Diego glanced at his phone. Patrick must be awake. Lavender was still freshening up, so Diego opened the text. Patrick wanted to save his strength for tomorrow. Diego was invited over for an evening of pizza, beer, and movies. Diego texted back to ask if Lavender was invited. Patrick said she was.
Now, to ask her.
She strode up to him, queen of the world, and her lips demanded a kiss, which he gave willingly. He needed her like he needed air. He stepped back with a sigh before he got too hard to walk. "Come to dinner with me."
She bit the inside of her lip. "I listened to your voicemail."
He looked at the ground. "Yeah?"
"Do your friends know you are inviting me to dinner?"
"Yes."
"And what did they say?"
"Patrick wanted to know if they should order an extra pizza, and I said to hold off ordering anything until we arrived." Diego wasn't sure what kind of pizza Lavender liked.
She pressed her hands to his chest. "So when is this dinner?"
"As soon as we get there."
"Do you think," she licked her lips, "they'd mind if we were late?"
Diego swallowed hard. "How late?"
"I know a place where we could get a good view of the city."
Weren't all viewpoints make-out spots? Please let this be a make-out spot.
*~*~*
Lavender leaned back and licked her lips, but she kept one hand on Diego's chest. His kisses were electric, and the good thing about making out in the car was that their hips were apart. She was not going to let an embarrassing incident happen again, no matter how hot he was.
Diego took in deep breaths. "You have to come stay with me in Portland."
"Do I?"
Diego swallowed hard and wiped his hands on his jeans. "We'll see if you can stand living where the grass in green and the air is clear, with fewer people and less traffic."
"And more rain." But starting over would be wonderful. She could move to a place where no one knew her secret, where people couldn't find out by someone else letting their own condition slip.
His pressed his hand on hers. "Please say you'll consider it."
She grinned. "Does this have anything to do with me meeting your friend?"
He looked down. "Maybe. I don't know. I just want… I'm rambling again."
She touched her free hand to his lips. "You're cute when you ramble."
If she hadn't heard his voicemail, she might not have thought to take him to the lookout point. She was glad she had. She wanted to make the most of her week.
*~*~*
Diego checked Patrick's apartment number and got out of the car. The parking lot was surrounded on three sides by five-story buildings. Lavender looked around. "These are pretty nice."
Diego's apartment was much nicer, even with only one income, while Patrick and Jessica had two. Rent money didn't go as far in California as it did in Oregon; maybe because of all the extra people.
Their apartment was on the fourth floor. Patrick opened the door before Diego got all the way up the stairs. He pulled Diego into a hug. "Long time no see, man."
Diego hugged him, back then stepped away and put his arm around Lavender's waist. "Look what I found hidden among the smog."
Patrick grinned. "I told you coming down here would be good for you."
He wouldn't be as happy once he discovered Diego was stuck on her. Patrick thought Diego's dating life was crazy, and that dating the same girl since they were both fourteen was normal.
Patrick invited them inside. The place was well-decorated with new-looking furniture. Diego got most of his stuff from his parents and Goodwill. He hadn't paid more than twenty dollars for anything. Not everything matched, but he was debt-free with two months' salary to spend on this week's vacation. He couldn't imagine Patrick and Jessica could say the same.
That was their problem to deal with.
Patrick handed him a beer, while Jessica looked Lavender over. Diego stepped closer to Jessica. "Be nice."
She smiled. "I'm always nice."
Lavender shook her head. "No, thank you."
"Come on, you have to take it." Patrick touched the beer bottle to the back of her hand.
"Why?" She looked up through her eyelashes. She was beautiful.
Diego stepped forward. Jessica grabbed his arm. "She doesn't need your help."
"Because," Patrick frowned, "when you come in my door, you accept my hospitality."
"Really? So, if I invited you to my house I could make you drink… prune seltzer?"
Patrick wrinkled his nose. "Sure."
"And this hospitality includes forcing alcohol on underage girls?"
Patrick turned to Diego. "That's right, you're robbing the cradle."
"She's nineteen."
Patrick looked Lavender up and down. "Nineteen."
"And mine." Diego stepped between them. Patrick had looked at all Diego's girlfriend’s that way at least once, but with Lavender, it felt like a punch to the gut.
Patrick laughed. Diego rolled his eyes. He put his hand on Lavender's back and steered her to Jessica. "Do you have pop or juice?"
She set several cold cans of sparking juice on the counter. Diego traded his own beer for the can of orange. Lavender took the grape. Because she liked grape or because she liked purple?
Jessica offered Lavender the menu from a pizza place. "I prefer chicken, but since the caveman here only eats beef and pork, half of it always goes to waste."
The menu had several chicken pizzas. Diego left them to discuss their selection. He'd eat any pizza without anchovies.
Patrick plopped onto the couch and gestured Diego to join him. "What should we start with? An oldie-but-goodie like Die Hard or the Hunt for Red October, or something newer like Mission Impossible III or Pan's Labyrinth?"
Diego looked at the pile of DVDs. Would Lavender like any of them? "Which are your favorites?"
"All of them."
"Then let's watch the oldest movie first."
Patrick frowned. "That would be Jessica's choice."
He opened a cabinet door and pointed at Casablanca. Diego looked toward the kitchen. Jessica was on the phone. He pointed at Patrick's pile. "The oldest of yours."
Patrick grinned and slapped his arm. "Great idea."
He started the movie and handed Diego back his beer. This time, Diego opened it. Patrick had spent extra on quality beer, and wasting it would be a shame.
*~*~*
Lavender carried her plate into the living room. Diego moved closer to Patrick on the couch and made space for her. Jessica was nice enough in that veiled I'm-judging-you way some women had, but they would never be friends. Diego was much more comfortable to be with. The movie was old. She could tell by the casual smoking indoors and the actor playing the lead. He looked much younger than he had in the last trailer she'd seen him in. She hardly recognized him.
When Diego finished his food, he took Lavender's plate into the kitchen. Patrick leaned over. "Isn't this a great movie?"
Action movies weren't her thing, but they were easy to follow, even if you missed most of the first hour like she had. The good guys were white, the bad guys spoke in a foreign language, and the comic relief was black or Hispanic.
Diego passed Patrick another beer before he sat down, so Lavender didn't have to answer. Jessica rose from the recliner. "Once they've had their adrenaline kick, you might find something better in my movie selection."
Jessica had good taste in pizza and in decorating, so her movie choices might be good, too.
Patrick sat up. "Nothing's better than my movies."
Jessica shrugged. "To each his own."
"Beer?" Diego lifted his bottle. "Sex?"
"Hey! Nothing's better than sex."
"I thought you said nothing was better than your movies."
"No movies are better than my movies. Let's watch this one next." He held up a case for a movie Lavender knew she wouldn't like. She hadn't been able to sit through the commercials for it last year.
Jessica gestured her toward the hallway. "I hate that one. It gives me nightmares. Maybe we can have a girl party in the bedroom until the alcohol, plus the lack of proper sleep for the past week, puts him under. We can do our nails and maybe give each other facials and listen to music."
Jessica must have something else in mind, but an awkward time with someone she'd probably never like trumped a horror movie any day.