Page 136 of New Growth
I glanced at the banner again. “It’s… impressive.”
“Just impressive?”
When I looked back at him, he was closer than before. My pulse jumped.
“It’s kinda crazy,” I admitted. “Seeing how much people love something you made.”
His eyes warmed. “I don’t think they loveObsidianas much as I do.”
The underlying meaning of his words made my stomach flip.
I looked away, gripping the strap of my bag. “El…”
He tilted his head, his voice soft. “Yes, Peanut?”
“What you said back there, about love…” I trailed off, hesitating, but asked anyway. “Were you talking about me?”
He didn’t even blink. “Yes.”
I turned my gaze back to the banner, heart thudding. “But… you mean you love me as a friend, right?”
There was a moment of silence before his face drew together in confusion—then El burst out laughing. A full, rich sound that echoed louder than it should have.
I was thrown. “What’s so funny?”
He shook his head, still grinning. “Nothing. Just—sure, Ellie. I love you as a friend.”
A comforting lie.
“You hungry?” he asked casually. “They’ve got food stalls around. We could check them out.”
“Yeah… I could eat. Did you?”
Not that I needed to ask. I’d checked his Dexcom ten minutes ago.
“I had breakfast,” he said, stretching his arms. “A little tired, though. Might grab a coffee if we find some.”
“Sounds good. Maybe I’ll grab a cup, too.”
He gave me a knowing look. “Trust me, Peanut. These convention coffees aren’t your fancy lattes. We’re lucky if they remember cream and sugar.”
We wandered through the food stalls, grabbing whatever caught our eyes while El argued with every vendor to make sure nothing had even a trace of tree nuts. Eventually, we found a tucked-away booth with decent seats, mostly hidden from view. It helped slow the stream of fans that had been approaching him every ten seconds for autographs and photos. While he was always grateful to oblige, I just wanted a little time with him alone.
“It’s crazy how much they adore you,” I said, watching as a group of kids walked by wearing Obsidian merch.
He shrugged with a modest smile. “People still love superheroes, I guess. And Obsidian’s one of the only Black female leads featured today. A lot of people want to thank me for making that happen. It’s nice to know people see themselves in my work.”
“Hmm. Based on what you said at the panel, sounds like they see themselves in me. I should get a writing credit.” I smirked.
He scoffed. “You don’t need one. I spend all the royalties on you anyway.”
I shoved him lightly, and he laughed, resting his arm along the back of the booth behind me.
“So,” he said, “what do you want to do after this? Movies? Library? That little convenience store by the beach?”
“Home,” I said without thinking. “I want to crawl under the covers and forget I exist.”
“Fair,” he replied easily. “Your place or mine?”
