Page 40 of Just Another Meet Cute
“Well, I do love me some Tom Holland. But I don’t want to butt in on your date or anything either. Especially if you guys start to … you know.” Her hands motioned at her lips.
Oh God. If she wasn’t my only cousin and I didn’t love her so much, then I would definitely kill her.
My blush that just faded instantly came roaring back as Ryan snickered on the other end. “We’re not going to—do you want to go or not?”
“I guess it would be okay. Maybe we’ll think of some kind of signal you guys can use to get me to leave you alone.” Her face scrunched up as she thought it over. “I would have to leave right after the movie anyway. The Haynes wanted me to watch their kid tonight, so you guys can make out after I leave.”
Now there was choking laughter on the other end of the phone.
Never mind. I was going to kill her anyway. Cousins were overrated.
I put my hand on her forehead and pushed her away before turning my back to her again. “She said she’ll come.”
“Great, then I’ll meet you guys there.”
“Okay.”
I started to hang up when Ryan called out my name.
“Hey, Nina?”
“Yeah?”
“Let me know what signal you guys figure out.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Just in case.”
My stomach fluttered, and I knew there was a stupid grin on my face, but I couldn’t help it. “Uh, okay.”
Once we hung up, I glanced over at Linh, expecting her to tease me some more about Ryan. But to my surprise, she was already across the kitchen washing her hands. Her foot tapped against the cabinet door like she was figuring out a recipe or something important. “You know, I’ve been thinking …”
Uh-oh. That wasnevera good sign. “What?”
Linh wiped her wet hands on her leggings before turning around. Looking thoughtful, she leaned forward on the counter toward me. “Maybe Mr. Unicorn’s annoying you so much because he likes you.”
The grin instantly wiped from my face and all I could do was blink at her. The fluttery feelings from Ryan disappeared. “Why would you think that?”
“I think he’s messing with you so much because he wants your attention. Like how Tuan would toss the ball at me for weeks during dodgeball before he got up the nerve to ask me out?”
Now it was my turn to snort. Loudly because she was ridiculous. “That’s when you were both ten. I think things are alittlebit different for us now.”
“Throwing a ball at someone’s head and ordering them to get you lunch aren’t that different.” Her index finger tapped against her lower lip. “Didn’t his sister say that he rushed back to the hiking trail? He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t at least like you a little bit.”
I regretted admitting that fact to her now. Especially because the Ian from the hike seemed like the complete opposite from the Ian now. “He probably just wanted to get his jacket back.”
“I doubt he expected to just find his jacket on a rock.” Linh delicately shrugged. “I’m just saying that it’s a possibility.”
“Uh, sure. An impossible possibility.” I knocked my two knuckles on the top of her head like Báused to do, making her yip. “And don’t call him Mr. Unicorn.”
“Why not?”
“That was his nickname when he was nice. Not a total ass like he is now.”
She grimaced. “Ouch. Okay, but back toIanliking you—”
I rolled my eyes. “And if you actually believe that, then it looks like Ian’s not the only one who’sdiên around here.”
Arriving at the theater before Ryan, we went into the bathroom to freshen up. Well, Linh did. I wanted to grab some tissues to scrub off the red lipstick she coerced me into putting on. It looked super cool with her pale skin and full lips. Yet it made her dainty features look even daintier. But the bold lipstick clashed with my tanned face. Plus, the top of my lip was a tad bigger than my bottom lip, and somehow the lipstick made it look even more lopsided.
Even if the shade didn’t look totally weird, I still wouldn’t wear it. It was a bit much. Like I was painting a red bull’s-eye right on my face. I mean, I did want Ryan to kiss me again, but I didn’t need to be that obvious. If he couldn’t find my lips without a target, then we had some pretty big problems.
