I SLIP my hand into Sebastian’s, squeezing it as we walk across the parking lot to the bowling alley. When he told me that Cooper wanted us to go on a double date, I figured we’d just hang out at Red’s, or maybe go to the movies. I haven’t been bowling in ages, even though the one in town is popular with the McKee crowd, thanks to the beer pitchers and themed nights.
It’s ridiculous to be nervous—it’s just a couple beers and bowling—but I can’t ignore the butterfly explosion in my belly. When I went out in the past, it was always a prelude to a hookup. I’ve never been on an old-fashioned date, complete with an activity.
One thing I’ve got up my sleeve, though? I rock at bowling. Sebastian might be the athlete in the relationship, but I can hold my own where bowling is concerned. Nonno enjoyed bowling, and he made sure that I knew how to throw a strike. By the way Penny smiles at me as we walk into the building, I know she remembers. Something tells me that this idea was hers, even though Cooper is the one who presented it to Sebastian.
It’s not crowded; aside from a group of teenagers at one of the lanes at the far end, we have the place to ourselves. There’s a mini arcade next to the bar, the lights flashing, and a mural over the counter that seems to be showing Sasquatch juggling bowling balls, for whatever reason. The smell of popcorn and cheese sauce, the outdated pop playlist blaring through the speakers, and rows of blue and red shoes behind the counter bring back a rush of memories. I had a birthday party at a bowling alley when I was little; I remember the ice cream cake that dripped on the pink dress that Mom insisted I wear.
Sebastian squeezes my hand in return. “Mia, why are you holding on like we’re about to go into a haunted house?”
Penny tries and fails to hold back a smile.
I scowl, trying to snatch my hand back. “What?”
He holds on tightly enough I can’t break away unless I want to smack into the glass case filled with bowling trophies. “Just teasing. You okay?”
“I’ve never…” I swallow. “I’ve never been on a date before.”
“I know,” he says easily. “Which is why we kept the training wheels on for you, di Angelo. Cooper wanted to throw you into mini golf right away, but I didn’t want to scare you off. Us Callahans don’t fuck around where mini golf is concerned.”
“All games, really,” Cooper says. He winds his arm around Penny, tugging on her braid. She pokes him hard in the ribs. “Monopoly is the most cutthroat. Tag always ends in at least one broken window, so we’re limited to once a year. Bowling is less intense than pool but more intense than darts.”
I raise my eyebrows at Penny. She just shrugs. “I’m waiting for the Monopoly invite, honestly.”
“I need the alliance, Red,” Cooper says, his voice practically a growl. “James and Bex teaming up completely ruined the strategy.”
“You still owe me dinner at Vesuvio’s,” Sebastian adds, leading the way to the counter. The teenager sitting behind it glances up from his phone, sighs, and ambles in our direction. “But I’ll accept this for now.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Cooper adds, sounding a little calmer, “I’d never been on a date before Pen.”
“I brought you a list of conversation topics,” Penny says with a sly smile. “Make sure you ask about his interests.”
“I’m going to smack you,” I warn.
She just laughs. “You get the shoes. We’ll get the beer and nachos.”
The moment I’m alone with Sebastian, I feel awkward, which is ridiculous because I’ve been alone with him so often over the past few weeks. Whenever I think about the label—he’s my boyfriend, and I’m his girlfriend—I feel warm enough to start a fire with my bare hands and more than a little turned on, which I think is a good sign, but still, it’s different. There’s a hint of commitment there, and I’ve never had that before.
As if he can tell what I’m thinking, he pulls me into a kiss, his palm pressing against my lower back.
“You look gorgeous,” he murmurs.
I smooth down my blouse. When Penny and I went to lunch, she convinced me to play hooky after and go to the mall. I splurged on a new top, midnight blue with tank top-style straps and embroidery on the hem. Paired with black jeans and my leather jacket—the new one that he bought me—I knew I looked good when we left the house, but hearing the compliment makes me blush.
I lean in so I can whisper against his ear, “You should see the lingerie.”
His hand circles my wrist, thumb stroking softly over my skin. “Any chance I can get a sneak peek?”
That citrus-edged scent of his settles some of the nerves jumping through me. It’s a double date with our best friends, after all. I just need to relax and have fun. I kiss him, shivering as he settles his hands low on my hips.
“No chance,” I murmur. “But if you’re good, I’ll put on a show later.”
“Let’s make things interesting,” he says. “Whoever ends up with the most points after we finish gets to be in charge tonight.”
“In charge how?”
He strokes one finger up my spine. “If I win, I get a good girl in my bed. But if you win…”
“I get to have my way with you?”
He grins. “Something like that.”
He definitely doesn’t know how good I am at bowling. I almost smirk and give the whole thing away, but I manage to rein it in. “Deal.”
“Think you can keep up with me, sweetheart?”
I press another kiss to his lips. He’s especially handsome tonight; his t-shirt and jeans are fitted, so they show off his physique, and his jaw is sharp and clean. I watched him shave in the bathroom before we left for the bowling alley, swinging my legs on the counter as I brushed my teeth. I already know what I’ll do for him when I win. I have the perfect song to dance to, and a new pair of suede boots to try out. “I’ll try my best.”
“Hey,” the kid behind the counter says. “You gonna rent shoes or what?”
HALF AN HOUR LATER, I do a little dance as I step up to the line. “Think I can get six in a row?”
“Hell yeah,” Cooper calls. Sebastian punches him in the shoulder. I laugh as I widen my stance. The pins gleam in front of me, perfectly placed and ready to go crashing down yet again. Two nasty-tasting beers in, I’m starting to feel loose—and Sebastian is realizing that I’m absolutely winning our bet.
The first two strikes, he put down to luck. The third, he started to look a little worried. The fourth, he started scowling, and his expression has been stuck that way since. I’m wiping the floor with all three of them. Cooper is decent, but his ball constantly hooks to the left. Penny is terrible, but cares more about the nachos anyway. Sebastian is good at it, but his last two turns, he went into the gutter. With each frame, he’s acting more and more like a paranoid pitcher trying to pick off the runner at first instead of focusing on getting the next batter out.
I close my eyes, wind my arm back, and let go. The ball rockets down the alley, completely straight, and crashes into the pins. All ten crash to the floor. I turn, bowing, as Penny whoops. Sebastian groans, tipping his head back.
When I get back to our seats, I lean down far enough that the ends of my hair brush against his face. “Nervous yet? Those gutter balls are costing you, and I’m here with triple points.”
He presses a fast kiss to my lips. “Not a chance.”
“We could put up the guards,” Penny says, stealing another nacho from the basket. “As someone who has gone into the gutter nearly every frame so far, I am officially advocating for the guardrails.”
“Absolutely not,” Sebastian says. He sounds so offended that I start giggling. “Give me a ball.”
“Try the green one,” I say slyly. “I think it’s weighted better.”
“Sabotage!” Cooper says with delight. “Mia, you’re starting to understand how things work.”
Penny pushes the nacho basket in my direction. I sit next to her and pick up my beer. It’s warm, but I down the rest anyway. “Are these any good?”
“Nope,” Penny says. “And yet I can’t stop eating them.”
I grab a particularly cheesy chip and pop it into my mouth. She’s right, it’s terrible, but it’s the kind of food you want when you’re drinking from a beer pitcher. I watch as Sebastian grabs a ball—not the one I suggested, naturally—and sets up.
“Point your feet,” I call.
“You point your feet,” he grumbles.
I cup my ear. “What was that?”
“Damn,” Cooper says. “Mia di Angelo, secret cutthroat bowler.”
“I know,” Penny says fondly. “Why do you think I turned down every other double date idea?”
“Huh,” Cooper says. “I did think it was weird that you didn’t want to see the special How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days screening at the movie theater.”
“There’s plenty of time,” Penny says. “We’re doing this again, right, Mia?”
I watch as Sebastian’s ball spirals out of control, landing in the gutter right before the pins. “Oh, definitely.”
“What’s the bet?” Penny says. “There has to be a bet involved.”
I pour myself another beer. “It’s a secret.”
She gasps. “That means it’s naughty. Mia, I’m so proud.”
“No wonder Seb’s being such a sore loser,” Cooper says. He flops over at least three of the tiny plastic seats like a tired puppy. Penny rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling.
When Sebastian comes back to the sitting area, Cooper holds out his hand for a high-five. Sebastian gives him the finger instead. I grin into my beer, watching them bicker about technique. It must be weird for them both, not being good at something that involves a degree of athleticism. Sebastian mentioned the other day that even though his sport is baseball, he knows how to shoot a puck properly, and his football throw has a nice spiral.
I wonder what he’d say to football on the lawn with Dad and Anthony. If he comes to the barbecue, he’ll be strong-armed into it, that’s for sure. And if Dad finds out his brother is the quarterback of his favorite team? He’ll spend the whole afternoon talking about James’ stats. I might not be able to grab a second with Sebastian to introduce him to Giana or the rest of the family.
It’s weird to think about him in my parents’ backyard, laughing with my cousins and chatting with my parents. Giana’s right, they’ll probably love him. But he’s easy to love, with that handsome smile and quiet intensity. He’s the kind of guy they’ve always wanted for me, minus the fact he’s not Italian. I might actually win a smidge of my mother’s approval if I show up with him in tow.
Penny clinks her beer against mine. “This is nice.”
“Yeah,” I say. I wash down the emotion that’s threatening to show on my face with a gulp of my drink. “Good choice, Pen.”
“Anything for you,” she says. We watch as Sebastian gets Cooper into a headlock. “Should we break them up?”
I lift one shoulder in a shrug. “Eh. Something tells me it’s better to just let them go.”
At the end of the game, I’m just shy of a perfect score; Sebastian distracted me during the two last frames with kisses. A completely blatant attempt at gaining the upper hand, but it’s all too fun to kiss him when he clearly has to keep reminding himself not to get too handsy in front of the old guys playing two lanes over.
I grin at him over my shoulder as I start the next game. “Ready for what I have planned?”
“Wait, wait,” Penny says. She waves the empty beer pitcher. “If I’m forced to play another game without the gutter guards, I demand refreshments. Seb, come get another round with me.”
Sebastian unwinds himself from me, his eyebrows raised. “You good?”
“I think I’ll survive,” I say dryly.
Cooper raises his hand in a wave. This is Penny’s doing, clearly, but I don’t mind if it means clearing the air with her boyfriend. He’s my roommate right now, on top of everything else. Over the past few days, he’s been extremely polite about knocking. I think seeing my boobs scarred him a little, which is hilarious considering the reputation he had before Penny. Not that I’m judging him; Sebastian had a similar reputation, and so did I. There’s nothing wrong with wanting casual connections in bed, no matter who you are, but being in a relationship is a lot different.
I guess things change when the right person comes into your life. I’m still scared shitless that it’ll all go up in flames, but if I’m trying this relationship thing with anyone, it’s Sebastian.
Penny drags him away to the bar. I sit down next to Cooper, stretching my arm over the back of the seat. He scrubs his hand over his neatly trimmed beard as he grimaces.
“Look,” he says. “I’m sorry about the way I acted. I was rude to you, and you didn’t deserve that. You and Sebastian have your own relationship and I’m not part of it. It’s just—I’m always going to protect him. Probably more than he needs, but I can’t help it. He’s my brother for life.”
I duck my head, feeling my face redden. “Thank you, but you were right. I wasn’t being fair to him.”
“Still. I’m sorry for goading you into something you maybe weren’t ready for.”
I huff out a laugh. It’s still strange to think that Sebastian likes me back; that he’s liked me since he saw me outside the movie theater last fall.
I remember that night. It was cold, so I broke out my favorite black scarf. Cooper and Penny were hooking up then, and dancing around each other. The dildo that Penny accidentally hit me with had met an untimely demise earlier in the day. And a guy with the greenest eyes I’d ever seen and a smile like a crescent moon couldn’t stop looking at me.
“I’m scared,” I admit.
“Because it matters.” He leans forward, squeezing my shoulder. “It’s always scary when it matters.”
I muster a smile. “Yeah.”
“I think you’re good together, for the record. I know how much you mean to Penny, and Sebastian deserves to be with someone like you. You’re whip-smart and funny, and he’s never let himself have someone in his life like this.”
I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Thanks, Coop. I like you and Penny together, too.”
By the way he smiles, he’s thinking about her. I send another thank you to the universe for giving Penny this. She deserves it, completely and wholeheartedly. She’s changed so much since last year, and it’s all for the better.
He settles back, downing the rest of his beer. “Just don’t break his heart.”
