Shouldn’tzingbe part of a good relationship? Even if only a little bit?
Because I know I sure feel it.
“Drinks for all!”Tate shouts, interrupting the thoughts pricking at my heart like there’s a seriously annoyed pufferfish lodged in my chest. He holds up a tray of huge, brightly colored mocktails. I grab one that looks like a strawberry daiquiri, wishing there was some legit alcohol in this.
Brendan takes a tall, fizzy, bright green one. “Thanks, man.”
“Of course,”Tate says. “It’s the least I can do, after you guys let me help out at the booth. One day in, and I already have a solid lead on a job. Not to mention,” he says, bumping his shoulder against Emily, “getting to spend the day with this one.”
She grins up at him, and I am happy to see that the Su-Lin Plan to Get Emily andTateTogether Again (For Good) is humming right along.
“Why don’t you two go dance, and I’ll guard the drinks,” I say, taking the tray from him.
Emily gives me a small, disbelieving shake of her head, but she certainly doesn’t seem unhappy to accept whenTate is all, “Shall we?” and leads her into the bobbing crowd. He winks at me before they go.
“That seems to be working out well,” Brendan says.
“Right? I told you, I’ve got a gift for—” I burst into giggles as I turn to face him. He’s got a thick, fizzy, bright green mustache, and it’s adorable and hilarious and also I want to kiss it right off of him.
“What?” His expression is all innocence, and I immediately know he meant to do this.
“You look like Ron Swanson at a St. Patrick’s Day rave.”
“You don’t think this is hot? You don’t think this will get me all the ladies?” He steps in closer to me, and my pulse quickens.
It’d definitely get him this one. But he already has me, at least as much of me as he can take without hyperventilating. I find myself moving closer to him, moving the tray to my other hand to keep it out from between us.
Would it really matter so much if I kissed him right now? How many people would be paying attention enough to see? My breath goes all shallow just thinking about it.
But no.
If I want any chance to actually be with him—and I do, more than anything—we have to stick to the plan.
“Let’s rely on your usual brand of Brendan hotness for tonight’s date,” I say. “Speaking of which . . .” I survey the area for girls to set him up with.
There’s no shortage of girls, that’s for sure. “How about her over there?The one with the long red braid and the glow necklace?” I pride myself on actually picking him a cute girl, instead of someone I know he’d never go for.
Brendan wipes the mustache off with a napkin from the tray—why am I still carrying this stupid tray? Am I taking up waitressing?—and eyes the girl. He’s no longer smiling, back to fidgeting nervously. “I don’t know,” he says after a beat. “She’s got a lot of makeup on. Like caked on, you know?”
I frown. “I think she’s going for a smoky eye thing. It’s a trend.”
“She looks like the Winter Soldier.”
I laugh. “Okay. So that’s a pass.” I look around some more and catch a girl at the bar staring right at us. She quickly looks away when I catch her, but there’s a smile on her lips. She’s also pretty and doesn’t appear out to assassinate any Avengers. I motion for Brendan to follow me while I set the tray withTate and Emily’s drinks down on one of the small tables lining the edge of the exhibit hall.
“All right, over at the bar.Twelve o’clock.There’s a girl who’s totally checking you out. She has shoulder-length brown hair and—”
“The bar’s not at twelve o’clock. It’s at, like, three. Have you everseena clock?”
I point right at it. “Twelve. Up top.”
Brendan shakes his head. “No, you’re supposed to call it for where the other person is. So for me it’s”—he puts his arm out like the hour hand, hitting each point—“Twelve, one, two, three.”
The girl is looking at us again and probably wondering why we’re both pointing at her.
Or not wondering at all, because we’re not super subtle and she’s not an idiot.
“Stop stalling and just look at the girl at the bar!” I say, barely holding in a laugh. “God, I didn’t think getting you to check out other girls was going to be such an issue.”
