A minute later, Lydia’s navy sedan swung into view. She pulled as close to the garage as possible, and I ducked through the rain and into her car, where it was cool and dry and smelled like pine.
“Hey,” Lydia said with her usual big smile.
“Hi,” I said with my heart in my throat.
I tried not to look at her too long. Her hair was tied over her shoulder in a loose, pretty braid and her skin was showing above the neckline of her shirt. She was achingly beautiful.
We went to a trendy tapas place near our high school. The lights were low and the artwork was funky. The hostess seated us at a two-top near the rain-drizzled window and handed us glasses of sparkling water.
“This place is fancy,” I said as the hostess left us alone.
“Have you never been here?” Lydia asked.
“No, but I’ve heard of it. This girl in my English class said she went on a date here once.”
Lydia gave a short laugh and looked hastily down at her menu. I flushed and stared at the cheese list without processing any of the words.
We went through the motions of ordering. Soft drinks, brussels sprouts, vegetable paella to share. It was exactly like going out to eat with Maritza and JaKory, except I never felt breathless when I went out to eat with them.
The tablecloth was a sheet of brown parchment paper, and there was a box of crayons tucked into the salt-and-pepper holder. In between bites of tapas, I grabbed a crayon from the box and sketched out a drawing. I could feel Lydia’s eyes on me, and after a minute I heard her laughing.
“The green house,” she said, placing her hand over it like she wished it were real. “And is that supposed to be the mailbox?”
“Or a bird feeder. Whatever you prefer.”
“Bird feeder, easy.”
She had an awed smile on her face, and for one shining, beautiful moment I felt confident that this was definitely a date.
I felt even more confident after she insisted on paying.
After dinner we walked around the shopping plaza, talking and laughing. The rain had let up and the air was cooler than usual. It was Fourth of July weekend and there was a buzz of energy in the air, with people walking about and enjoying the long weekend. I felt like the whole world was as happy as I was.
Lydia mentioned the popcorn I’d brought her on Monday, and I told her how I’d buckled it into the car seat like a child.
“You didn’t,” she laughed, her eyes bright, her hand brushing my arm.
“I totally did. I would’ve looked like a freak if I’d gotten pulled over.”
“It was worth it, though,” she said decisively. “I ate it the whole time I was studying, plus I had some for breakfast the next morning.” She bit her lip and looked shyly at me. “Definitely the best study buddy I’ve ever had.”
The drive back to my house seemed much faster than the drive to dinner. I didn’t want the night to end, but I wasn’t sure how to keep it going. Lucky for me, Lydia didn’t seem to want it to end either.
“Does your neighborhood have a clubhouse?” she asked as she turned into the entrance.
“Yeah, if you go to the left.”
“Is there a playground?”
“Yeah…” I laughed, wondering where this was going.
“Do you like swings?”
My heart drummed. “Yeah, I do.”
“Good answer,” she said, grinning.
We parked near the swimming pool and wound our way to the playground. The sky was darkening and the air was humming with crickets. We passed a row of bushes with fully bloomed roses, and their scent filled the air, sweet and fresh and aching. I felt like I was in a dream, wandering through a garden with a beautiful girl.
The swings were covered in rainwater, so we tipped them forward until most of the water had run off. Lydia reached over and wiped the last of the water off mine, shaking her hand in the air afterward, and my heart melted at the gesture.
I plopped down on my swing, trying to keep my cool. “I haven’t been on a swing in forever.”
Lydia sat on the adjacent swing and turned her body toward me. “That’s the saddest thing I’ve heard today.”
“Why, when was the last time you were on a swing?”
She scrunched up her face, thinking. “Last summer, in Natalie’s neighborhood.”
“Just for fun?”
“It was when Natalie and Cliff first started talking, and she wanted me there for backup. We went swimming all