Cecilia laughs, the sound rich and carefree.
Adriana puts her down and Cecilia turns to face her.
“Me? What about you? You destroyed that four hundred meter.”
She rolls her eyes. “I won by less than a second, but you,” she raises a brow. “You took not one but two wins and both by a landslide. We need to celebrate! Come on, the girls are all trying to decide where to go.”
Cecilia’s eyes meet mine, and I can feel my smile as it falls from my face.
“Uh—”
“Go,” I tell her. “You should celebrate.”
She hesitates, and I swallow hard, bracing myself for disappointment. But it’s fine. She just accomplished something big, and she deserves to go out and celebrate that, even if it isn’t with me. I want this for her. Truly.
“I just …” I notice the tops of her ears turn pink when she tucks a wet tendril of hair behind her ear. “I was looking forward to seeing you,” she confesses.
My chest swells. “Yeah?”
Bobbing her head, she nods. “Yeah.”
Schooling my features, I tamp down on the sheer excitement thrumming through me right now. Hell fucking yes. My girl wants to spend time with me.
“You wanna go out with your team and meet up with us later?” I ask. “We grabbed a few rooms at the same hotel,” I tell her. “Or …”
Her eyes brighten. “Or?”
My lips curl into a grin. “Or you can get changed and come with us now.”
Her eyes flick to Adriana, and I already know where her mind is heading. “Adriana, too,” I suggest, and I can see that I’ve taken Adriana by surprise.
“What do you say?” Cecilia asks her, her expression earnest.
“Uh, sure. We can do that.”
“Yay!” Cecilia jumps and wraps Adriana in a fierce hug. “Thank you.” Pulling back, she looks at me and says, “We’ll be right back.” Then she drags Adriana to the locker rooms, presumably to get dressed.
Julio steps up beside me, his mood like a dark cloud hanging over him. “Did you just invite Adriana Aguirre to hang out with us?”
“I did.”
He curses under his breath. “Care to explain why?”
I shrug my shoulders, “Nope.”
26CECILIA
As we step into the Sun Valley’s neon signs and lights museum, a wave of color and light washes over me, enveloping me in a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of vibrant hues against the backdrop of the darkened night sky.
The neon signs shimmer and dance, casting their iridescent glow onto our faces, igniting a sense of wonder and awe within me.
“Holy shit,” Felix murmurs, taking in the illuminated space.
“I know, right?” Kasey says, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “This place is pretty great.”
The atmosphere crackles with anticipation, each neon light pulsating with energy and life, creating an electric symphony that resonates through the air. The hum of the electric lights is a soothing melody, blending seamlessly with the buzz of conversation and laughter as we step deeper into our neon-lit adventure.
“This place is amazing,” I exclaim, my eyes darting from one sign to the next, taking in the intricate designs and vibrant colors.The glowing bulbs and attention to detail in each one of the works.
