Chapter 21 Then Fourteen Years Ago
Then
Fourteen Years Ago
“So does this mean you guys are, like, together?” Maren asked the day after Sebastian kissed me in the snack bar. We were sitting cross-legged on our favorite bench outside Bubba’s, putting every second of my thirty-minute lunch break to good use.
I grabbed the basket of fries we were supposedly sharing from her lap. Her yellow bikini was coated in crumbs.
“I have no idea what it means,” I admitted.
The kiss had stunned me. It was over in an instant, but the sensations lingered.
The warmth radiating off Sebastian’s body.
The softness of his lips pressed against mine.
The roughness of his skin as his hands braced my hip and fumbled for my jaw.
It was an instant, I knew, that would set up roots in my memory bank, forever accessible for me to replay.
I was excited, and more than a little anxious, to talk to him about it. We hadn’t gotten a chance to last night.
Right after he pulled away, Ravi had swung open the snack bar door to let Sebastian know his phone was ringing in his locker.
I practically jumped off the counter as Sebastian ducked out to answer it.
He poked his head back in a couple of minutes later, looking apologetic and maybe even a little shy.
He asked if I would mind getting a ride home with Tina.
His dad had gotten home a day early from a work trip and wanted to pick him up.
“Of course,” I’d said, looking up from the spot I’d been pretending to mop. As much as I wanted to pick up where we left off, I couldn’t help but smile at the excitement on his face. He was clearly looking forward to spending time with his dad. “We’ll talk tomorrow?”
He’d smiled and said, “Yeah. I’d really like that.”
“Well, at least you’ll find out tonight,” Maren said now.
I nodded. Sebastian wasn’t scheduled to work that day, but I’d see him later, for the staff’s annual Boardwalk Night.
“What’s your game plan?” Maren asked, her excitement growing. “What are you wearing?”
“I probably won’t have time to change,” I said, ignoring her first question. I had no game plan to speak of. “I’ll just go straight from here.”
“You’re going to let Sebastian Nikolaou ask you to be his girlfriend wearing that?” She pointed at my greasy polo, aghast.
The insult barely registered. My heart was too busy absolutely soaring at the word girlfriend.
“The uniform didn’t seem to be a turnoff for him last night,” I pointed out.
“Angelina!” Maren squealed.
I rolled my eyes, but I felt myself blushing. “What do you think my game plan should be?”
She tapped a fry against her lips thoughtfully. “I think you should just be yourself,” she said finally.
“That’s your grand advice? Be myself? I want my fry money back.”
Maren laughed, but then her expression turned serious. “I just mean, maybe this is one of those no-game-plan situations. You and Sebastian have become close this summer. He clearly likes you for who you are. Be confident in that.”
I chewed my lip. Maren had always been the confident one, not me. But a lot was changing; maybe that could, too.
Later, after I’d raced home to shower, I shimmied into the thrifted mini eyelet sundress Maren had lent me. Then I pulled out my trusty Urban Decay Naked palette, skipping over the muted shades I usually favored and swiping until my eyelids shimmered. Confidence armor.
“Want me to drive you, honey?” My mom leaned against my doorframe, smiling softly. I’d been fussing with my hair in front of the full-length mirror next to my closet. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
My cheeks burned. Mom always saw the good angles. “If you don’t mind. Which shoes?” I turned toward her. I had a high-top Converse on one foot and a gladiator sandal on the other (they were all the rage, I swear).
She thought for a moment, then pointed to the sneaker. “Less expected. I like that.”
I thought about what Maren had said on the bench, about Sebastian liking me for who I am.
I smiled and said, “Me too.”