I cringe when he says this. Vincent said something very similar. I close my eyes tightly and drop my head down on Dallas’ shoulder.
He puts his arm up over his head and runs his hand across my hair. It’s a sweet gesture that makes me reach down and give him an upside down hug.
“So did you and Katie get to hang out last night?”
He shakes his head. “No, but Riley met a girl.”
“Really? Who?”
Riley stops spinning. “Ariela.”
“She’s the pretty cheerleader with the long, dark hair, right?”
“And the most gorgeous green eyes,” he says dreamily. “And a body built for sin.”
“You know she’s a prude, right?” Dallas says.
“So?” Riley and I say at the same time. We look at each other and start laughing.
I stop rubbing Dallas’ shoulders. “What does that even mean, anyway?”
“I actually like that about her,” Riley says, before we have the chance to discuss. Both Dallas and I look at Riley like he just told us he is gay.
He holds his hands up in the air, like, whatever. “I didn’t even try to kiss her.”
“What did you do then?”
He shrugs a shoulder and starts rolling around the room again while he talks. “Just flirted with her. Turned on the Johnson charm.”
I laugh out loud. “The Johnson charm is designed to get a girl into bed.”
“Okay, so I didn’t turn it all the way on. Didn’t want to scare the poor girl away. She’s really pretty.”
“You said that already.”
“So, what am I supposed to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m in uncharted waters here, baby. I like her. I’ve never asked a girl on a date.”
“So you’re not afraid to ask a girl to hook up, but you’re afraid to ask one on a date. That’s priceless.” He gives me a pathetic look and I can tell he’s serious. I sigh. “Have you texted her?”
“No.”
“So do it now. Tell her you had fun hanging out last night and ask her on an actual date.”
“Can’t I ask her to just hang out?”
“You could if you wanted to be just friends.”
“But I do want us to be friends. You and Dawson are friends.”
“Yes, but he’s not in the friend box.”
Dallas stops texting whichever one of the girls he is currently texting. “I could make a really naughty comment about what box he is in.”
Riley laughs. “Ha! I didn’t even catch that. I must be in love.”
My mouth drops open and my eyes get big. Dallas and I look at each other. His face looks like mine.
“Did she give you her number?” Dallas asks Riley.
“Yeah,” he says.
“Then she’s interested in you, Riley,” I say. “How could she not be? You’re one of the cutest guys here.”
“Yeah, but she’s one of the prettiest girls here. Like, she is really pretty.”
“I think we know that now,” Dallas quips.
“Does she make you nervous?”
“Yeah. Like all the lines that usually have girls crawling all over me, she thought were funny.”
“Did you take off your shirt to test her?” I say with a laugh.
He rolls over and swats me with the notebook he’s been nervously rolling up in his hand.
“I’m sorry. Okay. So, you like her. Dallas, you know if she’s seeing anyone?”
“She’s still seeing a guy from home. Guy she met this summer.”
Riley’s shoulder’s droop. “So what do I do?”
“Well, you already have the advantage because you’re here. Maybe you should just ask her to hang out. This sounds dumb, but why don’t you invite her to make signs with us? It’s a group thing. No pressure. Then when we’re done, I’ll ask if you two want to go get lunch with me and Dawson.”
“It’s like a stealth date?” I nod my head as he tosses me his phone. “You do it.”
“You’re such a chicken.”
Riley: It was fun hanging out last night.
Ariela: I thought so too.
Riley: I’m helping Keatyn make some signs today at 10:30. Would you want to come help us?
Ariela: Sorry, I can’t.
I make a frown and read what she said out loud. He gets a rejected look on his face.
Ariela: I’m at chapel right now, but I could meet you at 11.
I show Riley the text. He pulls me up off the bed and starts twirling me around.
“I’m revoking your man card,” Dallas says to him.
Riley falls with me onto his bed. “What’d you and Dawson do last night? Why didn’t you come to the movies with everyone?”
“We did mini golf. I won. I may have wounded his pride. Then we got dinner and he took me parking. I had never been before.”
“Did you go down by the lake?”
“Yeah. But parking sucks. Dawson barely fits in his own backseat. Let alone with me in there. And it’s impossible to maneuver.”
“Maneuver?” Riley says with a smirk.