Page 16 of Some Things Never Change

I let out a small gasp at my own honesty and Andy let out the most wholehearted laugh I had ever heard from him. If I wasn’t driving, I would have thrown a playful punch into his arm. It wasn’t fair. He completely caught me off guard and my mouth spoke before my brain was able to process what he even said to me.

I quickly tried to back-pedal with a weak, “Actually?—”

“No! You can’t take it back now that you’ve already said it. I’m your favorite!” Andy let out a happy whoop and then a cute little giggle. He almost sounded drunk. “I want to add a quick correction, though.”

“A-About what?”

“My grandma. I’m not her only favorite. Both Anthony and I are. She loves us both equally. Your dad loved us exactly the same way my grandma loves us, to be honest.”

“That’s true. They both love you two so much.”

I thought about how my dad used to spoil the twins the most, even more than he ever did with Jonathan and me, or any of his nieces and nephews. I used to be a tad jealous of the way he looked at the twins with love and enamor, but now it all was just a memory I enjoyed looking back at.

“I think when it comes to Anthony and I, many don’t often like one over the other, but the both of us equally. But, I think you’re right about me being both of our moms’ favorites, Anthony as my dad’s and… I’m also your favorite as well.”

“That’s not true. It’s Anthony.”

Andy hummed. “That’s not what you said earlier.”

“W-Well, I—” My brain couldn’t come up with any more excuses as my voice trailed off.

“That’s what I thought.” He was gloating, and I held back an urge to roll my eyes. “So, Tink, why am I your favorite?”

I chewed on my bottom lip, stalling. My cheeks burned brightly, and I mentally cursed at how hot I set the defroster.

“Because you’d go to the end of the world for me.”

It was such a cheesy answer, but it was the first one to come to mind because it was true. There had been so many times Andy had been there for me. It wasn’t that Anthony or Jonathan weren’t. They were, but Andy often went out of his way just to take care of me.

A few years back, I got a flat tire on my drive back to San Ignacio. I had been home for my dad’s death anniversary and Andy had also come up from Santa Mariana to be with my family for it. Since I was stranded in the middle of vast farmlands, Andy was insistent he would come be with me. Roadside service was slow that day and I would have been by myself for at least an hour.

Andy drove sixty miles out of town to come stay with me and make sure I was safe. He wouldn’t leave until he was certain I’d be safe on my way home with a brand new tire. He was supposed to head back to Santa Mariana that day as well. We were going home in completely opposite directions, and yet, he drove the other direction just to help and stay with me to make sure I was safe.

Another gentle silence settled over us as a random song on a playlist Andy selected played between the two of us. We sat as my genuine answer lingered in the air like a sweet, sickly perfume. I began to worry about the stench of it. Maybe that answer was too corny and lame. My hands became clammy as the searing heat on my face continued to burn fiercely, and then he finally spoke up.

“I’d go beyond the end of this universe for you, Julie.”

Ba-dump.

I would have cleared my throat to disguise the fact that I almost swooned, but I couldn’t. He sure knew what words and tone to use to woo a woman.

I smiled, shyly. “You don’t need to, you big flirt.”

“But I’ll always want to.”

His response added fuel to the flush on my cheeks and it burned even brighter than before. My whole body began to feel hot, and I could barely breathe. I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but couldn’t. I didn’t know what to say. How do I respond to something like that?

Thankfully, Google Maps interrupted. She was asking me to take an exit in one mile to a gas station. I had asked Andy to look up the closest gas station earlier for a much-needed bathroom break, which I realized was now a double-edged sword. Although it was a good interruption, I now had to look at him directly in the face and act like his flirty, smooth-talking ways didn’t affect me.

“How’s the gas tank?” asked Andy, curious.

“It’s just below half tank. I’m going to top it off,” I said.

“Yeah, you should. It’ll still be awhile before we hit Santa Mariana.”

When I parked my car at one of the gas pumps, I quickly pulled my hood over my head to cover my face so Andy wouldn’t be able to catch how hard I was still blushing. But before I could even jump out of the car to use the restroom, Andy handed me his credit card.

“No, I’m good. We’re going to switch off here, aren’t we?”

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