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Will isn’t in the kitchen when we return. The dishes have all been washed and put away, suggesting we were looking at Delilah’s drawings for longer than I realized.
“I’ve got to switch a load of laundry in the basement,” Delilah tells me. “Will probably headed out to the garage. Straight down the hallway, on the left.”
“Oh. Okay.”
I follow her directions, opening a door and stepping from hardwood onto a concrete floor. Sure enough, Will is out here.
He glances back when I close the door behind me. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I walk over to him, stepping into his side when he lifts his arm.
Will kisses the top of my head. “You good?”
“Great. Your mom and I talked art.”
He smiles, the soft, tender one that is my second favorite to the cheeky grin he never grew out of. “I could hear some of it down the hall.”
“So…this is it?”
There’s an old car taking up most of the garage, dwarfing the space so it’s impossible to miss.
“This is it,” he confirms.
“It’s nice.”
“It’s useless. My mom should get rid of it.”
I’m sure there’s a reason she hasn’t, just like I’m certain there’s a reason Will came out here to stare at it. “You could fix it,” I suggest.
“I don’t know that much about cars.”
“You could learn.”
“Maybe,” he says.
We stand in silence for a few minutes, Will playing absently with some strands of my hair as he studies his dad’s old car.
“My friend Wyatt called, asking if I wanted to hang out tonight. I was finished in the kitchen, so I came out here to talk with him, and then… I kinda got stuck out here.” He clears his throat. “You up for going out for a little bit?”
“Yeah, sure.” My phone vibrates in my pocket, so I pull it out. Then almost drop it as the words on the screen register. “Oh my God.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
I blink rapidly. “They just announced the finalists for the EPAs. I’m one of them, in the Sports category.”
“Sophia! That’s amazing!” When I don’t respond, Will’s voice turns concerned. “Isn’t that amazing?”
“No. I mean, yes. I just…they publish the finalists’ photos ahead of the ceremony, Will. I just received the email, but once they officially announce…it will be news.”
“So, that means…”
“That everyone will know that I submitted a shirtless photo of you? Yes.”
FORTY
SOPHIA
I’ve never been this nervous, arriving at my parents’ house. They’re hosting this family dinner instead of Saylor and Adler. Will offered to come with me, but I have no idea how this evening is going to go. I’d rather he officially met my family as my boyfriend after I’ve had the chance to explain some things to them.
