Page 28 of Heartthrobs Don't Date Wallflowers
I felt like I was trying to put together a puzzle but only being given one or two pieces at a time. I knew they all came together to make a bigger picture, but I wasn’t sure how. Luca. Living with his friend. His sister going to boarding school after something. He would be staying in his current house for the next couple of years, but traveling a lot over the summer. I guess his sister decided to go to boarding school afterLuca moved in with him and that was why he didn’t go too? I wasn’t sure how that connected with the summer thing, though, and I obviously couldn’t ask for more information.
But I suddenly remembered why I knew Luca’s name—he was one of the people in the group chat.Tis Moi Luca, he was the one who took somebody’s shirt.
“Sounds like you live an interesting life,” I said. “Can’t imagine what that’s like.”
“Interesting sure is one word for it,” he said. His tone was weird and I got the sense that he was making a reference to something I didn’t know about.
I hesitated, wondering if I’d hit a nerve. “Not always a good thing?”
He paused, and I could almost feel him considering his answer. “It has its moments. Some days are better than others.”
“Oh,” I said, softening. “I’m sorry.”
He laughed, the sound lighter now. ”No need to be. Hearing your voice for the first time? Best thing that’s happened to me today.”
Okay, play it cool.
Don’t freak out.
Totally normal to have a mini heart attack because some mysterious guy over the phone just decided to ruin your ability to breathe.
The comfortable silence settled in again. It felt like we’d found this weird little bubble of space, just the two of us. He wasn’t trying toohard to be cool or flirty, and I wasn’t stumbling over my words like I usually did with boys.
“I like talking to you,” I blurted out before I could think better of it.
He didn’t say anything for a moment, and I cringed at how awkward that sounded. But before I could apologize, he spoke.
“I like talking to you, too.”
I smiled into my pillow, suddenly feeling a little warmer. “I was kind of afraid I’d be boring on the phone.”
“Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, though it wasn’t really out of place. “It’s easier to be funny over text. You’ve got time to think about what you’re saying. But on a call, it’s just… you. No filters.”
He made a thoughtful sound. “I don’t think you’re boring at all. If you were, I’d have found a way to get out of this call by now.”
I laughed, the sound surprising me. “Okay, fine. I’ll trust you on that.”
“But… I should probably get back to my homework soon,” he said, though he didn’t sound like he wanted to end the call.
“Yeah, me too,” I said, though in reality, my homework was sitting abandoned on my desk, nowhere near getting done.
“Let’s do this again sometime,” he said, his voice warm in a way that made me feel like he actually meant it.
“I’d like that,” I replied, my heart doing that little fluttery thing again.
“Goodnight, Princess.”
I’d read “Princess” in his texts a thousand times now but hearing it in his voice was different. I stammered out a goodnight, then let him hang up while I just dropped the phone onto the bed and let out a sigh. The stars on my ceiling glowed faintly above me, and for the first time in a while, this big and almost-empty house didn’t feel quite so lonely.
eight
I thoughtthe fan-swarming at Starbucks was probably a one-off, with the girls being so excited because they didn’t go to school with the band or see them frequently, but I was proven wrong when I got to school the next day. Mom couldn’t even pull all the way into the parking lot because it was filled with girls screaming the boys’ names and holding stuff for them to sign.
“You can just let me off here,” I said as Mom pulled over at the sidewalk. “I’ll cross the lawn.”
“What’s going on here?” Mom asked, leaning forward to look at it.
