Page 4 of Wishing for La Luna
ME
OMG, Sel. I have so much to tell you. Where are you? I’m coming to you.
I cannot wait to tell my cousin about meeting Rio Castillo. I didn’t know he would be here. He’s hotter in person—as if that were possible. That full mouth, that pretty boy face, lashes for days, brown-almost-black eyes, and those lips—the videos do not lie. He’s got me so giddy.
That part is probably not okay. I’ve been around enough celebrities to know that some are complete assholes. Not him, though. I’m still smiling as I run downstairs. Adina’s waiting for me outside the building, and I’m ready to go.
I can’t believe that just happened. I just wanted to tell Rio how much I loved his music, but when he turned around and looked at me so mean, I made the excuse of trying to get a drink. But he turned out to be so sweet. He even flirted with me! His eyes seemed so sad, a little dull, and he was awkward, but that went away as we spoke.And he almost kissed me.My chest still burns, thinking about him.
I even got his number. And he’s already texting me!
Rio
To make sure you got my number. Text anytime.
I open the door to the street, and my friend Adina Belmont, also known asAdi in the City, stands there in all her glory—tall, beautiful, 10/10 body, glorious black hair, and a scowl so mean it could bring a star down from the sky.
“Where the hell have you been?” Her tone is harsh, as it usually is when she’s ticked off.
“I was upstairs. Where were you? You disappeared on me. I was looking for you for a while,” I say.
But that’s how I ran into my favorite artist and then figured she would find me. No regrets.
“Working on setting up a collab. I’m here to network, too.” Now she’s got her back up and won’t look me in the eye.
“Okay, you were doing your thing. Why are you mad?”
She rolls her eyes. “Who says I’m mad? I just couldn’t find you.”
“Well, here I am.” There’s no way I’m going to engage in whatever mood she is in now. I’m not letting her bring me down this time. I’m flying too high. I need my hype woman right now, my cousin Sel, because she’s going to die when I tell her I met Rio Castillo. I just need to make sure Adina gets home first. “Are you ready to go?”
“No. Rio’s here. I want to meet him.”
His name stirs a fluttering in my belly, and words rush out of my mouth. “He’s in the studio. But don’t worry, you’ll get to meet him soon.”
She frowns. “What? How do you know?”
Her eyes bulge, her words suddenly overpronounced. It’s what kills the fluttering and puts out the excitement. I know her well enough to know something went wrong—someone stepped on her toe, or had the same shirt, or maybe a guy she liked said hello to someone else—and now she is in a bad mood. It’s a signal that I need to get away from her. Growing up together, I’ve learned that I love this chick with all my heart — she’s my sister in my heart — but sometimes I need to love her from another borough.
“It’s no biggie. I was talking to him upstairs. He has my number. We’re probably going to hang out, and I’m definitely going to make sure my bestie gets to meet him.”
Her gaze narrows, and her face goes red. She takes a step toward me. “Lulu, what the fuck are you doing?”
I blink a few times, my mouth drifting open.Huh?“I…what?”
“I’m talking to him. I was supposed to meet him inside but got caught up in business.”
I’m stunned.Is this a joke?She never mentioned this.
“You told me earlier that we came to see Niko and Chico Sparx. You never mentioned him.”
“It was between him and me. Do I have to tell you everything? Like, Jesus, you’re my friend. You heard me talk about him. I thought I could trust you around my dude.”
Has she been snorting again?
I touch her arm, pulling her a few steps away from the entrance. “Adi, I didn’t know he was your dude. We talked about his music. How can I know if you didn’t tell me?”
She shakes my hand off.
