No see, I finished for him.No chat.
And whose fault is that?he wrote.
My cheeks warmed.I don’t know. You never come to my games.
Only because I have class. In addition to the very minute detail that you don’t want to see me.
That’s not true, I thought.It once was, but not now.
I also joined the club soccer team, he added when I didn’t respond.Significantly lower commitment than varsity, less pressure, and much more fun. Everyone has pure love for the game.
I smiled a little.You’re still playing soccer?
Yes, he said.It turns out it wasn’t that easy to give up.
Suddenly, I wanted to ask him a thousand questions. I wanted to know what he found interesting about his classes this semester, his family, and if he’d finished his manuscript. I wanted to hear about something that had recently made him laugh.
I wanted to know why he’d agreed to play Katie’s reconnoiter.
They told you, he texted.Right?
Shelly. He was talking about Shelly.
I gulped and did my best to dodge the question.Do you want to call and catch up?I asked.I’m wide-awake.
Gray typing dots appeared, then disappeared.
Appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
No, Marco messaged.
My stomach sank, but I still had the guts to challenge him.
Why not?
Because, he wrote,if I hear your voice, I’m never going to hang up the phone.
I swallowed hard, a lump in my throat.This isn’t platonic, I thought after leaving him on read.And I can’t ever pretend it is.
***
Mr. and Mrs. Gallant had invited my parents to a Devils game on Saturday night, so I had the house to myself while I got ready for dinner with Connor. Grey was a fancy restaurant, so I went all out in a little black dress, silver heels, and the diamond earrings my late grandmother had left me. The studs sparkled in the mirror, and I remembered her ruby engagement ring just sitting in our basement’s safe instead of on Katie’s finger. Part of me still couldn’t believe she didn’t want a family heirloom. It was unique, but if she was Austin’s favorite person, it belonged to her.
The doorbell rang.
This is going to be a spectacular evening, Connor McCallister!I thought, a thrill racing through my veins.
But by the time I’d quelled Arthur and Francine’s barking with treats and opened the door to see Connor looking so handsome in a suit and tie, my excitement had turned to anxiety.
This was it; this was The Moment. We were alone in the porch light glow with the sun slipping down in the sky. The crisp autumn breeze reminded me that I needed a coat, but I quickly forgot about grabbing one. “Hello,” I said to Connor.
“Hello,” he said back and took a step closer to me.
I smiled while my lungs kicked and screamed, begging me to breathe. Goose bumps burst when Connor put a hand on my waist, and when he leaned in…
