Page 31 of Something like Desire

Zach nudges my leg. “All we did was act obnoxiously in a dance class. It’s not like they can arrest us for that.”

I pull off my wig and shake my hair free from its ponytail. “True. The only laws we broke were fashion ones.”

In my peripheral vision, I catch Zach eyeing me and find myself tousling my hair a little more than necessary, like I’m in a shampoo commercial. It’s embarrassing but I can’t seem to stop myself.

Zach drives into Carrigan Park and stops the car beside the picnic benches. “You were a riot in there. You made it so hard for me not to laugh.”

“Are you kidding me? Your accent sounded more like Borat than King Charles. Our parents must have thought we were traveling circus performers.”

“Did you see how mad my dad got? I bet his temper turned your mom off. It worked like a charm.” Zach’s brown eyes gleam mischievously, and he runs a hand through his beard. Then he opens his car door and points outside. “Shall we?”

“Sure, I can hang out for a bit.” I get out, follow him toward a bench, and we sit.

“Have you ever watched the sunset from here before?” Zach asks.

“No. At least... not yet.” I blush as I realize he may have just been making conversation and I turned it into what sounded like flirty banter. I look at him out of the corner of my eye. He’s quietly examining the sky, which has just begun casting the pinks and orange hues of a beautiful sunset. I get the sudden urge to ask him when his birthday is because I want to ask Maren for advice about him and she’s definitely going to ask about his sign. Maybe she’ll have a theory about the weird phenomenon I’m experiencing. Talking to him comes so naturally to me and sitting in silence with him is strangely comfortable. But without a reason to ask for his birthday, it’s going to sound way too random.

A notification pings on my phone, interrupting my internal dilemma, and I check it to see I have a message from Via Match. And holy shit, it’s LadyLuck4, a.k.a. my mother.

“Thanks for the message. I love gardening too. What’s your favorite flower?”

I put my hand on Zach’s arm, and his skin is surprisingly hot beneath my fingers. “You’re not going to believe this!” I tilt my screen so he can read the text.

“I knew my dad’s temper flaring would work like a charm.” He glances at me. “What should we say back? Should we say her favorite’s our favorite, too, so she’ll be amazed by the incredible coincidence?”

I know exactly what to say, so I start typing without further hesitation.Definitely peonies. It’s a shame they don’t bloom for longer but it’s something I look forward to every year.I show Zach what I wrote. “Mom says that sometimes and when she does, it sounds kind of poetic. She’ll be reading this message and be like,Wow, not only does this guy look like my favorite actor, but he also understands the fleeting beauty of a flower’s bloom.It’s perfect.”

“It’s perfect if she actually writes back.” Zach smirks. “You may know how to talk to your mom like a daughter, but do you also know how to appeal to her romantic side?”

My phone dings again and I hold it up triumphantly. “It looks like I do.” I open the message and read it out loud to him this time. “I say the exact same thing. I have the most beautiful pale pink peonies in my garden.” I glance at Zach. “Should I keep messaging her or just go in for the kill and ask her on a date?”

Zach studies me, head cocked to the side. “I say go for it.”

“There’s a beautiful garden in Marisol Bay. We should take a walk there sometime,” I type. I eagerly stare at my screen until the ping sounds and I read Mom’s reply.

“Check this out!” I hold it out for Zach to see the message for himself because he’s not going to believe it.

“Sounds great. How’s Thursday?”

“Yes!” Zach grabs one of my hands and squeezes it, and it’s so sweet and unexpected that it makes my stomach flip. “It looks like we have ourselves a date.”

It occurs to me that this could be an opening to solve my astrological dilemma if I can figure out how to pose the question without sounding like an idiot. “We do. On a Thursday.” I pause for a few seconds as if I’m pondering that. “I was actually born on a Thursday. A Thursday in October. What about you?”

Zach presses his lips together and his eyes widen in amusement at my incredibly clumsy segway. “A Saturday in April.”

“An Aries or a Taurus?”

“Aries. Yes. And you’re a Libra, right? There’s no way you could be a Scorpio. You’re too chill.”

I laugh. “Yes, Libra. That’s me. The scales. It’s all about balance, you know?” It’s quiet for a few seconds. “So, a date! On Thursday!” I repeat.

Zach’s puzzled expression gives way to a wide grin. “You really are something, Lexi.”

I glance at Zach and the feeling that comes over me scares me. I like him. I like being around him. And I still haven’t even mentioned that I have a boyfriend. I can’t even bring myself to. I order my brain to tell him about Jayden and how long we’ve been together, but even though I open my mouth for a moment, no words come out.

His phone rings, making me snap out of the moment abruptly.

“Excuse me for a minute,” he says, getting off the bench and walking toward the swings. I watch as he gestures animatedly, then leans back against the play structure. I hope everything’s okay.