“Well, if I wasn’t here, then he probably wouldn’t have escaped in the first place. But you’re welcome.” Riley tried to deposit Meow onto the back of the couch. But in one of his patented moves, the cat sort of flipped himself over and clung to Riley’s shirt with his front claws.
I laughed. “I think he likes you.”
Riley grinned, giving up on setting the cat down. Instead he sank onto the couch and started rubbing Meow’s head, causing the cat to purr like a miniature freight train.
“I like cats,” Riley said. “We can’t have one, ’cause my little sister’s allergic. But I play with Marcus’s stepmom’s cats all the time.”
I perched on the arm of the sofa, watching him run his hands over Meow’s head and neck as the cat arched his back blissfully. My panic was subsiding. And being replaced by a question. What was Riley doing here?
“Um … so you said you wanted to talk,” I said when I couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.
He looked up at me. His smile faded, and I was pretty sure I saw him swallow hard.
“Oh, right,” he said. “I did.”
“So what do you want to talk about?” I wasn’t planning on making this easy for him. Why should I? Just because those pings were starting up again, it didn’t mean I should totally give up all my dignity and self-respect.
He glanced down at the cat again before returning his gaze to me. “Look, I really think you’re cool,” he said, his voice low and uncertain. “That’s why I’m here. I feel like we went a little wrong last night, and you know, I just don’t want that to happen if I can help it. But the thing is, all the Planetarium Girl stuff …” He paused and rubbed his face with the hand that wasn’t stroking Meow. “I guess what I’m saying is I just want to stay friends for now. I hope you understand.”
“Not really,” I said before I could stop myself. Then I shrugged. Why should I stop myself from saying it? It was the truth.
He looked more uncomfortable than ever. “I don’t really understand it either,” he said. “I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”
“You mean meeting someone at the planetarium and searching all over Maryland for her?” It came out a little more sarcastic than I’d intended, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“No. I mean the whole love at first sight thing.” One corner of his mouth twisted up into a rueful half smile. “Or not even sight, really, since I didn’t get much of a look at her. But you know what I mean.” He glanced down just long enough to tickle Meow under the chin. “Usually, I’m not so much into the big romantic gestures or whatever. I like to get to know a girl first, hang out with her, see how we get along, that kind of thing.”
“Yeah,” I said, almost more to myself than to him. “Me too.”
“But this time …” He shook his head, a range of emotions playing out over his face. “I don’t know. It was different. I met that girl at the planetarium, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and then I came home and wrote the best song I’d ever written because of her. That has to mean something, right?” He shrugged. “So I just really need to give things a chance to play out there, see if that girl and I really are meant for each other.”
It was all I could do to stop myself from jumping up and shouting, Duh! I’m that girl!
But I managed to just sit there and smile blandly. Why couldn’t he see the truth that was sitting right there in front of him? That I was the one and only Planetarium Girl? I didn’t get it. Was it the hair thing? Maybe if I tied my hair back right now, showed him how it looked when it was off my face …
But no. It was too late for that. What would be the point? He’d already decided that I wasn’t The One.
Sixteen
“So how did he look when he said he just wanted to be friends?” Britt asked.
“I already told you ten times. He looked like he always looks.”
“You mean devastatingly handsome?”
I shot her an irritated glance. “You’re not helping,” I informed her.
The two of us were on our way home from school the next day. Britt was driving.
She stopped at a red light and glanced over at me. “All I know is, a guy who ‘just wants to be friends’ doesn’t usually show up on your doorstep like that. Pretty romantic, really.”
“Thanks, Madame Romance.”
“It’s true,” she insisted. “When was the last time any of your other guy friends came rushing over to see if you were okay just because you got annoyed with him?”
The light changed. I waited until Britt had made it safely through the intersection before I spoke again. She can be a little distractible. “Okay, so maybe you have a point in a way,” I admitted once we were safely cruising down the street. “I mean, he did feel those sparks when we first met, right?”
“Totally! Why else would he go searching for you on Facebook? Even if he doesn’t know it’s you.” She paused for a second, clearly thinking through that sentence to make sure it made sense. “Anyway, it’s obvious he likes you—you just need to figure out why he doesn’t want to admit it.”
“Or maybe not,” I countered. “Maybe this whole situation is working out fine.”
She shot me a suspicious look. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I can just wait out Riley’s obsession with finding her—”
“Oh, the irony!” Britt put in, rolling her eyes.
“Exactly. But anyway, if I can wait that out and just be friends with him in the meantime, maybe he’ll come around on his own. You know—realize I’m right there under his nose, Planetarium Girl or not. In fact, maybe that would be better. For both of us.”
Britt still looked dubious. “So that’s your plan?” she said. “Just wait him out and eventually fall into the friends with benefits thing like you always do?”
“Hey, it’s worked for me before.” I shrugged. “And this time I have a head start. I already know he’s looking for love. Like you said, he just hasn’t figured out right now that he’s looking for it with me.”
That was the conclusion I’d reached yesterday after Riley had gone home. His little speech had actually helped me see the light. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in me; he’d all but admitted that he was. At least if you read between the lines a little.
No, it was just that no matter how much he might like me, he liked the idea of Planetarium Girl even more. His friends said he was stubborn once he got an idea in his head, and this proved it. He wasn’t willing to give up on finding his muse, the mysterious girl from the museum. And whether it was the hair or something else, he’d already convinced himself that she wasn’t me.
Britt turned down a side street. “Okay, waiting around and stuff is one idea,” she said. “But how about this instead? We could figure out a way to get him somewhere dark—maybe a movie theater or whatever. Then you go and fling yourself at him again and see if he catches on.”
“Um, that would be a no.”
“Come on! You won’t even consider it?” At my look, she shrugged. “Okay, then how about this? We invite him over to my house to hang out with us and some friends and, you know, listen to that crazy band you both like or something. At an opportune moment, everyone else can leave so you two are alone, just as a nice, slow song comes on… .”
This time I just sighed. “Listen, Britt, I don’t think you can force a Moment to happen like that. I’m not sure it works that way. At least not for me,” I added quickly before she could argue back with any of her own romantic conquests.
But she didn’t even try. “Yeah, maybe you’re right,” she said thoughtfully, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. “You’re not really a Moment kind of girl.”
“Hey!” I couldn’t help being vaguely insulted. But then I shrugged it off. After all, she was right. “Yeah, it’s true. But that’s okay. I’ve always had the best luck with guys by being friends for a while first. So why should things be different with Riley just because we met in a weirder way?”
; “I guess.” She sounded dubious.
But I was starting to feel more certain than ever that I was on the right track. I was doing what was familiar and comfortable. There was something to be said for that, right?
I settled back against the car seat. “Anyway, I’m not too worried about waiting,” I said. “After all, it’s not like Riley is ever going to find Planetarium Girl anywhere else but right here.”
N
What r u doing?
I pushed aside my Spanish book and leaned over the laptop to answer Riley’s message. It was Wednesday afternoon, and I was cramming for that test. But there was always time for a little Facebook break.
Wishing I spent half my life living in other countries like u did. Maybe then I wouldn’t b so worried about flunking my Spanish test mañana.
I sent the message, smiling at the thought of how he’d probably chuckle when he read it. Then I turned back to my studying.
Things had been going pretty well since my epiphany after Riley’s visit. I could tell that Britt still wasn’t too impressed by my plan—such as it was—but I wasn’t too concerned about that. I was at peace with it.
Riley and I had fallen into a regular correspondence through Facebook and texting. Even though we weren’t communicating face to face, I felt as if I was getting to know him better every day. We had a ton of stuff in common and never ran out of things to say to each other. It didn’t hurt that our senses of humor meshed just as perfectly as our taste in music.
In other words, we were becoming friends. I was trying to remind myself not to look for anything more than that right now. It was all part of the process.
It wasn’t always easy to remember that, though. For instance, Riley had invited me and Britt to come see his band, the Grovers, play at a local coffeehouse that Friday night. And every time I thought about seeing him again in person, the pinging started up in my head and I couldn’t help flashing back to that mind-blowing moment when we were dancing at the party… .
But I always did my best to push that sort of thought aside. I just had to be patient and let the process play out.
“Oh God.” Britt rolled her eyes as my laptop buzzed. “What’s Mr. Wonderful want this time?”
I just grinned at her and rolled over to grab the laptop off the rug by her bed. It was Thursday after school, and now that my Spanish test was over, Britt and I were in her room working on the English papers that were due the following week. With all my mooning over Riley lately, I’d fallen behind on homework, and now I was trying to catch up. As for Britt, well, she’s almost always behind on her homework.
Sure enough, there was another message from Riley waiting for me. My smile faded a bit as I read it.
“What’s wrong?” Britt asked, watching me.
I shrugged. “Nothing, really. I’m just wondering if Riley and I are getting a little too friends-only, you know? I mean, it’s kind of cool that he’s starting to confide in me about the ongoing quest for his planetarium princess. But …”
“You don’t want to think about him checking out other girls.” Britt nodded. “I hear ya. Friends is one thing. You don’t want to take it too far and become one of the guys.”
“Yeah.” Over the past day or two Riley and I had started to joke around a little about the whole Planetarium Girl thing. That had been one thing. A good sign, really, at least up to a point. But somehow it had quickly turned into him updating me on how his search was going.
I scanned the message again. This time it seemed Riley had made contact with a new Facebook friend that he hoped might pan out. For some reason he seemed to find meaning in the fact that she hadn’t written to him until now, well over a week after that fateful meeting in the planetarium.
It all made me feel a little queasy. But I did my best not to worry about it. In fact I tried to look on the bright side. At least this way I could keep track of how soon he might give up on this impossible quest of his.
On Friday afternoon Britt dropped me off at home right after school. “Sure you don’t want me to consult on your outfit for tonight?” I asked her as I climbed out of her car at the curb. “Marcus will be there, remember?”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I’m the one playing wingman tonight, remember? You need to focus on your outfit. I want you to look so luscious that Riley will forget all the words to his songs the instant he lays eyes on you.”
I laughed. “We’ll see. Even fashion has its limits.”
As I hurried toward the door, I heard my laptop buzz inside my bag. But I ignored it for the moment, not wanting to start multitasking and possibly let Meow escape again. The cat seemed to have been encouraged by his recent outdoor adventure and was being even more obnoxious about trying to dash out any chance he got.
I made it safely inside, grabbing Meow with one hand while pushing the door shut behind me with the other. Then I headed for the stairs, mentally planning my outfit. I wanted to look good for Riley’s band’s performance, just in case tonight was the night he came to his senses.
It wasn’t until I slung my backpack onto my bed that I remembered that buzz. I almost ignored it, figuring whatever it was could probably wait. Then I realized it might be Riley, and I unzipped the pack to pull out the laptop.
Sure enough, the message was from Riley. I clicked on it as I kicked off the shoes I’d worn to school, already trying to figuring out which ones would look the best with the outfit I had in mind for tonight. I was so distracted that it took a moment to register what I was reading.
Hey L, this is so huge, u’ll never believe it, but it’s true.
** I found her! **
I’m sure of it this time. I finally found Planetarium Girl!!!!!!!
Seventeen
I froze in horror, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me. But no matter how many times I blinked, the words on the screen didn’t change.
Sinking down onto the edge of my bed, I tried to take this in, to figure out what was happening. He sounded so certain he’d found the real Planetarium Girl at last. But how could he be so sure? Unless …
Could he be talking about me? I wondered with a flash of hope. Maybe he’d just figured it out, and this was his way of letting me know. It would be just like him to joke around like that… .
My heart pounding, I clicked through onto his wall. As soon as I did, my heart plummeted into my toes.
Her name was Megan. She was a junior at East Elm and had almost as many FB friends as Britt did. Her hair was dark and short, with cute little wisps sticking out over her forehead and around her ears; her skin was pale and flawless. According to her “About Me” info section, which she’d left open to Friends of Friends, her favorite thing about herself was her green eyes, though in her photos they looked plain old hazel to me.
I gritted my teeth as I read her latest update: Megan is … in luv already! Smooches, R!!! xoxoxo
“Gross,” I muttered as I scrolled down farther. There was a comment from Riley there saying how glad he was he’d finally found her. When I went back to his page, I saw that she’d made several entries on his wall as well, plus she’d sent him several goopy hearts-and-kisses type Superpokes.
When I reached out to scroll down farther, I realized my hand was shaking. This was so not what I’d been expecting tonight. How had it happened? How could he possibly think this perky twit was The One?
I grabbed the phone and dialed Britt. When I told her the news, she let out a gasp so loud I probably could have heard it even without the phone.
“Oh! My! God!” she cried. “This is crazy. But don’t worry, babe. He’ll figure out that this one’s as fake as all the others.”
“I don’t know.” My gaze wandered back to the laptop screen. I winced as I saw a new message pop up. It was another cutesy comment to Riley from Megan. “This time seems different. He’s acting kind of serious about it already.”
“After like an hour, if that? Don’t be ridiculous.”
Despite my stomach-churning anxiety,
I couldn’t help smiling. Britt was the last person who should be criticizing anyone else for moving fast when it came to romance! But I didn’t bother to point that out.
“Whatever,” I said instead. “Do you think we should forget about going to the show?”
“Of course not, you loon! Riley’s a smart guy. He’ll catch on soon enough. With any luck he’ll be over her before the Grovers start warming up tonight.”
Britt was wrong. Oh, so very, very wrong.
When we walked into the coffeehouse, it was crowded with people our age. Among them was Megan. I recognized her instantly. And not just because I’d seen her photos. She was hanging on Riley’s arm like an oversized purse. As I watched, he turned to say something to her. She stood on tiptoes and planted a kiss on his chin, making him smile and blush a little.
My heart sank. “So much for being over her,” I muttered to Britt.
“Yeah.” She sounded subdued. “But don’t panic yet, babe.”
The coffeehouse was a long, narrow place with exposed copper piping along the ceiling and a brick wall behind the counter. Several baristas were doing a booming business handing out lattes and cappuccinos as fast as their gleaming machines could make them. At the far end of the place was a small wooden stage; tattered concert posters for old-school bands like the Kinks, Steppenwolf, and the Grateful Dead covered the walls around it like wallpaper. The sounds of foaming milk harmonized with the spittle of feedback from the amps and the lazy staccato tapping of a guy sitting behind a drum kit at the back of the stage. Everything smelled like—what else?—coffee.
Riley was leaning against the counter about halfway back toward the stage. He hadn’t noticed us yet. As I stared at him, he turned to speak to a guy holding a guitar—presumably one of his bandmates. When the guy wandered off, Riley turned and finally spotted me.
At First Sight Page 11