“Great! Well, about to be better once I drink this.” He held up his beverage, then smiled at Atticus.
I watched Atticus blink slowly at the blinding sight of Leo’s smile. It was a relief that everyone was affected by those smiles, but at the same time, I felt a touch of…irritation. Did Leo throw those smiles at everyone?
I pushed down my ugly feelings and said, “Leo, this is Atticus, Atticus, this is Leo.”
“Nice to meet you,” Leo said, and he grabbed a nearby unused chair and sat down in it, joining our table. “So, what are you two up to? Taking a break from studying?”
“We’re on a date, actually,” Atticus said.
Leo’s eyes widened. “Oh! Nice. A first date?”
“Yes,” I said. “This is the guy I was telling you about from my LULL post.”
“Right, of course. I’m glad you finally got to meet. Did Eddie tell you about the mix-up?” Leo asked Atticus.
“Yes, he did mention it,” Atticus said.
“Let’s not talk about it,” I muttered. “I don’t want to relive those traumatic memories.”
“It wasn’t all traumatic,” Leo said, reaching over to nudge my arm. “We had fun at the puppy cafe, didn’t we?”
Atticus was watching us, his brow creased. “You,” he said to Leo, “were the guy from the mix-up date?”
“Yes, Eddie thought I was you,” Leo explained. “But I’m glad it all worked out, and you’re on a date now. Eddie’s great.”
I blushed as Atticus’s piercing eyes met mine. “Right,” he murmured.
“Leo’s flattering me,” I said.
“I’m not!” He thwacked my back a few times. “He’s a good guy,” he told Atticus. “I promise.”
Then, to my shock, Leo presented his pinkie finger to Atticus. I thought Atticus would slink away, but he only stared at it for a second before curling his finger around Leo’s. Then, Leo pressed his thumb against Atticus’s.
I tried not to feel like I’d been doused in Antarctic-cold water. It’s not as if I trademarked the thumb-stamp pinkie promise. And I shouldn’t have been surprised that Leo was touchy with everyone, even people he’d met two minutes ago.
“I like your name,” Leo said after they’d untangled their pinkie fingers. “Are you named after Atticus Finch?”
“My grandma wanted to name me after Gregory Peck because she was in love with him,” Atticus said.
Leo laughed. “And what did your pop say?”
“My granddad didn’t mind. In fact, he said that if I was a girl, I should be named Ingrid after Ingrid Bergman. Anyway, my parents didn’t like the name Gregory, so they settled for Atticus.”
“I think the time we watchedTo Kill a Mockingbirdin high school was the only time I properly paid attention to English class,” I said.
For the first time, Atticus smiled. “Gregory Peck is very handsome,” he agreed. “We also watchedA Streetcar Named Desire—”
“Oh my god, yes,” I said. “Okay, scratch what I said before. There were two times I paid attention in English class.”
“A Streetcar Named Desire’s the one with the dude fromThe Godfather, right?” Leo asked.
“Yeah, when he was young and hot,” I said.
Leo nodded. “I can see what you’re talking about. He did have nice biceps.”
“You remember that from high school?” I asked.
“Of course. I can always appreciate a guy who hits the gym.” Leo tapped his lips, thinking. “Did you guys ever watchRomeo and Juliet?”
