I?’m all business when we meet the next day at school during our lunch break, which seems to throw Leti for a loop for some reason. After entering my tiny portable, glancing around at the string lights and motivational posters on the walls, she glances at me with a quizzical brow when I hold out my hand.
“Phone.”
This arrangement between us may have started out lighthearted enough, but I can’t get her words from yesterday out of my head. I’m not sure I’d call us friends now—she wouldn’t—but it’s clear something’s changed between us. She opened up to me, and I have a feeling that’s not something she does very often. Which is why I’m more determined than ever to prove her fears are unfounded and find someone great for her. Leti, on the other hand, is staring at me like an alien landed on school premises.
“What happened to ‘hello’?” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against my desk. “No ‘it’s nice to see you again, Leti,’ ‘how’s your day been so far, Leti—’”
“Yeah, yeah. Pleasantry, pleasantry.” I wave her off and hold out my hand again. “We fell behind yesterday and we only havethirty minutes, which isn’t a whole lot of time for the amount of catching up we have to do. Enough small talk. Hand it over.”
With a huff, she pulls up a chair as we log into her accounts from her phone and mine for optimal screen viewing and go over a few responses to some of the messages she’s already received and craft two more for the ones who haven’t reached out yet.
While we’re waiting for replies, Leti opens a bag of Hot Cheetos and asks if I want one. I barely look at her as I say, “I’m good,” and then pick up her phone again, left leg shaking in anticipation. Why is no one replying yet?
“Julian saying no to food? I’m shocked.” She pops a Cheeto into her mouth, the delicious-sounding crunch almost tempting enough to change my mind. As if she can read my thoughts, she tears off a piece of her paper towel and empties a small pile from the bag. Just as she pushes the stack of chips my way, I make a grab for one. “That’s what I thought.” I don’t have to look up to see the satisfied smirk on her face.
“Which of your matches do you like the most so far?” I ask, popping another chip into my mouth. “Personally, I can see you best with this one.” I set down the phone displaying Nathaniel’s profile.
“The hiker?” Her nose scrunches in that adorable way of hers. “He seems like the kinda guy who’d wake me up at five a.m. for a ten-mile run.”
“True, but don’t miss the bigger picture here.” I point to his occupation. “He works at the Whataburger corporate office. That basically means free Whataburger forlife.”
She rolls her eyes, but there’s no mistaking the upward twitch of her lips. She’s amused.
“That is so not what that means.” She laughs. “But I’m listening. Make your pitch.”
“How can you say no to this face?” I swipe the screen to a photo of a brown beagle licking Nathaniel’s face while he smiles into thecamera. It’s a great smile too. “Forget the guy. Date him to win custody of this little guy.”
“I am not swindling the man out of his dog! Though, I have to admit he is super cute.” She stares down at the picture, something disturbingly like yearning burning in her brown eyes. Does she mean the dog, or Nathaniel? I quickly stamp down the spike of jealousy threatening to choke me—where the hell did that come from?—and return to the topic at hand.
“She,” I correct. “And her name is Marley. Unless you were referring to Nathaniel, who’s also not bad himself.”
“Stop it, Marley’s such a cute name,” she gushes before shoving the phone away. “Enough! My parents never let me have a pet growing up. If you keep this up, I’m gonna make a stop at the animal shelter after work, and Bella will kill me if I come home with a dog.”
“No comment on the man’s appearance,” I note, glancing over at her as the jealousy immediately dissipates. “Ouch. I’d hate to be Nathaniel.”
“He’s…fine.” She shrugs. “That’s a lot of North Face for me. We’re in Texas. It’s cold here for one month. Give me a break.”
“All right, I’ll keep looking,” I tell her. “But at least wait until he replies before writing him off.”
“So, when am I allowed to take overyourdating accounts?” she asks after a few minutes of silence as I start swiping through profiles. She should be doing the same. We have two screens and only ten more minutes before the bell rings, and instead she’s wasting time asking ludicrous questions. Instead of telling her as much, I nod at my phone in her hand, where the screen has gone dark.
“Have at it.”
“You really should have a passcode on this thing.”
Distantly, I can make out the disappointment in her tone, but I’m too focused on the next profile. There’s potential here, but I need her opinion first.
“Julian—”
“How do you feel about accountants? On the surface they sound pretty boring, but this one—” I let out a yelp when she jabs an index finger into my side. “Leti, what the hell?!”
“Are you ticklish?” Her smile is all deviousness. I grab her hand before she has the chance to poke me again, because Icannotdeal with this right now.
“I’m trying find your soulmate here.” This girl has the audacity to pout. “We had an agreement. Why are you distracting me?”
“I’m bored.” She shrugs. “Do you want to go get ice cream? The football coach always keeps the freezer in the teacher’s lounge stocked.”
“Leticia Maldonado, you are an enigma, you know that?” Between the tickling, pouting, and invasive questions, I don’t know what to make of this woman. Yesterday, she was as prickly as ever. Picking fights to delay my taking over her dating apps and arguing with the decisions I made every step of the way. Today, she’s…
