I tensed at first as Marina suddenly appeared beside me, helping me set up my sleeping bag. “Thanks, Pazza.” I murmured softly, attempting to cut through the previous tension. “These things are overly complicated…” I complained, my voice hardly above a whisper as I nudged the sleeping bag in question with my foot.
I tried for a chuckle, but it came out sounding strangely like a whisper as I properly unrolled and unzipped his sleeping bag. Joe tossed us two pillows, which I placed accordingly.
I pushed my glasses up on my nose, watching her intently. “Come on, I could’ve at least done the pillows.” I whined quietly, desperate to evoke a smile from Marina.
The corners of my lips twitched up in a faint smile. “We both know I’m the more competent one..”
“That’s not my fault. My glasses are all smudged.” This was actually true, I had managed to smudge the lenses a lot while crying at the bar. Although I wouldn’t say my vision was terribly obscured.
My posture was rigid and tense as I moved, but I shifted forwards nonetheless to careful slip his glssses off his nose.
“Now you’re just coddling me.” I smiled gently, squinting to make out Marina’s blurry form on front of me. “God, my vision is really bad…”
“I can tell..” I muttered under my breath, cleaning the glass lenses with the edge of my sleeve.
“Don’t be mean, I’m doing my best, Pazza.” I grumbled without any bite in my tone. How do I get her to talk again? Getting pretty girls to talk was easy—but getting a beautiful one to warm back up to me seemed impossible.
Finally, I slid Mercutio’s glasses back over his nose and behind his ears. “Yeah, yeah. I need a nickname for you, by the way..”
“My name too archaic for you? I should probably call you something other than crazy.” I mused, only half teasing.
I shook my head. “I like it when you call me Pazza… And I need a nickname for you because I can’t exactly keep calling you ‘Asshole’.”
“It ought to be something cool.” I decided, pretending to think. “I’ll accept knight in shining armor.” I teased, admittedly excited that she was giving me a nickname.
I rolled my eyes, doing my best to make the gesture playful. “I mean, like, from your original name. My friends call me Mari. But I can’t call you Cutio or Mercy..”
“I guess I’ll just have to earn myself a nickname, Pazza.” I couldn’t hide my smile anymore, breaking out into a toothy grin.
The very faintest of blushes rose to my cheeks. “I think I’ll just call you my dork for now..”
“Your dork, huh?” I mulled it over. “Is it bad that I sort of love being your dork?”
My traitorous heart pattered helplessly in my chest. “I—I do t think it’s bad..” I murmured, but was cut off by Joe’s lengthy sigh. “Can’t you two wait until after I’m asleep?”
My cheeks instantly turned red at Joe’s interjection. I took a bashful step backwards, scratching the back of my neck. “Er… sorry.”
Joe sighed, rolled over, and flicked a light switch. “Goodnight, you two. Talk quietly.”
I looked back at Marina, suppressing an embarrassed laugh. My cheeked puffed out as I sealed my lips shut, trying to avoid getting lectured by Joe.
I tugged my sleeping bag over to Mercutio’s, barely managing to mask my embarrassment. “I’ll move back when we go to sleep… unless you don’t want to talk now?”
I beamed as she dragged over her sleeping bag, sitting down and getting settled in mine. “Of course I want to talk.” I whispered quietly.
After a split second of indecision, I curled up on one side and looked up at him. “What are we going to do about this?”
I followed Marina’s example, taking my time to lie down and get comfortable before I responded. “I don’t know.” I crinkled my nose at my own lackluster answer. Trying to think of a better one, I took off my glasses so I could fully lie down, facing Marina.