Page 20 of See You in Your Dreams

He doesn’t answer. I start to turn away when he suddenly says, “He likes you, too.”

I give a sort of hacking cough as the excess peanut butter sticks to the roof of my mouth. It takes me a good minute and a long sip of my soda to recover. Robbie’s comment veers perilously close to theotherreason I’m so determined to befriend Ash—the one I’ve been steadfastly ignoring.

I open my mouth to deny Robbie’s claim, but what comes out is, “How do you know?”

Robbie shrugs. “He looks at you like you look at him.”

That’s…huh.I stare at Robbie, at an utter loss for words. A few beats of awkward silence pass before I realize the others have fallen quiet, too.

Alexis glances between us, then clears her throat and turns back to Cat. “So,” she says with forced nonchalance, “isn’t that show you’ve been looking forward to all summer finally happening this weekend?”

Grateful for the save, I watch as Cat presses her hand to her chest with a dramatic flourish and a mock gasp. “Majestic Carnage isn’t just ashow,Lex—it’s a transcendental musical experience! I can always try to find you a scalped ticket if you’ve reconsidered joining Robbie and me.”

“No, that’s okay,” Alexis replies quickly.

“Are you sure? Defiled SpawnandFesterplague will both be there.”

Alexis appears stricken. “Wow. That, um…that certainly sounds like a real treat. But unfortunately, I’ve already got plans. I’m spearheading my church’s charity car wash.”

“Your loss,” Cat says with a shrug.

I let out a breath, gradually relaxing as the conversation veers into safer waters. By the time the bell signaling the end of lunch rings, however, I still haven’t gotten Robbie’s comment out of my head. Over the past week, I’d been pretty sure Ash was warming to me as a friend, more and more cracks appearing in his previously impenetrable armor ever since our fateful encounter at the vet.

But is there a chance there could be more?

I’m still mulling over that question after school when a shadow looms over me. I startle, my buzzing nerves intensifying when I find Ash standing there. Though he’s wearing his characteristic scowl, he’s also shifting from foot to foot, almost like he’s anxious.

I mask my surprise with a grin. “To what do I owe the honor?”

His eyes look anywhere but at me. “You busy?”

This is the first time he’s ever sought me out on purpose.The thought sends warmth spreading through my chest. “Why?” I tease. “Finally decided to be my friend?”

His jaw tightens as his bright green eyes narrow. “Look, are you free or not?”

From his tight grip on his backpack straps and the way he keeps sneaking glances toward the street, I can tell he’s having second thoughts, so I resist the urge to keep teasing him. I’m pretty sure he’s one inopportune joke away from bolting.

“Yeah, I’ve got a little over an hour before my shift with Dr. Jenkins starts.”

The intensity in his gaze raises goosebumps on my arms. Abruptly, he turns and starts walking away. For a moment, I think I’ve said something wrong. Then, he pauses and glances back at me. “You coming?”

I hesitate only a moment before dashing to catch up to his purposeful strides. We walk side by side in silence for a span before I muster the courage to ask, “Where are we going?”

“My aunt’s.”

I almost stumble over my feet.What the hell?I mean, I knew I’d been making progress on him this past week, but the best I’d gotten before this was a hint of a smile or a few fleeting words of conversation before he shut it down. I want to ask him what’s changed, but I’m worried if I press him, he’ll change his mind. He seems teetering on the brink of changing it already, like one wrong word might set him off.

Eventually, though, my curiosity gets the better of me. “Any, um, any particular reason?”

He stops to face me, and I fight my initial urge to shrink back. “Look, do you want to see the stupid cat or not?”

The cat!So that’s what this is about. Excitement drowns out my remaining nervousness. “Hell yeah, I do!” I beckon ahead of us in an exaggerated sweeping motion. “Lead on!”

He scowls at me a handful of heartbeats longer. Then, muttering under his breath, he turns and stalks forward, speeding up so he’s a few paces ahead of me again. Watching him, I’m struck by a sudden insight. He’s not angry at me at all—he’s angry at himself. For being such a downer on our walk together…or for having invited me on the walk in the first place?

I ponder the question all the way to his aunt’s house. The home is small but cozy, crammed full of the sorts of cute but useless trinkets that my own family could never justify buying.

“Where’s your aunt?” I ask after I’ve done a quick circuit of the downstairs. There’s a staircase I assume leads up to bedrooms on the second floor, but Ash doesn’t offer to show me up there, and I don’t ask.