40
Evan was staring at the wreckage of the ship and the mall, or at least pretending to. He wanted to look like the stoic hero who’d be just fine on his own, even if he wasn’t quite feeling it. He thought better of comparing his heart to the deep, empty pit in the asphalt where the mall had been. Instead, he just soaked it in, comforted by the realization that if he could survive an alien attack, he could certainly find a girlfriend. Someday, anyway.
“Evan.” Teena’s voice behind him was impossibly, annoyingly irresistible. He spun around without even thinking about it.
“Hey,” he said, sounding cooler than he felt.
“What are you doing by yourself?” She was limping on her bad leg, and her tangled hair was pressed against her head in weird places. Yet she was more gorgeous than ever.
“You shouldn’t be walking on that leg,” he said automatically. He didn’t know if he could ever fully stop worrying about Teena. Then, remembering the situation, he shrugged. “I was coming to check on you, but I saw you with Cameron. I didn’t want to spoil your moment.”
Teena hobbled closer to him. She was so much shorter than he was, he half wanted to lift her up so it would be easier to see into her eyes.
“What if I was hoping for a moment with you?” Teena asked, sounding kind of shy.
Evan smirked. “Look, you don’t have to be all nice just because we got through some things together. I get it,” he said.
“Oh, things like saving my life a shitload this weekend? Figuring out that I was not in the sea of people you freed from the ship? Coming back to get me?”
He shrugged again. “Seriously, it’s no big deal.”
“Just take some credit, already,” Teena said, and now she grabbed his hand. Her little palm wrapped around his big one perfectly. “And maybe we can try a do-over of the Bed Bath & Beyond thing we started?”
Evan’s blush rose so fast he whipped around so Teena wouldn’t see it. With his eyes on the mall, he said, “Really, I don’t want you to do me any favors. I know I’m not your type.”
“Then I was choosing the wrong type.” Teena was leaning into him. She tugged his arm, pulling him toward her, and then she kissed him.
She wasn’t just doing this out of obligation. He touched her face, and he could feel her mouth lift into a smile beneath his fingertips. He almost wanted to jump in the air and pump his fists. Instead, he clutched her tighter, wanting to be as close to her as possible.
When they finally pulled apart, he grinned. “You know, we can do this thing, but I don’t plan on taking any of your shit.”
Teena smiled up at him in a way that made it clear he probably would take her shit. At least some of it. “I know,” she said. “I was just wondering how you’d feel about a date.”
He lifted her so they were face-to-face and kissed her again. “With you?” he said teasingly. “We’ll see.”