Page 53 of Kiss Me, Maybe

“That must mean you have a favorite.”

“Hmm.” She raises a perfectly arched brow. “You think you’re worthy enough for that?”

I scoff at her, more playful than accusing. “Did I not just risk my life for you by willingly stepping into that metal death trap?”

She throws her head back and laughs. “All right, Angel. You win. I’ll show you my favorite view in town.”

Twenty-Three

The drive is longer than I anticipated it would be. On the highway, Krystal takes the I-10 ramp to the north side of town. A song from her Spotify playlist plays softly from the speakers. I recognize the melody from the time I hurt myself falling off the BCycle.

“What are you doing?” she asks when I grab her phone from the console, but she doesn’t protest when I unlock the screen with her face when she turns her head toward me.

“Snooping through your music,” I answer, putting her phone down after following her Spotify account from my phone. “You have some bangers.”

“Thanks.” Her eyes train on me for a moment, glittering black pools I could drown in. She places a hand on my thigh, and my whole body warms at her touch.

I close my eyes and let the music and the warmth of her hand wash over me. I’m hoarding every memory I have of her so I can pull them out when I have need of them. When all this is over. When Julian moves out and Marcela and Theo get married and I have no idea what my life will look like after thescavenger hunt. The gentle timbre of her voice, the dark curls falling over her shoulders, the tattoos swirling over her skin, her touch radiating heat at every point of contact.

I’m not sure if I can trust her promises yet. Not when I’m already bottling up every scrap of her I can get my hands on. It’s too easy to envision an ending before we’ve really begun.

A while later, she takes the exit for the UTSA campus and crosses the intersection.

“Where are we going?” I already know this question is no use (she ignored me the last two times I asked), but this time she surprises me by flashing a brilliant smile.

“We’re almost there.”

We drive up a steep hill until we’re cloaked on both sides by trees. If this is part of campus, it’s not one I recognize. Finally, she comes to a stop when we reach a small parking lot at the very top of the hill. She turns off the ignition and sends another giddy smile my way.

She unbuckles her seat belt, and I do the same. I glance around, hoping for some clue, but alas. Despite being parked on top of a particularly steep hill, there’s nothing of note at the bottom but more trees, overgrown grass, and a paved road I can only assume leads to campus.

“Over here,” Krystal calls from the back of her car, where she’s sorting through the layers of blankets in her trunk. She tosses a pillow at me before climbing inside. I catch it with a surprisedoof, holding it to my stomach.

“I’m confused,” I tell her. “Where—orwhat—is this view supposed to be?”

“You’ll understand in a second.” She pats the space besideher that’s covered in a thick layer of blankets. “Come here and look up. It’s starting soon.”

“What’s starting soon?”

She doesn’t answer, only pats the blanket harder. I heave a sigh before climbing in beside her. The absurd thought that this is almost like camping comes to mind.

Or adate. If I’m being honest, this whole night has felt like a date. The kind of first date that feels like the hundredth.

The best kind of first date.

Not that I would know. Not from any previous experience anyway. But she’s setting a pretty high bar if this is meant to be a non-date.

I glance up at the near-black sky, and then back at her. “Well?”

“You comfy?” she asks instead, adjusting the pillows at my back and placing yet another blanket over my lap. They just keep appearing, and I have no idea where they’re coming from. “Want any snacks?”

I gape at her. “You havesnacksback here?”

“Oh yeah.” She reaches behind her for a storage organizer I hadn’t noticed earlier. “I have Cheez-Its, Goldfish crackers, hot Cheetos—”

A loud popping sound startles me out of my wits. The car shakes slightly under us from the movement. I place a hand over my chest, heart racing beneath my palm.

“Oh! They started early!” She shoves the box away and nudges me with an elbow. “Look up!”

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