The Odds of Happily Ever After (The Reyes Siblings #2)

Chapter 2

chapter two

luna

Kriz

You back??

Luna

Yup, straight to work What did I miss?

Kriz

Nothing. Can’t wait to hear abt your trip! Pick you up after your shift?

Luna

Yes please! See you later

Sighing, I stood from my chair behind the counter and shook out my arms. The store had been quiet my entire shift, which was a good thing since my mind was all over the place.

Scratch that. It had been fixated on one specific person these past couple of hours—and it just had to be the one person I shouldn’t be thinking about. The same guy who treated me like I was invisible except when we had to play nice for my sister’s sake.

After Ate decided to move back home, I assumed I wouldn’t have to deal with Gabe again. Yet there he’d been, waiting for me at the airport. For a breathless moment, I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, we could actually be friends even without Ate pulling us together.

Too bad it didn’t last.

“Lulu!”

My head snapped toward the entrance as a tall, tan girl with honey-streaked brown hair strutted in like she was on a runway instead of a campus store.

“Kriz.” Grinning, I rounded the counter and gave her a tight hug.

I met Kriz Sheffield on my first day at Sterling University. We’d been grouped together during freshman orientation and quickly learned we had two things in common—Filipino blood and a love for fashion. Needless to say, she became my first—and best—friend here.

“Welcome back. You were gone for so long!” she said as she squeezed my midsection.

“I was gone for two and a half days. That’s shorter than your trips.” Kriz took off at least once a month to attend fashion shows and photoshoots all over the world. But despite her glamorous side hustle, she was one of the sweetest people I knew.

“Yeah, well, I’m not used to you not being here.”

“Aww, I missed you too.” Drawing back, I admired the dainty check pattern on her minidress. “Love this dress, by the way! I don’t think I’ve seen it before.”

She smiled and ran her hand over the fabric. “Thanks! I just got it from this online shop called Renewed Look. You should check it out—they sell vintage clothes and accessories at cheaper prices than physical stores.”

It sounded right up my alley. Sadly, I couldn’t afford to shop for anything other than the necessities for the unforeseeable future. “I’ll look it up,” I said.

“You’re going to love it! Anyway, tell me everything. How was Santa Mila? I saw you and your sister on the jumbotron during Jason’s game. You’re famous! Did you hook up with any of the players? Who was the hottest in real life?”

I laughed because Kriz could go on with her questions until she ran out of breath. “Hold on, let me close up first.”

“Way to leave a girl hanging here.” She bumped her shoulder against mine.

“Give me fifteen minutes.”

“Fine. I’ll see you out front, then we can catch up over dinner.” With that, she flounced outside.

I’d planned to eat at home to cut down on expenses after my trip, but I couldn’t turn her down—not that she gave me the chance to. Guess that meant I’d stick to sandwiches and instant noodles for the rest of the week.

Alone again, I went to work securing the cash register and wiping down the counters. Like I always did, I double-checked that everything was locked up tight, giving extra attention to the electronics section that held items worth more than my entire bank account. I couldn’t afford to lose any inventory, especially since this was my first job ever.

Satisfied with my final once-over, I tucked away the keys in the lockbox and grabbed my tote bag. Then I headed outside, activating the electronic door lock along the way.

An arm linked around mine the second I stepped out the door. “Finally!” Kriz pulled me away from the store, and I matched my pace with hers. “Chloe’s meeting us for dinner, so if there’s anything you don’t want her hearing, you better tell me now.”

Chloe was the third in our group. She and Kriz had known each other since middle school, so they were close. Unfortunately, Chloe didn’t warm up to me as easily as Kriz did. Maybe she resented me for befriending Kriz, or she just didn’t like me. Whatever the case, I was wary of setting her off or saying too much around her.

“So? Anything interesting?” Kriz waggled her eyebrows at me.

I laughed. “You mean, aside from me getting to meet the best NBA players of our time?”

“Look, that’s great and I’m happy for you, but I’d be even happier if you had some real up-close and personal encounters, if you know what I mean.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Not even on the plane with some hot billionaire?”

I snorted. “You’ve been reading too many romance books.”

“You wasted a prime opportunity, Lulu. Those first-class cabins have more than enough space.” She smiled fondly, as though reliving a memory. “Remember Paolo?”

“How could I forget?” The story of her mile-high experience with an Italian model could have been lifted from one of her favorite reads. It still amazed me that she didn’t get caught.

“I can’t believe you don’t have any tea for me.”

I hesitated as the memory of Gabe walking toward me flashed in my head.

That split-second delay must’ve given me away because Kriz gasped. “There is, isn’t there? Spill!”

Glancing around me, I checked if there was a possibility of someone overhearing. The quad was mostly empty this close to dinnertime, but I lowered my voice to be safe. “It’s not a big deal, but someone picked me up at the airport.”

Her eyes widened. “Was it Theo?”

My head reared back. “Theo? No way.” He and I had dated for a few weeks, but it had been casual. We’d cut things off before my trip was even a thing.

“Are you seeing anyone you haven’t told me about?”

“Seriously?” As if I would get away with not telling her something like that.

“It’s the only thing I can think of. Your sister and Jason are in Santa Mila, and I know Chloe didn’t pick you up.” Gasping, Kriz stopped walking and tugged my arm. “Oh my God. Don’t tell me. It was Professor Hottie, wasn’t it?”

“Shh!” I cringed at the nickname. Yeah, Gabe was arguably the most attractive professor at Sterling U, but his personality disqualified him from the title.

“Oh my God,” she repeated in a hushed voice. “Professor Hottie picked you up?”

“He gave me a ride. That’s it.”

She smirked. “And what a ride that must have been.”

I shook my head and tried to get rid of the picture her words blasted into my imagination. Even if Gabe wasn’t my sister’s best friend and nearly ten years older than me, he was still a jerk who made me feel about as big as an ant. “Don’t get excited. It was the most painful car ride I’ve ever had. Get this—he flat-out told me he only picked me up because of Ate. Also , he just had to remind me that him giving me a ride didn’t make us friends.”

Kriz’s jaw dropped. “No way,” she breathed out. “What an ass.”

“Right? I mean, of course he was there because of Ate. I’m not stupid. But did he have to rub it in my face?”

“Nope. Definitely not. That’s like, common decency.”

“Exactly.” Her validation reassured me that I wasn’t crazy to feel the way I felt, which was all a girl needed sometimes. No advice, no psychoanalysis—just a safe space to vent.

Kriz gave me a sideways glance.

“What?”

“Was there any physical contact though?”

“Of course not!” The answer came reflexively, but right on its heels, I remembered the car stereo incident.

“Really? His fingers didn’t, like, brush against yours when he helped you with your bags?” Kriz paused. “I assume he helped you, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“I knew it. So there was some finger action?”

I wrinkled my nose. “If you consider a collision action . This is Gabe we’re talking about.”

“Okay, I know he’s a jerk and all, but I’ve gotta say—I love that you’re on first-name basis with Professor Hottie.”

I rolled my eyes. “Can you not call him that?”

“Why not? We need a code name for him anyway.”

“Kriz. Half the student population calls him that.”

There was a beat of silence, then she laughed. “Point taken.”

“Thank you.”

“Guess it’s a good thing you’re not in his class with me and Chlo. How awkward would that be?”

“I know . He might flunk me just because.” Right after I said it, I knew it couldn’t be true. As grouchy as he was, I couldn’t see him stooping to that level. Not when he was so concerned about doing things by the book. After all, this was the guy who outright ignored me when I said hello to him on my first day of college because he had a rule against “fraternizing with students.”

His words, not mine.

God, he was insufferable.

And yet you can’t stop thinking about him, my brain taunted.

It was Gabe’s fault. I thought I’d finally have the chance to get over this stupid crush after Ate left, but he just had to mess with my head again. Not only was he distractingly hot, he treated me like I was nothing more than a girl obsessed with shopping and partying.

Like I wasn’t good enough.

This was my fresh start. My chance to prove I could make something of myself although I wasn’t as capable as Ate or as brilliant as my younger brother Lonzo. My chance to show my parents I could stand alone.

Could I really? I wasn’t sure. But I couldn’t let Gabe have me questioning myself even more.

I already did plenty of that on my own.