“It looks like it would silently judge everyone in this school,” I said. “I relate to that.”
He snorted. “Fair.”
The game was simple: knock over a stack of metal cans with a baseball. Tino paid and took the ball, rolling it in his hands like he was about to step onto a field instead of a plywood platform.
“Don’t overthink it,” I said.
He shot me a look. “I am physically incapable of that.”
First throw—two cans down.
“Warm-up,” he muttered.
Second throw—better, but still not enough.
I clasped my hands together dramatically. “I believe in you.”
“You’re lying.”
“Only a little.”
On the third throw, he exhaled sharply and threw like he was annoyed at the universe. The cans went flying.
The volunteer rang a bell. “Winner!”
Tino’s grin was instant and unrestrained. He grabbed the penguin and turned toward me, holding it out proudly.
“For you.”
I hugged it against my chest. “I will cherish him forever.”
“I expect updates.”
“Weekly.”
Tino grinned and ran a hand on the penguin like he was petting it. Then his hand drifted up and he tucked my hair behind my ear as if that was the most natural movement in the world. I froze as my traitorous heart began to pound and goosebumps ran across my arms.
“Are you cold?” Tino asked in concern. Before I could say no or even begin to come up with an explanation for why I just reacted like that, he slipped his hand into mine again. “Come on, let’s get hot chocolate.”
He led me to a booth decorated with glittery snowflakes and a hand-painted sign listing toppings in looping cursive. I let him order for us, not even registering what he was saying. I hadn’t been feeling the cold before, but those shivers kept going down my spine now. I shoved my free hand deeper into my pocket, hoping to warm it up. Tino noticed without comment and shifted closer, his shoulder blocking the wind. The gesture was so casual, so thoughtless, that my chest tightened before I could stop it.
The volunteer handed over two steaming cups. Tino took the first and immediately popped the lid, grabbing a handful of marshmallows and dropping them clumsily on top of the warm drink. There were so many that they had to pile up on each other and when he tried to put the lid on, it couldn’t possibly fit without the drink spilling. He plucked off two marshmallows and popped them into his mouth. Without meaning to, I followed the movement with my eyes, unable to look away from his lips. His soft, kissable lips. And suddenly I was falling back into the memory of last night, of the way his lips had crashed onto mine. What would he say if I kissed him now? Would he be as happy about it as he was last night?
“Lilah?” he asked. I blinked, trying to pull myself out of my daydreams, and realized he was holding the cup of hot chocolate out to me. “Careful. Don’t burn your tongue.”
“This one’s for me?” I asked, taking the cup in my frozen fingers.
“Of course. I don’t like getting cavities from my hot chocolate, but I know how much you do, so...”
My chest tightened and swelled all at once as I looked at him, at the earnestness on his face, the way he suddenly broke eye contact to grab his own cup.
“Thank you,” I murmured before I took a sip, effectively scalding my tongue in the process. “Ow! Hot!”
Tino laughed. “Every time.”
I swatted him on the arm. “At least I’m consistent.”
“That you are.”
