He was right. I frowned to myself. It always felt like I was making excuses when it came to Tamara. “The time isn’t right, maybe another day.” It wasn’t like I didn’t want to, you know, “get with her,” romantically speaking. I’d liked her that way for over two annums—since around when I’d figured out that the way I liked people was different from the way others liked people.

But I’ll admit it: I was scared, too. Tamara had been my best friend since we were, like, eight, when her family moved to Tierra Nueva and my mom met Bryn at a GSAF fundraiser. As much as being around her made my heart race, I also didn’t want to ruin our friendship. What if she didn’t like me the same way?

But if I didn’t do anything, I’d never find out.

Chapter 11

I tried to focus my attention on chopping the vegetables for the salad, but it was practically impossible. I mean, Tamara was standing so close to me that her shoulder kept bumping mine while she mixed the salad dressing. So close that I could smell her hair—a mix of berries and something really pleasant I couldn’t quite place, but that was distinct to Tamara’s scent—over the tart vinaigrette.

It would have been wonderful had I not been freaking out inside about what to say to her. I shook my head, trying to focus instead on Mama D’s voice as she chattered in the dining room.

“Come on, slowpoke,” Tamara teased, sweeping the tomato and avocado bits off my cutting board into the salad bowl. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

I laughed my agreement, though at the moment my stomach was so nauseous that I probably couldn’t eat if I tried. I wouldn’t be half as anxious if it hadn’t been for Henry’s not-so-subtle hints. It was nervewracking enough to be alone in Tamara’s presence while under the close surveillance of her mothers—whom under normal circumstances I loved, but come on, who wants to be watched when they are trying to make a move? Especially by the girl’s parents?—but now I had the added pressure of knowing that if I did chicken out tonight, I would never hear the end of it.

Yup, this evening was going to be fun.

To my surprise, though, once I’d taken my seat at their large dining table—Tamara’s family often had dinner parties, being with AresTec and having a musical prodigy and all—I found I was able to relax, really relax, for the first time all day. Mama D always had a way of lifting everyone’s mood, making worries seem like they were light years away.