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I turn to see Jase hurrying towards us. My heart twirls in my chest.
“Guitar boy’s back!” Nora whispers.
I throw her a look, though I can’t deny how excited I feel getting a few more minutes with Jase.
He scratches the back of his head and looks down. His eyes elevate to mine. “Can I have your number?”
Excitement flurries through my body. “But we have Instagram.”
Ugh, why’d I say that? I’m going to hear it from Nora later.
“That’s not the same.”
“Because you’d be less distracted by my photos?” I tease.
Jase chuckles. “Maybe.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “I like talking to you.”
My heart twirls so fast it’s lost all control. “I like talking to you, too.”
I hold out my phone, my number displayed. Butterflies swarm my stomach as he glances at my screen and punches in the digits. He types something, and my phone pings a second later.
Jase: Inspirations arent distracting
Even though he’s said this before, it’s still the cutest text I’ve ever received. “Charmer.”
“Just spilling facts.” Jase waves his phone as he walks away. “Talk to you later!”
I flash a smile worthy of Picture Day. “Talk to you then!”
Turning around, I see Nora much farther away than she was before Jase came over. She must’ve wanted to give us some alone time again. I love her for that. She looks up from her phone and wiggles her eyebrows in her hubba hubba way.
“Ooh, he likes talking to you!” Nora teases. I’m pretty sure Jase and everyone in Castle Play can hear her.
“Shut up.” But I can’t fight the smile on my face or the fluttering in my body.
Chapter Twenty-One
Anyone who saw my mom’s face the second I entered the house would think I’ve finally returned after years of being abducted.
“Anak, you said you were only going out for a few hours,” she says. She wasn’t scheduled to work today, so she’s more attentive of me. Her hands on her hips, her brows pinched together, she gives a look that can’t decide if she should be concerned or angry.
“I know, I know, I’m sorry, po,” I say, hugging the bunny, the one I won at the crane game, to my chest. I feel like a child who wandered off without her parents’ supervision. “I lost track of time.”
“That’s why you should always check your phone. You didn’t even answer my texts.”
“Nora and I were having so much fun with our friends that I forgot to check.”
My mom raises her eyebrows. “You and Nora met up with friends.”
It’s only now, hearing her say this, that I realize I’ve yet to tell her about Jase. “We weren’t expecting them there. It was just a coincidence.”
“Do I know these friends?”
I have a sudden flash to one of Nora’s texts: Just lie! Instead, I reply, “No. It’s just this boy from my SAT class and his friends.”
I probably didn’t have to go into specifics, but considering that I’m keeping the We Need More Jimmy competition a secret, I don’t know how much more I can withhold.
“I don’t remember hearing about this boy.”
