Page 42 of The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos

When Mass finally ends, and the congregation floods out of the building, Evan steps into the bright morning sunlight with the rest of the Ramos family. Dalisay and Nicole are talking with Melinda, and Little Luis tries to bolt into the grass to play before Dalisay catches him by the collar.

For a brief moment, Dalisay glances his way, holding Little Luis back, and a smile brightens up her face. She off-loads Little Luis to Melinda, color apparent in her cheeks.

Forget butterflies; Evan’s stomach plops over like a bag of sand, heavy and solid. Does he really have a shot with her? Why is she smiling at him like that? Is he reading too much into things? He’s made it this far, and Daniel is even helping him, so did she change her mind about him after all? Have they really changed their minds about each other?

Daniel catches his eye, tipping his chin up ever so slightly, and gives him the thumbs-up.

Right, the bell. Maybe after this he’ll have earned his way to stage five.

Most people mingle in small groups, chatting with one another, and small children run between the groups like frogsjumping from rock to rock in a river. Daniel gives him another encouraging thumbs-up while Mrs. Ramos discusses a course of intercept for the Consulate General and his wife.

Evan takes a breath and adjusts his suit jacket.

Whole-ass, he thinks. All or nothing.

Evan approaches the bell and looks around, waiting for someone to beat him to it, but no one does. He tries to read what it says on the plaque, but it’s all in Filipino. He wonders if it’s some kind of prayer. Without thinking much else about it, he reaches for the hammer underneath, pulls it back, and lets it go.

The second he does it, the deafening sound of the bell makes everyone on the block fall silent. People stare at him with mixtures of shock and befuddlement. The priest shakes his head, mouth open. The Consulate General and his wife stare, baffled. A child gapes at him, picking his nose.

Daniel covers his mouth in silent laughter and Lola rounds on him, scolding him in Tagalog. It was a prank.

Heat rushes to Evan’s face as the priest steps forward. He points a finger to the plaque on the bell.

“That is the original bell from this church after it burned down in 1906,” the priest says, his tone curt and disapproving. “It is not for ringing.”

Evan’s blood runs cold. He’s never been scolded by a priest before; it feels surprisingly like being scolded by his father. Panicking, he looks over at Dalisay, whose face is bright red. She looks at Evan, then at Daniel, her jaw set and her lips pinched. When she looks at Evan again, his heart drops.

What has he done?

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Evan!”

It’s Dalisay. Evan doesn’t turn around. He’s too embarrassed. He rushes down the block, his hands tucked firmly in his pockets, shoulders hunched as he hears her footsteps hurrying after him, the bells on her sweater jingling as she jogs. It would almost be funny if Evan didn’t feel so miserable.

“Evan!” Dalisay says again, breathless.

She catches up to him just before he gets to the bus stop. He can’t take it anymore. He turns around to face her.

“I’m sorry, Dalisay. I—That was so stupid of me.”

“It’s okay!” she says, breathless. “I know Daniel was teasing. It’s just how he is. I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything,” he says. Evan licks his lips, toeing the sidewalk with his boot. He can’t bring himself to look her in the eye, and he’s afraid that if he does, he might break. He’s so ashamed. “I should have realized.”

“Jokes are supposed to be funny,” Dalisay says. He’s surprised how sharp her tone is. She’s furious, but not at him. “It’s not your fault. Daniel went too far. He’s trying to protect me because he thinks … He does this with all the guys I’m … It’s his way of testing you.”

“Like you were testing me? With this bet?” he asks.

She’s silent, the straight line of her mouth saying more than any words she could speak. Regret pulls at his gut. He’s lost the bet. He can’t do any more, not after today.

The Five Stages was a complete failure, but for some reason, the bet is the last thing he cares about because there’s only one thing he wants, and now he can’t have it.

“My mom knows what Daniel did. You wanted to impress her.”

He almost says it’s not her mom he wanted to impress but stops himself. He’s been reading everything so wrong, and it hurts more than he can say.

When Evan still doesn’t say anything, she says, slowly, “Listen, are you busy this afternoon? I know it’s Christmas Eve and all …”

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