Page 311 of As the Rain Falls
I steal another kiss to make it an even better one.
We intertwine our hands together and head up the porch steps of Angelina’s home. Cassandra allows me to lead her back to the house, a shy smile now plastered on her face.
Inside, chaos reigns, but it’s expected.
Kayla, who is wielding a can of gold spray with proficiency, circles Antony like an artist at work. Half of his skin is tainted by the bright color.
“Turn around!” She snaps every few seconds, rolling her eyes when Antony takes too long to move. “Not to the left, you dumbass! I need to get your right side, too!”
“Oi! You need to give me better indications!” He groans, rolling his eyes at her like she’s another one of his sisters.
I narrow my eyes, trying to picture Kayla as the third addition to an already busy pair, and realize almost immediately that she’d fit right in.
“Oh, fuck.”
Across the room, Mateo is already dressed, devil horns popping in between his brown curls. He’s half-asleep in the corner, Pepé curled at his feet, but still cracks one eye open to mock me.
“Icannotbelieve she convinced you to come!”
“Hold your gasps; there’s worse,” I say, slinging an arm around Cassandra’s waist as I slide off my sunglasses and toss them onto the counter. “She made me wear this, too.”
Cassandra insisted we match.
It’s how I ended up with a trail of blue glitter dusted around my eyes, something like sea foam. I’m kind of digging the look. It really matches with the color of my eyes.
“Becky!” She hugs me, pressing her face to my chest with a half-embarrassed groan. “You told me you liked it!”
“I do like it. It makes me look like a merman,” I tease lightly. “A very handsome merman.”
Her nose shoots up from her hiding place.Our eyes lock, the green in hers softened under the muted light. I cup the sides of her face, my thumb tracing over the tiny beauty mark that’s almost faded near her temple.
“You two disgust me,” Angelina deadpans, her tone flat.
She keeps on rolling her eyes as she shoves two large plastic bags into my hand. My girlfriend looks away from me, a soft blush slowly spreading across her face as she stares at our friend. The brunette girl seems entirely unimpressed with our display of affection.
“A little envious?” I smirk, opening up one of the plastic bags to see what’s inside.
Carefully packed sandwiches, juices bottled in plastic bottles, and a chocolate cake resting at the top.
“What’s all this?” I ask.
“Lunch, duh. Mom and I made us snacks.”
Angelina crosses her arm over her chest, color now staining her high cheekbones, too. The halo crowning her head seems unfitting when compared to her stubborn mouth.
“This is for later, though. As in,afterthe parade. Donoteat it now!”
I really don’t think this was all done by Mrs. Cardoso. Angelina definitely had a hand in picking the recipes she wanted to make. I’m not surprised that she would be cooking for us. It’s one of her ways to display affection without being too upfront about it.
I’ve always taken it as a cultural thing, how she takes care of everyone around her, making sure her friends are having a good time.Maybe, it’s also just how she naturally is.A good leader and a good friend.
Her advice turned out to be very helpful, and I don’t think anybody else in this room realizes just how sensitive Angelina can be to those around her. I have to be more grateful about it, too. It’s just easy to forget about it sometimes.
Cassandra leans in, standing on her tippy toes.
Her breath is warm against my ear.
“Thank God she’s not high-maintenance.”
