I’m blushing. I can feel it. I turn around and start digging through the rack behind me.
“I think I’m going to dress up like Arya Stark, even though I’m supposed to be a Lannister.”
He laughs. “Michael will love that.” Just before I get too far away, Wes says, “Looked like you finally got that kiss.”
I stop. My back is to him, and I’m staring at Olivia helping Charlie find a jacket, debating whether or not to turn around and answer him. Finally, I work up the nerve.
“Yeah, I guess so. But it wasn’t the one I wanted.”
I’m shocked I actually said that. He seems equally surprised.
“How was your ride down last night?” he asks.
“It was the closure I needed.” And now I’m killing it with the confidence.
He nods again, and I see a small smile play across his face. “I’m glad. You look happy.”
I’m hoping he’ll tell me what’s going on with him and Laurel, but he doesn’t.
“Wes, see if this one fits you,” Charlie yells from across the store. Wes gives me one last long look and walks away.
Olivia edges back over to me.
“Can we finally talk about it?” she asks. We both know she’s talking about Wes.
I shrug and pick through the pile of shoes in front of me. “I’ve been so confused this week. And things were still so fresh with Griffin. And I have no idea if he thinks of me like that. And I worry it’s too soon to like someone else.”
Olivia rolls her eyes. “First off, it’s not like Wes is some rando you just met. You’ve known him your whole life. You were in love with him for half of it.”
I open my mouth to deny what she’s saying, but she holds up her hand. “I know you didn’t pursue it with him because of me. And I feel bad that maybe y’all wasted all that time because I liked him for five minutes.”
“It’s probably a good thing,” I say. “We were fourteen. It wouldn’t have lasted. Especially since we live in different towns and go to different schools. Look what it did to our friendship.”
She gives me a small frown. “I wish we could have a redo.”
I shake my head. “We’re good now. That’s all that matters.”
“But the timing makes sense now. You’re almost eighteen, and you’re both headed to the same college…you are planning to go to LSU, right? You aren’t still planning to go somewhere a million miles away, are you?”
I shove her shoulder. “LSU was the first school on my Inspiration Board, so I think it’s a strong contender.”
“So…when you finally admit you want to go to school with us, the two of you will live in buildings that are literally next door to each other. And we’ll be roommates. And everything will be perfect.”
“I don’t know. Is it too weird? I mean, it might be weird. And it might not be up to me. He was with Laurel two nights ago.”
“Or it might be incredible. But you won’t know until you take a risk. And he was with her for like half an hour. Her grandparents got him a gift for Christmas because they’re clueless, so he rode with her to go pick it up, and then she brought him right back home.”
Oh.
By the time we check out, Olivia has pink jackets for her and Sara, while I have the closest thing I can find to dress up like Arya Stark. After scouring all of the images on Google, I decided to mirror her look from the later episodes and was lucky enough to find a pair of dark olive-green fitted pants and a brown leather jacket. All I need is a sword.
Olivia and I stop next to my car, and Charlie moves toward Wes’s truck, but Wes lingers.
“So I guess I’ll see you tonight,” he says.
“Yeah, I’ll be the one with the sword.” And then I shake my head. “Okay, maybe I won’t be the only one with a sword.”
He laughs. “Well, I’ll be the one who has ruined a perfectly good fake leather jacket by writing the wordT-Ballin white paint across the back.”
