Page 78 of Ordinary Secrets

“What’re you thinking about?” she asks softly as she continues caressing little figure eights over my abs.

It takes me a second to gather myself with all the overwhelming fluttery thoughts I’m having. “You. I think my parents would have liked you.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. They probably would have loved to hang out here with us, too. When I was little, my parents took me hiking a lot. Our favorite spot was near this small town a few hours south of LA. We’d hike to this big rock, and they’d bring snacks like I brought for you tonight. The three of us would lay out on a blanket under the stars, just talking.”

“That sounds wonderful. My grandparents never took me hiking. They like to do more indoor things.”

“Like meet your new boyfriend? That’s indoors.”

She chuckles, and I’m not fond of how it comes out with a hint of annoyance. With a deep sigh, she pushes herself up and sits with her legs in a pretzel.

“What?” I say and follow suit. My body feels a little cold where hers used to be.

“Nothing. I just feel like you’re obsessed with meeting my grandparents. That’s the third time you’ve brought it up this week.”

“You’re counting?”

She ignores my question. “What’s up with you wanting to meet them so bad?”

“What’s up with younotwanting me to meet them?”

“Like I said before, I think it’s too early for that.”

“Did Nathan get to meet them?”

She nods.

“How long did he have to wait?”

“About six months.”

Six months?I don’t have time for that.

“And,” Arella continues, “I didn’t introduce him to my grandparents until I felt like he and I had really connected, like on a level deeper than just two people dating. I don’t think you and I are there yet.”

“Okay... How can we get there?”And fast...I’m running low on time, and Victor’s running out of patience—that is, if he had any at all.

She lets out a small laugh and shakes her head. “That’s not how it works, Trey. A deep relationship takes time.”

“How will I know when we’ve reached that point?”

“I think you’ll just know.”

Playfully, I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re giving me too much credit, babe. I’m clueless about this stuff, remember? You’re gonna have to give me more details. Like... what will it look like?”

“What does a deep relationship look like?” She shrugs and thinks. “I suppose the biggest factor is that we’ll be in love.”

“In love?” Just saying that word out loud makes my throat dry.Me? In love?Is that possible? Probably, but not with an Ordinary. I could pretend though. “What does being in love look like?”

“You’ve never been in love?”

“Don’t think so.” I have an idea of what it looks like from hanging around Marcus and Emmy. They’re always touchy-feely with each other, and they do everything together. Whenever one walks into the room, I sense the other’s happiness spike upward. I assume that means they’re in love.

“Love looks different between everyone, but I think the one thing that’s constant is what my grammy always tells me. She says that when you love someone, you put their happiness before your own.”

I think about that for a moment, racking my brain for anyone I’ve ever felt that way about. Sadly, I can’t think of anyone. Even sadder, no one has ever felt that way for me. At least, not romantically.

---