Page 39 of Pride High 3: Yellow

“Thanks.” The worry didn’t disappear from Silvia’s face. She had additional reservations. Keisha addressed them as casually as possible. “I’ll do so discreetly. I won’t mention who is looking. Everyone is entitled to their privacy. Except you, since you’re my friend. Tell me what you’ve been up to since we last saw each other.”

“Only if you do the same,” Silvia said. “We should probably unlock the door first, since it’s still business hours.”

“Fine,” Keisha said, cracking her knuckles. “But if those stupid boys come back, it’s gonna turn into a brawl in here. Wanna be my tag-team partner?”

“Yes!” Silvia said instantly. “We’ll have to come up with a good name for our team.”

“You’re on!”

Keisha smiled while watching Silvia unlock the door. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Unrequited love had been bad enough. Forbidden love was even worse. And yet, it was so much better than not having Silvia in her life at all.

CHAPTER 7

February 21st, 1993

Ricky stretched and yawned before rolling over onto his side, his eyes never leaving the television as he snuggled his ear against a pillow. He was watching the most recent episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generationthat his dad had recorded for him, since Ricky had been out with his friends when it aired. The episode was good, but he wished they hadn’t gotten rid of Wil Wheaton. He missed crushing on Wesley Crusher. Even more than that, he missed his boyfriend. Especially since Ricky had spent Saturday night watching Anthony and Cameron being all adorable together. They had window-shopped at the mall and hung out at a diner afterwards, getting two hours’ worth of free refills. Which was fun, but he couldn’t help wishing that Diego had been with them.

Scant seconds later, the door to his bedroom flew open, the frame filled with hot Latino muscle. Ricky sat up and blinked. Was this a dream?

“How’s it going?” Diego asked as he sauntered over.

Ricky quickly straightened his glasses and smoothed down his hair. “I think I might have magic powers,” he said, before trying another wish. “Never mind,” he added when Diego remained clothed. “What are you doing here?”

“Spending the entire day with my boyfriend.”

Ricky grinned. “For real?”

“Yup.” Diego shut the door. When he turned around, he was wearing bedroom eyes. “For real.”

Ricky bit his bottom lip. “What’s that?” he asked, noticing the Tupperware container that Diego held. “More cookies?”

“The same cookies. They’re still good. I had one on the way over.”

“You shouldn’t drive while you’re…” He lowered his voice. “You know.”

“I’m not high yet,” Diego said, setting the Tupperware container on his desk. Then he climbed across the mattress toward him. “But I am buzzing.”

Ricky laughed and kissed him. Diego pinned him down with his weight.

“We really have the entire day together?” he asked.

“Yup. Something happened.”

“What?”

Diego rolled off him and sat up. “My mom hired some new mechanics.”

“Plural?” Ricky asked. “Like you wanted her to?”

“Yup. Don’t ask me why. One of them is only part-time. I got them both up to speed yesterday and managed to finish some old jobs. I’m in the clear.”

Ricky could scarcely contain the joy he felt. Not only because they would have more time together, but because this was such a positive sign. “So you’re getting along better with your mom?”

Diego scoffed. “I’ve been burned too many times. She says it’s only so we don’t get backlogged as easily if one of them quits. I’m not reading into it. But one of the guys is married, which is a deal-breaker for her, and the other looks like he was dropped on his face when he was born. So I’m feeling… What’s the word? I haven’t used it for such a long time.”

“Optimistic?” Ricky guessed.

Diego grinned. “Yeah, that sounds right.”