Juliet looks at me and releases her hair. “Well, have you ever been in love before?”
Yikes. There it is. The question I’ve been hiding from for almost a decade. “No. Nope.”
Juliet purses her lips like she can tell I’m lying. “Really? I always thought you had a thing for Grant?”
“Grant?” I yell, then jump away from the window. “Ha!” I laugh, and it’s super loud and childish. “No way.”
Sometimes, when you care about someone, you stay away.
Grant’s voice keeps ringing through my head. At that moment, the air between us had been charged with tension and anticipation, and for an instant, I thought maybe he was referring to me. But why would you stay away from someone you cared about? Maybe he was talking about his parents. Though, I can’t help but feel like that’s not what he meant.
Juliet’s eyebrows furrow. “Really? I just assumed there was a little something there.”
I look away and swallow. “You know what they say about assuming.”
“Huh. Guess I was off base. Anyway, just pretend Noa is your dream guy and you never want to let him go.” Juliet says like its oh so easy to pretend to be in love.
Is that how I act about Grant? All I think about when I’m with him is wanting to kiss him. But I don’t do that with Noa. This already feels impossible.
“What if Noa tries to kiss me, to really sell it?” I ask her, my breath coming faster just thinking about it. How can I think about kissing Grant without having a mini panic attack? Maybe because I know it will never happen, so I have nothing to fear.
She scrunches her eyebrows. “Would you want him to?”
“No!”
“Then it’s fine. Just tell him to kiss you on the cheek if necessary, that should enough.”
I’m not convinced, but I nod my head.
She puts a hand over mine. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
I think back over every prank my brothers have played on me, every time they’ve gambled with my life, and my worries fade away. They deserve this.
I shake my head and smile. “I’m doing this. Let’s see if they can take it as good as they get it.”
They better. I really don’t want to be thrown in the pool again this year. It’s getting too cold.
***
“Sean, when are you bringing your date over so I can meet her before the party?” My dad asks after we’ve all finished dinner.
Sean is mid-bite of cake and freezes. “You were serious about that?” Little chocolate crumbs tumble from his mouth, and I gag. I catch a whiff of the fresh cinnamon my mom keeps in the house during the holidays and my stomach settles.
“Of course, I was serious. Why wouldn’t I be?” Dad asks.
Sean swallows and looks around the table. “Um, I guess I can text her.” He fires off a text and the rest of the table grins. Sean has a knack for dating eccentric girls. Mixed with his own spirited personality, it’s always too much. We never miss a chance to meet one of his dates.
Twenty minutes later, while we are all watching football, the doorbell rings.
Sean looks nervously around the room, then goes to answer it.
“Alright guys, be cool,” Dad warns us.
I meet Grant’s eyes and know that’s not his plan. So it’s not mine either.
Sean reenters the family room with a girl, who looks normal at first glance, but looks can be deceiving.
“Hey guys, this is Rachel.” Sean introduces her, and then he goes around the room introducing each of us. After he finishes, it’s her turn to speak, and I’m so excited I can’t even wait.
