Keeping the Distance (I Heart Iloilo Book 1) Read online

  The words were on the tip of Melissa’s tongue, and she couldn’t stop them anymore. “Lance told me how he feels about me.”

  Cam’s jaw dropped open, but she snapped it shut in an instant. “I knew it. I so knew it. When did this happen?”

  “He was at the bar on Friday night. He followed me to the parking lot when Papa called and just…” She mimed someone vomiting.

  If she closed her eyes, she could bring herself back to that Saturday, see how he looked when he told her she was stuck in his mind. Once she opened her eyes, though, the way she practically fled the room was the one thing that stood out.

  If he called her a coward, she couldn’t blame him.

  “And?” Cam bumped shoulders with her.

  “Nothing happened.” She shrugged, pretending the weight of the weekend didn’t bother her.

  “That’s it?”

  “Is there supposed to be something more?” Her fingers found their way to the elastic band that held her fishtail braid together and tugged. She started braiding the strands again. “I mean, he’s Lance. We all know he doesn’t stick with girls for very long, and my father knows all about his reputation. It would never work.”

  “Oh, Mel. Your father shouldn’t have anything to do with whether you like Lance or not.” Cam’s voice managed to convey disappointment, pity, and encouragement all at once. Something only a best friend could do.

  “I know that,” she said, her fingers continuing their movement, “but I don’t believe it yet.”

  Cam reached out to keep her still. “But do you like him?”

  That was the question that kept her up all weekend. Did she like Lance? There was a part of her that told her she didn’t know him well enough to like him, but there was another part that wanted to jump in and get its feet wet.

  She looped the elastic around the end of her braid and looked down at her hands. Her fingernails were painted a bright yellow. There was a chip on her right pointer finger.

  “I don’t know.” It was the best answer she had.

  The walk to the indoor gym didn’t take long. When they got there, they found the entrance blocked by lines of students from The Partridge School, a bunch of boys in white button-down shirts and black slacks.

  Most of the girls in her class stood on their toes to get a better look at the boys, while the rest tried to push their way inside. She couldn’t help but join in at the same time Cam held on to on her shoulder to push herself up.

  One of the boys broke away from the mass of white shirts and black slacks. Hunter headed in her direction and waved. She waved back, not knowing what to say once they finally stood in front of each other. She stepped away from her classmates and met him in the middle of the chaos.

  It was her first time seeing him in his school uniform, and he looked different, younger and a little less confident. She almost expected the same drumsticks to stick out of his back pocket, but earphones dangled from them instead.

  “Hey,” he said, smiling at her.

  “Here to see the game?” Dumb question. Of course he was.

  “Yeah.” Hunter stuffed his hands into his pockets. “We even have bets going on who’s going to win. Some of my friends say there’s this Ordonez guy who’s really good, so our school’s chances of winning are slim. You know him?”

  Melissa’s throat went dry. She nodded. “I do.”

  “Is he that good?” Hunter was still smiling. He reached out as if to touch her cheek.

  When she caught his hand in mid-air, she realized she had made her choice. She didn’t know what she was choosing, but it wasn’t Hunter. It was funny, because a part of her had always thought she’d end up with him. Someday, somehow.

  Their parents were the best of friends, and they had known each other their whole lives. It was the perfect love story. It just wasn’t hers.

  Hunter’s smile faded, and he looked down at the place where her hand grasped his. “I guess that’s a no on the drum lessons?”

  “I guess it is.” Like the coward she was, she glanced at Cam over her shoulder. “My friend’s waiting for me. I should get back.”

  “I should, too.” Hunter aimed a thumb at his classmates who were filing into the gym. “Bye.”

  He walked away, his shoulders slumped and his steps slower than usual. They were never official. He had never even said that he liked her outright.

  Those reasons, however, didn’t stop her from feeling guilty. Her fingers itched to undo her braid and weave the strands again into something, to find comfort in the movement.

  Cam’s hand felt heavy on her shoulder. “Mel? We should go inside.”

  Her feet refused to cooperate and demanded to stay where they were, so Cam had to drag her inside the gym. They climbed up the bleachers, and a few of their classmates inched along the bench to make room for them.

  A buzzer signaled the start of the game, and the players walked into the court. Lance and Jace followed the three other members of the starting lineup. Like always, her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. He was serious today, no sign of the boy who stole her homework.

  The players eyed each other warily. Lance and the biggest Partridge player shook hands so tightly she could almost hear their bones cracking. They glowered at each other the whole time. A low hum of cheering throbbed throughout the crowd.

  When the players were all in position, the referee hurled the ball into the air. Jace lunged for it, both of his hands slamming around it, and threw it at Lance who immediately jumped into the air and let the ball slip from his fingers.

  His body arched into a curve. The ball sailed through the air and shot through the basket.

  The crowd erupted into cheers.

  “Go, SACA! Go, SACA!” students cheered all over the gym.

  “Lance Ordonez! Lance Ordonez!” shrieked a number of girls behind her. “Lance Ordonez!”

  “That was awesome!” Cam shrieked. A dreamy look stole over her face. “Jace Hernandez has the most beautiful hands. Imagine what they could do to a girl.”

  Melissa knew her best friend was still talking. She wanted to stop and listen, but she was solely focused on the boy standing in the middle of the basketball court, letting the other players run past him. His eyes scanned the crowd, row after row.

  When their eyes met, a grin so powerful took over his face that she almost swore it knocked her off her feet.

  His eyes never leaving hers, Lance pointed at the number on his red jersey. 19. It took a few seconds for the pieces to click into place, but once they did, she couldn’t stop the grin that took over her own face. It was her birthday.

  He was telling her this game was for her. He was telling her he wasn’t giving up. He was going to fight for her.

  From her place up in the bleachers, she wasn’t sure he could see her response, but she nodded anyway, a simple movement of her head that caused his grin to go from bright to translucent.

  Yes, she said with that one nod. I’m right here.

  ***

  It rained a few hours after the game ended. Lance stood in the middle of the parking lot in his red-and-white varsity jacket, letting the raindrops soak his face and hair. They won the game, beating out the competition by a difference of more than twenty points, but winning wasn’t on his mind.

  It was Melissa’s nod, the lifting and bobbing of her chin that became everything. She understood what he meant, and she nodded. What did that even mean?

  “Hey, dickhead, you’re getting soaked!” Jace stood by his own car, a black Nissan he kept in pristine condition.

  “I hadn’t noticed.” Lance pulled his car door open with a smile, got inside, and stuck his keys in the ignition. The engine came to life with a purr.

  He maneuvered the car out of the school parking lot and into the street. Students flanked both sides of the car in a hurry to get home.

  Some walked calmly with open umbrellas, while others ran with notebooks over their heads serving as their only protection from the rain. Lance knew he
was lucky. The only thing he had to worry about getting home in this weather was how quickly the wipers swiped at the raindrops on his windshield.

  His luck grew tenfold when he saw Melissa and Cam huddled under a nearby drugstore’s awning. If this were one of his other classmates, this would’ve been easy. He would’ve pulled over, offered a ride, and the person would most likely get into his car without questioning his motives.

  This was Melissa, though, and things were never easy with her. Now, he didn’t want to seem like the dumb jock who offered rides home to show off his car.

  But he didn’t want her to get soaked in the rain, either, so he pulled over. He jumped out of the car and stood in front of both girls, letting the rain pelt him. “Hi.”

  Standing under the awning, her hair a messy tangle of knots, and raindrops on her eyelashes, Lance thought Melissa had never looked more beautiful. Something tightened in his chest at the sight of her, and even if he was only eighteen, a part of him said this was it. No one else was ever going to make him feel this way.

  “Hi,” Melissa said.

  “Can I give you guys a ride home?” He shook his head at himself for sounding like the dumb jock he warned himself against being.

  Next to Melissa, Cam muttered, “If you say no, Mel, I don’t know what I’ll do to you, I swear.” Wet hair clung to the sides of her face.

  Lance couldn’t help but smirk. His eyes drifted back to Melissa. “Looks like you don’t have a choice.”

  “Looks like I don’t,” she replied, not taking her eyes off him.

  Before he could pull the door open like a gentleman, Cam dove for the backseat. He and Melissa were left ogling each other in the rain. It took him a few seconds to recover enough to finally pull the door open for her like a normal person.

  He helped her in, his hand making contact with the small of her back. The touch zapped him awake. He felt fully alive for the first time in months, and it was all her doing.

  Lance shut the door and got in the car. When he was firmly seated and they were moving once again, he couldn’t help but keep glancing at her. This whole thing felt like a dream. She was here. In the passenger seat of his car. Unbelievable.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat,” Cam piped up from the backseat. She tapped Lance on the shoulder. “Is it okay if you drive me home first?”

  He had never spoken to her much until then, but Lance silently said a prayer of thanks for the existence of a certain Cam Velasco. He was going to get some time alone with Melissa, and it was all because of her best friend. Maybe that meant something.

  “Sure.” He shrugged, keeping his hands steady on the wheel even if they felt like shaking.

  They moved through the rush hour traffic in silence. The rain didn’t stop, making the thirty-minute long drive to Cam’s house longer than usual. Commuting would’ve been a nightmare in this weather. He couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for Melissa. If she agreed, he wanted to drive her home every single day.

  If she agreed.

  That was the problem.

  “To the left, please,” Cam instructed as he drove inside a subdivision full of similar-looking homes.

  He followed her directions until the car stopped in front of a blue house with white shutters and a swing on the front porch. Before Cam hopped out of the car, she swung her backpack over her shoulders. It was only then that he noticed the camera bag dangling from her neck.

  Her face suddenly popped up between the seats he and Melissa occupied. “I’m only leaving you alone with my best friend, because I can tell how much you like her. If you hurt her, though, keep in mind that I will not hesitate to hunt you down and bludgeon you to death with my camera. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  “Bye, Mel.” Cam gave her a quick peck on the check and hopped out of the car.

  “Bye, Cam.”

  They were finally left blissfully alone. Melissa’s face couldn’t have been any redder. He was about to drive away when the backseat door opened again. Cam again. She aimed a finger at him. “I’m serious. About the camera and the bludgeoning.”

  Without letting him respond, Cam slammed the door shut and entered the house. They were left alone again. For real, this time.

  “Tell me where to go.” Lance wasn’t only talking about driving directions, and he could tell she knew that.

  They still drove in silence, the awkward kind that mushroomed between them and could be sliced in half. After a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore. He hoped she wouldn’t hate him for this.

  He grabbed his phone from the dashboard and handed it to her. Surprised, she took it, cradling it between her hands.

  “There’s something wrong with my phone.” He tried to keep his eyes on the road ahead, his face straight.

  “What?” A crinkle formed between her brows.

  “It doesn’t have your number in it.”

  He took the chance to glance over at her. There was a second where she looked like she wanted to chuck the phone at his head, but she snorted. A laugh bubbled up from her throat until she was laughing so hard she had to clutch the door handle for support. Her laughter was infectious, and soon, he was laughing, too.

  “That was bad,” Melissa said, still wheezing. She smiled at him. “But I have one that’s even worse.”

  God, this girl.

  She ripped his heart open with her smiles and sarcasm, burrowed into it, and refused to leave.

  “Okay, hit me.”

  Melissa leaned back, making herself comfortable. A slight smile still on her lips, she said, “Are you a fart?”

  He pretended to glare at her in response.

  “Are you a fart?” she repeated.

  “Why?”

  “Because you blow me away.” She laughed so much she could barely get the words out.

  The rest of the drive went like that. They traded pick-up lines, each one more ridiculous than the last. She gave him directions in between bursts of laughter.

  Lance couldn’t get enough. Of her. Of the stupid pick-up lines. Of the rain that granted them this short amount of time together.

  He didn’t know where she lived, but he couldn’t help but be puzzled when she asked him to pull over in front of a vacant lot.

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you live here,” he said, swiveling his head around to take in the water bottles and assorted trash that filled the vacant lot.

  “I… I can walk from here.” Melissa focused on taking off her seatbelt like it was the most difficult thing in the world. “My father can’t know you drove me home.”

  His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I understand.”

  But did he really? He wasn’t sure.

  He was only sure of one thing. He wanted her, and if that meant hiding from her father for a little while longer, he could live with that.

  “Go out with me. Please.” Lance didn’t have the guts to say the words until her hands were already pushing the door open.

  “Thanks for driving me home, Lance,” was all she said before slamming the door shut.

  He watched her walk away until she turned a corner and he couldn’t see her anymore. When his phone beeped with a message, he barely had the energy to pick it up. The message was from an unknown number. He swiped at the screen so he could read it.

  I fixed your phone.

  Chapter Twelve

  According to Cam, the best way to avoid getting caught lying was to stick as closely to the truth as possible.

  Dinner at a fancy bistro known for its chicken wings. A late movie, a romantic comedy Melissa had already seen so she’d be more comfortable. Maybe a cup of peppermint-infused coffee at a café afterwards. That was her cover story.

  It was also the truth. The only difference was, she was with Lance, not Cam. Her best friend stepped up to the plate, agreeing to cover for her in case her father called.

  Everything was set.

  Melissa stared at her reflection in the mi
rror. She smoothed down the folds of the lavender dress Lance had given her as an apology for the nth time. Was she ready for this? An actual honest-to-goodness date with Lance? She ran her fingers through the hair she’d painstakingly curled into waves earlier, the strands held back by a white headband that matched the clouds on her dress.

  Her phone vibrated where she’d left it on her desk earlier. I’m here.

  Two words that meant Lance was parked by the vacant lot where he’d dropped her off. Two words that meant this was really happening. No turning back.

  For good luck, she ran her fingers over her ukulele. Its smoothness always helped calm her down. She then slipped her purse over her shoulder and went downstairs.

  Her parents cuddled on the couch, their feet propped up on an ottoman. A movie played on the TV, and the screen cast blue light on their faces.

  “I’ll be back before curfew.” Her hair flew behind her as she ran past the couch.

  “Say hi to Cam for us,” her father said, eyes still on the TV screen.

  Her pulse went crazy. She was going to have a heart attack from all this lying.

  “Yes, I haven’t seen that girl in a while,” her mother added. She craned her neck to look at Melissa who already had one hand on the doorknob. “Tell her I need a new profile photo.”

  Why didn’t they bombard her with questions as if they knew she was up to something?

  Why did they have to be so nice tonight?

  Melissa unstuck her tongue from the room of her mouth and forced a smile. She nodded. “Sure, I’ll make sure to schedule a photo shoot for you.”

  “Have a great time, Mel.” Her mother turned back to the TV and snuggled closer to her father.

  “I will,” she said, finally pulling the door open.

  Once the door shut behind her, Melissa took a deep breath. She waited for her heartbeat to return to normal. It took a few minutes, and her phone soon vibrated with another message.

  Are you still coming?

  As she typed her response, her phone vibrated again.

  I won’t push you. We can do this another time.

  Lance was giving her an easy way out. He was saying that she could back out, and, yes, he might be hurt, but he wasn’t going to push her. It meant a lot, the easy way out he was offering. Too bad she wasn’t going to take it. She stuffed her phone inside her purse and ran down the street, her gold flats slapping against the pavement. She had to get to him.