Counting Down with You(63)

Samir looks forward to his outings with Baba, though, so it’s no surprise he’s eager now.

Mia turns the radio to a pop station and starts singing outrageously along as she shifts the car into Drive.

“Pay attention to the road,” Ace says, exasperated. “I invited Santos specifically so you wouldn’t attempt to murder us.”

“Daniela and I will happily die together,” Mia says without missing a beat. “Isn’t that right, babe?”

Daniela’s expression is uneasy, her fingers gripping the upholstery tightly. “I would die for you but maybe...maybe we could postpone the dying part until we’re like twenty-two and drowning in debt.”

Mia looks thoughtful. “Fair enough.”

Samir looks between them, eyebrows lifted. “I didn’t know you guys were dating.”

“Is that a problem?” Mia asks, glancing at him in the rearview mirror.

Samir smirks and opens his mouth to say something undeniably obnoxious, so I elbow him roughly. I know he doesn’t have a problem with it—he was also one of the first people to reach out to Nabila—but he’s still a teenage boy with the proclivity to joke around in favor of being serious.

Samir grunts and gives me a betrayed look. I narrow my eyes in warning, and he huffs, rubbing his side. “Not for me,” he says after a moment. “But one of my friends has a crush on Daniela. At least now I can tell him it’s a lost cause.”

Mia sits up straighter. “Which friend?” she asks almost too pleasantly.

“Don’t tell her,” Ace says from my side, a faint grin tugging at his mouth. “She’s not above homicide.”

Samir turns to Ace, and a far worse smile spreads across his face. “Speaking of dating—” he starts to say, and I pinch his wrist, my heart already racing. He yelps in surprise, clutching his arm. “Jesus Christ. Never mind. My sister is a tyrant.”

“I’ll make Mia turn this car around right now,” I warn him.

Samir sighs, leaning his head against the back of Mia’s seat. “All right, Darth Vader.”

“Darth Vader isn’t that bad,” Ace says, nudging my shoulder, a comforting warmth at my side. Some of my nerves settle. “But your sister is Rey Skywalker.”

Samir’s eyes light up, and he launches into a Star Wars rant about Rey’s lineage. I shake my head, leaning back in my seat as Ace indulges him.

Thankfully, the rest of the ride is uneventful, and we don’t die miserably in a car crash.

When we arrive, Ace gestures for Mia to get out. “I’m not letting you parallel park my car.”

Mia scowls. “I can do it.”

Ace snorts and looks at Daniela.

Daniela’s eyes widen and she hastily exits the car. “Don’t bring me into this.”

Mia gapes after her girlfriend. “The betrayal,” she says, clutching her chest. “You win this time, Alistair.”

“Thanks, Cosmia,” Ace says, rolling his eyes as his sister leaves. “Karina, Rafiq? Do you want to go with them?”

Samir pushes open the door. “I can’t sit in the same car as an Anakin Skywalker apologist.”

“I’m not an apologist. I just think that the Jedi Council alienated Anakin—”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Samir says, hopping out, but there’s laughter in his voice. Ace looks similarly amused. The interaction makes my stomach twist with sudden awareness.

Not for the first time, it hits me.

Even knowing I shouldn’t, I have feelings for Ace. Feelings that are nearly brimming over the edges.

“Karina, if you want to go with them you can,” Ace says, holding open the door for me.

I shake my head. “I’ll come with you.”

The smile I receive in return causes my heartbeat to stutter.

Ace parks the car a few blocks away. Before we walk back, he takes off his coat and tosses it in the back seat. For the first time, I see the dark shape on his wrist clearly.

“Is that a tattoo?” I ask, reaching for him without thinking.

Ace nods, presenting his arm. The solar system is tattooed neatly across his inner wrist, the planets in shades of black and white. It’s a simple design, not meant to be flashy. It fits him perfectly.

“I got it on my sixteenth birthday. I had to forge a note from my dad and drive to New Jersey, but it was worth it.”

My jaw drops. “You did what? How are you still alive?”

“He doesn’t know yet,” Ace says, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I usually wear a watch over it.”

“You’re ridiculous.” I shake my head. “I hope for your sake that he never finds out.”

“What’s the worst that can happen if he does?” Ace asks, shrugging. “I’ll be fine. It’s not like I got a tramp stamp.”

Right. Our situations are different. Even as I learn more about him, Ace remains an oddity to me, someone bold and defiant. Things that I can’t help but be drawn to, even as they leave me reeling.

I have a better understanding of him than I did before, but there are still some things I can’t put my finger on. Mysteries yet to be unraveled. I still don’t even know why he asked to be tutored, much less why he orchestrated the fake dating situation. I understand parts of it, but the rest is muddled.