Page 130 of Pride High

Silvia laughed. “Are you sure?” She picked up the rod to examine it. The one that she had used and passed down to Hugo was made of brightly colored plastic and had a flimsy reel. This one looked like a scaled-down version of an adult model, with all the same benefits. “This is really nice!”

“Yeah. My parents spoil me. I don’t want it to go to waste. But if you think he won’t like it…”

“He’d love it!” Silvia said. “Thank you.”

“What about this?” Omar asked, picking up the tackle boxby its handle. “There’s no reason a kid needs a smaller version. Hugo can carry a normal tackle box around. I’ve seen him do it. But you have to admit that it’s cute. Makes me feel like a little boy again.” Omar began walking around the shop with an innocent expression, the petite tackle box swinging at the end of his arm.

“Definitely cute.” Silvia wasn’t referring to the tackle box. She liked his goofy side. Of course she also felt he wastooimmature at times. But for the most part, she found his antics charming.

Omar returned to the counter and turned the tackle box toward her after opening the lid so she could see inside. “There’s all sorts of cool lures in here. When I was young, I chose them by appearance. So most of them aren’t useful for fishing around here. But I used to love looking at them. Maybe Hugo will too.”

Silvia only needed to glance at the interior to see that most of the little compartments were filled with rubbery bugs, spinners with colorful feathers, and even the hollow kind of lure that was meant to be filled with bait.

“This is quite the gift,” Silvia said.

“Don’t think of it like that,” Omar said dismissively. “It’ll end up in a garage sale or at a charity shop if Hugo doesn’t want it.”

“I only mean that it’s the sort of thing you should give him in person. So he can thank you himself.”

“Oh. Uh… Does he ever come to work with you?”

Omar’s dark eyes were filled with uncertainty. He didn’t make any assumptions, which she found incredibly sweet. She was tempted to lean over the counter and smooch him on the lips. Mostly because she knew how happy it would make him. That made her feel torn, and not for the first time. She liked Omar. But she also didn’t understand love. Not the romantic kind. Silvia loved her family and her best friend. She supposed she even loved Omar, in a way, but it wasn’t quite how the movies made it seem, or how it was portrayed in the books that Mindy liked to read. But when Silvia thought of her parents, and the sort of relationship they had,that’swhen love made sense to her. She wanted that for herself. If not now, then someday.

“Are you doing anything on Sunday?” Silvia asked.

“No,” Omar replied.

“We could go fishing again. Me, you, and Hugo.”

Omar blinked in surprise. “Really? Yeah! I’d love that!”

“Even as friends?” she asked, already intimidated by his expectations.

“Sure,” he said, the smile not faltering much. “It’ll be fun!”

They made plans and chatted a little longer, Omar helping her close the store. She couldn’t take the fishing rod and tackle box home. Silvia was still using her bike to get to and from work, bundling up against the cold. Omar was happy to take the gifts back so he could give them in person. When they said goodbye, there was a moment of tension, where a kiss might have happened. But she wasn’t ready for that quite yet, needing to think about it more. As she pedaled home, Silvia promised herself to reach a decision one way or another. She cared about Omar enough that she didn’t want to hurt his feelings by leading him on. She only needed to figure out her own feelings first.

— — —

Omar breathed in crisp autumn air, grateful for the empty sky above. Sunlight warmed their skin as they sat silently by the lake and watched their bobbers float on the surface. Moments of tranquility were rare for him. Usually he felt spurred on by an endless amount of energy and ideas, but not now. Hugo had settled down between them, resting in the crook of his sister’s arm, one hand gripping his new fishing rod, the other on his pudgy belly. As for Silvia…

Omar glanced over at her, his chest filling with love, like it always did. She was so beautiful. Her silky dark hair shimmered in the light breeze. He watched as she tucked a lock behind her ear without breaking her vigil on the lake. He missed kissing her, or even just staring into those mysterious eyes, because he often felt closer to her than just about anyone. And at other times, he wasn’t sure if he truly knew her at all. But instead of that shaking his faith, it only seemed to stoke his passion. She was so cool. Way cooler than him. And man… Those boobs! He wouldn’t let himself look. It was torture. The best kind. Omar could handle wanting and waiting. What took the wind out of his sails was no longer being her boyfriend. That made his insides ache, when he let himself dwell on it, so he preferred to focus on the positive. They were together! As friends, sure, but still together.

“What’s that?” Hugo said, pointing at the sky.

Omar looked up and saw a thin white line that was slowly growing longer. “An airplane,” he answered.

Hugo made a face. “I don’t see an airplane.”

“Because it’s too far away,” Silvia explained. “All we can see is the exhaust it leaves behind.”

“Exhaust?”

“Sort of like when you breathe on glass,” Omar said. “You know how it makes that fog? The airplane does the same thing, just way up high.”

“Weird,” Hugo said, returning his attention to the lake. “Hey, look!”

“We’ve got one on the line!” Silvia said, sitting upright so fast that Hugo was thrown off her. “Which rod is it?”

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