Page 7 of Ready or Not
[Naomi:] What?? One night stands aren’t bad!
[Nell:] Let the girl enjoy her damn date!
[Nell:] jfc Mimi…
[Naomi:] I’m asking the right questions!!!! Y’all need to stop acting like u don’t wanna know too!The man’s fine! She better hit!
[Allie:] Wait… Sol… you on a date?? With who??
[Me:] Not really…
[Lizzy:] Yup! She met a cute guy at T’s party and agreed to go out with him when he asked her out.
[Allie:] I always miss out cause of work! Dammit!
[Naomi:] Should’ve been there, Allie. U would've enjoyed the show.
[Me:] It’s not a date, Allie . I’m just hanging out with him.
[Nell:] Girl pls.
[Naomi:] Hanging out, my ass. Let me know when y’all fucked yet.
[Naomi:] & girl, get off ur phone! Go enjoy your new man!
“Everything good?”I heard Desiderio’s voice, and I looked up from my phone to see him staring at me with a pinched face as he took a seat across from me, holding a brown paper bag.
After agreeing to spend the rest of the evening with him—since Naomi and Penelope insisted that I go, Desi and I decided to embark on whatever adventure he had planned. Though I was initially hesitant because I hardly knew him, nor had I done something like this before, the thought of spending more time with him wasn't entirely unwelcome.
He seemed harmless, and truth be told? I was curious about what he had in store for the night.
Once my friends and I confirmed that we were all aligned—Naomi was committed to ensuring my safety, Penelope vowed to extract me from any situation if I texted the chat our code word, Elizabeth was on top of location tracking, and Alexandra had her phone on standby for any last-minute saves—Desi and I headed to our first destination of the evening: Empanada Mama in East Village.
Quickly silencing my phone, I locked it and set it on the wooden tan table. “I’m good. My friends just checking in.”
“You can let them know that you’re fine and that I’m no serial killer.” He smirked, passing me a bottled cherry lemonade—but not before opening it for me. “Although, maybe that's what a serial killer would say.”
“Thank you.” I took the drink from him with a laugh. “And good luck getting away with it. My friends don’t play. They’ll have your body in pieces all over the city before midnight.”
He arched an eyebrow, leaning back into the turquoise seat. “I guess I’ll be on my best behavior then.”
“You don’t have a choice.” I stuck out my tongue at him. Grabbing my empanada, I took a bite of the warm pastry filled with braised oxtail, plantains, and carrots. As I chewed, enjoying the savory flavors, I noticed him watching me intently.
“What?” I narrowed my eyes at him, swallowing before taking another sip of my lemonade.
Desi's gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he shook his head with a small smile. "Nothing.”
“Do I have something on my face…” I started touching around my lips, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. He chuckled softly and reached over, his thumb hovering over my cheek.
“May I?” his eyes searched mine for ayes,and I nodded, my heart fluttering in my chest as he gently brushed his thumb across my cheek to wipe away a stray crumb. His touch was surprisingly tender, causing me to hold my breath for a moment.
“There,” he said softly, wiping away the dipping sauce that spilled. My brain was still processing the intimate gesture when he lifted his thumb to his lips, his gaze meeting mine.
Did he just…I blinked at him, caught off guard by the unexpected boldness of him licking his thumb clean. His eyes, still holding mine, were dark and intense, as if silently daring meto react. For a moment, time froze around us, and I felt a warmth pulsing between my legs.
Clearing my throat, I shifted in my seat.
"Flirt.” I gave him a playful shove before taking a hurried sip of my cherry lemonade, needing something to cool down the sudden heat in my cheeks.
