Chapter Text
“Wait, no,” says Felix, opening the door.
Pilar’s eyes widen. “No?”
“No,” repeats Felix, “If I’m supposed to go after the girl I care about, then it’s you.”
She looks at him warily. “Felix, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I like you. I like that you pretend you don’t like games. I like that you never turn down a dare. I even like it when you punch my arm.”
Pilar, not ready to believe, responds, “I thought you loved Lake.”
“I did. Or I thought I did. But there’s only one person in my head now.”
“And you want me to believe it’s me,” she says, hiding the tremble in his voice.
“I’m telling you it’s you.” And then he’s suddenly less confident, “And I’ve just spilled my entire guts to you, and you don’t even — ”
And Pilar crosses the distance between them. Her hand curls over his neck up to his cheek, fingers grazing behind his ear, thumb perched on his chin. “I like you, I like you, I like you,” she whispers into the corner of his mouth, half-laughing.
And, swiftly, he presses his mouth against hers and turns it into a real kiss. His hand comes to cradle her neck, thumb pressed against her pulse point, and she wonders if he knows how alive he makes her feel. And she cannot hide how blissfully happy she is — is unafraid to — that she starts to smile against his lips.
“Do you want to get coffee with me?” Felix mumbles against her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” Pilar says softly, catching her breath. “I didn’t catch that.”
“I said, ‘Do you want to get coffee with me?’”
“I’d love to.”