Page 33 of Love Story

“You seem—”

“Sorry—I’m good—too much work,” he replied, his voice lighter but still not quite right.I’d known Haider a very long time, and he wasn’t right.“What did you call for?”

I hesitated, rubbing the back of my neck as I paced the room.“I, uh… I might have sort of… think…”

“What?”Haider asked, his tone sharpening.“Shit, Sam, what?Is it your parents?”

“No,” I muttered, feeling my nerves spike.“Okay, look.I like Ben.”

“Ben from Boston?”Haider said.“Big-city Ben.”

There it was—a reminder of what happened last time I’d been interested in a guy.I rubbed my chest.Byron-from-the-city had been an aberration, a blip, someone I shouldn’t waste time on.

There was silence for half a beat before Haider continued, “And?”

“And you called dibs,” I said, the words spilling out faster now.“But I think I want to kiss him, and I don’t want to do something idiotic like destroy the bro-code, if that’s even a thing.”

There was another pause, then the sound of Haider snorting.One laugh turned into another, and I could imagine him rolling on the floor.

“It’s not funny,” I snapped, feeling stupid and defensive.

“You can’t call dibs on a person,” Haider said, his voice still tinged with amusement.

“But you said—”

“I was joking, Sam,” he interrupted, still chuckling with a hint of exasperation.“Come on, did youreallythink I was serious?”

“Well, yeah,” I admitted, feeling my face heat even though he couldn’t see me.“It’s not like I know all the rules to this dating crap.”

He sighed, and for a moment, the line went quiet.When he spoke again, his voice had softened.“Look, you like him, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, my voice quieter now.

“And he’s nothing like… y’know… the other one.”

“I hope not.”

“Then go for it,” he said.“If Ben likes you back, that’s all that matters.”

There was something off in his tone, the first time I’d ever heard Haider sound as if he were holding back.I frowned.“Are you sure you’re okay?”I asked again.

“All good,” he said, brushing it aside.“Jeez, Sam, go get your man.”

He hung up before I could say anything else, leaving me standing there, phone still in hand, staring at the screen.Something wasn’t right.Haider didn’t get grumpy.He didn’t brush me off like that.And yet, he had.

But before I could dwell on it too much, my thoughts shifted back to Ben.To his shy smile, the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.Haider’s words echoed in my head.

“Go get your man.”

Maybe I would.

And I’d be sure to have something to break the ice.

Something that would fascinate him long enough so I could stare at him.

“WHERE DO WEkeep the old family history stuff?”I asked Mom, leaning against the kitchen counter as she stirred soup in a pot on the stove.The smell of simmering herbs and vegetables filled the room—comforting and familiar.She’d asked me over for dinner, and there was no way I’d say no.

She glanced at me, wiping her hands on a dish towel.“History stuff?What kind of history?”

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