Home for the Summer (BOYXBOY)

16 | The Summer Festival

I sort of hated myself for suggesting a second date because, as I stood with my group at the summer festival, it was very clear that Lilli liked me. She held my hand at any chance, she kept smiling at me and looking into my eyes, she talked to me about anything and everything. Nico and Benji took this as a cue to not interrupt, even though I was internally begging for a conversation to spark between the four of us.

"So, how long have you worked at Armino's?" Lilli asked me once our companions ran off in search of carnival food.

"Uh... A couple months. Since March."

"Oh, cool," she nodded. "Do you like it there?"

"Yeah, I-I mean it pays well and it's just... Scooping gelato, so." There was a very long beat of silence here before I cleared my throat. "What about you? Do you have a job?"

"I tutor kids during the school year. It's pretty fun, actually."

"Cool."

How on earth do people do this? How do guys hold conversations with girls without feeling like they're going to blow up or vomit? This was painfully awkward, and I could only hope Lilli thought the same thing so I'd never have to do this again. Oh god, what if she wanted a third date?

"How do you and Nicolas know each other?"

I blinked at her for a moment before shrugging. "We grew up together before he moved to Vermont. He was my best friend in elementary school."

"Oh, I assumed Benjamin was."

"No, Benji and I didn't meet until middle school."

Lilli nodded and twirled a strand of hair along her finger. "It's sweet that you three are so close, though."

"Do you not have close friends?" Lilli turned quite red at this and I immediately sucked in a breath. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean... I just thought you and Mia Flores were, like, joined at the hip."

"Not really. She's just the student council vice president, so I sort of have to spend time with her."

"Oh," I replied.

"OLLIE," Nico's voice boomed as he and Benji came bolting to our picnic table carrying pizza boxes. "They were out of three meat. Can you believe that?" He set the boxes down and took a seat across from me. "Anyway, you still owe me that diet coke."

"Owe him? From what?" Lilli said.

"Not important."

"Also, we ran into Izzy O'Neil," Benji added in and I raised my eyebrows.

"Like, from Spanish class?"

"Yep. She's here with her girlfriend. I can't remember her name."

"Rowan Suzuki," I said, reaching over for a slice of pizza.

"Sure," Benji shrugged. "I invited them to hang out, though."

"Oh, cool," Lilli smiled. "Izzy's super nice. We were lab partners last semester."

"Wait, Izzy O'Neil from the 5th grade history fair?" Nicolas grinned at me and I returned it quickly. "Didn't she dress up as Amelia Earhart?"

"Oh my god, I remember that," I said.

"We were John Lennon and Paul McCartney," Nico sighed. "Totally deserved first place over Amelia Earhart."

"Excuse you," a voice called and I turned to see Izzy O'Neil smiling at us.

She was wearing a very bright blue dress and her hair had been chopped shorter for the summer. Beside her was Rowan Suzuki who gave a short wave to the group.