Page 15

Lily

“ D id you hear about Kelli?” Stella asks as she stuffs a chip loaded with cheese dip into her mouth.

“Kelli who?” I needed this. I needed to get out of the house and see my best friend after the roller coaster of emotions I’ve been dealing with since last night.

“You know Kelli. She’s in my sorority house.”

She says her name like I should know exactly who she’s talking about, but I can’t seem to picture who the girl is. That doesn’t mean much, though. There are a dozen girls in her sorority house who I only know by name because Stella has mentioned them.

“Which one is she again?” I ask as a server places our food down in front of us.

I haven't eaten all day, but with how fast I inhale my food, I probably look like I haven't eaten in three days.

I moan around a mouthful. “This is sooo good. Great idea, Stels.” I’m starting to feel like my old self. My anxiety over the unknowns of my dream is pushed back to the recesses of my mind.

“Don’t forget to breathe, girl.” Stella laughs as she digs in along with me. “You can never go wrong with Mexican.”

“Ain’t that the truth, sista from another mista.” I sing the last part.

Stella snorts. “You’re a dork.”

I shrug. “Now, who is this Kelli chick, and do I need to beat her butt for you? ”

Stella smiles broadly and leans forward, her eyes widening. “Have I told you today how much I love you? Because if I haven’t, I should have. Any friend who would offer their services to bodily harm some random chick with no questions asked to defend their friend is the bee’s knees.”

I sit up taller in the booth and drop my fork. “Oh! Did you know that the bee’s knees expression was used to describe something that did not exist? Like if your mother sent you to the store to buy a left-handed pencil and a bag of bee’s knees!”

Stella smiles. “So it was like a way to send people on a wild goose chase?”

“Exactly. A harmless prank.” My lips pucker when I remember to try to hold in my weirdness. One random fact for the night should suffice, but the need to get another out almost bursts from my chest, and Stella must see it.

“Spit it out, girl. I know you are dying to.”

“‘A wild goose chase’ originated from the sixteenth century in reference to a type of horse race where the riders followed a leader resembling a flock of geese in formation.” I push the words out so fast that I’m short of breath at the end.

Stella giggles. “Another reason why I love you, Lily Pad. Your random facts entertain me.”

“Glad I could be of service. Sometimes, I feel like people get annoyed more than entertained.” I give a sad smile.

There have been so many times when I’ve felt shamed or embarrassed just from people’s reactions to my random facts. Most people think I’m weird, and that’s okay. They can think whatever they want. I need to get used to the fact that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.

“Well, those people are idiots because I think it’s endearing. Who gives a rat’s ass what they think, huh?” Stella holds up her half-full margarita so I can toast with her. I reach forward and grab mine, raising it to meet hers.

“To not giving a rat’s ass!” Stella cheers.

“To rat’s asses!” I say in a fit of giggles.

Stella hoots with laughter as our glasses clink together. I’m laughing so hard tears start to leak out of my eyes. I blink to clear my vision, and when I do, I notice a figure hovering right behind Stella. I blink again, and much to my surprise—and disappointment—Luka comes into view.

Stella is still giggling as he slides into the booth next to her and does a pretty damn good job of not looking at me. I clear my throat, lower my glass, and set it in front of Stella.

She jolts at the sudden intrusion as she turns her head toward her brother. “Luka! What are you doing here?!”

She smiles broadly as she looks from him to me, but her smile drops when she sees my expression.

Maybe try not to look like you want to stab or kiss the living heck out of her brother, will ya? I can’t decide which one I would rather do. Each emotion wars heavily in my body, equal parts powerful and frustrating.

Stella’s eyes narrow, and her eyebrows crinkle as she turns back to her brother. Luka is reclined in the booth, looking unbothered and way too handsome for his own good.

His laid-back stance irks me. I don’t exactly know why. Maybe I want him to feel a tenth of the discomfort I felt the other day in the library when he acted like he could barely stand to sit there with me.

“My, oh my. What a beautiful sight for sore eyes.”

Rowan slides into the booth next to me, pushing me further in. His smile is broad and carefree as he looks from me to Stella. I can’t help but smile back at him. Stella does a better job of resisting the charismatic pull Rowan poses. I smirk because I think she secretly really likes him. She just isn’t willing to admit it to anyone, especially herself.

Next thing I know, Nash is pulling up a chair, turning it around to straddle it before making his own seat at the booth. “Fancy seeing you guys here. Can we join you?”

“No!” I say at the same time Stella says, “Sure.”

The guys go quiet at my admission while Stella’s gaze swings over to me. Like the good friend she is, she immediately starts to backpedal after nearly hearing me shout that I didn’t want them there.

“Well, maybe another time. This is a girl’s only kind of night.”

Unfortunately, I instantly feel bad. Just because I wanted to be Luka-free tonight doesn’t mean I should be rude. Rowan and Nash seem like nice enough guys, and even though Stella would never admit it, I think she wants Rowan to stay.

I can pretend that everything is cool and that I’m not having dreams about how I die, and Luka Russo isn’t somehow involved. I can definitely ignore the fact that he was less than friendly to me the last time we saw each other.

“No, no, it’s fine. I just thought you guys would want to have dinner by yourselves,” I say in an attempt to make things less awkward. I really have a knack for doing that.

“Lily’s right. We can grab our own table,” Luka says.

The fact that he agrees with me stings more than it should. I don’t know what I expected, but he clearly doesn’t want to eat with me any more than I want to eat with him.

I know why I don’t, but I don’t understand why he doesn’t. I want to know what I did to cause his sudden change, but then I get mad at myself because I didn’t do anything. It isn’t my problem that he decided to turn into a butthead.

Stella seems torn on whether she should extend another invitation or not.

“Seriously, stay. It’s okay. I didn’t mean it like that,” I say as sincerely as possible.

“Well then, it’s settled. Let’s eat!” Rowan says as he calls over our server to place their food orders.

Luka shifts uncomfortably in his seat and avoids eye contact with me at all costs, which only aggravates me more.

I'm sitting here having dinner with my friend, and he came over. If he has such a problem with me, it's his own fault for doing so while I'm with her. He doesn't have much of a choice with his sister being said friend, but that doesn't mean he has to sit with us.

All three boys place their orders, which seems like an obscene amount of food to me, but what do I know? The server states she will be right back with their drinks and more chips and salsa for the table.

“What are you two ladies up to tonight?” Nash asks as he digs into the chips already on the table.

I push the basket closer to him, along with the salsa. He winks, and I blush a little at the gesture. Nash is cute in his own right with that boy next door, golden retriever look. He's a little stockier than Rowan and Luka, and he has blonde hair and bright green eyes. What does it for me is his smile is wide and endearing. There’s just something about him that makes me immediately comfortable around him.

Luka leans forward on the table, losing that laid-back stance he’s had this whole time. “What does it look like they’re doing, you nimrod?”

“Did you know that nimrod actually means a mighty hunter or rebel in Hebrew? It wasn’t until the 1940s use on Looney Tunes that it really got the meaning that we know today . ” My cheeks heat.

Why? Why can’t I control myself ?

I’m sure I look like a total dork in front of the three hottest guys I’ve ever seen. Hello, hole, can you swallow me up now? Please and thank you.

Rowan chuckles.

“Huh, that’s interesting. Never knew that. You’re smart, and you’re pretty, Lily. The whole package,” Nash says good-naturedly.

I blush again at Nash’s compliment. Man, I’m on a roll tonight, apparently. I can’t control my mouth or the heat in my cheeks. Luka stares at me without saying a word. I squirm in my seat from the intensity coming off his stare, but I fight to remain indifferent on the outside.

Stella notices the tension in the air as her gaze swings back and forth between us. Her eyes narrow on her brother. I worry she’s upset at him, at me, or maybe at both of us, but to my surprise, she says nothing.

“So, what’s your major, Lily?” Nash asks, effectively ignoring the daggers Luka shoots his way.

Why would he be mad if Nash paid me a compliment and asked me a question? I don’t get what his problem is.

“I’m pre-med.”

“Hot damn! I was right! Hot and smart,” Nash says around a mouthful of chips.

“Cut the shit, Nash,” Luka growls.

Stella elbows Luka hard in the ribs .

“Ouch! What the hell was that for?!” Luka shouts as he rubs his ribs. I bring my hand up to cover the smile forming on my face, and I work to suppress the giggle bubbling up.

“He can call her pretty if he wants because she is, and she deserves to hear it!” Stella scolds just as loudly.

“Stella,” Luka once again growls.

“Luka Dean Russo.”

“Oh, snap, brother. She just used your full name.” Rowan howls. He leans over to me and not so quietly whispers, “She means business.”

I nod because, if her tone didn’t warn him, her eyes certainly do, and I’m here for it. Watching Luka get chewed out by his little sister is just the thing I needed tonight. If he’s forcing me to sit with him, I should certainly be allowed to glean a little pleasure from his verbal butt-whooping.

“Don’t Luka Dean Russo me. He shouldn’t be talking to her like that!” Luka says, digging his grave a little deeper.

“Like what?! Like she’s a single, attractive, twenty-one-year-old brilliant woman? Oh, my how dare he !” She throws her voice for that last part to mimic Luka, and it’s one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever heard.

Luka brittles at her mocking tone. “ Nooo . I mean, talking to her like she’s a piece of meat.”

“Hey, man. I didn’t mean it like that.” Nash tries but fails to interrupt the now-heated conversation between the siblings as they go back and forth.

“He didn’t!”

“He did!”

“No, he didn’t !”

“Yes, he did !”

I start to feel bad for poor Nash. His head is like a ping-pong ball, bouncing back and forth between the two of them.

I reach over and pat his hand. “I know you didn’t mean it like that. Thank you. Most people think my random factoid outbursts are weird and that I’m weird. So, thank you for that. ”

Suddenly, the arguing stops, and I feel intensity radiating off the man across from me.

“You aren’t weird,” Luka states seriously.

My eyes narrow at him because I don’t know what this hot and cold routine is, but I’m not interested in participating.

I shrug. “It doesn’t matter, and neither should the fact that he called me pretty. What do you care?”

My question comes out harsher than I intend, but I don’t regret it. Where does he get off acting like he has any right to tell someone what they can or can’t say to me?

“Lily.”

Now it’s my turn to bristle. “Don’t Lily me.” I throw his words right back at him, letting the hurt I’ve been so desperately trying to hide slip through my command.

“I’m sor—”

I interrupt him before he can finish because that’s another thing I have no interest in participating in. I don’t want his pity or a forced apology. He can keep them.

“Don’t.”

His eyes narrow, and his mouth moves like he’s contemplating arguing with me, but something about my expression must make him think better of it. He picks up his fork and eats his dinner without another word.

Nash and Rowan try to salvage what’s left of our meal, but it’s no use. Stella doesn’t really say much. She mostly watches the two of us, her face a veil of concentration, but I don’t dare make eye contact with her.

I know she’ll have questions. She’ll want to know what happened between her brother and me.

The problem is—I don’t know.

I spend the rest of dinner making small talk with Rowan and Nash, getting to know them a little better. They both seem like really good guys. Rowan is funny and charming, and Nash is sweet and a little dorky, which is something I can appreciate .

Luka spends the rest of the night looking like he wants to punch something or someone, and Stella knows something is up.

Great .