“No,” I say, scratching my nose. “I was just curious.”
Dadu considers my expression. I have no idea what I must look like to her, but I doubt it’s the perfect picture of innocence.
“Myra Apu has a cruuuush,” Samir’s voice says behind me, and I turn to see him leaning against the dining room’s entryway, holding a tray of Oreos, likely stolen from the pantry as a snack. There’s an infuriating grin on his face.
My neck burns. “Shut up. I do not.”
Samir wiggles his eyebrows at me suggestively. I reach for a napkin on the dining table, then toss it at his head. He ducks out of the way, sticking his tongue out at me. “Don’t forget to call Ma,” he says, laughing when I throw another napkin. “I was just on FaceTime with her, and she said you’re ignoring her calls.”
“I am not ignoring her,” I say. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Samir’s words about having a crush keep looping through my head, and I stand suddenly, making for him. He never thinks before speaking.
His eyes widen and he skitters away, toward the stairs. I move to follow him when Dadu says, “Myra.”
I pause, looking back at her. “Yes?”
She’s watching me with a small smile. “Can you grab me a sweater? I’m feeling cold.”
I slump in sudden relief, which probably paints me as even guiltier. “Of course,” I say and hurry to get it for her.
On my way, I knock on Samir’s door. He opens it a crack, peering at me through the small gap. “What?”
“Don’t do that,” I say, my skin crawling as I meet his eyes. Samir often forgets that we have different consequences for our actions. It’s insufferable and anxiety inducing. “You’re going to get me in trouble. I don’t have a crush on anyone.”
He raises his brows. “I was just joking,” he says, opening the door wider. There are faint noises in the background, his laptop open to some video game streaming app. “It’s not a big deal. Dadu doesn’t care.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I know, but just—don’t, okay? I don’t have a crush on anyone. Don’t bring up that kind of stuff at home. Promise me you won’t.”
Samir holds up his hands in a placating gesture. “All right, all right. Relax. I promise I won’t bring it up.”
The stiffness in my frame eases. “Thanks.”
He shrugs but falters. Another awful grin spreads across his face. He pokes my side, asking, “You’re being pretty defensive. Do you have a crush on someone? You said you were tutoring that dude, right? What was his name again?”
I smack his hand away, even as my heart skips a beat. At least this proves Samir didn’t even care enough to remember Ace’s name. “No. He’s just a classmate. And didn’t I just say not to bring that up at home? Don’t you have homework to do?”
“Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop now,” my brother says and snorts at the irritated expression on my face. “I’m already done, by the way. Maybe you should go do yours.”
He shuts the door in my face before I can flip him off. I grumble under my breath, but my heart feels a little more at ease knowing he won’t say anything like that again. I grab a sweater from Dadu’s room and head back downstairs to the dining room.
On my way, I pause in the living room at the sight of my phone, which is playing a Top 40 playlist from Spotify on the speakers. I pick it up unthinkingly and search for a classical music playlist.
I click into the first one and press play. The sound of piano notes fills the room, and it’s different from what I’m used to, but it isn’t bad. Just unfamiliar. Hopeful.
“Is that new, Myra?” Dadu asks from the other room.
“Yes,” I say, staring at my phone in consideration. “It is.”
“I like it,” Dadu says. I can almost see the smile on her face.
“Yeah, Dadu,” I say, closing my eyes and letting the music wash over me. My vehement protest of having a crush feels even flimsier now. “I think I do, too.”
21
T-MINUS 19 DAYS
“I’m telling you, my new manager is the devil incarnate,” Nandini says, scowling. “I told her I can’t work multiple shifts during the week because of school, but she keeps scheduling me in anyway.”
“Murder is always an option,” Cora says, filing her nails. “Say the word and I’m on it.”
“I’ll drive the getaway car,” I add, squeezing Nandini’s arm. “Are you sure you can’t get a job somewhere else?”
“I could, but I love my coworkers too much to quit,” she says, laying her head on the table. “This is the worst.”
“I bet I can get her fired,” Cora muses, turning her full attention toward us. “I’m not above throwing a tantrum in the movie theater.”
Nandini snorts, and I’m glad to see the shift in her mood. “At this rate, I might take you up on that offer.”
I smile faintly, running my hand through her short curls.
Ace shows up a minute later, dropping off coffee and a doughnut. I roll my eyes and pinch his arm with my free hand.
He grins down at me. “I need to ask you something later. I’ll walk you from AP Physics to English so we can talk about it.”
“What are you going to ask for now? My homework?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Very funny, Ahmed,” Ace says and leans down to kiss the crown of my head again before making his way out of the cafeteria.
I’m used to Nandini and Cora’s incredulous stares by now, so I wave it off. It’s a lot harder to wave off the rising warmth inside my chest, the sudden fluttering of my pulse. “It’s part of the facade.”
“This is ridiculous,” Cora says, shaking her head. “At least tell him to stop bringing you coffee. I already do that.”
Before I can stop her, she grabs the coffee Ace brought and takes a sip.
“He even got your order wrong,” Cora says, gesturing at the cup. “This is too sweet.”
I wince. This isn’t a conversation I ever intended to have. “It’s actually right.”
Cora stares in disbelief. “This is right,” she repeats.
I nod, grimacing. “I didn’t want to say anything! It’s so nice of you to even think of me in the mornings. I didn’t want to complain.”
“I keep telling you, you’re too nice,” Nandini says, flicking me on the forehead.
“Yeah!” Cora says, flicking me on the forehead right afterward. “I would’ve written it down so I didn’t mess it up. Why didn’t you say something?”
I shrug helplessly.
Nandini sighs. “Karina, you’ve got to stop letting life just happen to you.”
“I don’t let life just happen to me,” I say, jutting out my bottom lip. “I just don’t like making other people feel bad.”
They both look at me and I turn away, unable to hold their gazes. Even though I know I often let life pass me by, hearing it still stings.
Cora sighs, shaking her head. She shifts her gaze to my coffee cup. “He remembered, huh?”
“Yeah,” I say, scrutinizing the expression on her face. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No, Karina,” Cora says softly. “Not at all.”
* * *
As promised, Ace is waiting when I step out of AP Physics. “You’re like an annoying stray cat that won’t stop following me,” I say before wiggling my fingers at him. “Want a scratch on the head?”
Instead of shying away like I hoped he would, Ace just smirks. “If you’re offering, why not?”
“I was joking,” I say, brushing past him. My skin feels like it’s overheating, and I take a deep breath when he isn’t looking. “You take the fun out of things.”
“Me?” Ace asks, catching up to me. I nearly jump ten feet in the air when he throws a casual arm around my shoulders. “You’re the one that likes studying for fun.”
I give
him an unimpressed look. “No one likes studying for fun. I like staying on topic during our designated study time so you can gain the most out of our sessions.”
I try not to be hyperaware of the fact that other juniors in our class are staring at us as we walk together. It’s hard, because I’m also trying not to pay attention to Ace’s fingers toying with the end of my braid. I don’t see Samir anywhere, so at least there’s that. It’d be just my luck to have him pass us in the hallway the day after I said I don’t have a crush on anyone. If he sees us now, he’ll never stop badgering me. And then it’s only a matter of time before he slips up to our parents.
Even still, I don’t like how my classmates are staring at me. I resist the urge to burrow into Ace’s side to hide but can’t help leaning closer to him. As if he can read my thoughts, he pulls us into a less populated staircase.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Some of the tension leaves my frame and I turn to look at him. “Sorry.”
“What have I told you about apologizing?” Ace says, squeezing my shoulder. “Anyway, I said I wanted to talk to you before. I was thinking...will you go to prom with me?”
I stop breathing.
Prom? It was only days ago that Cora, Nandini, and I were joking about it. I never expected anyone to ask me. I didn’t expect Ace to ask me.
“Ahmed?” Ace says, gently nudging my shoulder.
I inhale sharply, trying to gain a hold of my bearings. “Are you serious?”
Ace nods. “I would’ve done a promposal, but I figured you’d be against that. I didn’t want to put you on the spot or anything. You can say no, obviously, but I thought it’d be nice to go together since we’re pretending to date. What do you think?”
I blink at him several times. “You want to go to prom with me? As part of our fake dating facade? Isn’t that past our three-week mark?”
He shrugs. “Just in case.” Then a strange look passes over his face. “Unless...someone asked you already?”
“No,” I say quickly. “No, no one’s asked me. I just—I don’t know if I can go. I don’t know if my parents will let me.”
Ace frowns. “You’re not allowed to go to junior prom?”
“I’m not allowed to do a lot of things,” I say with a thin smile, but my pulse is still raging like an incessant drumbeat. “But, uh...”
A hopeful light enters his eyes. “Yeah?”
I swallow past the dryness of my mouth. “If I can go, I’d love to go with you. But right now, three weeks is all I can promise.”
“Okay. Let me know then.” A flush spreads across his cheeks and he laughs in chagrin. “That actually isn’t what I wanted to ask you.”
“There’s something else?”
He shrugs, his eyes still dancing. “Mia wants us to join her and her girlfriend for a double date after school. I thought it’d be fun. What do you think?”
I raise both eyebrows at him. “A double date? But we’re not...dating, Ace.”
“Technically, we are,” he says, nudging his hip against mine. “Come on. Remember the books I promised to buy you? I’ll do it today, if you come with us.”
I pause to consider that. Goodreads recently informed me that several books from my TBR list released this week, and I’ve been meaning to go to the bookstore anyway. “Which bookstore?”
He must realize that means yes, because he grins widely. I reach up to poke one of his dimples without thinking. If anything, that only widens his smile. “There’s an independent bookstore across from the ice rink Mia wants to go to. I figured we’d support a local business, but if you want to go to Barnes & Noble, we can do that, too.”
I stare at him in wonder. How strange that his thoughts align with mine. “No, that’s perfect. I love indie bookstores.”
“Great,” Ace says as we exit the staircase, only a few steps away from our English classroom. “It’s a date.”
A date. Why does that make it sound so real? As if asking me to prom wasn’t enough.
“I guess so,” I say, ignoring the way my heartstrings are pulling taut. “We’re studying in your car on the way there. And we have to study tomorrow morning during first period to make up for lost time.”
He laughs. “I’d expect nothing less.”
I smile at him, even as my nerves begin to devour me in preparation for the evening ahead.
22
T-MINUS 19 DAYS
The bookstore is a small two-storied building called Two Stories, which already makes me love it.
Ace opens the door and I step inside, eyes wide as I take in the store. It’s warm and cozy, earth themed. There are tables on the right side designed to look like tree stumps and seats that resemble shrubbery. Rows of bookshelves are lined up in front of me, and a warm yellow light filters in from above, where stars hang from thin metal threads. It reminds me of Ace’s room, and I glance at him surreptitiously.
“My mom loves reading,” he says, seeing the look on my face. “She designed my room before my parents got divorced. This used to be her favorite bookstore before she moved away.”
“It’s pretty,” I say and glance at him. “Do you miss her? Since she’s so far away?”
“I do,” he says, quieter. “But we talk every day if we can. I told her about you.”
“You did?” I blink at him. “What’d you say?”
Ace smiles at me innocuously. “Who knows?”
“You know,” I say, pinching his arm. He laughs, but when it becomes clear he isn’t going to say any more, I sigh. “So how long has this place been around?”
“Since I was a kid,” he says, lightly tugging me around a shelf of books. “The owner’s daughter manages it now. Actually, there she is. Genesis! Hey.”
A beautiful dark-haired woman a few years older than us stops sorting books to look in our direction. When she sees Ace, her expression brightens, and her eyes are curious when they land on me. “Hi, Ace. Who’s your friend?”
“This is my girlfriend, Karina,” Ace says, taking my hand in his. Hearing those words come out of his mouth is still jarring, but I manage to keep my smile in place through sheer effort.
“Hi,” I say. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“She loves books,” Ace says slyly, ignoring me when I elbow him. “I think you’ll get along great.”
Genesis beams. “Do you want some recommendations? What do you like to read?”
I name some genres, and Genesis leads me away to an assortment of books on the second floor. Ace trails after us idly, and when he catches me looking at him, he winks. “Go wild, sweetie.”
“Is he paying?” Genesis asks. I nod, and she laughs. “Definitely rob him blind, Karina. He can afford it.”
I snort. “That’s excellent advice.”
“Actually, you know what? We’re in the process of adding a section on astronomy.” Genesis gestures for both of us to follow her. “Ace, you’ll want to see this.”
I tag along, my heart warm and content from being around books. The astronomy section turns out to be through a door, and when we come out on the other side, I stop in my tracks to stare. The entire room is set in darkness with lowlight fixtures in the shape of stars on the ceiling. Two displays make up most of the room, and half the book jackets glow in the dark.
I gasp when Genesis dials up the brightness. There are beautiful constellations painted on the walls and drawings of children hidden between them, chasing after the stars. But I’m focused on the book display. All the covers look untouched, with beautiful jackets illustrated in vivid detail. Depictions of moons, stars, planets, and the endless wonder of space are detailed across several of them.
“Gorgeous, right?” Genesis asks.
“Absolutely stunning,” I say, my voice full of hushed reverence.
Ace isn’t saying anything, so I glance t
o the side to see his reaction. Instead of looking at the room, he’s staring at me. He doesn’t look away when our gazes meet. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful,” he says softly.
I blink at him, my mouth suddenly dry. My heart starts racing, and I don’t know what to say, how to break this sudden silence. He’s looking at me in a way that no one ever has before.
“Teenage love,” Genesis says wistfully, her voice cutting through the tension like warm butter. I look away from Ace, my cheeks burning with such intense heat I’m surprised I’m not going up in flames.
“I’m going to go look at the books you mentioned before,” I say, my voice high-pitched, and I leave before either of them can reply.
I disappear into the shelves and take my phone out to text Nandini and Cora. guyssssss I think I’m on a real date with ace clyde !?????
Cora Zhang-Agreste:
W H A T
Nandini Kaur:
I wish this was surprising tbh I’m more curious what made you get your head out of your ass
Me:
well...he asked me to prom kind of??? but that’s not rlly relevant rn
Nandini Kaur:
!? WHAT
Cora Zhang-Agreste:
oh. my. GOD.
Me:
IT’S NOT LIKE I CAN GO ANYWAY IT’S WHATEVER
Cora Zhang-Agreste:
BITCH I’M FILING THE PROM PETITION RN
Nandini Kaur:
omw to sign it cora expect me in 5
Me:
omg STOP I doubt I can go
Me:
but anyway listen. so. idk ace took me to a bookstore today right
Cora Zhang-Agreste:
...............nandini. nandini I can’t do this with her
Cora Zhang-Agreste:
I know karina is oblivious but this is TOO MUCH
Me:
LISTEN TO ME
Me:
we were in this fancy room thing or whatever and it was beautiful and it was that stupid meme where it’s like the stars are beautiful outside u know the one
Counting Down with You Page 13
