She reaches out and pats my hand. “Spoken like a leader deserving of that award.”
“Are you meeting Dad and Kelsey at the fair this afternoon?” I ask, mostly because I’m desperate to get off this conversation.
“Yes. Wait, where are my sunglasses?” She spins in a circle.“I swear I’m so busy I can’t keep track of anything nowadays.” She rustles through her large bag and pulls them out triumphantly. “Are you coming too? I ran into Nova yesterday evening and she said you and Max had left.”
“Uh, yeah, he and I walked around a nature preserve. It was…really fun.” An image of his fingers combing through my hair rises in my mind and I smile again before I can help it. Am I blushing? I think I might be blushing.
“Ooh.”Her voice rises in pitch. “So, you and Max are spending time alone together now? That’s very interesting.”
“It’s not interesting. It’s mundane. We saw trees.”
“You saw trees. Right.” Her smile widens. “I was wondering why you couldn’t stop smiling all last night.”
“It’s really not a big deal, so don’t make it into a thing, okay?”
“Okay, okay.”
She studies me, possibly waiting for me to say more, but I take a bite of my sandwich instead. Max and I haven’t talked about what comes next, and I don’t need her embarrassing us as soon as he walks in the door. As it is, I’m already sure we’ll be a topic of conversation downstairs during their D&D game tonight.
“Well, just so we’re on the same page, I will say that I think you and Max would be adorable together and I’m already on board. Melanie and I always wondered if there might be something between you two. But”—I try to interrupt to no avail—“make sure you’re keeping your focus and attention on what matters. Marching band season is almost over. No regrets.”
“No regrets,” I mumble. I’m definitely having regrets about this conversation, though. I should have eaten lunch in my room.
It feels like an eternity until Max and his mom arrive Sunday evening for the game. I’m curious how Max will act around me with his mom next to him, but he’s just the same as always until Melanie is safely downstairs with my parents and we’re alone.
“Hey.” His voice is hopeful.
Nerves and anticipation flutter through me. “Hey.”
He takes my hand and pulls me into the dining room. “How are you? Are you freaking out?”
“Areyoufreaking out?”
“No, except I’m worried you might be second-guessing us.”
Us.My heart tugs at the word. There was a tiny part of me that was worried about how things would go today. What if yesterday hadn’t meant as much to him as it had to me? What if he’d had his fun and now he was over me? But the realization that we both have the same worries allows me to take a breath. I lean into him, and he pulls me to his chest without hesitation.
“I’m not second-guessing anything,” I whisper.
“Good, because I really missed you. I haven’t been able to think about anything else.” His hand rubs up my back and through my hair. “Have I already told you how much I love your hair?”
“If you have, then you should say it again.”
“Ireallylove it.” He leans back so he can see my face. “We probably should have discussed this yesterday, but what’s the likelihood of canceling the game so we can spend the night together, just the two of us? I’m thinking movie, popcorn, the two of us under a thick blanket…”
I laugh and step out of his arms. “The others willriot.”
“We could take ’em.” Strands of hair fall over his face. I push them out of the way so I can see his eyes, and my heart almost bursts with the knowledge that I’m allowed to do that now.
He squeezes my hand. “Speaking of the others, have you thought about what you want to do tonight? Are we telling them?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “It’s not that I’m embarrassed or ashamed or anything—”
“No, me neither.”
“But it’s going to be a bigthingwhen we tell them. Especially with our color guard and percussion history—”
“And it might distract from the game—”
