Adorkable(9)

When he pulled me to his chest, I jerked away.

“What’s wrong?” Becks said, reaching for me. “You okay, Sal?”

“Fine, fine.” I jumped back again, watching his hand fall, wishing my voice didn’t sound so breathless. To cover, I said, “Just out of shape, I guess. Maybe I should start working out like you.”

“Nah.” Becks leaned against the counter. “You’re fine.”

“Says the guy with a six pack,” I said, trying to get hold of myself.

“No, really,” he said. “I like girls with a little meat on them.”

Good to know.

“So, what’s your type?”

The comment was so out there I looked up. “What?”

“Earlier, at school, you said you weren’t into bad boys…or girls,” he added with a wink. “Just made me wonder who you’re into.”

You.

No joke, it was the first thing that popped into my head. Good grief. Not only would it end our friendship, Becks’d run for the hills if I said that to him. Get it together, Spitz.

“Don’t know,” I said. Afraid of the answer, I asked anyway. “What’s your dream girl like?”

“Freckles,” he said not missing a beat.

“What?” I scoffed, secretly pleased. I had freckles! “Way to narrow the field, Baldwin.”

“You didn’t let me finish.” Eyes moving over me with a focus that made my breath catch, he said, “Cute freckles, wavy brown hair, about five six, hazel eyes. Naturally beautiful.”

“Becks—”

“She’s smart—,” He talked right over me. “—can quote Star Wars, curses like a German sailor when she’s mad. Someone who makes me laugh out loud, a girl who’s herself and lets me be me. Sounds pretty great, right?”

I stared at him. A moment, two hours, I didn’t know. He’d sounded sincere, but he couldn’t be. I wasn’t that lucky. “That’s not funny.”

“You see me laughing?”

“Becks…”

“Yeah, Sal?”

“You are joking...right?” I had to ask. Even if the hopeful note in my voice revealed too much, I had to ask.

There was an awkward silence.

Then Becks’s smile broke through, eyes bright.

“Man, you should see your face right now,” he laughed while I tried to recover. “Priceless.”

Well. That answered that.

“You want to know my type, Sal? Female.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

Becks shrugged. “I’m a guy. I love women,” he said and shot me a grin. “Some more than others.”

Shaking out of it, I punched him, popped him right in the arm. “You jerk. Why’d you say all that? Was it to embarrass me or what?”

He laughed the whole thing off like nothing happened. “It’s true, Sal. You’ve ruined me for other women.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Where am I going to find another girl who throws a punch like that?”

“Haha, good joke,” I said, throat tight. I knew better. Becks hadn’t said anything, never made a move in all this time. But as he’d described me, his eyes softened—or had I imagined that?

The timer went off, and Becks pulled the pizza out of the oven. The crust was golden brown, cheese spread evenly over the top.

“I better get going,” Becks said, setting the tray down, grabbing his bag off the floor. “See you later?”

“Probably.” I swallowed and forced a smile. “May the Force be with you.”

“You, too.”

Becks waved as he walked outside, and I waved back, trying to ignore the ache in my chest.



#



“Mom, have you seen my gloves?”

I’d looked all over my room, under the bed, the nightstand, even checked the bookcase. The search had started over an hour ago after I finished my homework. The Calc questions were always a breeze, but the reading had taken longer than usual—mainly because I’d kept replaying that talk with Becks. My hair took more time tonight. Despite what Becks had said, it wasn’t wavy. It was downright unmanageable most days. Sprinkled over my cheeks and the bridge of my nose, I’d made peace with my freckles over the years. But they weren’t cute; they were just there. Looking back on it, I should’ve known it was a joke from the get. I shouldn’t have spent so much time over thinking. Maybe then I wouldn’t be running late.

“Mom?” I said again, stepping into the kitchen.

“What gloves?” she asked, head down, looking at a layout of bills while she compared cloth swatches. The bride must’ve chosen orange and bright green for her wedding colors. I shuddered. My eyes hurt just looking at the mix.