmates, his voice ringing with clear authority.
"We're going home now." He took my hand, his fingers intertwining with mine, and led me straight out of the diner.
We were silent for the first five minutes of the cab ride back to Nana's house. I kept staring at him, utterly dumbfounded. He just stared out the window, occasionally checking his phone, pretending not to notice my intense gaze. Then, finally, he turned to me, a small, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Bunny?"
"Because I'm trying to figure out if you're a human being or some kind of highly evolved social experiment," I blurted out, the words spilling out before I could stop them and he chuckled.
"I assure you, I am all flesh and blood," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching with amusement.
"Those people back there," I continued, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the diner, "they found you terrifying. And fascinating. You were scary to them, Percy! You were cold and dismissive. You looked at them like they're dust motes. Like they should be scared of you. I mean, I know who you are, Percy. You're someone who could ruin their entire lives with just a phone call."
I leaned closer, my voice dropping in volume and rising in intensity. "But why are you like this with me? Why are you hauling bags of junk, eating cheap food, riding a town bus, letting me show you my crappy childhood playground, and sleeping in a bed meant for a child? You're giving me your attention, your time, and your patience—things you literally give no one else. Why me?"
Percy turned fully toward me, taking my hand again and lacing his fingers through mine. His green eyes held a soft, unwavering focus that always made my heart seize up.
"It's because I like you, Gemini."
He said it with the simplest, most natural casualness, as if stating the weather. The truth said in this manner, suddenly heavier than all the bags piled around us in the taxi.
I couldn't breathe.
He's a scary person to others, but why is he like this with me? The question had been answered, but the implication was not something I was ready for.
"You're a maniac," I managed to whisper, feeling a thrilling rush in my chest.
Percy just smiled, tightening his grip on my hand. "A highly functional and handsome maniac, thank you. Now, let's figure out how we're going to explain all these purchases to Nana."