Lost Lombardi

Chapter 41

Although Dino and May texted a lot, they never called each other. Dino felt too shy to call her. May didn't call either, waiting for Dino to call first, like any girl would. In fact, she wasn't 100% sure if Dino really liked her. He never asked her to be his girlfriend or said he loved her. So, May wasn't sure what was on Dino's mind, and she didn't want to jump to conclusions and end up looking foolish.

"What if Dino says, 'I just want to be friends?'" May thought. But she really liked him. She thought he was handsome, confident, and funny. She replayed the memory of the day Dino came near their school and revved his car, over and over in her mind. She kept thinking about his eyes, hair, lips, voice—everything.

"Why do you look so happy these days?" Natisha asked, noticing the smile on May's face.

"Did you know Dino came near our school last week?" May finally shared the secret to her happiness with Natisha.

"Dino?"

"Yes, Kacper's friend," May said.

"Oh, yeah, we saw him. We even talked with him. Did you know he's Helio's cousin? He promised Enya he'd give her Helio's number, but he didn't. Enya is so mad at him," Natisha said.

"Dino gave me his number, and we've been texting each other," May said, her cheeks blushing as she spoke.

Natisha's mouth dropped open with excitement. "No way! Are you guys a thing?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"No, no, we're just friends. He hasn't said anything about being more than that," May said shyly.

"Maybe he likes you?" Natisha asked.

"I don't know," May replied, trying hard to act normal.

"You like him, don't you?" Natisha asked, smiling.

"Well, he's a good friend," May said, biting her lower lip. As she said it, she realized she wanted Dino to be more than just a friend.

"Okay, okay," Natisha teased, playfully nudging May with her elbow.

"Stop it," May said, laughing.

When she got home, May was surprised to see a call from Dino. Her heart started beating fast. She quickly closed her bedroom door and answered the phone with the sweetest tone she could manage.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey, May," Dino's voice came from the other end, sending a spark through her.

"What's up?" May tried to sound casual.

"Mmm, nothing special. Just got homework. I'm going to Kacper's place tomorrow," Dino said.

"Cool," May replied.

"So, are you coming there tomorrow?" Dino asked.

"I'm not sure. I haven't decided yet," May said, wanting to seem like she wasn't too easy. Naturally, May was a bit prideful. Dino wasn't the only boy who had tried to date her, but he was the only one she found interesting.

"Oh, okay. If you come, let me know. I need to help Kacper ask out the girl he likes," Dino said.

"What? What does that have to do with me?" May asked, surprised. She felt a little upset that Dino's main reason for asking if she was coming wasn't to see her but to help Kacper.