Peace Maker - Chapter 180

“No…” Annabeth muttered again, a smile slowly beginning to form. “You were right about the place thing… I do need a place to sit and eat.”

“Oh…” Antonio uttered blankly before his eyes lit up again, a bright smile showing on his face. “In that case, then…”

Annabeth stared at him as he talked, his words fading away slightly. ‘Huh… I didn’t expect that..’ she thought to herself, as she watched him curiously.

“…that place might be good too- My lady? Lady Annabeth?” Antonio called out when he noticed Annabeth’s blank gaze. “Was that too much information? I can just lead you ther-”

Annabeth tilted her head back looking down at the food in her hand. ‘Heh..’ she thought to herself, a smile appearing on her face. ‘That’s unexpected..’

“L-lady Annabeth?” Antonio muttered, his face heating up immediately when he spotted her smile.

Annabeth looked up at him, her deep-green eyes holding a gleam in them. “Lead me there,” she replied, her smile growing.

“Oh…right,” Antonio muttered, his mind blank as he stared at her face. He looked away immediately, hiding his red blush, “this way….”

Annabeth chuckled, following behind him as he led her away from the crowd. She looked up at his back as he walked in front of him and then back to her food. ‘Looks like I don’t need to worry about that anymore…’ she thought to herself, her smile lingering on her face when she looked back up at him. The sound around her seemed to blur as she continued to walk.

They were walking for a few seconds until Antonio stopped suddenly, Annabeth nearly bumping into his back.

“We’re here…” Antonio muttered.

Annabeth looked up at him. ‘I hope he didn’t take me out of the ballroom that might cause rumors if we-‘ She looked down at the place he was pointing to, her eyes locking on a little table with two chairs that were tucked in the corner. She turned around and noticed they were still in the ballroom.

Her eyes turned to Antonio who was already looking at her. In her eyes were a question, one he answered without being prompted to one their eyes met.

“I didn’t want to take you out of the ballroom and stuff cuz that might cause a headache later on when people start wondering where you went and stuff and I don’t really want to cause that much trouble for you in case people start snooping around and stuff so I looked for a place that was still in the room,” He explained, “so I looked for a place where you could eat quietly instead.”

Annabeth smiled. “I get it, where sh-”

“Where do you wan-” Antonio began.

They both froze, exchanging a smile, and burst into light laughter

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Antonio replied, “wherever you want to sit, you can.”

Annabeth grinned, walking towards the chair in the corner. She held her plate carefully as she slid into the seat, carefully placing her plate on the table.

Antonio remained standing, looking down at her with quiet, content eyes as he watched her look at her food with anticipation. Right before she dove into her food, she looked up at him, locking eyes with him.

“You’re not going to sit down?” she asked, her eyebrows raising in confusion.

Antonio chuckled “No… I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything when you eat.”

Annabeth smirked “I doubt that,” she grinned, “I’m not easily put in situations I can’t control.”

“Still…” Antonio muttered, looking away.

“Sit down, don’t you think I’ll find it more uncomfortable if you just stand over me and watch me eat?” Annabeth asked, her head tilting in question.

Antonio immediately pulled the chair out and sat down in it. They locked eyes, startled deep-green mixing with blushing brown and Antonio hid his face while Annabeth burst into laughter

“See?” she asked, “wasn’t that easy?” she chuckled in a teasing tone.

Antonio turned back to her for a moment before looking away. Under his breath, he muttered a little “no” to which Annabeth giggled.

“Yea, yea,” she smiled, picking up her sandwich and biting into it.

Antonio looked up at her slightly as she chewed the sandwich. He watched her take another bite and looked up at her eyes, a smile forming on his face. Again, she bit into the sandwich and Antonio continued to watch, after her fourth bite, he burst into a tiny chuckle, a bright smile showing on his face.

Annabeth looked up from her food, eyeing him suspiciously. “Wast est it?” she asked, her cheeks puffed up from the sandwich and a hand in front of her face. “Wash sof fuffny?”

Antonio looked up at her, his laugh pausing for a moment before he continued to laugh, his giggling harder than before as he stole glances at her as he laughed.

“Was-” Annabeth began before swallowing her food and continuing. “Was is it?” she asked, her face twisted in slight confusion and frustration.

Antonio looked up at her again, his bright eyes locking with hers. He looked into her deep-green eyes, his smile remaining on his face when he spotted it again. Her sparkle.

“You’re not going to tell me?” Annabeth asked, slowly dropping the sandwich in her hand. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked, her expression slowly growing more frustrated.

“Nono,” Antonio smiled, stifling another chuckle, “it’s just-” his voice trailed off as another smile overtook his face.

“Just what?” Annabeth asked, a frown forming on her face.

“The expression you have when you eat. It’s so contrasting with your face… Your eyes look so happy and then your face so blank and then slowly, you start to look a lot more… lively…” Antonio smiled, “like you gave up trying to look stoic while eating and just enjoyed eating your food.”

“What?” Annabeth muttered, her frustration freezing on her face.

“It’s just cute… the way your eyes sparkle when you’re enjoying something,” he smiled.

A red cloud sat on Annabeth’s face as she was overwhelmed with embarrassment. “Oh.. is that so..” she muttered, her blush intensifying as she bit down on her lip. ‘Dammit…’ she thought to herself, ‘you dumbass… showing more than needed again…’

Antonio rested his hand on the table, resting his face on it as he looked at Annabeth, the smile remaining on his face for a second before his eyes widened and he immediately bowed his head.

“I-I I’m sorry I didn’t mean it as something you should feel conscious about! I just mentioned it because it was kinda cute how you have this stoic face and bright eyes and then in the end you just look like you’re enjoying yourself and- shoot… I- I’m sorry,” He stuttered, immediately apologizing when he realized his fault, “I- I shouldn’t have said anything…”

Annabeth hid her face. “No… it’s ok. It’s my fault for even letting you realize that, I shouldn’t have shown anything to begin with.”

Antonio flinched, his eyes looking up at her with an alarmed expression. “NO!” he yelled.

Annabeth trembled slightly at his voice, taken aback by his loud words.

“I- NO…” Antonio muttered, his eyes lowering from hers. “That’s not… that’s not what I meant. You should never have to hide that, to begin with.”

“Huh?” Annabeth muttered, staring at him with a confused yet flustered face. An expression she didn’t even know what she looked like when she made it due to never having used it before.

“Your expressions, how you are really when you do things. You should never have to hide that from someone,” Antonio pressed, his eyes locking with her with such determination that she was taken further aback. “I… I don’t mind your expressions. It isn’t unladylike in any way and it shouldn’t have to feel unladylike when you show them. In fact, it makes you more like a human when you do make them than when you don’t.”

“…”

“I wasn’t mentioning them to make you feel self-conscious in any way. I only mentioned them because I was appreciating them. I like it when you show little things like that,” Antonio continued, his eyes still glowing in determination and a hint of desperation. Like she needed to know, like she needed to understand.

It was interesting. At least to Annabeth. The way he spoke to her, the way he was on eggshells, and how he was careful with his words and actions. They were interesting to her.

“So please… please don’t ever think that you have to hide them or take them back., know that you never have to do that…” Antonio muttered, looking up into her eyes. “Ok?”

Annabeth stared for a second before smiling, ‘How cute…’ “Ok.. I won’t.”