Page 17 of The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos

“Really! He’s not at all what he seems. And I’m not saying this because of the first stage.”

Dalisay raises a dubious eyebrow. “His first impression was not ideal. Are all American men so bold?”

“Evan was just having an off day. Wasn’t he, JM?”

JM appears, handing Pinky a red Solo cup to drink. “Wasn’t he what?”

“I was just telling Dalisay about how good of a guy Evan is even though he was so bold as to ask her out on a date?” she says, prompting him with an elbow nudge. “How he’s nota slob, and dresses well, and showers daily. And that he loves games.”

“Oh!” JM jumps. “Yeah! Definitely. He’s one of my best friends. You two would be a good match.”

That makes Dalisay laugh. Her gaze goes back to Evan as Nicole trades places with Daniel after her brother leaves.

Nicole’s whole face brightens when she laughs with Evan. They seem to be getting along.

It’s been days since Dalisay saw Nicole at the hospital. Who was that woman she was with? Dalisay can’t stop thinking about it. All this time, she thought her sister just didn’t like anyone … She’d hoped that Nicole would tell her in her own time, but so far Nicole has been silent on the matter.

It is satisfying to see Evan squirm a little while Nicole talks with him, Dalisay has to admit. Perhaps Nicole’s powers of intimidation can knock some sense into him. She takes a deep, steadying breath. “You really think Evan can do all five stages?”

“When he wants something, he’ll go for it.”

Dalisay laughs, doubtful. “I have high expectations.”

Pinky touches Dalisay lightly on the arm and leans in, talking low. “From what I heard, you can really hold your own against him. You threw him for a loop with that Manila line. You’re both quick-witted, I’ll give you that.”

“He’s definitely something! I didn’t know what to make of him. Like, when he first agreed to do the stages, he said he would ‘whole-ass’ it.”

Pinky laughs, eyes crinkling. “He said that? ‘Whole-ass’?”

“Yes! I didn’t know what he was talking about at first! I thought that he meant ‘asshole’!” Dalisay snorts, covering her hand with her mouth as she laughs.

Pinky bends over laughing too. “Oh my God, what a dweeb. That’s so Evan. I love the shit out of him.” She looks at him across the hall wistfully, and Dalisay can tell she means it. Pinky reaches out and touches a hand to Dalisay’s shoulder. “No, but for real, Evan’s probably the furthest thing from an asshole, trust me. But he does have a tendency to be stupid when he sees pretty things. Now that I’ve met you, I can see why he’d get all dumb, so don’t hold that against him.”

Dalisay wants to ask more, but just before she can—HONK!—a party horn goes off.

And Evan screams: “FUCK!”

Dalisay looks toward the sound. From the looks of things, a clown sneaked up behind him and blasted a party horn near his ear.

The whole room drops into a shocked silence, staring at Evan. The clown mimes laughter, throwing his hands up in celebration, and skips away on squeaky shoes, off to find his next victim.

JM gapes, Dalisay slaps her hand over her mouth, and Pinky nearly spits out her drink, also struggling to contain an outburst of giggles.

While Evan apologizes profusely, Dalisay spins around so no one can see her smile. He’s afraid of clowns! Somehow learning that about him is akin to picking up a rock and discovering it’s a geode—there’s more to Evan Saatchi beneath the surface than she thought.

While it’s admirable he’s made it through the first stage—she’s getting teased by his friends, isn’t she?—he’s got a lot of work ahead of him. She’s not sure he’s ready for what comesnext, and no matter what Pinky or JM says, she’s determined not to let him win. Sheiscompetitive, and two can play at this game.

As if on cue, one of the children asks their parents, “What does ‘fuck’ mean?”

CHAPTER FIVE

“I gotta say,” says JM, looking up at Evan while he’s prone on the bench press, “you really know how to make an impression.”

At the gym the following morning, Evan and JM meet up for their usual workout. At this hour, the place is packed, full of sounds of clanging iron plates and up-tempo pop music and the whine of the blender making protein smoothies.

Standing behind JM, Evan spots him as he starts his reps, breathing in and out with each press on the bar, but Evan’s thoughts are still at the recreation center yesterday. “I’m such an ass.”

JM laughs but it comes out like a hiss as the veins in his neck start popping out. “You aren’t—ugh—an ass.” His words are strained. Comic-Con is months away, but it’s never too early to start beefing up for the right look. “You just—hff—messed—hng—up.”

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