Once Upon a Grad Night #2
“It better be, or else I’m never trusting you again,” I joke, slipping into the passenger seat.
As I’m clicking the seat belt into place, I notice several plastic containers filled with cupcakes in the back seat.
“Now, the real question is: Does our errand involve some kind of cupcake-eating contest?”
“Close. Those are actually for my sister’s best friend’s bachelorette party. We’re going to drop them off to her real quick before the show.”
Nearly everything Luca says leaves me with a dozen more questions. But I just nod. “Perfect. I make a great passenger princess.”
“Me too,” he quips.
I laugh as Luca starts the car and eases us out of the parking lot. A fresh wave of nerves washes over me. Is this really happening?
“So, is this, like, a normal night for you?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that we started the day by literally graduating from high school. Then we had the grad party. Two social gatherings in one day is enough to do me in. But you? You graduated, made a quick appearance at the grad party already knowing you would sneak out to deliver some cupcakes like the Robin Hood of baked goods. And, following that, you’re going to a concert.
” I shake my head. “That’s an unreal level of whimsy for one night. ”
This makes Luca laugh, and knowing I’m the reason for it is a thrill.
“I guess, when you put it like that, it’s a lot,” he says. “I didn’t really plan it, you know? There were a bunch of fun things that came up on the same day, so I was like, ‘Why not?’ ”
I glance at Luca as if he’s some sort of mythical being. He’s got a level of confidence and freedom of which I can only dream.
“So, you just…do whatever you want?” I ask.
Luca gives me a puzzled look. “Well, no. I do plenty of things I don’t want to.
Every Saturday, I’m up before the sun to shadow my oldest sister, Nicola, at work.
She’s an electrician, and she’s helping me work toward an apprenticeship.
She’s super talented and takes absolutely no shit.
It’s intense, but it’ll eventually lead me to a pretty steady job, so I do it,” Luca explains.
“Outside of responsibilities, yeah, sure. I try to fill my days with things that make me happy. Doesn’t everyone? ”
“Maybe, yeah.” When I don’t immediately elaborate, he stays quiet, leaving room for me to say more.
“I guess I don’t really know. My life has been so jam-packed with lessons and studying from the time I was born that I haven’t taken a lot of time to think about the things that make me happy.
I’ve been focused on making my mom happy.
She’s always had this very, very specific vision for my life, and she’s made it a point of reminding me she knows best—that everything she does is to make sure my life is better than the one she had.
The only thing she’s ever wanted is for me to go to a good school, close to home, and become a doctor. So I’ll be premed at Yale this fall.”
I feel Luca shift in his seat, choosing his next words with care. “Is that…not what you want?”
“I’m not sure it matters. It’s what she wants, and it’s what I’ve been working toward for so long.
” I fiddle with the button for the broken window.
“I’m an only child, you know? So there’s no one else to carry Mami’s dreams. Only me.
She moved here from Puerto Rico while she was pregnant with me.
She was only nineteen. Somehow, she figured it out, even though she had a literal baby to take care of.
Because of me, she didn’t get the life she wanted, so it’s like I can’t disappoint her.
Not after all that.” My voice strains a little as I talk, so I swallow to push the feelings away.
“I don’t know if she realizes how much I’ve done to try to keep her happy—to show her that I take her dreams seriously and that I understand what she gave up to give me everything. ”
Beside me, Luca lets out a breath. “That’s…heavy, Deja. Wow.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah. I mean, I’ve never even been to a dance. That’s like the quintessential teen experience. When I’m older, I’ll have to admit to other people I was the weirdo who never went to prom.”
“In fairness, I don’t think it will come up much,” Luca says, trying to make me feel better. “If my mom and older sisters are any indication of what’s to come, there’s less talk about high school and more conversations about dinner and back problems and plotting the fall of capitalism.”
That makes me laugh a little. “Something to look forward to, then.”
Luca goes serious. “And you’re not a weirdo because you didn’t go to prom. Plenty of people don’t.”
“Yeah.” I sigh. “But I really, really wanted to.”
He meets my gaze, then refocuses on the road. “I’m sorry, Deja. For prom, and also because it sounds impossible to live up to your mom’s expectations.”
His words wrap around my heart like a hug. That acknowledgment means more than he could know.
“Thank you,” I nearly whisper. “And sorry. I didn’t mean to unload like that.”
“Please. No need to apologize. Graduation brings up a lot of shit for us all,” he assures me.
“I’m bad at giving advice, and families are complicated as hell, but I just wanted to add that I don’t think it’s wrong if you try to find a balance between what your mom wants and what you want.
It wouldn’t be a betrayal of your mom or her dreams. Even if she doesn’t see it that way. ”
My throat goes thick, and I fight the urge to reach over and hug him.
“I hate to ruin any illusions you may have had about yourself,” I say, trying to make things light again, “but you might actually be really good at giving advice.”
“Damn. There goes my reputation,” Luca jokes. “Also, we’re here. And I have a favor to ask.” He turns on his blinker and parks the car on the street outside a brick house.
“Of course. What do you need?”
Luca reaches into the back seat and grabs one of the cupcake containers, placing it between us. “I need you to try one of these cupcakes and tell me if they’re good.”
“Because they’re secretly poisoned?”
“Yes, and you’re the first victim,” he says. “Or it’s a new flavor I’m experimenting with and I’m worried it won’t hit.”
“Wait, you made these cupcakes yourself?”
Luca scoffs. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
“It’s not surprise! It’s admiration,” I clarify. “I can’t bake for shit. But, seriously, are you sure? Won’t they be upset if there’s a cupcake missing?”
“My sister ordered twenty-four, and I made twice that. I think they’ll be fine.” He unlatches the container on either side. The sweet, familiar scent of baked goods fills the car as Luca gingerly pulls out a cupcake with a perfect white swirl of frosting, topped with bits of fruity cereal.
I take the dessert from him in awe. “Oh, wow. This is unfairly gorgeous.”
“Thanks, but how it looks doesn’t matter half as much as how it tastes.
My sister said the bride-to-be is obsessed with cereal, so I used cereal milk in the batter.
I’m not sure if that made it too sweet, though.
And, before you ask, yes, I tried them myself.
They were fine, but I’m not much of a sweets person. ”
“Well, lucky for you, I love sweets, and I have binge-watched dozens of baking shows, so I’m kind of an expert. You are in excellent hands.”
Luca watches as I peel the liner from the cake and take a bite.
Immediately, my tongue bursts under the sweet flavor, balanced perfectly with the richness of the buttercream frosting.
It’s so good that if I didn’t have Luca’s (beautiful) eyes glued to my every move, I would probably eat the rest of it in one giant decadent bite.
“Well?” Luca asks once I finish swallowing.
I hold the cupcake up in the air like a trophy for all to admire. “This is an absolutely delicious piece of nostalgic heaven. It is insulting to me that you had the nerve to say it could be too sweet when it’s actually perfect.”
Luca breathes a sigh of relief. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“Why would I do that? In one bite, you’ve made me wish that cereal milk was pumping through my veins. Seriously, I had no idea you could bake like this, Luca.”
He gives me a shrug. “I’m not that good. It’s something I do for fun.”
I give him a look. “Don’t downplay your strengths like that.” I poke a finger into his chest. “I mean it.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Luca pulls out his phone. “Now that we know the cupcakes aren’t poisonous, let me text my sister and run these inside. You good to stick it out here? I’ll be quick.”
“I’m good.” I point at the cupcake I’m holding. “I have the very important job of finishing this.”
Luca taps his phone a few times, then flashes me a smile. “Great. Be right back.” He takes the plastic container from between us before retrieving the others from the back seat and closing the door behind him.
From the car, I watch as he walks toward the house.
The front door swings open before he can knock, and an olive-skinned girl who looks a little like Luca steps out the door.
I assume this must be his sister—especially when she ruffles his hair.
He ducks away from her hand a second time, pushing the cupcakes toward her. They both laugh. It’s sweet.
By the time Luca rejoins me in the car, I’ve finished eating my cupcake, and I notice he has an errant lock of hair sticking straight up.
“Delivery complete,” he says.
“Amazing! But let me help you out with the hair.”
Luca leans toward me without hesitation, and I smooth his hair back into place.
It’s much softer than I imagined. The act feels oddly intimate, especially when my fingertips accidentally brush against his temple.
As I pull my hand away, I try to play it cool, like this simple gesture didn’t set my nerves on fire.
“Thanks,” he says. “You see how my sister is? She’s a menace to society, my life, and my good looks.”
“I’ve heard siblings can be that way,” I confirm. “At least we’re one step closer to seeing A Girl Named Girl.”