Olivia smiled and said something about enjoying the game, and Diego chatted with her for another moment, but I was busy figuring out ways to avoid having that same awkward conversation a hundred times today.
I was rescued by Bettina and Kyle, who descended upon us with cries of, “Is this Diego?Finally!Diego!”
They pulled us over to a standing table they’d claimed, and Bettina sent Kyle to get everyone drinks so she wouldn’t have to interrupt her questioning once it started.
“Are you from around here?”Bettina asked Diego.
“Yeah, we’re from the same town.”Diego leaned an elbow on the table and propped his chin up with that hand.The pose meant his back was just arched enough to show off his ass in those skintight jeans.
“What!”Bettina mock-glared at me.“You never told me that!”
I chuckled.“You never asked.”
Bettina had her game face on now, though.“Well, I’m gonna askeverythingtoday—Oh!Hey Gina.Franny, where did you get that jersey?I need it.”
Just like that, her attempt at inquisition was interrupted by a stream of arriving co-workers, and then Kyle with the drinks, and then more co-workers.
Diego took it all in easily, posing at the table, offering his hand to people who wanted it, smiling with those big green eyes and laughing with that adorable gap in his teeth and explaining to Franny from accounting how he doctored his Jalapeno Hannah shirt into a cute little crop top.I watched him with something like awe in my heart, kind of like seeing him on stage in high school.It wasn’t that he was playing a part—he was very, very Diego as he charmed every curious co-worker who stopped at our table.But he wason, both funny and laughing at other people’s jokes, showing off and admiring everyone else’s “sportsball fits.”
While he was talking to Kyle about childhood trips to Pirate games, Bettina sidled up to me and said quietly, “I don’t know why I didn’t expect him to be this cute, but oh my god, he’s cute.”
“I know.”I chuckled.
“Normally you’re the one everybody wants to talk to.”
I frowned.“I am not.”
“Ooookay.”She rolled her eyes.“You go to school together?”
“High school, yeah.”
“And?”She raised an eyebrow.
“We… might’ve hooked up a few times.Or a lot.”I flushed, but not at the confession.I flushed because of what I didn’t say.
“I cannotbelieveyou didn’t tell me any of this.”She sighed.“You’re the worst.”
I laughed.“Sorry.We’re still figuring stuff out.”
“Oh yeah?Like how?”
I glanced up to see Diego and Kyle talking to some of the IT folks nearby.I didn’t realize that I wanted to talk to someone about this until she asked, but now I really did.“He’s kinda cagey about commitment.He says he wants to be a thing, like an exclusive thing, but he doesn’t want to put the boyfriend label on it yet.”
“Oooh, he’s been burned before,” she guessed with alarming accuracy.
I sighed.“I mean.Yeah.By me.”
“What?”
I gave her a quick rundown, which felt surprisingly good.It wasn’t like telling my mom or talking to Diego about it; Bettina was an outside voice, unaffected by it all.Fresh perspective.
“Oof.Yeah, patience is your best friend right now,” she said when I finished.
I nodded.“Okay.That’s what I thought, but I’m really in my head about it.He got kind of annoyed that it seemed like I was trying to prove something to him.”
“He does not look at you like he’s annoyed,” she said, eyebrows high.
“What?”
