I lunge forward, grab the phone, turn away. "Yes, Gio?" I say, forcing normal. His voice hits me like a punch. I cut him off. "NO, I don't have the client info yet—because I wasn’t sent the files, Gio. I told you that. The brief came in late. I'll update you when I get to my laptop, okay?" My voice is sharp. Nothing like how I talk to him. It hurts. It kills me. But I hang up. And stare at the screen. I swallow hard and turn back. My dad is stillwatching me. I force a breath. "Alright," I say flatly. "Let's go. Everyone out."
Noah blinks. "You okay?"
"I said let's go." I walk to the door. I can't stay here. If I do, I’ll break. And Gio will hear it in my voice. And I can't let him know. Not yet.
17) Back Away From Him
Rava
I instantly spot Gio. Leaning against his car, arms crossed, sunglasses on, black tank top hugging him in all the wrong or right ways. He looks hot, and slightly pissed. Probably because of me.
And I can't even look him in the eyes. Not after the way I spoke to him. Not after lying to him. Not after making him feel like some secret. Especially when that's the exact reason we stopped talking in the first place. I force a smile as we reach him, holding the bowl.
"Hey," I say, trying to sound upbeat. "Uh, this is for you. My mom made them. Because you used to devour them as a kid."
He blinks, clearly caught off guard. Then something soft passes over his face. Warmth. Noah steps in dramatically. "She literally protected that bowl like it held the cure for cancer. I tried to eat one, and I nearly lost a finger."
Daisy grins. "She said 'these are for Gio and ONLY Gio.' And then glared at us for like twenty minutes." Gio laughs under his breath. "Okay, your mom is a legend. I will ask her if she can adopt me."
Noah bursts out laughing. "You wanna be Rava's stepbrother now? Should we leave y'all alone so you can recreate one of those forbidden videos or...?"
I groan. "Jesus Christ, Noah." Daisy shoves him toward the backseat. "Come on, shut up and get in. It's boiling out here."
Everyone starts moving toward the car. I linger for a second, my hand brushing the side mirror. I don't deserve that smile he gave me. But I want to believe he meant it anyway.
"Front seat, Rava," Noah says, opening the back door and literally shoving me forward. "If you eventhinkabout sitting in the back, I'm divorcing you as my best friend."
"Yes, sir," I mutter, sliding into the passenger seat before he can start legal proceedings. I look over, Gio is already behind the wheel, sunglasses pushed up, bowl balanced right on top of his ridiculously big thighs.
Lorenzo leans into the window from outside. "You want me to hold that for you?" Gio turns his head slowly, like he’s staring death in the face. "Touch the bowl and I'll make sure you feel pain in places you didn't know could hurt."
"Ooooh," Lorenzo says with a grin. "Okay, sexy. I'm into the threats." I laugh before I can stop myself. God. It’s such a stupid exchange, but it feels good.
…
The music is blasting.
Windows down, sun pouring in, everyone yelling over each other. I am finally starting to relax, watching the trees blur by, glancing over at Gio every few seconds. He looks good. One hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gearshift, sunglasses sliding down his nose. The bowl of pies still sits carefully on his lap.
"STOP HERE!!" Lorenzo screams from the back seat. Gio slams the brakes so hard the tires screech. I instinctively shoot my arm out across the bowl, steadying it.
Neither of us comments on it. But he notices. He turns in his seat, his entire expression a cocktail of rage, confusion, andwhat the fuckery.
"Are you fucking insane?!" he snaps. "You're lucky this is the only car in the damn street or I'd be peeling your intestines off the pavement right now! What the actual fuck, Lorenzo?!"
Lorenzo, entirely unbothered, ducks into Daisy's shoulder like he’s being scolded. "We have to stop at the supermarket. We're out of the tiny grape babies." I almost choke on my own laugh. Gio looks like he’s going to combust. "Thewhat?"
"The little grapes," Lorenzo says. "The sexy small ones. They come in that cute clear box."
Gio is gripping the steering wheel. "I swear to God, if youeverscream like that again, I'll take those grapes and shove them so far up your ass they'll ferment." I turn and look out the window to hide the laugh trying to escape.
His face. The fury. The absurdity of it all. Gio turns forward again, sighing. "So? Are you going or not?" Lorenzo lifts his hands in surrender. "Youhave to go, Gio. I'm trapped in here between two idiots and roughly eight hundred tote bags. I literally can't feel my legs."
Gio laughs through his teeth, head falling, begging for divine intervention. "I'll go," I offer, already opening the door. "I wanted to grab something anyway."
"Perfect!" Lorenzo chirps. "Go together. Gio knows what grapes I want."
Gio turns his head slowly toward me, raising one eyebrow like sayingyou sure about this?
