“This is hell.” Kris surveyed the happiest place on earth the way Anna Wintour would survey an outfit from Walmart. In her $500 jeans and Chanel top, she couldn’t have looked more out of place amongst the hordes of screaming children and frazzled parents.
Nearby, a little boy held an ice cream cone in one hand and picked his nose with the other while his parents tried to calm his sister, who cried so hard her face turned scarlet.
Kris shuddered and slipped on her sunglasses like they could protect her from reality.
“Cheer up, Kris. We’re at Disneyland!” Courtney sang. “The most magical place in the world.”
“Magical, my ass. The only magical thing about this place is how many terrible outfits they’ve crammed into one park. It’s like an outdoor convention for the poorly dressed.”
Farrah turned her head so Kris couldn’t see her laugh. Kris was one of her closest friends in FEA, but she lived in her own little world sometimes.
Farrah’s gaze landed on Blake, who chatted with Luke and Sammy off to the side. Blake was friends with Luke, who was friends with Courtney, which meant Blake was a de facto member of their group.
Farrah was still trying to figure him out. Sometimes, she glimpsed something deeper beneath his cocky playboy persona—a vulnerability that flickered over his face when he thought no one was looking. Then, with the wink of an eye and a smile, it was gone.
Blake’s gaze met hers. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” Farrah’s residual smile faded when Blake walked over and slung an arm over her shoulders. The gesture made her heart flutter in a way she did not like. At all.
“What are you doing?”
“Keeping you warm. You look cold.”
“It’s seventy-five degrees.” Farrah shrugged Blake’s arm off her shoulder. To her surprise, goosebumps rippled over her skin. After the warmth of Blake’s embrace, the park felt like a tundra.
Damn him.
She ignored Blake’s chuckle and scooted closer to Olivia.
“I’ve mapped out the most efficient route for us.” Olivia snapped open a map of the park. “We’ll start at the farthest section and work our way clockwise back to the entrance. First, we’ll go to Fantasyland, then Treasure Cove and Adventure Isle. We’ll cut through the Gardens of Imagination and make our way to Pixar Toy Story Land and Tomorrowland on the other side.”
Luke grimaced. “You scare me.”
“I think it’s nice to have someone organized plan things for us,” Sammy said.
He and Olivia locked eyes. Olivia blushed and busied herself refolding the map.
Farrah and Courtney nudged each other at the same time. Olivia could deny it all she wanted, but the attraction between her and Sammy was mutual, and everyone knew it. They already had bets on when the two would get together.
Farrah gave them another week, tops.
As the group battled their way through the crowd toward Fantasyland, Nardo looked almost as displeased as Kris. “We could’ve gone somewhere more authentic for the Mid-Autumn Festival,” he grumbled. “This place is so Westernized.”
“It’s Disney. It is Western. And according to the Internet, it’s one of the best places to celebrate the festival.” Courtney leveled Nardo with a stern look. “That’ll be the last complaint for today. If anyone wants to be a Debbie Downer, do it on your own time.”
“The Internet is stupid,” Nardo mumbled.
Courtney narrowed her eyes. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Olivia may have mapped out the best route, but sadly, her efficiency didn’t extend to the lines, which snaked in front of every ride and restroom like never-ending spokes of misery.
By lunchtime, Farrah’s feet were numb from standing.
“Thank god,” she said as they entered the restaurant Olivia had chosen for lunch. It resembled the set of one of those Chinese palace dramas Farrah’s mom loved watching. Each dining room featured a different theme. The one they ended up in had glowing fish suspended from the ceiling alongside traditional red paper lanterns. Farrah couldn’t figure out the theme. Under the East China Sea? Chinese Little Mermaid? The fish were a little tacky, but hey, this was Disney. They could do whatever the hell they wanted.
Since it was a quick-service restaurant, Farrah volunteered to look after the bags while her friends ordered at the counter. It gave her more time to sit.
To Farrah’s chagrin, Blake also stayed behind.
“Well, well. You and me, alone again.” Dimples creased his cheeks. “What are the odds?”
“We literally came here together, Blake.”
He pouted. “Your indifference to my charms is starting to bruise my ego. Come on, throw a guy a bone.”
Farrah’s lips twitched. “Your ego could use some bruising, and your charms have no effect on me. Sorry.”
That wasn’t totally true, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Why? Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Are you in love with someone else?”
Farrah hesitated.
Blake’s eyes widened. “You are.”
“I’m not!”
“Who is it? I won’t tell.”
She didn’t know what it was. The heat? The hunger? The exhaustion? Whatever it was, it caused Farrah to lose her usual control over her reactions. Her eyes flicked toward Leo, who was paying for his food while the rest of the group mulled over their choices.
Farrah caught herself and averted her gaze.
Too late.
Blake’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit. You’re in love with Leo.”
“I am not in love with him.” Farrah fought to keep her expression neutral even as panic raced through her.
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m—oh, forget it,” she fumed. “You’re insufferable.”
Farrah had thought he might not be so bad after their conversation in the library last week. Clearly, that was a mistake brought on by copious amounts of delicious food and a dash of late-night exhaustion.
Blake Ryan was the worst.
“I saw the way you looked at him just now. Contrary to what some people think—’ The way he said “some” indicated he was talking about Farrah. “—I’m not stupid. You want to bang him.”
She glared at him. “Do you have to be so crude?”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I’m not talking about this with you.”
“You already are.” Blake’s dimples flashed again. “I can give you pointers from a guy’s perspective. People would pay for my advice. It’s that good.”
“No, thanks. Leo is taken, remember? He’s with someone named, oh, Courtney?”
“Ah, that is a complication.”
“It’s not a complication, it’s a dealbreaker.”
“So you are in love with him.”
Farrah realized too late Blake was baiting her into a trap. The smugness on his face indicated he knew she knew what he was up to.
“Fine,” she said. “I may have a tiny crush on him, but I’m not in love with him. And I’ll never do anything about it.”
“Girl code. I respect that.” Blake nodded.
Farrah thought that was the end of it until Blake leaned closer, his eyes swirling with curiosity and something else she couldn’t identify. “So, what’s the draw? Is it the nice-sensitive-guy facade?”
“It’s not a facade. I know it’s difficult for you to understand but nice, sensitive guys exist.”
“They’re one in a billion. Most guys use the whole sensitivity schtick to get into a girl’s pants. Trust me. I’m a guy, and I know how the male species operates.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“Exactly!”
“This conversation is over.” Farrah scrolled through her phone, not because she was looking for anything but because she didn’t want to talk about Leo anymore.
Blake was wrong. He may be a player, but not every guy in the world was like him.
“It doesn’t matter. Like you said, he’s with Courtney, so I guess you’re doomed to pine after someone you can’t have unless…”
Don’t look up. Don’t look up.
Farrah looked up.
Dammit. She needed better self-control. “Unless what?”
Blake leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head. “You get the hots for someone else.”
He wasn’t the first person to suggest that solution. Olivia had been trying to get Farrah to hook up with another guy in FEA for weeks, but when Farrah had a crush, she had tunnel vision. Most of the time, anyway.
She chose not to think about the way her stomach fluttered every time Blake smiled—a real smile, not the smirk he was giving her now.
“Don’t tell me you’re offering yourself up for the position.”
He looked offended. “I’m not, but there’s no need to sound so disgusted. I have feelings.”
Farrah arched a skeptical brow.
Blake kept the pretense up for about ten more seconds before he broke into a wide smile.
There it was again—that stupid stomach flutter. She should get that checked out.
“Kidding. I don’t have feelings.”
Farrah couldn’t help but laugh. Blake’s grin widened.
He was so cocky she hadn’t thought him capable of self-deprecation, but it was nice to see he didn’t take himself too seriously.
The group returned with the food. Farrah had told Olivia to order for her, and her faith in her friend was well-placed. The Shanghainese pork belly rice was fantastic. They also bought a bunch of dishes to share, including crab meat spring rolls, shao mai (Chinese dumplings), chicken teriyaki skewers, and a quarter roasted duck. Dessert comprised of an assortment of mooncakes, in a nod to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The festival was a time for moon worship (in the olden days) and family reunions (in modern days), but honestly, it was all about the mooncakes.
Farrah savored the taste of her Disney-themed green tea mooncake. Yum.
To Farrah’s relief, Blake didn’t bring up Leo again for the rest of the day, probably because Olivia and Courtney had them running around like crazy people so they could fit everything in before the park closed.
Despite her exhaustion, Farrah had a blast. It had been ages since she visited Disneyland. She was a child swept up in the magic again, especially at night when the park lit up like a sea of fallen stars.
Even Kris warmed to the experience. By the time they left, she’d spent hundreds of dollars on overpriced souvenirs. Farrah didn’t know why Kris bought so much stuff. It wasn’t like she’d ever be caught dead wearing Minnie Mouse earrings.
Whatever. Farrah was too tired to read much into it.
She collapsed into her seat on the metro. They had a long way to go before they reached SFSU, but Farrah didn’t mind. It gave her feet more time to recuperate.
“Today was a good day.” Olivia yawned and rested her head on Farrah’s shoulder. On Farrah’s other side, Courtney and Kris were already fast asleep.
Farrah looked across the aisle to where the guys were watching a video on Sammy’s phone. Blake was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. It was the most genuine smile she’d seen from him yet.
“Yeah.” Farrah rubbed Olivia’s arm. “Today was a good day.”
