“What’s going on, Ransom?”I ask, my tone more even.
“There’s a girl…” he starts, and I nod.
“Yeah, I know.Ruby.”
“How do you know?”He grumbles, and I snort.
“I have eyes, and I have seen you staring at her every single time the two of you are in the same room.When we went to that car show the other month, I thought you were going to break your neck when we saw her walking to the diner.”
He rolls his eyes, his cheeks turning slightly pink.
“She doesn’t seem to notice,” he tells me.
“Doesn’t notice you or your crush on her?”I ask him.
“Both,” he admits, looking glum.
“So, why don’t you just tell her?Ask her out or something,” I suggest.
“I just…” he starts, trailing off.“I don’t want to mess things up with her.What I feel for her… it feels big.Important, you know?”
I do know.That’s how I’ve always felt about Lilliana.It’s why I was always so afraid to try to tell her that I loved her when we were younger.
“Yeah, I know,” I say quietly.
“I guess that I was just hoping that you would have told Lilliana and could have given me some tips.”
“I wish I could, but I’m still working up to that.”
“Maybe I should start with being her friend,” he says, cracking a smile.
“Couldn’t hurt,” I say with a shrug.
“Couldn’t it?”He asks me quietly, and I think about it.
Has being Lilliana’s friend been painful?Sometimes.Especially when we were teenagers.Wanting her this badly and not being able to be with her in the way that I want has hurt.
“Sometimes,” I say finally.
We’re silent for a minute, watching as the traffic drives by on the icy roads.
“Well, it’s not like I can ask Ford either.Cameron came into the diner this morning when I was there, and he almost tripped over his own feet trying to get to her table.”
I snort, not at all surprised.
“Yeah, I guess the two of us don’t really have much luck with the ladies,” I sigh.
“I don’t know about that.You’ve done the hard part and found your soulmates.Now you just need to figure out how to get them to see that.”
“That feels like the hard part,” I grumble, and he laughs.
“Maybe you’re right,” he agrees.
“You’ll figure it out,” I assure him, and he nods.
“Thanks, man.I’ll let you get back to work.Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks.I’ll see you later.”
