“C’mon,” Sun said, turning into the lot of St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery. “I tell you everything.”
He snorted.
“Dude, who did I call first when I got my period?”
“Christ on a cracker.” He covered his ears.
“My mom? My dad? No. I called you. My best friend on planet Earth.”
“Which goes to show there is such a thing as TMI.”
“You’re really not going to tell me?”
“That I’m not seeing anyone? I just did.”
“Then what are you hiding?”
“Oh, that. Well, if I told you, I wouldn’t be hiding it anymore. That makes zero sense, Sunbeam. How can I hide something if I tell you?”
She groaned and put the cruiser in park.
“We have no lives,” she said, suddenly depressed. “We’re young-ish, oddly attractive human beings.”
“Speak for yourself.”
“What’s wrong with us?” She looked at him.
“I don’t know.” He seemed to deflate, as though he felt her words on a deeper level than she’d expected.
“Quincy?” She put a hand on his arm.
He turned back to her. “We really are pathetic, aren’t we?”
“Hey,” she said, trying to be offended. She failed. “We are. We’re losers. Also, if I guess right will you tell me?”
“I’m not seeing anyone.”
“Then you’re pining for someone.”
“I’m not pining for anyone, either.”
“Besides my mother?”
“Besides your mother.” They sat contemplating their circumstances when he seemed to come to an important decision. “You know what? Enough is enough.”
“I agree. Completely. One hundred percent. What are we talking about?”
“Us.” He gestured, indicating the two of them. “And our general pathetic-ness.”
“Oh, then I absolutely agree.”
“We need to stop pining after something we can’t, for whatever reason, have and take a look at what’s in front of us.”
After some thought, she concurred with a nod. “Absolutely. What’s in front of us?”
He paused a long moment, then said, “Us.”
She tilted her head in confusion. “Us?”
“You and me.”
He turned in his seat to better face her and removed his shades. This must be serious. “Think about it. How long have we been friends?”
“Forever.”
“And who do you love more than anyone?”
“Auri.”
“Okay, besides her.”
“My parents.”
“No, I mean, I know that,” he said, getting flustered. “Besides your family.”
“Levi,” she said, trying not to grin.
He rolled his eyes. “Besides Levi. Wait.” He puffed out his lower lip. “You love Levi more than me?”
“Hmm,” she said, having to think about it. “Not more. Just differently.”
“And where has that gotten you?”
“Nowhere fast?”
“Exactly. Maybe that’s our problem. Maybe deep down we’re attracted to each other.”
Sun couldn’t help the look of horror on her face. “Really deep down.”
“And we just need to work out our true feelings for one another.”
“Way, way deep down.”
“And maybe once we do that we can move on.”
“Like almost nonexistent deep down.”
“I get it,” he said, holding up a palm in frustration. “Your feelings are really deep. Look, what do you want in a relationship?”
She lifted a shoulder. “The usual. Someone I can share my life with who’ll leave me alone most of the time.”
“See? We are so much alike. What if we’re perfect for each other, we’ve just never given us a chance?”
“You mean sex?”
“No.” He started to scrub his face but stopped and looked at her from over his fingertips. “Well, yeah.”
“So, like friends with benefits?”
“No. Yes. Maybe.”
The romantic sensibilities in this guy bordered on legendary. And he was still single. Whodathunk? Sun gazed into the clear depths of blue in his eyes.
He took her hands into his as an orchestra played romantic music in the background.
Without looking, she reached over and turned off the radio, then re-clasped their hands.
“Why didn’t we think of this before?” he asked.
“Because we’ve been besties since kindergarten and having sex would very likely ruin a lifelong friendship?”
“Maybe. But maybe not.” He scratched his adorably scruffy chin. “I like to believe we’ve simply been in denial about our true feelings.”
She squinted in thought. “I don’t think so. But I’m willing to give it a shot if you are.”
At that point, she’d be willing to do anything to lessen the constant longing—a.k.a., obsession—for Levi Ravinder she’d had since she realized boy and girl parts differed greatly. And he was a big part of that discovery.
“So”—he grew serious with a heaping side of wicked if the impish slant of his mouth were any indication—“date night soon?”
Butterflies stormed her belly much like a battalion of soldiers storming a beach. If she didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Quincy somewhere deep down—way, way deep down—why would butterflies attack? Maybe he was right.
Having made her decision, she lifted her chin in a gesture of finality. “You know what? Let’s do this.”
He extended his fist. “Let’s do this.”
They fist-bumped to seal the deal, then sat stewing in one of the most uncomfortable silences she’d ever endured, giving her a chance to take in the grounds around them. The lot was surrounded by foliage and palm trees. A white Santorini-style church sat atop a hill in front of them.
Quince scanned the oasis surrounding them as well. “I feel like having this conversation in the parking lot of a monastery is wrong.”
“Having this conversation is wrong period. But who knows? Maybe you’re right.” She gave him a good appraisal. He was beyond attractive. She’d never questioned that. And she did love him more than just about anything or anyone on Earth. Who knew? Maybe he was onto something.
They got out of the cruiser and headed toward an adobe-style entrance that sat on their right. A beautiful red chapel nestled in greenery sat beyond that, but they headed toward the bookstore first to gain entrance.
The monastery was a lovely combination of chapels, elaborate gardens, and scenic walkways dotted with gazebos and Spanish fountains. They toured the grounds as quickly as possible, considering it was already thirty minutes out of their way, and bought several bottles of olive oil from the monks.
“I suddenly want to sauté something,” Quincy said when they got back to the car.
“Don’t do it in the cruiser. I’ll never get the smell out.”
The trip back was filled with small talk that gave their upcoming date a wide berth. Neither wanted to dwell on it, though Sun’s thoughts did steer in that general direction when Quincy sat snoring in her passenger seat.