A guy in a Zorro costume holding a red cup ambled over to them and declared, “You’re definitely sent from heaven to find me.”
She grimaced at the awful pickup line, but Franklin beat her to the refusal.
“Hell no,” he said, resting the top of his cane on Zorro’s chest.
Zorro smiled and eyed Franklin with great interest. “Wanna make out?”
At first, Franklin was shocked. Then he eyed the guy, who had potential, Stella could see. Just lame at picking people up.
“Let’s grab a drink,” he said to Zorro. “I want to find out how many hearts and stars you are before any lip-locking can commence.”
“Drinks are this way,” Zorro said, gesturing toward the back of the house and heading in that direction.
“You going to be okay?” Franklin asked her. “Because I’m ready and willing to stay.”
Stella clamped his shoulder. “Go. Have fun. I already ruined part of your Halloween by dragging you here. I’ll go find Will. Text you when I’m ready to go.”
“Take your time” were Franklin’s parting words as he disappeared with Zorro into the bowels of the house.
Stella shook her head, grinning. She envied Franklin’s lack of inhibitions. He went where he wanted, when he wanted. And no one told him what to believe. He was his own person through and through. But it wasn’t like she was a prude. In fact, she had plans. Just as soon as she found Will.
She wondered if he was in costume as she passed a sexy nurse pretending to whip a guy dressed as a tiger on all fours on the coffee table. Knowing Cam, Stella was sure he’d required costumes. Her brother loved Halloween as much as she did.
The kitchen was a bust. Only scary red punch with gummy fingers, along with other fake dismembered body parts. Stella liked the torso chip bowl, though. Extra creepy.
Moving on to the makeshift dance floor in the common room, Stella finally found what she was looking for. Or should she say who?
Will was dressed as a pirate. Complete with stuffed parrot on his shoulder. He stood by the mantel, talking to someone dressed as a drag queen. Stella just wasn’t sure if he was a he or a she or the other way around.
A smile stretched across Stella’s face as she ambled toward them. Will didn’t notice her at first. But the drag queen gave her a once-over. Definitely a guy. The protruding Adam’s apple said so. Only then did Will glance at her.
“Care to dance?” she asked in a super-sexy voice.
It took him a long second to recognize her. She had sent him a pic of her costume, so she knew he knew what she was dressed as. But considering the dim lighting, she forgave his brain’s slowness to catch up.
“Ste—”
“Shh!” She placed the tip of her finger on his lips. “Tonight, I’m a fallen angel.”
A grin spread across Will’s handsome face. Even in an eye patch, he made Stella’s knees grow weak. He took her hand in his and kissed her palm.
“Have you come to save me?” he asked, a naughty twinkle in his eye.
“Depends. Do you think you’re worthy enough?”
His eye widened. He removed his eye patch. Something like desire sparked in those brilliant grays.
“Will you come with me?” he asked. “There’s something I want to show you.”
She nodded, entwining their fingers together. Her heart was in her throat. He led the way out of the house.
“You go, bro!”
They both froze at the sound of Cam’s voice above the music and the buzz of the crowd. Stella stayed absolutely still, head tilted down so her wig fell like a protective shield, as Will turned to face her brother and gave him a thumbs-up. Cam let out a howl.
“Let’s get out of here before your brother recognizes you,” Will said from the side of his mouth.
A thrill went through Stella. “I don’t think he will.”
“I’m not taking chances. Come on, the art building is this way.”
“The art building?”
“Yeah, there’s a computer lab on the first floor.” He walked at a steady pace, and Stella had to match her steps with his just to keep up.
“Using a computer isn’t exactly the romantic idea I had in my head,” she said, slight disappointment in her tone.
“Oh, you’ll change your mind after you see this.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “At least I hope.”
Down for anything as long as it was with Will, Stella urged him forward. They passed several drunk Halloweeners on the way, and each time Will shielded her from them. Her heart sang. He didn’t have to protect her, but she loved that he did.
The art building was about a block away from Kappa Kappa Gamma. She and Will climbed the front steps. He opened the door for her and bowed for her to enter. She executed a curtsy before stepping inside.
“It’s the first door to the right,” he said.
Stella stopped at the door he mentioned. He opened it and pointed at the first computer. He pulled out the chair and motioned for her to sit. Then he bent over the screen and typed in his username and password.
“What do you want me to see?” she asked as he typed in the address of a website on the search bar and clicked Enter.
In seconds she was led to a home page for an online comic. “What’s The Adventures of Morla the Witch Hunter?”
“It’s something I’ve been working on for years” was Will’s reply, his eyes on the screen.
“What does this have to do with tonight?”
“Just read it. If you still want to date me afterward, then I’m willing to go there with you.”
Eyeing him skeptically, Stella tapped the Enter button in the middle of the webpage.
* * *
WILL HAD NO idea how he managed to sit still the entire time Stella read. It was his open letter to her. She was never supposed to see it. Hell, he wasn’t ever supposed to confess. But hey, it was a year of firsts.
While he waited, he bit the side of his tongue. He wanted to ask her what she thought. He kept sending her sidelong glances, checking her expressions. There were moments she scrolled through. Then she paused. He had no idea why. The suspense was killing him. Like any artist, he wanted her to like it. Did she? Or did she hate it?
He didn’t like thinking the second thought. Because if that was the case, he might as well throw in the towel and forget his dreams of becoming a graphic novelist. Then he’d become a doctor, like his parents.
“Slappy,” he said. He was unsure if he should have broken the silence. But he couldn’t wait anymore.
The “Shhh” she sent his way killed the rest of his words. The air between them was still. They were the only ones in the computer lab. He rubbed his damp palms against his jeans. He breathed in deep, then let the air out slowly. He tried hard not to make any other sound.
It was several painful minutes later when Stella finally lifted her head. She stared at some point in front of her. Again, Will was left wondering what he should do. He hadn’t thought things through when he’d brought her here. But he had meant every damn word he’d said about dating her. He wouldn’t have shown her his homage otherwise. The ball was in her court. He was terrified of what she might do with it. All he knew for sure was he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he hadn’t at least tried.
Restless and nervous, Will said, “Lay it on me. I can take it.” He hoped he could. For all he knew, he’d be a crying mess afterward.
“Morla is me,” she finally said, awe and confusion clear in her tone. “But she’s badass and cool. I’m not like that.” She faced him, gesturing at the screen. “Is this how you see me?”
The crease on his brow eased. “Morla goes after what she wants. You’re like that. You’ve been preparing for fashion school since ninth grade.”
“Eighth, actually,” she corrected.
He smiled. “Eighth. Morla knows her goals. She completes her missions with stubbornness. You won’t let anyone get in the way of designing clothes. If that’s not badass, then I don’t know
what is.”
“She’s really me?”
The earnest way she asked was enough to break him in half. He took her hand again.
“We don’t always see who we are,” he began. “It’s only when those closest to us reflect who we are do we understand the truth. If you ask me? I think I didn’t do you justice in Morla. But I’m definitely trying in every panel I draw.”
Her gaze dropped to their clasped hands. Then she shifted her eyes to the screen again. “You started this when I was a sophomore.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s when my boobs finally came in. Makes sense.”
Will grimaced. “Don’t be creepy.”
“I’m being creepy?” She pointed at herself.
Groaning, he ran his free hand down his face. “You’re right. I’m a predator. You should stay the hell away from me.”
Stella giggled. “I think this comic is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. It’s beautiful work, Will. And the poisoning. That afternoon at the flea market. It was for Morla.”
His heart soared. She liked it. She really did. A weight lifted off his shoulders; he was so glad he didn’t have to keep the comic a secret anymore. In an absentminded aside, he said, “Cam doesn’t know about this.”
She grew serious. “Then maybe we shouldn’t do this.”
“Don’t say that. We have to try.”
“It’s too risky.”
“When did risk ever stop you? You’re the girl who jumped off a cliff before any of us.”
“Don’t remind me. It was higher than I thought.”
“This is you and me.”
She grinned. “You’re seriously willing to risk your friendship with my brother just to date me?”
“When you put it that way…”
She smacked his arm. “I’m serious.”
He sobered. “Stella, I can’t stand seeing you with someone else. I’ve liked you long enough to know that if I don’t throw my hat into the ring, I’ll regret it.”
When she smiled again while shaking her head, he knew he was making progress. But he kept his guard up just in case she had more excuses. He knew them all. He had played out every scenario. Many of them ended with his horrible death at the hands of Cam. Even with that in mind, he wasn’t willing to play it safe anymore. Stella was worth it. Her smile. Her laugh. Her touch. All worth it.
He would give anything for thirty minutes, thirty days, thirty years with her.
“When did you become such a romantic?” she asked, half kidding, half serious.
“Meet me at Nana’s tomorrow and you’ll find out. I have plans.”
“Oh, you do, huh?”
He nodded.
She sighed, losing all her humor as the breath left her lungs. His brow furrowed. He waited for the inevitable.
When she pierced him with those soulful brown eyes of hers, he was sure she would break his heart one day. If she agreed to date him, he was all in.
“Real talk?” she said.
“Okay.”
“This…” She pointed at herself and then him. “This is exclusive. I’m not open to sharing. I’m not playing around.”
“My kind of relationship.”
“All right,” she breathed out. “Then it’s settled.”
“I guess it goes without saying that Cam can’t know,” he said.
“I’m cool with that,” she answered. “What time do you want me at Nana’s tomorrow?”
NINE
THANKSGIVING MISGIVING
“That movie was awe-some!” Stella declared while sitting in her favorite booth in her favorite diner, sipping her favorite milk shake, on a date with one of her favorite people. Bright eyes. Even brighter smile.
Will shook his head and smiled. “I have to be honest, I never pegged you as a Marvel movie kind of girl.”
“Uh! That is totally sexist! I’m a DC girl too. I don’t discriminate.” She pointed at him. “Girls can watch all the movies we want and be just as big of fans as you can be. You’re forgetting that when Wonder Woman came out, there were female-only screenings and all the guys were butt hurt about it. So please!”
“I’m loving this side of you. Why did it take me this long to ask you out?”
At first, Stella didn’t know how to react. A part of her wanted to blush profusely. But another part of her knew the reason why they had been officially going out only recently. All the weekends after Halloween, Will made it a point to come home, not only to visit Nana, but also to take Stella out on dates. They had been having the time of their lives, discovering new things about each other with each date they had gone on. Like this day. Will had just discovered Stella was as much of a comic-book geek as he was.
The awkwardness stretched between them until Stella decided to change the topic. “What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Tell me you’re coming back here.”
Will was in the process of drinking from his strawberry milk shake. He swallowed, then grimaced. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that.”
“What?” Her heart sank. “Don’t tell me you can’t come.”
“It’s not that.” He waved both his hands. “Cam and I can only stay for the night. Our schedules are packed, and we have to drive back to UCLA the next morning.”
“Setting aside the fact that I completely forgot my brother is coming home…” She rolled her eyes and Will chuckled. “That’s all we have?”
Will reached out and took her hand in his. “Hey, however many hours it is, we’ll make it count, okay?”
“So no Black Friday bodyguard, huh?”
“I completely forgot about that!”
It was tradition. The day after Thanksgiving, it was Will and Cam’s mission to protect Stella, her mom, and Nana while shopping on Black Friday. They also ended up carrying all the bags.
“We have to skip this year, sorry,” Will said, but it didn’t seem like he was sorry at all. More like relieved, really. But Stella let him off the hook as he added, “I’m really looking forward to your mom’s adobo. I wait for it all year.”
“It’s not like she can’t cook it at any time,” Stella teased.
“Yeah, but it somehow tastes better on Thanksgiving.”
She laughed. Adobo was a traditional Filipino dish, the basic ingredients of which were soy sauce and vinegar. The meat could be pork or chicken or a combination of both. Stella’s mom told her that what made the dish special was—no matter how simple—each family had a different way of preparing it. A recipe that was unique to the family. She loved that.
Stella grew serious for a moment. “Did you know that my dad used to say he fell in love with my mom because of her adobo? That after one bite, he knew he was going to marry her?”
Will’s expression softened. “It’s been seven years now, hasn’t it?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but he’d been sick for a long time before that. I think in the end we just wanted his suffering to be over, you know?”
“Yeah.” And Will did know. His parents worked with people suffering on a daily basis. Which was why Stella was comfortable sharing such a vulnerable moment with him. He had been there all throughout. He was as much of a witness to her father’s eventual decline as her family was.
“I think that’s why Cam is so protective of me,” she added. “He took Dad passing away really hard.” She reached out and held both his hands. “But in the end, I’d like to think that Cam just wants me to be happy. That’s why you shouldn’t worry. I want this.” She squeezed his hands. “You and me. Okay?”
“Okay.”
But when he spoke, his smile did wobble. Stella accepted that. They had a long way to go. Eventually Will would understand that it didn’t matter what Cam thought. What mattered was they were together.
* * *
WILL FOCUSED ON his phone to keep from jumping out of his skin. He sat in the passenger seat of Cam’s Honda Civic on the way back to Oak Hills. They had decided carpooling was best since they had to get back to campus the
day after Thanksgiving. Deadlines were tight.
“I can feel you from all the way over here,” Cam said above the Metallica. “Why are you so nervous?”
“Just excited,” Will mumbled.
Actually, he was both. He and Stella had spoken about keeping things low-key between them when he arrived at her house that day, but he wasn’t sure she 100 percent agreed with him. There was a gleam in her eye that made him suspicious. Oh, she smiled and nodded, but even with verbal confirmation, he would still have been cautious. They had to play this safe. Their families always celebrated Thanksgiving together. Nana was already there, helping with the turkey.
So, to keep from overthinking things, he focused on his phone and waited like a kid participating in the marshmallow test. He figured, like the test, if he delayed his gratification then he would be rewarded. Thanksgiving dinner was their first hurdle as a secret couple. The December holidays were coming up, and they needed to look as if nothing were going on between them or else it would all be over.
An hour out of town, Will checked the e-mails sent from his comic’s server. They were mostly fan mail. In order to maintain his anonymity, he didn’t reply to any of them, but one in particular caught his attention. He clicked on it and scanned the text.
“Holy shit!” he blurted out when he reached the end.
“What?” Cam looked his way.
Cam didn’t know about the comic. From Will’s inner circle, only Stella knew. And eventually Franklin because she insisted on never keeping secrets from her best friend. This, of course, made Will feel guilty because now he was keeping two huge secrets from Cam.
“Um…” Will took a deep breath. He went with the most probable reason Cam would buy for his outburst. “My professor liked my paper and e-mailed me to say he wants me to call him so we can chat.”
That was close enough to the truth. Substitute professor for agent and paper for comic.
“Cool” was all Cam said, before returning his full attention to driving.
The Boyfriend Bracket Page 9