Page 64 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
You already are just by talking to me.
My eyes widened as the thought flickered in my head. I tossed back the rest of my coffee, hoping the caffeine would reboot my brain. “You can tell me what your parents really thought about Jason’s move. I’m not sure your sister wasn’t exaggerating their reaction.”
Laughter sputtered out of Luna, and she launched into a retelling of the day Tala officially introduced Jason to her parents. Before I knew it, my ten-minute break had tripled in length but I didn’t mind. It took Luna pointing out the time for me to reluctantly say good night.
Then I spent the next ten minutes looking up her Instagram account—which was private, unlike Tala’s—and debating whether or not I should finally create my own.
One month later. . .
luna
I stared atmy phone, then blinked multiple times to clear my vision.
The notification was still there:gmartins requested to follow you.
Clicking his profile showed me he was following two news accounts and two people: Tala Reyes and Jason Meyer.
Guess that made me lucky number five.
My heart pounded as I dialed his number. When he picked up, I blurted out, “You made an Instagram account?”
There was silence, and Gabe said, “I thought I’d get the full student experience.”
I burst into laughter. “Okay, for a second, I thought someone was impersonating you.” Putting him on speaker, I went back to the app and accepted his request. “I wonder what you’ll post. Finance tips? Your drink of the day?”
“Nothing. I’m just testing it as an alternative to my news aggregator.”
“Uh huh.” I rolled my eyes because only he would make social media sound sonotsocial. “Well, I’m warning you in advance that my posts will mess up your feed.”
It struck me then that Gabe was actually going to see my photos. I didn’t post often, but when I did, it was random things I found interesting. A painted doorway with flowers, unique patterns, a vintage outfit I spotted while window shopping. Then there were a few shots with friends.
I tried not to overthink my posts but now that Gabe would see them . . .
“I wouldn’t mind,” he said.
Giddy energy radiated through me. Clearing my throat, I tried to sound casual. “I bet I can get you to start posting too.”
“If anyone could, it’s you.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I held back a squeal.
This guy was killing me, and I was living for the thrill of it.
gabe
Lying on mydesk next to a glass of water, my phone lit up with multiple notifications, and it took my full determination to continue typing out my paragraph.
I had worked through distractions before. I could do it again.
When I completed the section, I rewarded myself with a quick phone check. Luna had sent me three reels, allabout men’s style trends through the years.
I wanted to call her, but it seemed excessive. So I settled for replying instead.
Gabe
I thought you were studying for your test.
Luna
