“‘Winter is coming,’” Nick would’ve quoted.
“Sorry, sorry.” He held back so I could catch up. Our paces were far from in sync, and I knew what that meant—he had something to say, or I had something to say, or both.
Both, I thought, since my secret was swirling inside me, and Charlie was running like something was chasing him.
So I tested the waters. “Is anything wrong?”
He thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“You preoccupied with something?” I rephrased.
“Should I break up with Val?” he asked.
“Oh,” I said, and did the mental math.Four weeks, I surmised. That sounded about right.
“There’s nothing there,” he said flatly.
“Then break up with her.”
He nodded, speeding up again. I pumped my arms harder to stay with him.
“You know,Iknow someone who’s interested…” I teased, mind half elsewhere. Because someone definitely was. He’d told me, right after the musical.
Charlie gave me a look. “And who would that be?”
I bit down hard on my lip.Shit.My hands were tied, remembering that Luke trusted me not to say anything. I couldn’t,wouldn’tout him. No freaking way.
My genius comeback was: “Guess!”
Charlie chuckled. “Erica Lee?”
“No.”
“Hannah Rogers?”
“Um, not sure…”
How do I get out of this?I worried while Charlie rattled off a few more names.Lie?
But then suddenly, the truth arrived.Literally.“Sorry I’m late,” Luke said, catching up to us. He yawned. “Alarm didn’t go off…”
“Or could you have slept through it?” Charlie joked.
Luke grumbled as we veered onto Darby Road. “Nina and I were up late FaceTiming,” he said. “She needed help on her Spanish homework.” Another yawn. “And then…”
“She asked you to homecoming?” I said, even though Nina had already broken the news to me. I’d woken up to a text:It’s a date!!!
Luke nodded. “Affirmative.”
Charlie glanced at him. “Did you say yes?”
“Of course,” he said. “It’ll be fun.” He stretched his arms over his head. “I mean, it’d be muchmorefun if Nina were Shawn Mendes,but…” He smoothly trailed off, and my heart began running faster than we were.
Much more fun if Nina were Shawn Mendes.
Holy crap, I thought.He did it, just like that.
And by way of a response, Charlie slowed a little. “Uh, Shawn Mendes?”
