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Carter looks away and shakes his head. “It’ll be good for her to go home next week. From what I can tell, college has been all the wrong kinds of fun for her.”
I nod in agreement. “God, I’m so happy you see it too. I thought I was being selfish, or boring, or you know… I don’t know. I’m worried about her.”
Carter grabs my hand from across the table and intertwines our fingers. “You aren’t being selfish, baby. I don’t think you’ve ever been selfish when it comes to Kate. I’ll talk to her, don’t worry about it.”
He squeezes my hand and I nod at him, my heart fluttering. He doesn’t usually call me baby outside of bed and I find it sexy as hell. I wonder if he even realizes he did it.
“Enough about her, though. Since we’re here now, we might as well enjoy it. Honestly, Lita’s food is such a treat. I have to work three times as hard to burn it back off, but it’s so worth it.”
I smile at him and move to pull my hand back, but Carter holds on tight. I can’t help but blush a little. He said we’d only be friends with benefits, but this feels an awful lot like a date.
Abuelita brings over a lot of small dishes that all look ridiculously good. Her eyes drop to our joined hands and she smiles.
“Enjoy,” she tells us, before walking off in a rush. Carter grins at me and points at the food as though he cooked it himself and is presenting it to me.
“Amazing, isn’t it? I love all the food here, so instead of full dishes, Lita gives me a bit of everything. My favorites are the taquitos and enchiladas, but the empanadas are to die for too.”
Carter grabs a spoon and starts filling my plate, and I hold my hands up. “It’s okay, I can do it,” I tell him, but he shakes his head and continues to serve me food.
He looks at me expectantly and I try not to smile as I grab my fork. I take a bite under his watchful gaze and nod, my lips betraying me and tipping up into a smile.
“It’s amazing,” I murmur, and Carter’s shoulders sink in relief. He starts filling his own plate and for a couple of minutes we both sit in silence, absorbed in the food.
“So when did you discover this place?” I ask. Carter leans back in his seat and grins.
“It was a coincidence, actually. I got lost in my first week here and stumbled upon this place. I was starving and Abuelita fed me the best meal I’d had in weeks. Her food kind of reminds me of home. It’s similar to the food you and Mom always used to make, and it kind of made me feel a little less homesick, I guess. I’ve come back every month since then. How did you stumble upon it, though?”
I smile at him. “It was actually featured in a small food blog that I like. Before I came here, I made a list of things I wanted to do, and eating here was on it.”
Carter smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He looks away as though he’s lost in thought and then turns back to me. “So, what’s on your list?”
“This sounds lame, but I want to go see the botanical gardens at Huntington Library. I also want to walk around the Venice Canals and go to all the theme parks. I want to go to all the beaches and I made this list of dozens of restaurants I want to try.”
Carter’s smile is bittersweet and he nods. “Yeah, those were all things I thought you’d like too,” he murmurs. He blinks and his expression becomes unreadable. “We can go do some of that stuff together, if you want. It’d be nice to hang out like the good old days. Me, you, Kate, and maybe even Asher.”
For a second I thought he meant he wanted us to go together, just the two of us, and my heart sinks .
“Yeah, that would be amazing.”
Carter and I get the bill, and even though I insisted we’d split it, he wouldn’t let me. He walks me back to his car and suddenly I’m nervous. I don’t want the night to end yet.
“Are you excited to go back home?” Carter asks as he drives me back to my dorm. I nod. “Yeah, I didn’t think I would, but I actually missed my dad. I really missed Helen too. I can’t wait to be back and have some homemade food.”
Carter chuckles. “Yeah, Mom’s food is what I missed most too. I miss it less now you’re cooking for me every once in a while. It’s good to be home, though.”
Things are slightly awkward between us, as though neither one of us knows where the boundary is between being friends and being more. Carter pulls up to my dorm building and we both sit there in silence.
“I’d invite you up, but I think Kate will probably be back by now.”
Carter grins and leans into me, his hand brushing over my hair. He pushes my hair behind my ear and looks into my eyes. “Next time,” he whispers. I blush and pull away.
He stands by his car and watches me until I’ve walked through the door, and all the while my heart beats wildly. I wanted to kiss him goodnight so badly, but that isn’t what friends do.
Chapter 20
Carter
Emilia, Kate and I are exhausted from the long journey by the time we walk into my house, but that exhaustion is quickly forgotten once my mother jumps up and runs toward us. She wants to hug all of us at once, so we end up in one big group hug.
