cut myself off with a hand clamped over my mouth. I didn’t mean to tell them that. I haven’t allowed myself to acknowledge my feelings toward Ricardo, but in this moment I know my words are true.
Genevieve leans back to look at me, her eyebrows in her hair. “You what?”
Adrienne is grinning. “Say that again.”
I shake my head vehemently, embarrassed.
“You said you fell for Ricardo. You like him? For real?” Adrienne looks like she’s just won a million bucks.
Casting a furtive glance at Genevieve, I nod. She blows out a long breath. “Thank goodness.”
“What?”
“It’s been obvious to me for weeks that he’s crazy about you, Char. He looks at you as if you’re the best thing in the world to him, and despite my feelings about him, I couldn’t stay mad when it seemed like the two of you were so happy. And then you tell me you’re faking the whole thing, and I don’t know what to think.”
I feel hollowed out and filled up again with something warm and soft. Can it be true that Ricardo has real feelings for me? “He hasn’t said… He acted so… Are you sure?”
“Just don’t go overboard with the PDA, all right? Spare us that.” Genevieve smiles.
I grin. “Deal. If he’ll have me.”
“Oh, he will,” Adrienne says, climbing to her feet. “I can tell Mikhail, right? I’m going to tell him. I’ll be right back.”
I open my mouth to protest, but stop. It won’t hurt for her to tell Mikhail about Ricardo and me. Besides, he’s so observant, he probably guessed the whole situation anyway. Really, I should be thanking him for keeping his mouth zipped about it this whole time.
With another smile at Genevieve, I turn my attention back to my calculus homework. It’s going to be a breeze.
As soon as I hear that Ricardo is back from the hospital, I hurry up to his room, telling myself the whole way that I’m anxious to see him because he’s been helping me investigate Professor Rook’s death. No other reason. Ignoring the curious looks I get from everyone in the student lounge as I pass, I walk as casually but as quickly as possible to Ricardo’s room.
You kind of like me, huh?
My cheeks warm at the memory of his long, warm hands wrapped around mine. Yep, deep trouble. Assuming that Genevieve is right, and he has feelings for me too...
I knock on his door, and Ricardo beckons me inside. He’s stretched out in his hammock, tucked into a blanket like a rolled taco when I enter. My stomach flips at the sight of him relaxing in a clean white tee. His black socked feet peek out at the bottom of the blanket.
Mrs. LaGuerre is sitting in the desk chair, ankles crossed, with a book open in her lap. Sun from the window is the only light in the room, fanning over the spread pages of the tome. Keeping vigil.
Ricardo looks from me to her. “Can you go now, Mom? Since I have company?”
A pitter-patter of anticipation slides down my spine at his words. Will she actually leave us alone in here? If I ever brought a guy home, my mom wouldn’t even let us go upstairs to my bedroom, much less leave us unchaperoned in there.
Mrs. LaGuerre’s shoulders slump, but she nods. “If that’s what you want, my son.”
“It is.” Ricardo’s tone is stubborn as his mom scoops up her purse and stands.
“I’ll talk to you soon?” she asks in resignation.
Ricardo merely shrugs, not taking his eyes off me.
It occurs to me that I should encourage him to spend some time with his mom. Talk to her. Reconcile, because that is clearly what she wants. But I can’t make myself do it at the moment. The urge to be alone with him is stronger than my inclination to fix the broken relationship between mother and son.
Mrs. LaGuerre leaves the door open a crack, and then it’s just the two of us.
“Couldn’t wait to see me, could you?” Ricardo hits me right in the chest with an intoxicating grin.
“You want me to leave? Because I will.” Spinning on my heel, I make for the door, shooting an eye roll over my shoulder. This was a mistake. Clearly, Genevieve is mistaken, and Ricardo simply enjoys yanking my chain to get a reaction.
Struggling to pull his hands out of his tightly wrapped blanket, Ricardo holds them out toward me. “No. No, wait. I’ll try not to flirt.”