Page 94 of The Summer of Everything

Manu brought him tea. Manu took enough care to pick up on his tea obsession and attempted to impress him with a drink Wes is certain to hate—English Breakfast is hisleastfavorite tea flavor—even though Wes has been ghosting him.

It’s a glitch in the matrix. Tea is Nico’s thing. It’s a sacred tradition and one of the things Wes loves most about their history together.

And here’s Manu, dressed in a pale yellow button-up, the collar undone and sleeves rolled up, looking like a genuine adult with a future. Looking like a possible future for Wes.

Out of bad habit, Wes gazes past Manu to the front counter.

Nico, in his “I♥books” T-shirt and an old gray cardigan that Wes thinks belonged to Mr. Alvarez, is frowning. He’s clocked Manu. Wes wonders if he’s identified Manu as the date from two weeks ago.

“Hey, Officially Wes?”

Wes blinks hard at Manu. “Sorry. Uh, thanks.”

“You’re welcome?” Manu peeks over his shoulder.

Shit.

Nico’s eyes lock with Manu’s.

Shit.

“Is this a bad time?” Manu asks.

Yes.

Wes shuffles awkwardly. Cooper’s watching them. Zay’s watching him. Nico’s watching Manu. Wes can just barely hear Anna’s high-pitched narrator voice over the knocking heart in his ears.

This should be such an easy decision.Pick Manu. He’s your future. Walk into the light. But he can’t.

Nico blinks repeatedly behind those stupid glasses that remind Wes of late nights studying with tea and orange soda.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I just thought…” Manu stammers, brushing a hand over his thick hair. “We had a great time on our date, right?”

Theirdate. Not unofficial. Not a meeting of two online friends that ended in a kiss.

It was a date.

Heat prickles Wes’s cheeks. “Ye-Yeah.” He hates the awkwardness in his voice and how he won’t just listen to his brain. “Sorry. I’ve been busy. Saving the bookstore. It’s been… a lot.”

“Okay,” replies Manu, sounding disappointed.

Guilt drags Wes’s shoulders down. He attempts to find words for Manu. A proper apology. Or a poetic show of gratitude. Wes isthankfulfor Manu. He’s thankful for the tea and Manu’s easy conversation on their date and the reality that Wes could kiss someone else, someone who wasn’t his soul-crippling crush, and like it.

But instinct overrules common sense. In weird, unsure situations, Wes looks for Nico. It’s like a magnet. His eyes travel over Nico’s cautious expression; their breaths synch as they inhale.

“Oh.”

Wes’s attention flickers back to Manu a second too late. Recognition has fully set in.

“Someone else, right?” Manu’s voice is cool, flat. “I really missed that one, didn’t I?”

Wes’s lips open, but nothing comes out, not even the pathetic squeak he makes at the worst, uncomfortable moments. He’s silent.

Manu gestures toward the door with his head. “Got it. No prob.” Then he walks away.

It’s an eternity before Wes realizes he hasn’t moved. Okay, it’s probably closer to two minutes, but it’s never-ending. Embarrassment irritates his skin. His heart’s running a marathon behind his ribs. His brain has exploded in his skull.

Why are you still here?

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