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

Chapter 38

chapter thirty-eight

luna

Mama

How was the rest of your birthday, Luna?

Luna

It was great! I just stayed in and relaxed after the party.

Papa

Good. You need to prepare for finals.

Luna

Yup, but that’s still next week!

Papa

Better to start studying early.

I was almost done getting ready for school when my phone rang. Of course my mind went straight to Gabe—not that he’d left it at all in the hours since we said goodbye. Even my dad’s texts couldn’t bring me down from the high I got from being with Gabe.

“Lulu!” Kriz shouted into the phone. “Are you home?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“We’ll be there in five. See you!” Then she hung up, leaving me blinking at my reflection in the mirror.

After Gabe’s appearance at my party, I should have known my friends wouldn’t waste time waiting for my updates. That they stayed away yesterday was a miracle in of itself.

When I got downstairs, Chloe’s car was idling by the entrance, and as soon as I opened the rear door, Kriz and Chloe turned around in their seats and pinned me with matching looks of expectation.

“So, what happened? Tell us everything!” Kriz said, shoving a takeaway cup of coffee at me.

I took it even though having coffee first thing in the morning made me jittery the entire day. “You lifesaver. Thank you.” Between reliving that kiss with Gabe and fantasizing about what might’ve happened if he hadn’t stopped, I’d barely gotten any sleep.

I gulped down the latte and let the caffeine punch through me.

“Hey!” Chloe snapped as she started driving. “No talky, no coffee.”

“Give me a sec.” I inhaled another mouthful.

Kriz oohed. “Did Professor Martins keep you up?—”

“Banging your headboard against the wall?” Chloe supplied in her typical fashion.

Luckily, I’d already swallowed my drink, otherwise I would have choked on it. “It wasn’t like that. We just played cards and talked.”

Kriz glanced back at me, pouting. “No. Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” Gabe had won the next round and closed out the game by asking me what my perfect day looked like. Next to the previous questions, it was harmless, and it led to a discussion about the best road trips to make from Sterling.

“You couldn’t have suggested strip poker?” Chloe threw in. “Or you could have used my gift and let him teach you a thing or two.”

“That would have been so hot,” Kriz said.

“I know, right?”

I shook my head at both of them. “You guys are way too invested in this.”

“Because we care about you, Lulu,” Kriz said. “And Chloe’s right—you need some stress relief.”

“You seriously spent all that time talking ? Like, there was no making out? No feeling up or going down?” Chloe sounded aghast.

I considered telling them the truth, because if I couldn’t tell my friends, who could I? I needed to share it with someone, and I felt awkward talking to my sister about it. “We kind of . . . kissed.”

Kriz twisted in her seat. “ And ?” she asked at the same time that Chloe exclaimed, “Kind of? How can you not be sure?”

Gripping my cup tighter, I said, “I mean, we did.”

“And then?” Kriz pressed.

“Then we stopped.”

“Was he bad at it?” Chloe asked. “Because that man looks like he’d know what he’s doing.”

“No, no,” I hurried to answer. “It was amazing.”

“Did you get cold feet?” came from Kriz.

“He stopped it, not me.” Chloe’s question tugged at my insecurity. “Maybe I was the one who sucked.” I hadn’t considered it in the moment since he’d seemed to be just as into it as I’d been. But if he was, how could he have stopped that easily?

“I’m sure that’s not it. What did he say exactly?” Kriz asked.

“He said I was important to him and he wanted to do it the right way.”

Chloe huffed. “What right way? Did he need to shower? Take an STD test?”

“Maybe he wanted to set the scene,” Kriz suggested. “You know, roses, candles. The whole nine yards. If that’s the case, that’s so romantic of him.”

Meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror, Chloe asked, “Luna, did you ask him what he meant?”

It hadn’t crossed my mind to, but now that she brought it up, it seemed so obvious. I scrambled for an excuse that wouldn’t give my stupidity away. “From the way he said it, it sounded like he wanted to take things slow. And I know he’s also worried about me being a student and what people would think. He is still finishing his doctorate.”

An uncomfortable silence settled inside the car. Kriz and Chloe exchanged glances.

Then Chloe spoke up. “I just asked because I don’t want him to push you around. He’s older and all, but you should have an equal say in what you two do or don’t do. Especially if you get serious, which I’m assuming you want.”

Her words caught me off-guard with their honest concern. Once again, she gave me something to chew on. Since Gabe and I became friends, he took care not to pressure me—aside from the alcohol issue—but his boundaries dictated much of our dynamic. I’d gotten used to us being that way, but I couldn’t be the one always giving in.

“You’re right,” I said.

“Obviously. I’m not just the hot one, you know.”

Her characteristic snark broke the sudden gravity in the car, pulling a chuckle out of my throat.

“Don’t you love this wise-ass bitch?” Kriz said to me.

I realized I actually did. Chloe didn’t show off her caring side often, and that gave these rare occasions even more impact. It might have taken us nearly three years to get to this point, but it was true what they said—the best things were worth the wait.

Now if only I could pin down the one man I’d been waiting for all this time.