Page 72 of The Score

Chapter 24

Pen - 26 years old

Three years ago

Little electrical waves run down my arms. My fingers tremble. I take a deep breath. I'm not supposed to be nervous. Meeting Leon's girlfriends has never been a big deal before. It shouldn't be one now, either.

I stride down the sidewalk on my way to the coffee shop Bear asked me to. He'll be waiting there with Tamara. Just because this is the first time ever that he makes a formal introduction like this, or the first time he's looked sheepish when talking to me about a woman, doesn't mean he's head over heels and she's the one.

Sheepish. Bear. The big, confident guy I grew up with. Leon Karlsen, who thinks nothing of stopping large men with his brute strength for money and entertainment.Sheepish.

Like, what?!

I bite my lip and turn one last corner. It's not a conscious decision to slow down as I approach the café. Maybe I'm intuitively preparing myself for what I'm about to see, because it stops me in my tracks. Right there on a random Seattle corner, I let people walk past me, my eyes stuck on my best friend across the road.

He's sitting by the café's window with someone else, but I can only gaze at him at first. He's staring forward with such affection on his face that I can't compute it. A tiny smile curls his lips, like he can't help it, when the person in front of him is so utterly cute.

Fuck. That's not a look I've seen often on him. Even when I've met other girlfriends, he's reservedthatlook only for… me.

It hits me. Right on the solar plexus. A two-punch trick, when Leon turns and locks eyes with me.

Some of what he'd been feeling for her— it overflows and extends to me. But I can't accept those emotions. They were hers. He was looking like that at Tamara, not me, even if he's staring at me now.

Except he smiles. Waves. Drops his head to the side, like to ask what's the problem. He raises an eyebrow. I do too. Then he dares to purse his lips, and call me in with a curling finger.

I squint. His eyes sparkle with humor, and he does it again. Summoning me with one finger, but taking it further this time. He points to the empty chair next to him, then to the café door. Like maybe I'm lost, and needed help figuring it out.

"You're in trouble," I mouth.

I think he gets it, because he laughs.

Only this time, he glances to check on Tamara, like he wants to make sure she gets the joke, too.

That used to be the thing we did all the time. Check in with each other in complicity. Butnow…

Oh my God. My best friend is truly falling in love with someone el— with someone, this time.

The nerves return, but I thin them out with the sandpaper of my thoughts. Polish them into a thin veneer. This is all new. Of course I don't know yet what it all means.

I come into the coffee shop and pretend I'm not studying Tamara this time. Bear watches me, so I smile and take my study slowly. For a moment all I can see is her dark, long hair, almost the same shade as Bear's. Her skin is light brown, but darker than mine. The first thing that stands out is her bright smile.

Bear gets out of his chair and hugs me. To my surprise, Tamara does too. She's shorter than me, and she reaches up to kiss me on the cheek for good measure. It's a different-yet-familiar gesture. Her "kiss" is cheek to cheek.

"Leon told me you're Chilean, too?" She grins. "I thought I could say hi properly for once."

I glance at Bear.

"Surprise," he says.

For a second all I can do is blink, but eventually I let out a half-chuckle.

"Y-Yes," I stutter. "Yes. I wasn't even a year old when we moved here but— yes. My parents— but I only remember living here. Third culture— you know. Chilean. Visited several times, though."

Wow. Someone is rattled. I clear my throat and try for a casual smile.

"Let's sit." Leon chuckles. "Got your favorite drink."

Someone decides I should sit between them, and I don't question it. I sip my coffee and try to pull myself together. With my free hand, I reach for a strand of hair to play with.