All I've Never Wanted(63)

With my luck, I’ll probably have a nightmare about it tonight.

“Are Carlo and Parker coming tonight?” I asked hopefully, when it became clear he wasn’t going to voluntarily speak anytime soon.

Roman sighed. “Don’t worry, your boyfriend will be here. As for Carlo, who knows?”

“Aren’t you his friend?”

“I’m his friend, not his mother.” He gave me a droll look. “Besides, aren’t you his friend too?”

Well, he had a point.

“I’m sure he’ll be here. He’s probably just busy,” Roman finally said, noting the look on my face. “Maybe he’s planning Adri’s birthday present.”

I blinked. “Is it coming up?”

“It’s a week after homecoming.”

“Really?” I was stunned, mainly because neither had mentioned it and because I’d expected someone like Adriana to start planning her celebration months in advance. “Why would Carlo be planning it?”

He sighed, looking aggravated. “Because we surprise her with a big present every year, and we alternate the planning. She’s the only girl in the group, so it’s kind of hard for us to know what she wants. This year is Carlo’s year.”

I couldn’t help but pull an aww-face, which seemed to make Roman nervous. “Aww, you guys do that every year?” I gushed.

“That’s so cute!”

He turned red and let out a small grunt, obviously embarrassed.

“Whatever. We did it once when we were little and it’s just habit,” he muttered.

“Isn’t that adorable?” I cooed in a baby voice, delighting in the appalled expression on his face. I laid it on even thicker. “You must be the cutest little friend ever!”

“God, stop!” Roman shuddered. “Stop doing that! I like you so much better when you’re being a pain in the ass.”

“Did you just admit you like me?” I exclaimed.

He flushed. “No! Jeez, stop being so annoying!” He turned and stomped down the hall.

I giggled, racing after him. “Hey, come back, I’m not done teasing you yet!” I shouted.

“Leave me alone! Go eat some Pop-Tarts!”

I burst out laughing when I saw Roman run into a half-open door in his haste to get away from me.

Oh, I was going to have so much more fun than I’d originally thought.

* * *

Carlo tossed his notebook aside with a deep sigh, rubbing his tired eyes. He’d been trying to work on his essay all day, but between worrying and planning Adri’s birthday present, he wasn’t even close to finishing.

He had to pick this year to come back, he thought with a frown, twirling a pen around his fingers. If only he’d come back next year, when Carlo was already at college—and far, far away from him.

The only thing Carlo could hope for was that he didn’t stay long. He never did. There was always another fight, another job, another girl, and he’d be gone.

Suddenly, Carlo’s shoulders tensed as he felt a presence behind him. He whipped around and blocked the person’s punch before it landed, aiming one of his own at the other’s stomach.

The guy grinned in delight as he dodged out of the way just in time, turning the motion into his famous roundhouse kick.

Luckily, Carlo was prepared. He’d been in more than a few fights with this one before. He waited until the last minute before ducking and letting loose his own kick.

Surprised, his opponent stumbled a bit, and Carlo took the opportunity to grab his arms, twisting them behind his back in an iron grip. “How did you get in here?” he demanded. “The door was locked!”


The guy smirked, not looking at all fazed that he was essentially pinned down at the moment. “Let’s just say I picked up a few things in Rio.”

“You don’t need to ‘pick up any more things’, Rico,” Carlo said quietly. “Or have you forgotten about what you did two years ago? There’s a reason you had to leave the country.”

Rico’s face hardened. “I told you, that wasn’t my fault.”

“The evidence said otherwise.”

“Yeah, well, the evidence was bullshit. Now are you going to let go, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?”

Carlo raised his eyebrows. “I believe I have the upper hand right now.”

Rico laughed loudly. “Ah, yes, you’ve definitely picked up a few things yourself while I’ve been gone. You never did use to be able to dodge my roundhouse.”

“Things change.”

“So I see.”

Before Carlo could say anything else, his phone rang, and he hesitated before reluctantly letting Rico go. “Don’t try anything funny,” he growled, reaching for his phone.

Rico smirked. “You have too little faith in me. I’ve changed.”

Yeah, you say that every time. But you never do. Carlo kept his eye on the other guy as he answered his phone. “Hello?”

“Carlo, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you all day!”

He sighed. “Hey, Adri. Sorry, I’ve been a bit…busy.”

She paused. “Are you with—“

“Yeah.” His reply was curt.

He could practically hear her thinking over the phone. “Well, you don’t need to constantly deal with that bull, C. Listen, we’re having a bit of a get-together at Roman’s in about an hour. Why don’t you come? Take your mind off things.”