Chapter 24
twenty-four
want me to ask her out for you?
R yan couldn’t keep himself from staring after Elissa as she walked to the ladies’ room.
He hadn’t meant to cause her to choke. He was trying to disguise his nervousness with humor.
Ryan hadn’t been nervous around a woman since he was seventeen.
He knew exactly how they’d react, especially when they learned who his family was.
Elissa was like no other woman he’d met. His usual charm never seemed to make a dent, but when he was authentically himself, she opened up. She didn’t care who his family was. She only seemed to care how he treated others.
“Hey, man!” a familiar voice said from the opposite direction of his stare. “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.”
Iz clapped a hand to his shoulder. Shit, what were they doing here?
They usually stuck closer to home. He tore his gaze away from where Elissa had disappeared.
Iz had gone all out tonight. Their golden-brown skin was highlighted with sparkly powder on the cheekbones and gold eyeshadow.
Short, black hair with an off-center red streak complemented the red silk shirt Iz wore.
And their nails were painted like a ladybug—red with black dots.
“Hi, Iz. Got a hot date?”
“How could you tell?” They laughed as they took the seat to Ryan’s right. “Don’t you remember? I said I was coming here to catch the game.”
Now that Iz mentioned it, he vaguely recalled a conversation in the last couple of days discussing this fact. Son of a bitch . There went his plan to charm the pants off the lovely accountant.
“Where’s Mateo?” He resigned himself to an interrupted date.
“He’ll be here soon,” Iz said. “Teo is on call, and someone called about forty-five minutes ago.”
The two of them were good together. Iz was kinder and more patient with Mateo around, with Ryan and with their family.
Iz didn’t have a mean bone in their body, but Teo had taught them to slow down and appreciate people more.
And Teo had come out of his shell, more confident and less defensive when meeting new people.
Iz’s love could do that. While most of the DeMarco family were short on praise and long on criticism for his accomplishments, Iz had his back.
They had encouraged his creative pursuits, usually sitting right next to Ryan’s Nonna.
Always in the audience at the school plays, applauding his attempts at photography, giving constructive feedback on his writing.
Ryan didn’t know where he’d be without Iz and Nonna.
No, he did know. He would be the first-class asshole he’d come off as during his first date with Elissa.
Movement down the hallway drew his attention—Elissa. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Iz’s glance followed his. A smile twitched up the corner of his friend’s mouth as they leaned toward Ryan.
“She’s pretty. Want me to ask her out for you?”
An old joke from middle school, when an unsure thirteen-year-old Ryan had begged his best friend to ask out the prettiest girl in their class for him.
It had gone about as well as any adult could have predicted.
The young lady in question had giggled and walked away, leaving a heartbroken Ryan in her wake, and an amused Iz. Who never let him forget it.
“Nope. I think I’ve got it handled.” Ryan suppressed a grin as Elissa approached and took the seat to his left. Iz’s eyes widened in surprise, and their mouth hung open.
“Elissa, this is my BFF, Iz Ochoa.”
“BFF? Seriously, are you a teenage girl?” Iz’s tone was teasing and a wide grin creased their face.
“I’ve known you since kindergarten. What else would you call us?”
Sitting right next to her, Ryan took in the way Elissa’s eyes crinkled when she had a smile on her face. And the hint of a dimple in her right cheek had him yearning to kiss it.
“Childhood friend? Sib from another parental unit? Hell, I’d take the simple roommate.”
Ryan held his breath. Since Iz and Mateo began dating two years ago, Ryan hadn’t had enough interest in any particular woman to worry about how she felt about his non-binary best friend and their pansexual significant other.
Hell, he didn’t think he’d introduced more than one or two of them to the couple.
But he cared now. As much as Elissa intrigued him, teased him, kindled a fire deep down, if she had a problem with Iz and Teo, he’d walk away and never give her another thought.
Her eyes were wider than before, and her mouth fell open a little, but when Iz stuck out a hand, she took it.
“Nice to meet you, Iz,” she said, her voice soft.
“Elissa. I know that name… Oh, you’re the mystery date!”
The flush rose in Ryan’s cheeks. He elbowed his friend.
“Ow. Stop it, Ryan. I wasn’t gonna say anything else.”
“Then there’s something else to tell?” Elissa raised her eyebrows, but the twinkle never left her eyes. She was teasing him in more ways than one.
“BFF to BFF confidentiality, miss,” Iz said in mock seriousness. “Strictly protected. Will take it to my grave.”
She laughed, a musical sound that eased his mind. “Well, I don’t want anyone to get into legal trouble.”
“Who’s the hottie?” another familiar voice asked from the other side of Iz. Mateo had finally arrived.
He was dressed in slacks and a green button down short-sleeve shirt that complemented his medium brown skin—professional enough for a therapist, casual enough to avoid too much authority around the teens he often worked with. He wore his tight curls on the longer side.
“That’s Ryan, sweetie,” Iz said.
After planting a kiss on Iz’s cheek, he looked straight at Elissa.
“We all know Ryan’s a hottie, hon. I was talking about the cutie next to him.” Mateo rounded the trio and took a seat on the other side of Elissa, sticking out a hand. “Hello, I’m Teo.”
Elissa’s fingers brushed Ryan’s arm and little electric sparks traveled straight to his brain and down to his cock. Goosebumps rose on his flesh, and a small part of him was jealous of the contact Teo currently had with her, even though it was a simple, quick handshake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Teo, I’m Elissa.”
“Ooh, the infamous missed opportunity.” Teo’s full lips turned up at the corners.
“Teo,” Ryan warned.
“Sweetie, I’ve already explained to Elissa that conversation is under BFF seal,” Iz said with a grin.
“Which apparently doesn’t extend to significant others,” Ryan muttered irritably.
“What, are you two teenage girls?” Teo asked.
“That’s already been covered, too.” Iz chuckled.
Elissa had remained quiet during their discussion but hadn’t taken her eyes off Iz. The tension rose in his friend as they noticed, too.
“You look like a lady with a question.” Iz’s voice was strained and their body stiff.
“Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to stare.” Elissa’s cheeks flushed. “Where did you get that highlighter? It is absolutely gorgeous.”
All the tension left Iz’s body and a wide smile bloomed on their face as Iz touched their cheek.
“Isn’t it? I found it on Insta and fell in love with it.”
Ryan’s own muscles relaxed as Elissa and Iz exchanged makeup recommendations. A poke at his right arm drew his attention to Mateo.
“I like her. Iz has been dying to tell someone about that damn highlighter. She couldn’t have asked a better question. How the fuck did you find her?”
“I’m starting to think divine intervention, to be honest.”
“Here, give me your phone, and I’ll find it for you,” Iz was saying.
Elissa pulled out her phone and went to unlock it. The color drained out of her face.
“Oh, oh crap. I’m sorry, I have to go.” Her voice quavered as she gathered her clutch and keys and hopped off the bar stool. The keys rattled as her hands shook.
Ryan stood and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s my brother.” Tears welled in her eyes, and he could barely make out her words. “He’s having an asthma attack, and his meds aren’t working. I gotta go.”
“You’re in no condition to drive. Give me the keys.”
“No, I-I couldn’t. That’s nice, but?—”
“Elissa, you shouldn’t be driving,” Teo said in his therapist voice. “It’s okay to accept help.”
Elissa’s gaze darted from Teo to Ryan, and she swayed as she tried to decide. Ryan wrapped a hand around the one holding the keys and smiled reassuringly. Some of her panic fled, and she let go of the keys.
“Thank you.” She stared into his eyes for a heartbeat.
“Anytime, beautiful. Lead the way.”
She straightened her spine and unlocked. Her voice was firm, now, all traces of vulnerability gone. “Leo, I’m on my way. Breathe with me. In, two, three…”