“I love you too.” I smiled softly.
“We can still do all that stuff with or without their approval.”
I stiffened.
“What stuff?” I could hear the squeak in my voice. I turned to look at him in the dark. He raised his eyes but was looking at the mattress, not me.
“You know, all that stuff couples do when they commit to each other.”
Marriage and stuff.
“Is that what you really want? Or is that what society has trained you to want?” I asked.
He didn’t reply.
“Desi, we just found each other again. I’m happy just dating you. We live together now, which is huge for me. I’ve never done that with someone I cared for. Can we just enjoy life as it is?” I pleaded for him to understand.
He hesitated but eventually nodded. “Sure, I just thought that was stuff you wanted.”
I laughed. Was he trying to save face,or was he being honest? I don’t know what was worse.“We’re still getting to know each other. I like this stage.”
“I know you.” He tried to defend,but I shook my head.
“No,you don’t. What style of art do I do?”
He opened and shut his mouth.
“What’s my favorite color?” I tossed at him.
He didn’t know that one either.
“Here’s one for you. I lied to your family. I have a last name. What is it?
His eyes grew wide, and he scrunched up his mouth.
Point made.
I gave him a tight smile and turned back around. “Goodnight,Desiderio.” I forced myself to fall asleep and let him stew in that.
No sooner had our alarm gone off. He was in my face interrogating me.
“Okay, you got me. What’s your last name?”
I gave him a funny look as I stretched. What was he talking about? He asked again,and I remembered our mini argument before bed. I smirked. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
His eyebrows shot up,and suddenly I felt bad.
“I told you. I was a ward of the state. I was dropped off at the fire station when I was a kid.”
“Yeah, but you never had any leads to your lineage? I mean, you’re what— Hispanic?” He eyed me.
I glanced down at my body. It was obvious that I had come from some sort of Latin descent. My skin was lightly tanned,and my hair was naturally dark. I’d always been told to check ‘Hispanic’ for all the boxes on formal papers.
“You’ve got an accent.”
“Barely.” I laughed. He scowled,and I relented. “There’s been some leads. I spent a lot of time in Mexico when I first turned, trying to find my family. I didn’t really get anywhere.”
“Was Scout the name you were born with?”
