“I like you, Raquel. I really like you.”
Everything stops, I can only look into those honey-colored eyes flooded with tears.
“I’ve always liked you, I thought you and I would end up together like some overused romantic cliché.” A sad laugh escapes his lips. “I guess it was too perfect to be real.”
“Yoshi . . .”
“I’m leaving. Tell the others. Enjoy the evening with your idiot.”
“Yoshi. Wait.”
He doesn’t listen to me and starts to walk away. My heart is beating like crazy. I don’t want him to leave, but what will I do if he stays? What do I tell him?
But then Yoshi stops a few feet away and turns to me again. I watch him in surprise as he walks toward me quickly. His eyes are full of determination.
“Fuck it all!”
“Yoshi, what—”
He takes my face with both hands and kisses me.
TWENTY-FIVE
The Celebration
Yoshi’s kiss takes me by surprise.
Not only because I didn’t expect it but also because the moment his lips touch mine, new and pleasant sensations seize my body. His kiss is soft and slow. He tastes of vodka and something sweet that I can’t decipher, but I like it. He sucks on my bottom lip, then kisses me again, deepening the kiss a little.
The thinking part of my brain disappears, and my hormones take the wheel. I allow myself to enjoy this kiss. I’m a single girl being kissed by a cute guy, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Yoshi grabs my waist, pulling me closer to him, and I wrap my hands around his neck. I never imagined Yoshi could kiss so well. His tongue caresses the corner of my lips, making me shiver.
Someone clears their throat.
And that’s when I remember that we are in front of the house, in full view of everyone. I separate from Yoshi, without taking my hands off his neck, and turn my head to look at the person who cleared his throat.
Marco.
My heart stops, because he’s not alone. Behind him, a few steps away, is Ares. His hands are in his pants pockets and his eyes are on me.
Oh shit.
His face is an empty, indecipherable mask. Is he angry? Disappointed? Surprised? Or does he just not care? I can’t tell from his expression, which gives nothing away.
My hands drop from Yoshi’s neck and fall to my sides. What were the odds of Ares leaving the house at this very moment? Marco gives me an amused smile, his tone teasing. “You never cease to amaze me.”
Ares turns his gaze away from me and starts walking past us. “Come on, we don’t have all night.” His voice is neutral, reminding me of the first time we spoke.
He passes by without another glance. He really doesn’t care. Why does that hurt me so much? Why do I want him to care? Marco gives me one last smile and follows him. I watch them head to Ares’s car, which is parked on the street, to pull out some crates of what looks like beer.
Yoshi grabs my hand. “Earth calling Raquel.”
I stop looking at Ares and focus on my best friend, the guy I just kissed. Shit, what a night!
“I’m sorry, I just … It’s nothing.”
Yoshi caresses my cheek. “If anyone needs to apologize here, it’s me. I’m sorry, I know how you feel about him. I don’t expect you to act like you don’t care overnight.” He adjusts his glasses, and I can’t help the smile that springs to my lips. Yoshi is so sweet, and on top of it, he kisses well too.
“We should go inside.” I don’t want to face Ares again when he comes back with those crates.
Yoshi nods. “Okay, but first I want you to know that this isn’t a one-night thing for me. I really care about you, and I want us to try.”
“I care about you too, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I know,” he says with a smile. “Let’s try, and if it doesn’t work, we can just be friends, but at least we’ll know we tried.” He pauses, but I don’t say anything. “Just think about it, okay? You don’t have to answer now.”
I just nod and grab his hand to lead him back into the house. “All right, now let’s go, Casanova.”
Yoshi laughs, and we go inside together.
I tend to underestimate the ability of alcohol to get people drunk in a short amount of time. We’re all pretty tipsy, so to speak, but Carlos is past the point of no return. He’s unconscious on one of the couches in the house, drooling onto a flowered cushion. Apolo, being the nice guy that he is, checks Carlos’s breathing every so often.
I’m having a great time and even manage to completely forget about Ares from time to time. But the more I drink, the more I think about him. I don’t know if it’s a side effect of the alcohol, but it bothers me. I don’t want to think about him, I don’t want to scan the room every now and then to see if I can find him, I don’t want to wonder what he’s doing and who he’s with.