Page 40 of Not in My Book

“But only for finals at NYU!”

“We all know when he moves his truck and rakes in the money with those college kids, he’s never coming back,” she said sadly. She handed Aiden the burrito wrapped in tinfoil.

I pulled my wallet from my bag, but Aiden held out his hand to stop me.

“I got it.”

I shook my head. “I asked you, I’ll pay.”

“Rosie, it’s okay.”

“Juanita, don’t take his money.”

“Whatever you say, hija.” She smiled affectionately at me as I slid over a twenty and slipped the change in her tip jar.

“Talk to him tonight,” I called out as we walked away.

“Shh.” She widened her eyes in the direction of Mateo’s truck.

I turned to Aiden. “You ready?”

I led him to the semisecluded path and stopped in front of the benches. “You get to make one choice on this very romantic date. Do we sit or do we walk?”

Aiden studied the small walking loop and the benches. Then he peered down at me, watching me carefully.

“What?” I asked, shifting under his gaze. His stare could be really intimidating when he wanted it to be.

“I’m trying to figure out which one you want to do less.”

“Okay, that’s it, we’re walking. Let’s go.”

We unwrapped our burritos, letting the dead, fallen leaves crunch beneath our feet.

“What was that all about?” Aiden asked between bites.

“What do you mean?”

“With the two food trucks? And what you were saying to her.”

I blushed slightly, pulling my lip between my teeth. “My first couple of weeks here, I took a lot of walks. I stumbled upon this park and the two of them are always here. Turns out, they’re both really into each other but won’t say anything. Mateo often sells more than Juanita and when he does, he asks me to go to her truck in exchange for free tacos next time.”

“Why haven’t they said anything?” he asked softly. I could feel the heat of his gaze on the side of my face as we walked.

I sighed. “It’s complicated. They’re both too shy and too scared of rejection so neither of them wants to ask the other out. But Juanitatells me that Mateo always helps her pack up at the end of the night if he finishes first, and he makes sure she leaves safely.”

“Hmm,” Aiden said, eyebrows furrowed.

“I’ll admit, the burritos aren’t that great, but I’m too invested in their relationship to go somewhere else. I’m hoping I’ll be asked to be a bridesmaid or something at their eventual wedding.”

“You really do love romance, huh?” He eyed me, and I could tell he was genuinely curious, not just trying to make fun of me.

I nodded, taking another bite. “In movies, books, food trucks, you name it.”

He hummed and silence fell between us. We walked the loop a few times, eating away. There were a few benches and tables scattered around the park, but they were covered by frost and snow from a few days ago. The flowers that were usually in bloom were hidden beneath the ground. The stretches of green lawn, even covered in snow, were comforting to me. To have a small space with nothing but nature surrounding me felt, even for just a moment, like I was home again.

I wanted to fall into conversation with him like we had in our chapter. It was so easy on paper; why was it so hard in person?

By the time we walked the loop a fourth time, I couldn’t take it anymore.

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