Ace gives me an amused look. “Why’s that?”

“Your whole thing you’ve got going on,” I say, gesturing vaguely. It’s kind of hard to make a point when he’s wearing a peacoat instead of his leather jacket. “With your...other jacket. And stuff.”

“You and my leather jacket,” he says in exasperation. “I’m not even wearing it.”

“Still!”

“Hm. Seatbelt?”

I sigh and buckle myself in. “Happy?”

“Elated,” he says and shifts the gear, pulling out of his parking spot with absolutely no warning whatsoever.

“Where are we going?” I ask, staring at him with wide eyes. “Is this the part where you finally murder me?”

“Yes,” Ace deadpans.

I continue staring at him with wide eyes. I don’t actually think he’s going to murder me, but Allah knows what he has in mind. I might die anyway. If I die because of a white boy, my parents are going to bring me back to life just to kill me again. I’m almost certain I should be making better life choices, but it’s hard when Ace is so... Ace.

“You don’t have to look at me like that,” Ace says, alarmed. “I can turn the car around. I was only joking.”

“Right,” I say and lean back in my seat, sending a silent prayer to Allah that tonight doesn’t seal my fate.

“I was, I swear. I’m not kidnapping you or anything. I’m just taking you out to eat. Where do you want to go?”

That shocks me out of my reverie. “What? What do you mean?”

“Where do you want to go?” Ace repeats, stopping at a red light. “Do you have any preference? Or should we just hit up a Burger King or something?”

“We just ate,” I say. “Not even half an hour ago. You had a chicken burrito, remember?”

“And what did you have?”

I fall silent.

“Yeah, I thought so. There’s a diner up ahead. Do you like fries and milkshakes, or should I keep driving? The milkshakes aren’t as good as the ones at Pietra’s, but they’re still decent.”

“Fries and milkshakes are fine,” I say, mystified. No one has ever paid this close attention to me before.

“Are you just saying that?” he asks, giving me a quick look as he turns into the parking lot. “Because there’s a pizza place down the road and a Chinese restaurant the next street over. It doesn’t matter to me where we go. I just want you to be happy.”

My pulse quickens and I fight to keep my voice steady. “I love fries and milkshakes, Ace. It’s perfect. Thank you.”

“Always, Karina.”

Always. It’s such a big word, with promises of so much more.

I don’t know about always, but I know about right now.