I bite my lip, trying to suppress the goofy grin spreading across my face, but Adriana catches it. “Oh my God, you’re totally swooning.”
“No, I’m not,” I say, even though we both know I am.
She arches a brow. “Liar.”
I swallow the immediate defensiveness that rises, brushing it off with a laugh. Okay, fine. I totally am. But I mean, can you blame me? Gabriel Herrera is just so …great.And hearing him referred to as myboyfriend? It feels good. Better than good. Like maybe this whole "taking things slow" thing is exactly what we need.
I let out a little sigh. “Okay, fine. Maybe I am swooning a little. It’s just … I don’t know. It feels nice. Normal, even.”
Adriana smirks. “Normal isn’t a word I’d use to describe you two, but I get it. He’s good for you, Cecilia. Even I have to admit that.”
I smile into my cup, taking a sip of my coffee. “Yeah, he is.” And even though we’ve been through a lot—more than most people our age should have to deal with—I like where we’re headed. It’s not perfect, but it feels solid. Real.
Adriana’s phone buzzes again, pulling her attention back to the screen. “Alright. Tuesday is a go. You are not allowed to bail on me,” she says, holding up her phone. “Now all you need to do is tell Gabriel and remember, no bailing!”
I roll my eyes, but the smile on my face betrays me. “He’ll be fine with it.”
“You say that like you know he won’t complain about being forced on a double date without his consent. I assure you, he will. Gabriel doesn’t mingle outside of his crew. He won’t like it.”
I laugh. “He’s not going to complain. He’ll probably just grumble a little and then go along with it because that’s what he does.”
She gives me a look. “For you. Gabriel only ever bends for you.”
I shrug, but inside I’m doing mental backflips. “Maybe.”
Adriana leans back in her chair, a satisfied smirk on her face. “It will be nice to go out, I suppose. Kenji seems like a decent guy. I don’t get the typical asshole jock vibe from him that seems to follow most PacNorth athletes around.”
“Hey!” I admonish.
“The guys obviously excluded.”
“That’s better,” I tell her.
And if he’s not,” she shrugs, “one date won’t kill me.”
“Way to be positive.”
Adriana grins, nudging my foot under the table. “Yup. I’m just a regular old ball of sunshine.”
gabriel
. . .
I’m stretchedout on the couch, my phone in one hand, half-listening to Julio and Deacon argue about some soccer game they’re rewatching. The faint hum of the TV mixes with their voices, a background noise I’ve gotten too used to. Felix is at his parents’ visiting his sister. Atticus had some study group thing, so it’s just the three of us.
Should be a pretty chill night. But I’m restless.
Scratch that—I’m agitated.
I haven’t had a minute alone with Cecilia all week, and it’s driving me out of my damn mind. Every time we get together, we’ve got an audience. My roommates are home, or it’s her parents, hovering like she’s going to break at any second.
I need to figure out a way to maneuver some alone time with my girl.
My phone buzzes, yanking me out of my thoughts.
Cecilia: Hey, Adriana and I were thinking of doing a double date Tuesday night. Is that okay?
A double date? I swipe my thumb over the screen, reading the message twice. I was hoping for some one-on-one time. Just us. Instead, I get to share her. Again. This time with Adriana and whoever’s dumb enough to think he can keep up with her.
