“No? Not even with your evil clone, Priya?”
I laugh at him calling Priya my clone. “Not even with her.” I sigh. “I’ve been the last relationship before someone meets their true love more times than I’d like to admit. I’m a cliché. I’m obsessed with romance and can’t make a relationship last long enough to fall in love.”
For a beat, he doesn’t say anything. He uses the side of his fork to scrape some icing off the cake board and eats it.
“You know,” he finally says. “For an optimist, you’re not very nice to yourself. What did you say earlier? You’re the kind of friend who always points out her friends’ strong points? Maybe you should treat yourself as well as you treat your friends.”
I look at him, surprised. I know I’ve been negative lately, but I wouldn’t have thought Miles would call me out on it. When I don’t say anything, he continues. “I don’t think the fact that you haven’t been in a serious relationship means you’re, I don’t know, a lessseriousperson. Relationships are hard work, and we’re both young, so it’s okay if we don’t have it figured out yet. That’s one of the things I don’t like about movies and books making love seem soeasy. We both know from our parents’ example that staying happyin a relationship while staying true to yourself is hard, and many people aren’t cut out for it. I think it’s so cool that you haven’t given up on love and that you still want to see everyone around you happy. You’re not a cliché… you’re kind of an inspiration, Sana. And maybe you haven’t found a person who is worthy of you yet.”
I blink at him. I have no idea what to say to that. Miles just called me an inspiration. And I know he really means it. And also, he’s right. Relationships are hard, and we’re young. It’s okay if we’re still figuring them and ourselves out.
I smile. “You… you’re a great friend, Miles.” I mean that. Yeah, I have a massive crush on this particular friend, but really, more than anything else, I’m so, so grateful to have him in my life now. “You know, I was supposed to fall in love this summer,” I say. “I found a fortune cookie fortune that said I would.”
He tilts his head. “Your future doesn’t come from a baked good, Sana,” he says, holding in a laugh.
“You don’t believe in omens?”
He shakes his head. “No, of course not. I believe in coincidences. Sometimes coincidences make people believe that fate is controlling their lives, but they’re really the only ones in control. There’s no magic to this.”
I exhale. And that’s why, even if we’re friends, Miles and I willalwaysbe miles apart. He doesn’t believe in fortunes or magic and thinks beautiful fields of flowers should be weeded. And he implied that he’s given up on love. Even if he miraculously feels the same way about me as I feel about him, he’d eventually get tired of me because we’re too different. Just like Dad got tired of Mom. Like my parents—we’d be a disaster.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. And tonight Miles has shown me howamazinga friend he is. I don’t want to lose this. I yawn, then rest my head on his shoulder. “Thanks for taking me to my prom. I’m glad you moved to the city. Even if your apartment is crappy.”
“You know what, Sana? I’m glad I moved here too.”
I don’t have to look at him. I can hear the smile on Miles’s face.
CHAPTER FIFTEENWE HAVE OURSELVES A FESTIVAL!
Once we have the approval for the festival, we need to hit the ground running since we only have a little over a month to plan it. On Saturday, I put up a post in the BOA member group that the Love on Love Street Festival is happening, and anyone interested in volunteering for the planning committee can sign up below, and anyone available today should come to a meeting at seven thirty tonight at LoveBug.
I text Cara immediately after posting. She doesn’t always check the BOA forums, so I want her to know about the meeting.
Cara: I saw that the festival is on! Congratulations! I’m not sure I can come tonight, but you know I’ll help plan. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.
Sana: No worries! I know the meeting was last minute. Plans with Hannah tonight?
Cara: We’re going for hot pot with my parents. I’m nervous…
Wow. Cara’s parents can be pretty strict, and I know they weren’t happy about Cara and Hannah being so serious while in high school because they wanted Cara to focuson her education. Hopefully her parents support them more now. I’m also hoping Cara only misses this one meeting—I still feel a bit bitter that she skipped out on Miles and me so many times when we were working on the proposal.
Sana: Okay! I’ll message you tomorrow to tell you what you missed. Good luck!
Me, Miles, Julie and Ajit, April, Grant, Alain from the bistro, and Ben from the empanada shop show up to the festival planning meeting. Cara, Jenn, and a few others also sign up to help out but weren’t able to come tonight. The first thing the committee does is decide on a committee chair. Almost everyone agrees that Miles and I should be cochairs, since we were the ones who put together the proposal and because we already have a relationship with the city councillor.
After going over some basics, Miles and I start delegating tasks. Surprisingly, the adults in the room seem pretty okay with a couple of teenagers telling them what to do, but when we start talking about the proposal, things get heated.
“I really don’t like this section about outside vendors,” Alain says. “If we bring in others, they will compete with the Love Street businesses.”
Miles shakes his head. “Love Street can’t be so insular,” he says. “It has to evolve with the outer community. We shouldwelcomeoutside vendors to our festival—from Gerrard and beyond.”
Did he really call Love Streetinsular? I look at Miles. I’d thought I understood him better after prom last night. That we understoodeach otherbetter. And I don’t thinkI’m being delusional or it’s wishful thinking because of the huge crush I have on the guy—but it felt like we reallyconnected. But we haven’t talked since last night, and he’s barely looked at me during this meeting. Earlier today he posted a picture on his Instagram of himself eating a Jamaican beef patty, and I commented with the emoji of a chili pepper, then a fire emoji. Because… he looked hot in the picture, and that’s what I do when a friend posts a hot picture, no matter who it is. But Miles didn’t respond. Or even heart the comment.
Right now he’s sounding more like the Miles I first met than my cute friend. Miles says Love Street has toevolve, but to me, Love Street evolving means losing everything we have here. It means people losing their businesses. Or jobs. Or homes.
“But the point of the festival is to help Love Street businesses,” April says. “Why would we bring in vendors that will take our customers?”
“Bringing in other vendors for the festival will get more people to come, which in the long run will help Love Street,” Miles says. “What do the rest of you think?”
