Page 83 of Love and Other Chances

“I feel like I got sent to the principal’s office,” Brooks stage-whispers again. He’s usually hard to take seriously, but especially with a blue nose and multi-colored cheeks. We all burst out laughing, which causes the poor employee to come back and remind us to follow him. Brooks convinces him to take a few pictures of us first, and then we obediently file to the clean-up room.

“That was sooo fun,” I exclaim as we exit the building. “Top five experiences ever.”

“Really? Top five?” Mateo asks.

“Teegan’s ‘top five’ is probably more like a list of thirty things,” Lana scoffs.

I shrug. “I can’t help it if I enjoy life.”

“There’s too much to enjoy!” Brooks agrees, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as we walk. “This painting will now be the focal point of my apartment decor.”

“Which isn’t saying much, considering that the walls are currently bare,” I tease, poking him in the side.

“I’m starving,” Lana says. “All that paint-throwing and dancing around burned through every calorie I’ve eaten today. Let’s grab some dinner here before we head back to the apartment.”

“There’s a jazz club down the block,” Mateo says, looking at the map on his phone. “Want to stow our paintings in the car and walk over there?”

Since it’s early evening on a Sunday, the jazz club isn’t too packed. We order food and enjoy the music as we chat.

“So, are you hoping to specifically work with kids once you’re a licensed therapist?” Brooks asks Mateo.

“That’s the plan,” Mateo replies with a nod. “Well, I guess more so teenagers than kids. Probably middle or high school age. But I’ll wait until I have some supervised clinical experience under my belt before I officially choose a specialty.”

“That’s awesome, bro,” Brooks says. He continues asking more questions, but my attention is pulled away by Lana leaning in to talk in my ear.

“He’s really great, Teegs,” she says, and I pull back just enough so that she can see my smile. “How are you feeling about things?”

“I feel amazing about it,” I whisper back to her. “I know I was hesitant at first—”

“Which was wise,” Lana cuts in.

I nod. “Taking it slow was wise. But now, I’m one hundred percent happy. It’s like I was watching an incredible movie and enjoying the experience, but then someone came and dropped 3D glasses over my eyes. Brooks makes everything fuller, more immersive. He’s like a fun-intensifier, if that was a thing.”

Lana rolls her eyes. “Which is exactly what you needed since you tend to never have fun ever.”

I playfully push her shoulder, and she grins at me. “I like seeing starry-eyed Teegan,” she says seriously, though she’s still smiling. The song the band was playing ends, so we sit back to clap. When they slip into a slow melody, Mateo is quick to hold out a hand and ask Lana to dance.

Brooks and I follow them to the small dance floor near our table, and he tugs me close to him. Behind me, Mateo dips a giggling Lanabefore kissing her, and I see Brooks smile at them before he returns his gaze to mine.

“You have awesome friends, Sneaks,” he says, voice low beneath the music.

“I do. And they’re your friends now too,” I respond as we sway with the beat. “I’m so glad you suggested this trip. I didn’t even realize how much it would mean to me for you to get to know Lana and Mateo until we were here.”

“I’ve loved seeing you with Lana and hearing you all talk more about your college years,” Brooks says. “It seems like every day I learn more about who you’ve become and how you got here. And I’m more in awe of you with every new revelation. Compared to who you are, I feel so undeser—”

I cut off his sentence with a kiss. “You’re not allowed to say those things anymore, remember?” I remind him with a soft smile. His smile mirrors mine as he presses another gentle kiss to my lips.

Laying my head on his shoulder, I tuck my nose into the crook of his neck. I’m absolutely the type to chase the thrill of exciting experiences. But the sensation of being tucked tightly in the safety of Brooks’ arms might just be the best kind of adrenaline rush.

Chapter thirty-two

“This went way too fast,” I say, clinging to Lana. “I’m not ready to leave!”

She holds me just as tightly. “I wish you didn’t have to! But I’ll focus on how grateful I am that you came at all.”

“Sorry we disrupted your study schedule. I know how you feel about having your plans changed,” I tease.

“Ha ha,” Lana says, rolling her eyes. “I have all day today to catch up. I’ll disrupt plans for you any time, Beef.”

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