Page 17 of Kiss Me, Maybe

She smirks. “I’ll be right back.”

She’s not gone long. When she returns, Malibu in one hand, dark liquid in another, we don’t join her friends. Instead, she pulls out a chair from my table and then takes the seat beside me.

“How’s the planning going?” she asks. “What do you have so far?”

“Pretty good. I’m visiting the Tower of the Americas tomorrow to film some easter egg content for TikTok.”

“Sounds exciting.” She takes a sip from her drink. “Do you want any company? I don’t work until five tomorrow.”

“Oh. Sure.” My voice sounds casual enough, but inside I’m short-circuiting. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

For another few minutes, we chat about what I’ve planned so far, which admittedly isn’t much. We talk through other possibilities before agreeing to meet tomorrow morning. I walk her to her coworkers’ table and we wave our goodbyes as I head out.

The entire drive home, my body is buzzing.

I’m going to see Krystal tomorrow.

Seven

DM INBOX:

@Nikki:This is probably a longshot, but if you’re ever in the Boston area and want to meet, let me know. I’ve been watching your videos since the accidental thirst trap debacle, and I resonate with your story so much. Plus, I think we’d make a really great match (;

@Jay:I could’ve sworn I passed by you in Dallas and it’s driving me bonkers not knowing. Any chance you were at the Flagship Half Price? I know we’re both readers lol

@LetiIsTrying:Just got asked again by my sister when I’m finally going to meet someone. Wishing our dating arrangement was real more and more every day.

I step out of the Uber, waving to the driver as he pulls away from the curb. Last night was my first time seeing Krystal outside of Havana Bar, and this is the first time we’ve made plans to meet up. I’m still not quite over the thrill of seeing her name on my lock screen. The message jolted me awake, this being the first time either of us has texted since exchanging numbers.

Excited to hang out today (:

Five simple words I’ve been unable to scrub from my brain all morning. Hell, the messages I’ve gotten on TikTok lately haven’t made me smile nearly as hard as Krystal’s text did. I thought about sending her a picture of the mural, but it’s really something that needs to be witnessed in person. We agreed to meet in the lobby of the Tower of the Americas. There’s a giddy anticipation building within me with every step forward.

Inside, she’s leaning against a pillar, hair swept back in a high ponytail, wearing ripped jeans and a black tank top that shows off the floral tattoo sleeve on her right arm. Roses and a mix of other flowers on a leafy vine snake their way down her upper arm and stop at her elbow.

A navy flannel is tied at her waist. There was a slight chill in the air this morning, but now that it’s noon the temperature has kicked up to blazing. The middle of February in Texas is more like a spotty, delayed winter until the sun comes out of hiding. If we came at night, I can imagine myself bundling herin that flannel, pulling it nice and tight around her body to keep her warm from the cold.

Gold hoops dangle from her ears, sparkling beneath the sun coming through the large windows behind her. As usual, the sight of her knocks the breath from my lungs, but this is different. This is the first time I’ve seen her in daylight, and I’m noticing things about her I hadn’t before. The tiny freckle dotting the edge of her mouth, the purple shimmer lining her lower lash line, how smooth-looking her light brown skin is.

“There you are!” She rushes forward when she spots me, throwing her arms around me in a hug I don’t expect, and I encounter yet another thing I never noticed about her: the fruity scent of her perfume. “Come on, I already got our tickets.”

She pulls me forward, her grip on my wrist gentle but firm. All I can do is follow in her wake. I finally learn how to speak again when we reach the elevators. “I can pay you back for my ticket.”

“Not necessary.” Her grin is a brilliant red today. When she leans forward to press the button to go up, the edge of her ponytail touches my nose. I get a whiff of her shampoo this time. The coconut scent is familiar and I inhale on instinct before I realize what I’m doing and force myself to take a giant step back from her.

“It’s totally necessary,” I insist. “You’re the one helping me, remember? I have to do something to repay you.”

“Okay.” The elevator dings its arrival, and she pulls me into the carriage. “You can buy me lunch. Does that make us even?”

“Definitely.” I nod. “I can do lunch.”

The metal carriage lurches upward, and just like the last time I was here, I have to resist a yelp. It doesn’t help that we’re surrounded by clear glass on three sides. I shut my eyes tight against the view outside growing smaller and smaller.

“Are you okay?”

I jump. Krystal’s voice is right in my ear, her body crowding my space. The few times I’ve had crushes in the past, I dealt with them by avoidance and secretly admiring from afar. The same way I was content to deal with Krystal, until she offered to help with the scavenger hunt.

Crushes are inconvenient for me. There’s no reason for me to be this nervous around Krystal when she’s helping me find someone else to have my first kiss with. There’s no reason for her mere presence to make my stomach swoop and bottom out when the view outside can do that just fine by itself. I’m messaging multiple women on TikTok, for Christ’s sake. I should be over this crush I have on her by now, shouldn’t I?

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