Page 45 of The Love Interest

Dyl places his hands on his hips. “Are you going to congratulate me?”

“For what?” asks Juliet. “Coming in second?”

“Silver is still a medal, so yes, I deserve praise. Especially when I’m competing against a titan over there. Are you going to congratulate me or not?”

“Decidedly not.”

“Have it your way.”

He turns and walks away. But I’m watching her, and her eyes dip for a second, tracing down his back, settling on the two dimples above his ass, then darting to the bleachers. Then I realize I’m staring at him, so I turn away.

Oh crap, I think. She just had her chance to look at us both shirtless.

And she chose him.

***

After the swimming carnival, I have a shift at Starbucks. It’s pretty much the same as every other shift, with me taking orders while Iris makes coffees and Levi chirps cheerily along. Even though it’s a nice day, the store is still pretty quiet, and I can tell that both depresses and confuses Levi. He told me his boss blames him for the store’s underperformance, and if it continues this way he’ll be fired. So he spends most of his time staring at the door, as if wanting it bad enough will make people rush into his store.

I join him, and spend most of my shift staring anxiously at the door, waiting for Juliet.

She doesn’t show.

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

It’s the night before the party, and I can’t sleep. My costume is under my bed, still in the box it arrived in. I haven’t tried it on, because the prospect of not looking good in it freaked me out so much I postponed trying it on, and kept postponing, and now it’s the day before the party and I don’t even know if my freaking costume fits. I’m a moron.Sucha moron.

A knock sounds.

I grab my pillow and put it over my head. It’s probably just the wind or something rattling the window, like it always is. I’d prefer not to deal with the disappointment I get when I realize that, once again, the roof is empty. It’s been a week since Dyl last visited, and there’s no reason for him to ever come back. It’s for the best. The contest is heating up, and that part of my life is over. It hurts, but deep down I know it’s for the best. I can’t help but be myself when I’m around him, and that’s dangerous.

The knock sounds again.

“Dude, get up!”

Grinning, I roll over and look out the window. Dyl’s there, dressed in a black button-down. He raises his hand and jingles his keys.

I sit up. Do I want to go with him? I shouldn’t. I should close my eyes and wait until he leaves. It’s what a smart Nice would do. But I really want to go. Like, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. Maybe even more than I want to win the contest. I never thought I’d want anything more, but I thought these visits had stopped for good and now I’ve got the chance to do it again. It might be a dumb decision, but I need to see where this night will take me. I’ll always regret it if I don’t.

I get dressed, then make my way over to the window.

“It’s been a while,” I say as I duck through the window onto the roof. I try to keep my voice flat, but my enthusiasm breaks through, lighting it up. “I was starting to think you were bored with me.”

“No way, man. I’ve just been busy plotting nefarious plots. Secret nefarious plots, so don’t try to get me to tell you about them. Judy would rip my balls off. But I’m sorry about vanishing on you like that. I actually missed our drives together, even if I was too stressed to organize one.”

I jump down and land on the ground with anoomph. Dyl lands beside me. As he straightens up I cross the front yard and clamber into the passenger seat. Once inside, I lean back and watch him make his way around to the driver’s seat.

“I have a question,” he asks as he sits down. “Are you hairless everywhere? At the carnival you looked like a waxing salon ad.” He slams the door shut and turns on the engine. “It must’ve hurt.”

“No more than having your eye color changed.”

“But doesn’t it grow back?”

“I think they removed the follicles, so no, it doesn’t. Juliet likes it, and that’s the important thing.”

“That’s a shame. You’d look good with chest hair.”