Eri groaned. “But I am, Avi. On our first official date, I pointed out how rude he’d been to a woman there. When he asked if I wanted him to be friendly instead, my stomach dropped. I didn’t. Luckily, I didn’t have to admit that, but Ifeltselfish.”
“Talk to him. Let him decide if he’s willing to move at your pace and go from there. If he is, then you have nothing to worry about.”
Eri nodded, and while Avian made it sound so easy, she knew she’d still feel selfish because he was already going at her pace. He wasn’t pushing her for more than she was willing to give him, and while she hadn’t seen him in person since their date a week ago, at no fault of his own because Eri had turned down his last invite, he hadn’t made a big deal about it.
Sure, she’d kissed him, but if she did this, if they put an official title on it, she didn’t want him to feel like he was the only one trying, the only one compromising. Eri needed to make sure she was in a place to give in the same way, so it wasn’t one-sided.
“Speaking of Valentine’s Day? What did you do for it and Marco’s birthday?” Eri asked, changing the subject.
For the next ten minutes, she listened to Avian fill her in on what she planned for Marco’s birthday and how he surprised her on Valentine’s Day, and she couldn’t help but smile. She was happy for her friend. Had been when she and Marco first started dating, and that had increasedtenfold when Avian had given her the rundown of what had happened when he’d met Deborah for the first time. Eri was sure any other man would have been intimidated by Avian’s mother or would have held their tongue because she was their girlfriend’s mom. But not him, and she’d been team Marco heavily ever since.
“I saw Amy on campus Friday,” Avian stated, shifting the conversation.
Eri raised a brow. “How did that go?”
“It was fine. She thanked me for the thank-you card I sent her for the gift.” She paused. “She was awkward, but other than that, it was okay.”
“She’s still crushing, but it should be fine as long as she doesn’t overstep. She’ll probably forget all about you when she meets someone else.”
“I’m sure you’re right. Until then, we’re both saved from extra awkwardness since we don’t have any classes together this semester.”
“Do you think she’ll ask you to study with her since you’re still in the same major?” Eri asked.
Avian thought for a moment. “I don’t think so, but who knows.”
“And if she asks?”
“She was a good study partner, and she knows she doesn’t have a chance, but I also wouldn’t want to give her false hope or something like that by saying yes. So, I’d steer clear. Besides, I enjoy the way my husband helps me study,” Avian responded with a smirk, and Eri shook her head as she laughed.
“I’m not even going to ask.”
The two shifted their focus, and Eri opened her laptop so they could set up the signup forms for the tattoo event.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
“How does that sound?” Marco asked.
“Yeah, sounds good,” Elias responded, distracted as he stared at his phone.
“Okay, great. So, I’ll double your chair rent at the beginning of the month.”
“Yeah, you can…wait,” Elias said, turning his attention to his cousin. “What?”
Marco chuckled. “What’s got you so distracted?”
Elias contemplated momentarily whether to answer that question. It wasn’t like it was a secret or that he thought Marco would judge and try to pick on him about it, but he almost felt like he was reading too much into it. Except he was positive he wasn’t. He sighed and locked his phone, putting it down.
“I think Eri’s avoiding me, but I’m hoping she’s just focused on midterms.”
Marco raised a brow. “Midterms aren’t for a few more weeks.”
“True, but two of her classes require midterm projects, and she’s done most of the syllabus work but not all of her midterm or finals projects.”
“Is there a reason she’d be avoiding you?”
“I took her out last week on Valentine’s Day.”
“And it didn’t go well?”
