Page 24 of Love's a Glitch
Then she was counting us down, much like I’d done with her before we’d gone ziplining.
“One,” she shouted, and then the three of us were off and running, skipping across the steps and soaring through the air, each one of us determined to be the winner.
* * *
As soon aswe reached the counter at the Burger Lounge, Ellie rattled off her order to the cashier. She requested they leave off the pickles—whichhow could she?—and then slung her arm around my waist. “And this guy can have whatever he wants. My treat.”
“No, I was planning on buyin—”
“No way. You won the race. That deserves a reward.”
“That’s because I had an amazing cheerleader on the sidelines, urging me on. So really you deserve the reward.” Both Aarón and Tomas had gotten faster, but so had I, and without the weight of a backpack containing a week’s worth of essentials, I’d felt light as a fucking feather.
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It’s happening, so don’t argue. This is the way my friends and I do things. If someone wins big, the others treat them to food and drinks. It’s tradition.”
Funny how she was giving me the type of recognition I’d always wanted from my own parents back when I was competing in school sports, or even with my photography class. Dad had been fixated on the business, while Mom was planning or throwing yet another elaborate event. They hadn’t bothered showing up to my games or events, and the art show had actually caused a huge fight.
Dad wasn’t happy I’d entered in the first place, insisting my “hobby” was a “waste of time.” I’d doubted myself to the point I’d been shocked when they’d called my name as the first-place winner that night. Every other student had at least one of their parents there, and several had both, along with brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles.
It wasn’t like it bothered me anymore, but the way Ellie made such a big deal of such a small victory made my heart go all mushy. Same way it’d done when she’d been there at the finish line, jumping up and down and screaming for me to push harder, and yelling I was almost there. We’d crashed into a hug, and I’d nearly planted a kiss on her, as though the interaction was one we’d had a hundred times.
I’d definitely remember kissing those full lips.For the second time today, I got caught up in gazing longingly at them. As much as I wanted a taste, that’d leave things as muddied as the ropes course after a rainstorm.
“Are you going to order, or should I just tell him to double it?”
I shook myself out of my stupor and ordered, asking if they could add the pickles from her burger to mine. That was the second time my brain had botched things up on me. Ellie had mentioned she was hungry, and I’d turned and asked the Garcia brothers if they’d like to grab food with us. They’d both gaped at me like I was an idiot, and I got it, I did. But much like having the harnesses, ropes, and safety nets to catch me if I fell, I worried that going somewhere alone with Ellie might lull me into forgetting I wasn’t supposed to kiss her, and then we’d crash to the ground, nothing to soften the hard landing.
After our food was up, I followed her to a table, helpless to her pull. How was she still single? Were the guys she’d dated before blind? Or was she as hasty and picky as she claimed?
All this time I’d been overly cocky, thinking she’d go for me andIwas the one holding back, when for all I knew, I might not have a chance in hell.
12
Ellie
Ketchup oozed from my burger and dripped onto the side of my hand. My messiness was another thing I struggled to keep on the DL. My coding was impeccable, but the rest of my life, not so much. My excuse was that I needed one part of my life that didn’t need to be perfect and neat, and boy did I succeed at failing on that front.
With burgers so big they took two hands and practically dislocating your jaw like a snake did before munching on its prey, I didn’t have a chance.
I probably should’ve thought of that before picking this spot to eat at with Luke, but then again, he’d invited his friends to dinner with us, so it’s not likeheconsidered this a date.
In a lot of ways, it was a relief to justbe. All fun, no pressure.
Sure, when I’d first realized he didn’t see me as dating potential, disappointment threaded through my joy, the sharp needle tip jabbing tiny holes in it. Strong, instant connections were hard to find, not to mention the fact that he was smoking hot. He also got my humor—you’d be surprised how many dudes did not—and when he’d hugged me so tightly after his win that my feet left the ground, I’d melted on the spot.
But with all the dating I was doing—or redoing—I relished the chance to joke around and be me without second-guessing my every move. Also, I could lick the condiment mess off my hand instead of having to let go of my burger and watch it all fall apart as I sought a napkin.
Or maybe not, as his eyebrows had arched sky high at the move.
Slowly, a smile spread across his face, one of his cheeks popping with the bite he’d taken out of his burger.
“I told you I was really hungry,” I said as demurely as one could with a full mouth.
“I didn’t doubt you for a second. I’m impressed at the way you go all in on whatever you’re doing, whether it’s being convinced to cross a rope bridge or eat a burger. And I can’t stop thinking about how easy this is—it feels like we’ve hung out at least a dozen times before.”
“For reals. I was totally thinking that as well. It’s nice. Hanging out without the added pressure of saying the right things and making the right moves. It’s sorta liked we started on date six or seven, skipped out on the awkwardness, and settled on this comfortable friendship.”
The instant it slipped out of my mouth, my brain did the opposite of what I’d just claimed, wondering if calling it date six or seven was a mistake since we absolutely weren’t on a date. Maybe even referring to us as friends was too much for Luke. I didn’t want to sever the possibility of more, just like I didn’t want to ruin it by expecting more.
