Page 72 of My Cosplay Escape
“You do, and she’s going to think we’re dating.” Also true.
“We’re not dating?” Adam asks. A shy smile on his lips. I shudder, remembering a different time when I climbed on top of him and kissed those lips. But that wasn’t me. I mean, itwasme, but he didn’t know it was me, and I for sure felt like someone else. “You sure?” he presses.
“I think dating looks different than meeting up for breakfast and then hitting up a convention.” Yes, that was good. Because that’s what friends do. I could just as easily have been one of the guys today. If Adam was a one-of-the-guys type.
“What would dating look like? Sushi, commandeering your boyfriend’s favorite hoodie, and watching Netflix on a Thursday night?”
I swallow as he eases his car to a stop at Kate Sessions Park. The view of the city from this park is spectacular. And on a clear night like tonight, you can see the Coronado Islands silhouetted in the moonlight.
“Watching the city lights together?” he asks.
“San Diego is a beautiful city.” I inhale.
“Absolutely stunning,” he says, not turning his gaze from me. “How ’bout it?”
“Dating…” My head is foggy. “Right. I guess I’d be the worst person to ask. I haven’t dated anyone… ever.”
Adam turns off the car and unbuckles. “Not in high school?”
“Who dates in high school? There’s no time. Did you?”
Adam shrugs. “A couple times. Sure.”
My eyes narrow. “You had a girlfriend. High school sweetheart?”
“No. My first college girlfriend. My only college girlfriend. She had a high school sweetheart.”
“Ouch.” I stare down at my seat belt, still securely fastened.
“Yeah. It was… It was a mess. I was Allison’s backup. I fell madly in love. I started pricing rings and covertly measuring her ring size. You know.” He takes my hand and gently wiggles my dad’s ring free. His hands feel confident, strong, and warm. “Sliding them on my fingers to see where…” Adam clears his throat and immediately takes off my ring. “My parents got married young, and it was something my dad told me he did.” He hands it back. “She didn’t even break up with me. She said she didn’t have to because we were only ever just friends. And then when I told her that I didn’t hook up with just friends, she said, ‘Adam. You’re not my leading man. You’re the cute, funny guy in the movie with a forgettable name that makes me realize that it’s always been Kevin.’”
My mouth falls open. “She did not say that.”
“Allison was a film major.”
“I’m sorry.”She didn’t deserve you,I want to say.She is the world’s biggest idiot. Who the fudge would ever leave a guy like Adam for aKevin?But I don’t say any of it. #coward.
“Not as sorry as I am.” Adam sighs and leans in ever so slightly, and I can faintly smell the Tide detergent on his clothes. “You busy this weekend?”
Uh-oh. That ASMR shiver is back. “I think I’m working.”
Adam smiles. “Let me take you home. You already told me your roomie is your mom.”
“It would be weird. My mom would want to meet you.”
“Then I won’t even walk you to the door. I’ll just skid to a stop and kick you out.”
“Fine, but only if you peel away with tires screeching. We’re the little cottage on Los Altos Street.” I direct him through the two turns from the park.
“Nice xeriscape,” Adam says, pulling alongside the driveway.
“Mom doesn’t believe in growing anything that is not edible. Unless it is to attract pollinators or something.”
“What’s your mom’s name?” Adam asks.
“Janice.”
Before I can say or do anything, Adam is out of the car and waving. “You must be Janice,” he calls.
