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“I know,” I say back, taking a deep breath. “It feels like it’s flown by,” I ponder, “but also feels like it’s been a lot longer.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” he agrees, looking down at me. His blond hair is wavy, messy, and loose. His eyes bright even in the dark of the night.
“Do you ever think about the future?” I ask him.
“Sometimes,” he says thoughtfully, “but I prefer the right now.”
I shove him playfully. “But ‘right now’ is ending soon.”
“Or we have infinite ‘right nows’,” he challenges with a smirky grin.
I sigh, “I know, gringo. But I think we should also think about the future.”
“The future? Or our future?” he asks. “Cause one is pointless without the other.”
I try to hide my smile, but lose—like I always do around him. I’ve stopped even trying to hide the happiness he continually makes me feel. Almost one year later and I’m still as stupidly smitten with him as I was after our first date.
“My future. But I can pencil you in here and there,” I say nonchalantly.
“Oh yeah?” He laughs and reaches to pinch my side making me laugh. He keeps going and I try to squirm away but he rolls on top of me, pinning me down. His hands hold my arms to the ground above my head, gentle but firm. He leans his head down to kiss me once before letting me go and lays on his back again, pulling me tight against him. But I push myself up so that I’m propped up slightly on his chest, looking down on him.
“I think about the future all the time,” Hayden admits quietly. “You’re in every minute of mine.” He looks up at me and I meet his gaze, seeing the reflection of the starry sky in his eyes. “You’re all I see, Ana Reyes.”
I fight the urge to look away, because I feel myself getting emotional. But I don’t. I continue to look at him, even as my eyes water the tiniest bit before I reign myself in.
“I can’t imagine my future without you, amor,” I admit, and lean down to kiss him. We kiss under the promise of the stars, feeling infinite in this moment and full of all the confident faith and hope that comes with young love.
THIRTY-THREE
NOW, WINTER
We’re having a game night at Maddie and Elliot’s. Obviously not my idea. It will just be the four of us, Maddie, Elliot, me and…David. Maddie called me to ask if it was okay before she made any definitive plans and I assured her that it was.
And it is. David and I have talked several times through text since our date. With whatever it is we are or may be, we’re moving slowly—which is the only speed I can handle. But I get the feeling that that is more than okay with him too. It almost feels like he’s been waiting for me.
I’m a few minutes early, but I let myself inside. Elliot is preparing something in the kitchen and Maddie is on her hands and knees looking for something under their couch.
“How do you have something in your hand one minute, and then it falls and just disappears? Where could it possibly have gone?” Maddie is saying exasperatedly, I think to herself but loud enough for us to hear.
“Hey,” I say as I put my stuff down and walk over to Maddie.
“I had the die in my hands two minutes ago, Ana. I dropped it and now it’s just gone. Sucked into the place where lost things go I guess. Along with all of my sunglasses and chapsticks.”
“And my lipgloss from ninth grade?” I laugh and sit on the couch. She sits up on her knees and glares at me, then sighs, resigned from her search. “It’s a hard life, huh, pollito?”
“Sí, hermana.” She sighs again.
There’s a knock on the door and I jump up to get it without even thinking. As she leaves my peripheral, I see Maddie attempt to hide a smile.
I open the door for David, who is holding a few narrow boxes and a pack of beer, and wearing a maroon hoodie with jeans. “Hey.” I give him a small smile.
His face lights up. “Hi.” He stares at me for several heartbeats.
“Well don’t stand there all night, come in,” I say, trying to joke. And I guess it works because he laughs. I’m rusty with my humor so I assume he’s just being nice.
“Hey, David,” Maddie calls, standing up to come greet him.
“Hey Madeline, Elliot.” He and Elliot do one of the ‘bro hand smacks with the back pats’. They chat for a bit while Maddie and I go to the living room and she pulls the few games out.
