Page 11

Chapter ten

The Language of Love

Karma

“All hail Evangeline Delarosa, the best Fairy Godmother ever!” I pass her a lit joint.

“Damn straight,” she says before taking a puff.

An ambient track streams on my laptop. We’re sitting on the couch in our comfiest sweats. There’s a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. You know what that means, right?

It’s Crime or Time o’clock.

But tonight, Evie can ask me any question she likes. Without her advice, I may never have gotten a date with Josh. We might never have had our first kiss. Now I feel like my life is on a whole new trajectory. I’ve got a purpose, a plan—I’m gonna treat Josh like the King that he is and prove myself worthy of him... with a little help from my bestie.

“Details, carnal . I want to hear all about your date.“ Evie tries to hand the joint back to me.

I wave it away. Who needs marijuana? I’m on an emotional high. “We went for a walk in the park as the stars came out. We held hands in the moonlight. We shared an amazing first kiss. It was the most romantic night of my life.”

“Tell me more.” She leans forward, grabbing a handful of popcorn and tossing a piece into her mouth.

I could talk about Josh all night. “We shared our hopes and dreams… our pasts and futures... He’s everything I could ask for in a partner. Brilliant. Fascinating. Gorgeous. What more do you want to know?”

Evie quirks an eyebrow. “His name, for one.”

I reach for her hand and give it a squeeze. No more hiding—I’m ready to tell the world. “His name is Josh Malik.”

“Josh Malik...?” She takes another hit off the joint, her eyes narrowed in thought. “Isn’t he the boy genius I’ve been hearing about around campus? Like, literally a rocket scientist?”

I nod my head and grin.

“Whoa, Karma! Way to knock it out of the park, Bro.”

“Right?” A burst of happiness fills my chest. “I really like him, Evie—and he says he likes me, too. I think I could fall in love with this guy.”

“Then you know what you have to do.” She gives me a pointed look.

“Choose. Pursue. Commit,” I repeat her Three Steps. “But I need your help, Sis. How do I win over someone who’s completely out of my league?”

Evie leans back into the corner of the couch, curling her legs underneath her. “Hmmm… Maybe you should start by discovering his love language.”

His what?

She responds to my blank stare with a weary shake of her head. “A person’s ‘love language’ is the primary way that they give and receive affection. The way that they feel most valued. It’s like finding the magic key that will unlock Josh’s heart. Once you do that, poof! The frog turns into a prince.”

I’m the frog in this analogy, just so you know.

“Go on. Tell me more.” I have no problem accepting my toad-iness.

Evie grabs her phone off of the coffee table and types in a search. “OK… according to the author, Gary Chapman, it says that ‘words of affirmation’ are the first type of love language. Y’know, telling your dream guy how great he is.”

That makes sense. “Yeah, who doesn’t like to hear nice things about themselves? But if I do that all the time, won’t I sound cringey?”

“It’s a fine line. We’ll work on it,” she says. “The next one on the list is ‘quality time’.”

Ooh, that’s a tough one. Josh is probably as busy as I am. “It’s gonna be hard to spend a lot of time together, what with finals and all. Plus, we’ve both got summer internships.”

“You’ll make it work. A meal here and there… late-night phone calls…”

“Oh, and I’m helping him write a speech for graduation!”

Evie holds her hand in the air and I high-five it. “Volunteer work counts as an ‘act of service’, which is the next love language.”

Perfect. “Josh seems to appreciate my help, and it’s a great way to get to know him better. What else is on the list?” I try to peek at her phone.

“Physical touch,” she says, then points a finger at me.

I lift up my hands in self-defense. “Yeah, yeah—I got it. No sex. But what if that’s his love language?” I’m pretty sure it’s mine.

“We’ve had this conversation before.” My best friend gives me the side-eye. “What are you going to do? You’re gonna…”

“ Keep it in my pants ,“ I groan. For someone who likes pot as much as Evie does, she can really be a buzz-kill.

“That’s right.” She gives a firm nod. “There are lots of ways to connect through physical touch besides sex. Try wrapping your arm around him or putting a hand on his hip.”

The thought of putting my hand on Josh’s hip sends a zing into my lower belly. It reminds me of the way he crawled into my lap… the way he moaned when I bit his neck… the way he begged me to keep kissing him…

“You’re thinking about sex right now, aren’t you?”

“Gimme the joint,” I tell my bestie. I’m gonna need to mellow out if we’re going to come up with a solid plan. I can’t let lust get in the way of winning Josh over, not when I finally have a shot with him.

As I light up and take a deep hit, Evie continues reading from her phone. “The last type of love language is ‘receiving gifts’. That one’s the easiest, so maybe you should start there. Bring him flowers, or chocolate, or a handwritten note—you could even write him a poem.” A dreamy look settles over her face. I guess I know what Evie’s love language is.

“I’ll do it, Fairy Godmother,” I tell her. “I’ll shower Josh with gifts. I only have one other question.”

“What is it, carnal ?“ she asks, still preoccupied with her dreams of a Happily Ever After .

I stretch my arms overhead, basking in the moment. “It’s a simple one: Crime or Time?”

Evie stares at me, the words slowly sinking in. “Wait… no! I didn’t think we were playing!”

“You didn’t say we weren’t.” Yaas. Sweet revenge.

“ Arghh! “ she groans. “What crime do I have to admit to?”

I rub my hands together. I’ve been thinking about this question for a while… I’ve kept it in my back pocket, just in case. “What I want to know is, what is the one player on campus that you would hook-up with? No relationship, no HEA—just hot, wild, no-holds-barred sex.”

Evie’s jaw drops. As the gears in her mind turn, her lips thin into a stubborn line. “Time,” she mutters.

“You’re kidding, right?” I raise my eyebrows at her. “You really won’t admit his name?”

She folds her arms across her chest. “Just tell me my punishment.”

Interesting... I guess we all have our secrets. “OK then, you asked for it. Evangeline Delarosa, I hereby sentence you to… frog kisses.“ My bestie knows what I mean.

“ ?Ay, pendejo! I do not kiss frogs.“ Evie pokes me with one finger.

I shrug my shoulders. “Yeah, I know. But maybe it’s time to break your own rules.”

“I don’t have rules. I have steps ,“ she insists.

I let out a laugh. My Fairy Godmother doesn’t like having the glass slipper on the other foot, does she?

“You don’t have to actually hook up with anyone,” I say, patting her on the knee. “Just give a player a chance. Lower your standards for a while and enjoy a few meaningless kisses.”

“How long is a ‘while’,” she asks.

A slow grin spreads across my face. “Three months. Two months with time off for bad behavior.”

Evie grabs a handful of popcorn and throws it at me. “You are the worst best friend ever. ”

“I love you, too.” I laugh.

As she settles back into her corner of the couch, a throw pillow hugged to her chest, she grumbles, “Fine, whatever. No sex for you and disgusting players for me. It’s gonna be a fantastic summer.”

“It won’t be so bad.” I take one last pull off the joint before snuffing it out. “Maybe we both need to shake things up and try something new. A little adventure… a little romance…”

“A little magic,” Evie adds, a tiny spark igniting in her eyes.

That’s my girl. “Change is coming, Fairy Godmother—and I can hardly wait.”