“You’re my best friend, too, kiddo.”
“Why are you sad, Kevin?” I asked.
He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
“You’re crying.”
He touched his cheeks as if he didn’t even notice his emotions. “Oh? I don’t know. Just a crazy day. I think things are going to get better, though. You like Rosalina, right, Stella? She said you two had a good talk.”
I tugged on the blanket and thought about our talk. I wanted to tell him how I really felt, but I didn’t want him to get rid of me. I also didn’t want him to be sad anymore, and maybe Rosalina could make him happy again. So, I did what I was told, and said, “Yes.”
Kevin smiled a little and patted his hand on top of mine. “Okay. Good. I like her, too. But you?” More ocean kisses. “You are my universal blessing.”
16
Stella
Present Day
* * *
When Damian came home from his night out with Rosalina, he appeared disdained. I couldn’t blame him. She wasn’t the easiest one to spend a day with. I remembered what it was like being around her. It was as if she sucked everyone’s energy away.
“Hi there,” I said, offering him a smile as I paused my romantic comedy of the night.
“Hello,” he replied, with a bag in his hand.
“Are you okay?”
He grimaced and lowered his brows. He looked down at the bag in his hand. “I got some mint chocolate chip ice cream if you want some.”
My eyes widened as my hands landed against my chest. “Mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream!”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. When I was a kid, I used to eat it all the time.”
“I can scoop some in a bowl for you.”
“Um, I’m not going to turn down that offer. You can join me for a movie tonight, too, if you want. Seeing how our last one didn’t work out.”
“No, thank you.”
I felt a bit disappointed as if I messed up the chance of us building a friendship of some kind. “Okay.”
He went and got me a bowl of ice cream, and I smiled when I saw he even added rainbow sprinkles. “I love sprinkles!” I remarked. He almost smiled. He stared at me as if his mind was overthinking something. “What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing. You just…” He muttered something and shifted around nervously. “You look nice today.”
My cheeks flushed as I looked down at my sweatshirt and sweatpants. I also had zit cream sitting against my chin. “I do?”
“Yes. You do. You look beautiful.”
Where was this coming from?
“Thank you, Damian.”
“Maybe a rain check. On the romantic comedy?”
“Oh, yes, of course. I’d love that.”
“Good night, Cinderstella.”
“Good night, Beast.”
He left me with a whirl of butterflies that were interrupted when Jeff texted me.
Jeff: I was thinking, maybe we could do a double date with Dillon.
Stella: Damian.
Jeff: Right. What’s the name of the girl from your job that you get along with? The girl you brought to Thanksgiving? Kelsey?
He got her name right at least. Which he should’ve, seeing how Kelsey had been spending birthdays and holidays with us for the past three years. She moved out to Los Angeles from England on her own years back to try to start her acting career, and I instantly connected with her. She needed a family, and I was more than happy to invite her into my little world.
Stella: Yeah, that’s her.
Jeff: You said she was single. How about a blind date setup?
Stella: Oh gosh, no. I don’t even know what type of guy Kelsey’s into.
Jeff: I’ve seen that guy. Any woman would be into him. Besides, you said he’s not seeing anyone. What’s the big deal about inviting Kelsey, too? Unless there’s a reason you don’t want him to be dating someone else.
What in the world did he mean by that? I could feel the odd attitude from his message, but I hated arguing over text messages. Things could always be taken the wrong way. So, I rolled it off my shoulders until we’d be able to talk about it in person.
Stella: Of course not. I’ll have to see if it’s something he’d be interested in.
Jeff: I’ll make a reservation for four.
I told him to hold off on the reservation until I asked Damian if he’d be okay with the plan, but Jeff went ahead and set it up anyway, saying he’d change it to three if need be.
Jeff: I’ll pick you all up on Wednesday night. Then you’re coming home with me.
I didn’t say anything in response because I could tell he was in an odd mood.
“Hi there,” I said, crossing paths with Damian as he was about to wash a load of clothes.
“Hello.” He glanced down at the basket of laundry in my hands. “I can remove my stuff if you want to wash yours first,” he offered.
“Oh, no. It’s fine.” I waved him off. “I can wait. Actually, I’m glad I crossed paths with you. I was hoping I could ask you something.”
“Shoot.”
“Will you do dinner with Jeff and me? He wants to reintroduce himself formally. Soberly. That way, you’ll see that he’s not as awful as he presented himself to be that first time.”
“First impressions are hard to forget.”
“Yes, but a lot of people are bad at first auditions. That’s why there are callbacks.”
“Okay.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What?”
“I said okay. I’ll do it.”
“Really?” I asked, shocked. That was much easier than I thought it would be.
“If that’s what you need to be comfortable in this situation, then I will do it.”
“It’s mostly for his comfort, which is important to me. So, yes. His comfort makes me comfortable.”
“What makes you comfortable outside of others?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Never mind.”
“No—”
“Never mind, Stella,” he said in a definitive tone. That gave me enough reason not to push, especially since I was already preparing to ask for another request.
“Right. Okay. Also, there’s one more thing.” I clasped her hands together and prayed Damian wouldn’t snap at me. “It’s kind of a double date if you’re okay with that?”
“I’m not okay with that.”
“I knew you wouldn’t be. Okay.” I began walking away but turned back toward him. “It’s just… Jeff thinks there’s something going on between us.”
“There’s nothing going on between us.”
“I know that, and you know that, but Jeff doesn’t know that.”
“He doesn’t trust you?”
“No. He doesn’t trust you.”
“What do I have to do with your relationship’s trust?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “He’s insecure, that’s all.”
He kept quiet, but I could tell his mind had many, many thoughts. I wasn’t certain I wanted to hear them because they probably weren’t positive.