Page 68 of Kiss Me, Maybe

“You’re not gonna try to convince me to give Leti a chance?” I raise a brow at her. “I thought you weren’t on Team Krystal anymore.”

“Are you kidding me? After the way she stood up for you to your cousins?” I’d given Marcela as much of an explanation as I could after the worst dinner party ever when Krystal went home and Julian and Theo hung out upstairs to give us some space. She had given me permission to tell Marcela about Isaac, and my fraught feelings for Krystal were starting to eat me from the inside out. After that, we did a deep dive on my cousins and our high school history. It felt good to finally get everything off my chest after keeping so much about my cousins to myself. “If I’d known the full story, I wouldn’t have fed them.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” I tell her, and not for the first time. “For so long, I didn’t want to talk about them with anyone. I still have a lot of pent-up shame from the way they treated me in high school.”

“Krystal’s right. They’re the ones who ought to be ashamed, not you.” I know she’s right, but it still brings a sense of reliefto hear her say it. “As for Krystal, I’ll be honest. I’m still conflicted. Leaving Isaac at the altar and then waiting for him to initiate a breakup?” She grits her teeth in a grimace.

“That’s why she doesn’t think she’s capable of falling in love. She doesn’t want to get into a new relationship because she’s scared of making the same mistakes. And I get it. I really do. She doesn’t want to hurt me the same way she hurt Isaac.”

“But she’s hurting you by not being with you the way you both clearly want to be,” Marcela says, and that’s pretty much the crux of it. “What are you going to do?”

I let out a sigh. “I have no idea.”

Thirty

Marcela doesn’t stay for much longer. I should head out, too, but I want to say goodbye to Krystal, especially since she’s avoiding me. It doesn’t feel right to put even more space between us without figuring out what she’s thinking. Another bartender takes my order while she’s gone, a man with close-cropped hair and a flirty grin that does absolutely nothing for me.

“I hear these are your usual.” He deposits a Malibu sunset onto the bar. “Extra Malibu, on the house,” he adds with a wink.

I take a sip and nearly sputter from the burning sensation clawing at my throat. “How much extra are we talking, here?”

“Not sure.” The side of his mouth quirks up. “I don’t measure alcohol for friends.”

Another cheesy wink. I glance over my shoulder, where Krystal is busying herself with wiping down tables. I don’t return the bartender’s advances, but I do down the drink in three gulps. He sets another beside my empty glass. It’s not as strong as the first but has twice the amount of grenadine it should. I wince at the taste, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

He’s leaning over the bar, a leering smirk on his admittedly handsome face, when a shadow falls over us.

“I can take her from here.” Goose bumps prickle the hair at the back of my neck at Krystal’s voice. When I turn around, herstony-eyed gaze is trained on the new guy.

“That’s okay,” he says, looking back at me. “I’m good here.”

“It wasn’t a suggestion.” Her stern voice sends chills running up and down my spine. “Go take inventory in the back.”

“I already did that when I came in.” Krystal stares him down until he finally breaks. “Guess I’m doing inventory again.”

“Who was that?” I ask once he’s gone. She doesn’t answer my question as she clears away my three empty glasses and grabs a fresh one from behind the counter. She opens the tap, filling it with water before handing it to me.

“Drink up,” she says, her tone brokering no argument. I do so, if only because I’m kind of a fan of this bossy side of her. Is she… jealous? “I can’t leave you alone for a second. How much did he give you to drink?”

“Just what you cleared away.” I wave her concern away. “I’m good. Ish. We’ll find out when I try to stand up.”

She curses beneath her breath. “I’m gonna kill that guy.”

“He was just doing his job.” I shrug. “I can’t expect you to hang out with me all night. You were doing your job too.”

“And you were occupied for half the night yourself,” she reminds me, her expression torn. Finally, she asks, “How was your date?”

I rear back. “I’d hardly call it a date.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything, Angel. You can do whatever you want. We agreed to just be friends, remember?”

“Still, it wasn’t a date,” I insist. “After the scavenger hunt, who knows? If she wins, maybe we’ll see each other again. Or maybe we won’t.”

“Do you want her to win?” she asks, holding my gaze. “Youtold me you like her, after all.”

I do like Leti. Under very different, Krystal-less circumstances, yeah, I’d probably be rooting for her to win. We want the same things. Hell, we’re both graysexual. She’s pretty and smart and incredibly interesting, but at the end of the day, she’s notKrystal. I take a sip of water instead of answering. After a beat, Krystal sucks in a deep breath.

“I texted Isaac,” she says out of nowhere, surprising me. “He hasn’t replied yet and I don’t know if he’s going to.”

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