A few days later, the team is in the kitchen, and Mike spreads the DVDs he rented on the table. Jayden reads the movie titles: "The Thing That Ate New York," "Scream," "The Night of the Living Dead," and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."
"I can't believe Tracy didn't want to join us," Mike whines.
"My sister might not have graduated top of her class, but I tried to warn you that she wasn't going to fall for it," Chris says.
"Seriously, Mike, why did you pick mostly horror movies?" Emily complains.
"Relax. Em, I'll protect you," Mike says.
Ten minutes later, everyone sits on the floor in the living room in front of the screen hanging on the wall. Mike and Emily are sitting next to each other. Kevin and Mia are doing the same. Jayden sits down in the middle of the group Indian-style on the floor. Tracy is outside with her ankle on a pillow, sitting in front of the firepit.
"You know, sweetheart, this would make a great first date for you and Antonio," Ballade says.
"Mom, Antonio and I are friends and teammates," Tracy says.
"I know, sweetheart, but it's obvious there is a spark between you," Ballade says.
"I know, but after all the bad experiences in dating I had, how do you know when it's time to start dating again?" Tracy asks.
"Well, honey, it's hard to say, but sometimes your heart just knows," Ballade says, kissing her daughter on the forehead, "You know your father loved the outdoors and was a great fisherman, too. So, who knows, maybe he set you up from heaven,"
"Mom," Tracy snickers.
"I'll be back with everything in a minute," Ballade says.
After Antonio sets up his laptop and connects it to the projector, he presses play. He walks outside and sits down next to her. They sit an arm's length apart from each other.
"What movie are they watching anyway?" Tracy asks.
"The Thing That Ate New York," Antonio answers.
"Typical, a scary movie so the boy can protect the girl from the scary monster," Tracy says.
"Yeah, where did you get your amazing sense of humor?" Antonio asks.
"That would be from me. Her father was an awful comedian but a great outdoorsman," Ballade says, setting the tray with the smores ingredients down on the ground next to them, "You kids have fun,"
"Mom, we aren't kids," Tracy snaps.
Inside the house, Ji comes in with a bowl of air-popped popcorn. Jayden gets up from his spot and walks over to him. JI hands the bowl to Jayden.
"How's everything going? Ji asks.
"Okay, I guess." He answers.
"Hey, Jayden, you are missing the best part," Mike shouts across the room.
Jayden looks back towards the group. He sees Emily with her hands in front of her eyes. She peeks through her fingers every few seconds.
"Mike is lying; you're only missing the monster eating some poor guy's brain!" Emily whined in terror.
Jayden laughs, walks back to the group, and sits on the floor. He asks the group if anyone wants some popcorn. Mike's hand pops up, so Jayden passes the bowl to him. He goes back to watching the movie.
Antonio's POV
I see Tracy start to shiver.
"Here," I say, placing a blanket around her shoulders.
"Thanks, I guess the weather can't be trusted here or in Michigan," Tracy says.
"So, did you move here hoping to escape the cold?" I ask.
"Yes, but it turns out I found another place that still gets snow in the winter," Tracy jokes.
"So, how about I make some smores before the fire burns out?" I say.
"Sure, just don't burn the marshmallow. I hate the taste of black," Tracy says.
Normal POV
After they have a few smores, Tracy notices that Antonio is beginning to get cold, too. She finds the courage to let her guard down a little more.
"Antonio, it looks like we'll have to share. Mom only put out one blanket," Tracy says, moving closer to him.
"You may have to sit on my lap. The blanket is small," Antonio says.
"That's okay with me, what about you?" Tracy answers, blushing a bit.
Antonio nods. Tracy lets go of the blanket, slowly moves over, and sits on Antonio's lap. Tracy sets her hands on her lap. He wraps the blanket around his shoulders. Antonio slowly places his right hand on top of Tracy's. Tracy looks down and sees Antonio's hand on top of hers. Then, a small smile appears as she looks up at Antonio. Their eyes met for the first time (in a romantic way).
"You have a great smile." Antonio compliments in a flirting tone.
Tracy tries her best not to blush. She looks away quickly. Antonio makes his move and entwines his fingers between Tracy's. Tracy feels her heart skip a beat, and the butterflies in her stomach flutter like crazy. She feels a gentle, loving squeeze, then looks down and notices that Antonio is holding her hand.
I could let my guard down a bit more. Tracy thinks.
Tracy shifts her body to place her head on his right shoulder.
"I forgot to tell you one more thing. Your eyes light up when you smile, making you look even more beautiful." He says.
Tracy was surprised by what Antonio told her because no boy had said that to her.
"Are you done complimenting me?" She asks.
"For now," Antonio says.
Ten minutes later, Antonio looks down at his shoulder to see she is fast asleep. He isn't surprised because he knows her body is still stuck in recovery mode. He gently slides her glasses off her face so she can sleep more comfortably. He puts her glasses in the pocket of his hoodie and starts to watch the stars for a bit. Meanwhile, the movie finally ends fifteen minutes later. Jayden and the others walk to the front porch. Mia was the first of the group to notice Tracy fast asleep.
"Ay que lindo," Chris whispers.
"Wow, they are so cute," Mia whispers.
"Chris, did Mia just repeat what you just said?" Jayden Whispers.
"Yes," Chris whispers.
"Hay, I thought you said no setting Tracy up?" Mike whispers.
"I never set them up. I had a hunch that Tracy wanted to spend time alone with Antonio. So, I helped things along a bit. Plus, I never said anything about me, just you, Mike," Chris whispers.
Kevin and the others go back to their rooms to catch some z's. Jayden walks over to Antonio's laptop to take the DVD out, put it back inside the case, and then set it on the table. Chris and Jayden go outside to help Antonio. Antonio slowly gets to his feet. Tracy starts to fall sideways toward the ground. Antonio bends down quickly to catch her in his arms. After he sees her, he gets to his feet again. He cradles her in his arms.
"So, did she tell you that she likes you?" Jayden asks, whispering.
"No, and that's fine. From how she acted, I could tell she also reciprocated my feelings, " Antonio whispers.
"Well, I'm happy for you, buddy," Jayden whispers.
Chris picks up the blanket and the empty tray. Antonio and Jayden walk to Tracy's bedroom. Jayden opens the door for Antonio. After Jayden does that, he tells his friend he is heading to bed. Antonio enters Tracy's room and goes over to her bed. He gently places her onto it. He unfolds the spare blanket at the end of the bed and drapes it over her. He bends down and kisses her on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Tracy," Antonio whispers.
He walks over to her desk. He takes her glasses from his pocket and places them on the desk. Then he slowly exits the room, feeling like the luckiest guy ever.