Remember This Part

20. Ghost Hunters and Grape Juice

Alex.

I'm in a particularly good mood for a number of reasons, but the main one, of course, is that I get to be with Thea tonight.

We'd seen each other a few times already this week, not counting our classes together. Whenever possible, we get coffee or lunch. And I still get excited every time I know I'm about to be near her, sitting next to her while she eats her chicken caesar wrap and tells me about her most recent idea for a sitcom.

It doesn't even bother me when Cato and Lyle rib me for being whipped. I can't deny it. I mean, if I'm not with her, I'm thinking about the last time I saw her. If I'm not thinking about the last time I saw her, I'm thinking about the next time I will. I tell myself it's because this is all so new. But I also think it's just...her. She's everything I never knew I wanted. Everything I never imagined I could have.

And she's my girlfriend. Admittedly, that might be my favorite part.

My good mood blossoms when I see her face as she exits her dorm, her smile evident even in the growing darkness. I want to get out of my car and go to her, but she's already  jogging to the passenger side door.

"Good morning," she says after climbing in.

"I hate to break it to you, but we are well into the evening," I tell her with a laugh, shifting gears to back out of the lot.

"Cut me some slack," she says, her words accompanied by a smile. "It's been a long day."

"What happened?" I ask, moving the car onto the road. Now that my right hand is free, I slip it across the center console and take hers in it. She leans back in her seat and sighs deeply, as if it's the first time she's breathed all day.

"I woke up late for my first class and I missed lunch," she says. "On top of that, I had two tests, and I'm pretty sure I failed one of them."

"Why do you think you failed?"

"One of the questions asked for the most abundant protein in the body, and I think I answered 'Whichever one is in milk.' So, I'm not exactly feeling optimistic."

I laugh and say, "I'm sorry you had a rough day." To soften the blow, I draw her hand to my lips and kiss it gently. It surprises me more than it surprises her. I've never kissed a girl's hand before. I've never even thought about doing it until Thea.

"It's okay," she replies after a quiet moment, looking at me with her warm doe eyes. "I expect it's about to get much better." I settle her hand on my thigh and keep it there with my own.

"It is, if I have anything to say about it," I assure her with a smile.

I lazily stroke her hand until I have to shift gears again. The radio plays a Spanish song that I'm sure she's never heard before, yet she hums to the music as if it's familiar. It's a love song, made to serenade someone. The more I listen to it, the more I realize it's about her.

Mi corazón te abrí. Desde entonces llevo el cielo dentro de mí.

I opened my heart to you. Since then, I have the sky within me.

Yeah. My heart has gone soft for her, and I know it. I don't even mind. Lyle was right (again, suspiciously). When it comes to her, my assholeness has gone down significantly. At least, I hope it has.

I pull up to my apartment and inspect the driveway, confirming that both Lyle's and Cato's cars are absent. Cato is staying the night at Whitney's, and Lyle is back home visiting his parents. I have the night to myself. Better than that, I'm with Thea.

I come around to her side of the car and take her hand again when she steps out, tucking her into my side. She quickly goes up on her toes, just barely reaching my chin with her lips. I'm struck with the intense urge to grab her and kiss her right now, but of course, I'm not willing to give the neighbors a show. The last thing I need is someone throwing out some crude comment that will—inevitably—end with their skull being bashed-in.