GEMINI.
I woke up slowly, feeling unbelievably warm and completely immobile. The last thing I remembered was Percy telling me to be quiet because the soldiers in the movie were scaling a wall. Now, the living room was bright with the late afternoon sunlight, and I was exactly where I'd been—tucked safely into Percy's side, his arm heavy around my shoulders, my head resting comfortably against his chest.
Did we end up falling asleep all cuddled up together? The realization hit me with a dizzying rush. We had spent the entire of last night, from midnight until this morning, either physically separated by his fevered state or wrapped around each other in the big bed, and now, here we were, sprawled on the sofa in the exact same position. And this wasn't just a brief rest; like we dozed off, we were completely out the whole afternoon.
I carefully lifted my head, finding Percy still deeply asleep, his expression softened by deep slumber. His grip remained firm, yet gentle. My heart was beating erratically. This was so much more intimate than the usual sleeping gestures I was used to.
I was just contemplating how to subtly extract myself from his embrace without waking him when the distinct sound of the front door opening echoed through the hallway.
"Percy? Are you home? I need to borrow your Porsche for a quick drive around the avenue. There's this cute guy that just moved down the street, I think he might be my type. I could go for an emergency oat milk errand." Penelope's voice called out.
My eyes widened in horror. Oh gosh! I tried to pull back, whispering frantically, "Percy! Percy, wake up!"
He stirred slightly, muttering something incoherent, his arm tightening around me like a cage. "Five more minutes, please," he mumbled.
It was too late. I heard footsteps rounding the corner into the living room. Penelope stopped dead in the entryway, the sound of her expensive leather tote bag hitting the floor echoing loudly in the sudden silence. She stood there, staring at the two of us—me, half-buried in her twin brother's arms, my face probably the color of a ripe tomato, and Percy, completely oblivious to what was happening.
An incredibly slow smile spread across Penelope's face. It was not judgmental; it was pure amusement.
"Well, hello there," Penelope finally said, her voice dripping with a teasing intent. "Isn't this a nice view? Did i just catch you two love birds all cuddled up together? Why, yes, I believe i did."
I managed to push myself up slightly, acutely aware of the warmth of Percy's chest beneath my ear. "Penelope, it's—it's not what it looks like. He was sick last night, and we were watching a movie, and he just—"
"Shhhh, it's okay sweetie," she interrupted, holding up a hand. "I don't need an explanation. I just need a camera. And maybe a better understanding of why you two chose the least comfortable couch in the house for this bonding session."
"Penelope," I pleaded, feeling the desperate urge to disappear.
She picked up her bag, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Look, I'll be quick. I was just here for the Porsche anyway. But, since I got to witness this, I'm so going to get a kick out of this once he wakes up. Don't say anything to him okay?"
With a delightful wink, Penelope sauntered past the sofa and into the kitchen, leaving me pinned beneath her still-sleeping, suddenly very clingy twin brother, wondering how I was going to survive the next coming days.
This is a nightmare. The worst part about this nightmare, is that I'm awake. Someone please just kill me. The whole apartment feels charged with residual embarrassment. Mine, in case you're wondering. I haven't been able to look Penelope in the eyes since that mortifying encounter on the sofa. She'd returned from her infamous "oat-milk run" an hour later, casually humming, dropping off the carton, and then proceeding to make coffee and ask Percy entirely normal questions about his fever, treating me like a fascinating, silent prop in her domestic comedy.
Every time I accidentally caught her eye, she'd flash me a knowing, mischievous smile that made me want to hide under the nearest blanket. Percy, naturally, was completely fine. He'd woken up shortly after Penelope's initial entrance, looking rested and healthy, and had reacted to the whole sofa situation with his usual unflappable calm. He simply stretched, apologized vaguely for using me as a pillow, and then proceeded to act as us falling asleep in each other's arms was the most natural thing in the world. He was back to his reserved, yet caring self, completely oblivious to the sheer havoc he'd inadvertently caused.
The one person who absolutely wasn't letting me forget it was Ohio. I made the fatal mistake of telling her about Penelope walking in on me and her brother all cuddled up on the sofa, and she's been having a kick out of this all evening.
"Wait, wait, let me get this straight," she shrieked during our call. "The King of Boundaries, the Prince of Personal Space, and ultimately the most scary guy on campus cuddled you on the sofa in broad daylight, and his twin walked in on you two? Gemini, be honest with me. Are you two secretly dating?"
"What? No. Ohio, why would you even ask me that? Percy was sick all night, okay? This sudden clinginess was fever-induced! Percy is not that kind of person." I replied, even though my mouth felt dishonest saying that out loud.
"Sure, bunny. Whatever helps you sleep at night. But you can't convince me otherwise, you two are practically domestic at this point."
After that call, I resorted to avoiding everyone for the reminder of the day, trying to focus on anything but that little incident, but it was impossible. Every text from Ohio was a new teaseing method, and every time I thought about Penelope's knowing smirk, I cringed.
I shouldn't have told Ohio. I should have kept the entire fever-and-cuddle episode within Percy's place. But Percy acts like a dignified, silent fortress, leaving me with no one to process the sheer weirdness of our relationship dynamics except my loudest, least sympathetic best friend.
I need to go home.