Page 113 of Just My Type of wrong guy

They both glare at me.

“So, talking about guys is off-limits, but smiling at your phone is fine now?” Daniele snarks.

“Sorry,” I say, locking the screen.

But I don’t stop laughing anytime soon. A.J.’s jealousy is genuinely hilarious.

“Do you guys already know what you’re doing for his birthday?” Daniele asks, casually breaking the same rule she just mocked.

“Birthday? I don’t even knowwhenit is.”

“December 27th.”

“Yikes. Right after Christmas? That sucks.” Beatriz makes a face so dramatic it makes us laugh.

“Yeah, it’s the worst. But he hasn’t said anything about it… We could plan something.”

“Like a surprise party!” Beatriz suggests, eyes lighting up.

“A.J. doesn’t do birthdays. Usually, we just hang out, eat junk, and watch movies. But this year he said he’d stay home. I don’t know… You’ve changed so many things about him, I thought maybe this would be one of them too.”

“Why wouldn’t someone like A.J. celebrate his birthday?” Beatriz asks what I’ve been wondering myself.

“Okay, let’s do some basic math,” Daniele sighs, appalled we haven’t figured it out on our own. “He’s an only child. His birthday falls between Christmas and New Year’s, so he’s always spent it with his parents… And after he left home…”

“Oh,” is all I manage to say. Because I get it.

It hurts to know eventhatgot swallowed up by guilt.

The silence at the table stretches and Daniele checks her phone as Beatriz lets out a long breath.

“Well, I think we’re all full, right?” Bia asks, eyeing the crumpled wrappers and the three bags of half-eaten fries. “Let’s head to the Hollywood Walk of Fame for photos. I also thought we could swing by Beverly Hills—the sign there is way cooler than the Hollywood one. Then our list says to look for a drive-in theater.” She’s already on her phone, calling our ride.

“I’m in,” I say, excited—though now wonderingwhatcar we’ll take to a drive-in.

Daniele looks between us, deadpan, while stuffing one bag of fries into another and shoving them into her backpack.

“Seriously? Who wants to go to a drive-in moviewith friends?” she asks, baffled.

“You do, Daniele,” I say. “You’re gonna stop being obsessed with that man for one afternoon and go see a movie with us.”

***

Spending the day with the girls and saying goodbye in the hotel hallway at 9 PM was perfect. In the simplest, most ordinary way—it recharged me. Maybe because, for the first time in a long while, I let myself enjoy something so silly and unplanned.

Beatriz and I never talked about the fallout after I went to Guilherme’s house. It didn’t come up today either. And surprisingly… it doesn’t bother me the way I thought it would. At the end of the day, everyone carries their own weight, and expecting an explanation for something that was never really about me would just be selfish.

Theonlyproblem with this perfect day—and what’s been echoing in my head as I get ready to meet A.J. before our flight back—is the movie we watched:My Best Friend’s Wedding.

After judging Daniele so hard, now I feel terrible. I spent the whole movie missing him. I wanted to hear his sarcastic comments, argue over the characters’ choices, even dance to the wedding song in the middle of the living room—like only the two of us would.

And that sucks.

Ishouldstop.

But part of me, the very same part that smiled when I noticed he hadn’t kissed a single fan last weekend, doesn’t want to.

Chapter Thirty-Five – A.J.

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