Page 4 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
“My music, right?” Without waiting for his response, I reached for the infotainment system at the same time he did. He dropped his hand like I was contagious, and wasn’t that just the cherry on top of this crappy afternoon?
“Go ahead,” he said, pulling out of the parking slot.
I connected my phone and put on my peppiest girly-pop playlist. From the corner of my eye, I caught the grimace on Gabe’s face.
Maybe it was petty of me. But you better believe I smiled.
chapter two
luna
Kriz
You back??
Luna
Yup, straight to work What did I miss?
Kriz
Nothing. Can’t wait to hear abt your trip! Pick you up after your shift?
Luna
Yes please! See you later
Sighing, I stoodfrom my chair behind the counter and shook out my arms. The store had been quiet my entire shift, which was a good thing since my mind was all over the place.
Scratch that. It had been fixated on one specific person these past couple of hours—and it just had to be the one person Ishouldn’tbe thinking about. The same guy who treated me likeI was invisible except when we had to play nice for my sister’s sake.
After Ate decided to move back home, I assumed I wouldn’t have to deal with Gabe again. Yet there he’d been, waiting for me at the airport. For a breathless moment, I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, we could actually be friends even without Ate pulling us together.
Too bad it didn’t last.
“Lulu!”
My head snapped toward the entrance as a tall, tan girl with honey-streaked brown hair strutted in like she was on a runway instead of a campus store.
“Kriz.” Grinning, I rounded the counter and gave her a tight hug.
I met Kriz Sheffield on my first day at Sterling University. We’d been grouped together during freshman orientation and quickly learned we had two things in common—Filipino blood and a love for fashion. Needless to say, she became my first—and best—friend here.
“Welcome back. You were gone for so long!” she said as she squeezed my midsection.
“I was gone for two and a half days. That’s shorter than your trips.” Kriz took off at least once a month to attend fashion shows and photoshoots all over the world. But despite her glamorous side hustle, she was one of the sweetest people I knew.
“Yeah, well, I’m not used to you not being here.”
“Aww, I missed you too.” Drawing back, I admired the dainty check pattern on her minidress. “Love this dress, by the way! I don’t think I’ve seen it before.”
She smiled and ran her hand over the fabric. “Thanks! I just got it from this online shop called Renewed Look. You shouldcheck it out—they sell vintage clothes and accessories at cheaper prices than physical stores.”
It sounded right up my alley. Sadly, I couldn’t afford to shop for anything other than the necessities for the unforeseeable future. “I’ll look it up,” I said.
“You’re going to love it! Anyway, tell me everything. How was Santa Mila? I saw you and your sister on the jumbotron during Jason’s game. You’re famous! Did you hook up with any of the players? Who was the hottest in real life?”
I laughed because Kriz could go on with her questions until she ran out of breath. “Hold on, let me close up first.”
