Chapter 5 #2
“Oh my gosh,” Lilah said as she spotted me. I expected her to be annoyed, but she seemed almost pleased, and I wasn’t sure what to do with that. “You wore it.”
“You wore yours,” I shot back, hoping I sounded cooler than I felt.
Summoning all the Flynn Ryder rizz I could muster, I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned a shoulder against the wall.
A smile tugged on Lilah’s pink lips as she watches me.
The smile widened as I missed the wall completely and had to catch myself, but once I was righted against the wall again, I grinned at her like nothing mortifying just happened.
She blessedly ignored the misstep. Instead, her eyes trailed over the costume in appreciation before her blue eyes slid back up to me.
“I thought you said you were never going to wear it,” she said with a teasing smile that never fails to make my heart pick up the pace.
“I was forced to,” I admitted. Lilah arches a disbelieving eyebrow, so I glance behind me for backup. “Peer pressure. Not my fault.”
“Lies!” Mako said. I jumped, not even realizing he was right behind me. I’d lost Crossy and Bear somewhere in the crowd, although I was sure they would appear soon to greet their girlfriends. “He was totally into it. Spun around in the mirror and everything.”
I turned slowly to glare at him. “I did not spin.”
Saylor and Poppy were laughing now, hiding smiles behind red Solo cups. Lilah stepped up close to me, then ran a hand on my shoulder like she was brushing off dust.
“Well, I think you look very handsome,” she said, her smile only growing bigger by the second. “In fact, I think this should be your new go-to costume from now on.”
“Only if Rapunzel is yours.”
“Then we’d always match.’
I grin. “Exactly.”
“This is a one-time thing. I didn’t mean to match you. It just happened.”
“We’re just so on the same page. Real soulmate-type stuff, Lilah.”
She rolled her eyes. “If you say so, Tino.”
“I do say so. Look at us. Meant to be together.”
She shook her head, a smile still on her lips. She stood on her tiptoes and reached around me, fixing the collar of my green shirt. I caught another smell of her strawberry shampoo as she brushed past me. When she stepped back down, she looked at me with a happy expression.
“I still can’t believe you wore it,” she murmured.
“Anything for you baby.”
“Ew. Don’t call me baby.”
“Princess.”
She shook her head. “Worse.”
“Oh, I could call you my girlfriend. How about that?”
“How about not?”
Before I could stop myself, I reached a hand out and tucked a piece of Lilah’s blonde hair behind her ear.
She didn’t flinch away from my touch, which was enough for me to think tonight was my chance to win her over.
“Lilah, we wore matching costumes on accident. I think we’re fighting destiny at this point. ”
“Tino—”
“Oh my gosh!” a girl squealed, completely breaking the moment.
Lilah practically jumped away from me, clearly coming to her senses and realizing how close we’d been.
I tried to hold back my sigh as I turned to see who had interrupted us, only to grimace as I came face to face with the hockey team’s biggest fan.
“Hi, Eva,” I forced out. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that she’d found us so quickly since she seemed to have a sixth sense about knowing where the hockey team was at all times.
Strangely, though, she wasn’t looking at any of the other boys even though they were right there—her gaze was bouncing between me and Lilah only.
“It’s true then!” She shrieked. Her red hair swung in its ponytail as she bounced in place.
“Uh…” I looked at Lilah to see if she knew what Eva was talking about but she seemed as confused as me. “What’s true?”
“You two are dating!” Eva squealed. Without waiting for a response, she whipped her phone out and started typing, shaking her head like she was in disbelief. “When Kailey showed me that photo, I was sure it couldn’t be you, but—”
“Photo?” I asked. I totally cut her off but she didn’t seem to mind as she lifted her head.
“You mean you haven’t seen it?” she asked.
I would have assumed she’d be upset that we didn’t know what she was talking about but she seemed thrilled as she swiped out of her text thread and opened up another app.
A moment later, she was shoving her phone in my face, so close that I had to lean back to see it properly.
And when I did, I couldn’t stop myself from cursing under my breath.
“Is that us?” Lilah asked, but her tone made it obvious that she already knew the answer. I could feel her looking at me, probably waiting for me to deal with this somehow, but I was too busy gaping at the screen.
Lilah and me in the store. Pressed up against the shelves. And from this angle—clearly taken through the window—it really looked like we were kissing.
“Where…” I started to ask, but I lost the words in my throat because holy crap, I was looking at a photo of Lilah and me kissing.
Sure, it would’ve been nicer if the kiss had actually happened and I could be reliving the memory of it instead of imagining it, but the photo was unfortunately the closest we’d ever come.
“Cassie’s little brother’s girlfriend was stalking The Valentine Brothers so she was outside the store and then she saw you guys in there and took the photo!
” Eva exclaimed. I was pretty sure she didn’t take a single breath through the whole sentence.
“And then of course she sent it to Cassie who posted it on Twitter and now the whole school is freaking out because oh my gosh, the little sister of Jude Turner and the little brother of The Valentine Brothers getting together? It’s too perfect! ”
If she thought that explanation helped anything, she was sorely mistaken. I blinked at her a few times then looked at Lilah, who was still staring at the photo with wide eyes. Clearly she wasn’t going to be any help in dispelling this rumour.
I cleared my throat. “Look, Eva, it’s not—”
“And now you guys are wearing a couple’s costume!” Eva squealed. She pulled her phone back and before I could even begin to react, she snapped a photo of us. “I can’t wait to show this to Cassie!”
And then she was gone, skipping off with her photo evidence.
“What just happened?” Lilah asked, her voice high-pitched and nervous.
“Honestly?” I said. “I’ve got no freaking clue.”