Page 36

“Oh.” Omar kept his back to him when spooling his chain around the bike’s frame. “I don’t want her to think I got tested just because of her.”

Anthony could see how that wouldn’t come across as flattering. Besides, she probably took care of such things on her own, considering how casually she chose her partners. He was tempted to judge her for it, but maybe Omar had been an exception. That wasn’t hard to imagine. Not for him. Even if they hadn’t known each other for most of their lives, Anthony was certain it wouldn’t have taken long for the same feelings to develop. Hell, maybe it would have been instantaneous. Love at first sight.

“What?” Omar asked when noticing his stare. “Do I have something on my face?”

“Just a booger,” he lied. “It’s been there the whole morning,but I figured you already had enough to worry about.”

Omar began pawing at his nose in panic. Anthony laughed, wishing they could spend the entire weekend like this. But it wouldn’t last. Not withheraround.

— — —

Silvia finished getting ready in the employee restroom at the record store, already feeling ridiculous for fussing over herself. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, despite Mindy pleading with her to. Silvia simply didn’t see the point in caking herself up to change her appearance. What if Omar actually preferred how that looked? Then she might feel obligated to continue hiding her natural appearance, as if in shame. No thanks! She wasn’t averse to making herself presentable though.

Silvia had indeed washed her hair the night before, pleased with how it caught the light. She’d opted for a white blouse that was on the dressy side. This was countered by blue jeans that were pale and comfortable. Any talk of heels was quickly shot down. She’d gone instead with a pair of gray half-height boots that she normally wore in the colder seasons. Her mother had lent her gold hoop earrings. The finishing touch was lip gloss, which she carefully applied before pressing her lips together. Then she took a step back to assess herself.

The honest truth was that she looked mostly like she always did, although fresher than usual for the time of day. Hating the way her tummy rumbled with nerves, she flicked off the light switch and went to the front of the store, where Lester was chatting with one of their regulars. Her boss was an overweight middle-aged man with long gray hair that flowed down his neck and joined the thin layer of fur that covered his shoulders. So far she enjoyed working for him. He was an easy-going kind of guy.

“I’m heading out!” she called.

He nodded and smiled before continuing his conversation.

Silvia took a deep breath when stepping outside of the shop. This was where they’d agreed to meet. She heard the sound of a skateboard approaching and had mixed feelings when she saw Omar coming down the sidewalk. He was dressed casually—to her relief—in a long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of jeans, both black. The shirt didn’t have a band on it, so he did look nicer than usual while still very much himself. She was less thrilled with the camcorder that was currently pointed at her.

“I know, I know,” he said when lowering it. “I usually ask people if they want to be on camera, but I didn’t want to miss this shot. Just in case.”

“Of what?” Silvia asked.

“This is our first date,” Omar said with a bashful smile. “It could be the beginning of a lot of things, and if so, we’ll be glad that we documented it all.”

“You’re going to film the entire date?”

“Just the highlights. Oh! If you don’t mind.”

She thought about it and shrugged. “I guess not.”

“Cool. I’ll try not to be annoying about it.” Omar’s gaze moved over her but didn’t overstay its welcome. “You look really nice!”

“Thanks,” she said. “So do you.”

He grinned in response. Then he lifted the skateboard in one hand. “What should I do with this?”

“We can leave it in the store. It’ll be closed by the time the movie is over, but I have the key. I already put my bike in the back room.”

“Sweet!”

Once that was out of the way, Omar nodded toward the end of the block, where the pizza place was located. “Are you ready?”

She nodded and they began walking. Silvia was already feeling more at ease. She’d worried that Omar would expect a kiss in greeting—even just a polite smooch—but so far it didn’t feel so different from when they normally hung out.

“Thanks again for the GWAR concert,” Omar said. “I just watched it last night.”

“And?”

“It’s great! Although I didn’t expect there to be so much— Uh…”

“Fake semen?” Silvia guessed.

“Yeah,” Omar said. “Among other things. It’s not just the shock factor. Some of their songs are totally badass. Oh! But doyoulike them?”