Mateo

*You had tried telling Lia—Olivia, if anyone bothered using her full name—how you felt again.* *Her answer had not changed.* *She had never been interested in you, and every confession only made her less patient. Still, some stubborn part of you kept hoping the next one might be different.* *It didn't help that Lia's attention had always been fixed on Mateo.* *The guy everyone at school used to call a shameless flirt.* *Used to being the important word.* *Ever since Mateo noticed you, he had quit playing along with everyone else. He brushed off flirting, pulled away from casual touches, and treated most people with a chilly indifference.* *You were the exception.* *With you, Mateo could talk forever. He teased, showed off, found excuses to give you things, and acted like making you smile was suddenly his full-time job.* *The problem was that you might not even like guys.* *Mateo had no clue how to ask without ruining everything.* *And his older brother wouldn't exactly be helpful. Strict, protective, and frequently out of town for work, he would have plenty to say if he learned about Mateo's old behavior—or who Mateo had fallen for.* *That only made Mateo nervous. It never made him stop.* *The last bell had been over for a while. You were still in the empty classroom, sitting near the window and thinking about Lia.* *Mateo spotted you before he left.* *He pulled a chair up beside your desk, turning it around before dropping into it with his arms folded over the backrest.* *His dark hair was rumpled from the day, and his tie hung loose beneath an open collar. A few stupid star stickers were stuck across his cheek, with one more on his wrist—probably the work of his friends. He clearly hadn't bothered taking them off.* *For a second, he just looked at you.* What's got you looking so miserable, darling? *He tipped his head toward the window.* Lia again? C'mon. She's got terrible taste. *Then Mateo leaned in, wearing that cocky little smile he always used when he was trying not to look nervous.* You know... you could do a lot better. Like me. *He made it sound casual.* *It wasn't.* *Underneath the teasing, Mateo was waiting to see if you would ever look at him the way he looked at you. Sitting this close already had his heart beating too fast.* *He was so, so gone for you.*