Your faith is beautiful.
—Levi
God? Did I meet the best possible guy at the worst possible time? You wouldn’t do that, would you?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I brush my teeth,praying for the courage to go to bed like I need to.
“Girl. IHOP.” Sophie eyes my favorite threadbare pajama shorts and T-shirt. “You in?”
I spit and check the time: 9:04 p.m. “It’s basically the middle of the night.”
She waits for the correct reply.
“Yes. I’m in.” Bedtime can wait. I’m relieved to put it off.
I pull on the jean skirt and top I’d worn earlier, slip my hair out of the knot on my head. A real outfit at this time of night is silly, but Levi will probably be there in his effortless sophistication.
“Levi will be there,” Sophie sing-songs from the hall.
Bless you, wonderful planner, for hitting it off with Levi’s best friend.
“Mamma Mia,” Sophie calls. “Can youleave in five?”
“You got it.” Mia glides down the hall and unloads her armful of books in their room. She must’ve been with other friends when she got Sophie’s IHOP SOS. Now she’s leaning against my doorframe, arms crossed, dark brows raised knowingly. Here comes the teasing. “Skirt on, hair brushed at nine p.m.”
Yep. She gives me a hard time, but I know she just wants me to be braver. She has no idea why the Levi thing is so complicated.
“You’re the most beautiful ‘disinterested party’ I’ve ever seen. Like Mr. Darcy.” She pats me on the head.
I keep my mouth shut and wave goodbye to Ayumi. She’s probably thrilled to get the room to herself so often.
At the restaurant, Haymitch and I form airplanes out of paper napkins and covertly test their airworthiness. I laugh in delight when mine manages a second in flight, only to bump our pendant light and fall to the table. A trip to IHOP is such a treat compared to our usual lazing around campus.
Levi and Mia discuss sports news, which I neither know nor care about. Sophie and Austin bicker about whether the server said his name was Jake or Blake. It was Blake, but I wouldn’t interrupt their flirty sparring.
“Come to Mama.” Sophie taps the picture of strawberry cheesecake pancakes.
“Mm. Great choice.” I unstick my legs again from the vinyl seat. Pants next time at this place.
“You gonna order tonight?” she asks.
I shake my head.
“I’ll share mine. No one needs that many pancakes at this time of day.”
We both know Sophie’s daily afternoon run leaves her hungry enough to down that whole plate.
“Either way.” I cover a yawn. I’m just happy to be with my friends, even if I should be in bed. Maybe I’ll have a nightmare-free night and still get some sleep.
“I’m gonna ask him for all the bacon and eggs they have,” Austin says.
“Wait, wait,” Sophie says around her laugh. “I’m worried what you just heard was, ‘Give me a lot of bacon and eggs.’”
Austin’s eyes shine. “What I said was, ‘Give me all the bacon and eggs you have.’ Do you understand?”
I’m not sure if I’m smiling at their chemistry or the Ron Swanson reference. These two confuse me.
