“And yet,” she said, gesturing to the room dramatically, “here I am. Sharing dessert and myvery expensivewine with you.”
“Your generosity knows no bounds.” I stuck my spoon into her apple pie, stealing a bite before she could stop me.
She arched a brow, and for a split second, I thought she was actually annoyed. Then, in one swift move, she reached across and snatched my ice-cream sundae, cradling it like a prize. “Now we’re even.”
“Hey!” I lunged for it, but she held it just out of reach, laughing at my futile attempts. “You can’t take someone’s ice cream! That’s cruel.”
She shoveled a spoonful into her mouth with a triumphant smirk. She moaned, the low hum of noise striking me like lightning.
How do I bottle that sound?
“Emotional-support sundaes really do hit differently.” She smirked.
We fell into an easy rhythm after that, watching the show, making snarky comments about the characters, and sharing mouthfuls of dessert like it was the most natural thing in the world.
By the time the credits rolled, I felt lighter than I had in weeks. Maybe it was the sugar rush. Maybe it was the rest. Or maybe it was her, Inés, in all her sarcastic, stubborn glory, making me forget for a while how lonely the tour could be.
As I stretched and reached to turn on the next show, Inés shifted beside me, her voice quieter now. “Thanks for this, Chloe. I needed it.”
My chest ached at her sad smile. Maybe she felt like I did.
Perhaps we had been as lonely as each other.
“Here,” I said, changing the subject, slipping her bracelet off my wrist. “Before I forget to give it back.”
Her dark eyes looked between me and the rainbow bracelet. She had said she hated the design, but I loved the beauty in the random pattern of colors. There was always something new to notice about it.
“Aren’t you playing again tomorrow?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Keep it—then you’ll already have it.” She turned away, her hand grabbing at the TV remote.
“What, no?” I cried, pushing the bracelet closer. “The exchange is part of the luck.”
“Oh my God, you people and your rituals.”
I smothered a laugh. “It wasyouridea.”
“Is it too late to change my mind?”
“Yup.” I nudged her side with my elbow. “I’ll expect to see you before every match from now on.”
She nudged me back, her body colliding with mine. Inés rolled her eyes, but took the bracelet back nonetheless.
“You are a terror,” she said, her voice unusually low. I stared her down, getting lost in the depths of her eyes. For a second I dared to look down at her lips, remembering how they felt against mine.
Like I’d ever forget that night.
“You have no idea.” The words left me on a cracked whisper. I’d meant them to be louder, but somehow the low volume was all I could manage. As if I was hypnotized by her beauty and the collapsing space between us.
“I’m beginning to get a good idea.” Her voice was a murmur, warm and teasing, but there was something heavier beneath it. Something that mirrored the weight in my chest, the heat crawling up my neck.
I bet my skin was turning a hue of rose red with every passing second.
I swallowed hard, my gaze flicking back up to meet hers. Her eyes weren’t mocking; they were searching, soft in a way that made my pulse stutter.
I wondered if her heart was beating as hard as mine.
