Page 134 of Maybe You

Ethan barks out a laugh.

“Great minds,” he says.

“Clearly.” I force yet another smile onto my face. It’s not Ethan’s fault my life is a mess. Plus, I don’t want to invite any questions or observations.

“You first,” I say.

“My mother works”—he points to one of the high-rises on our left—“in that hotel. And my little sister had a piano lesson, so I picked her up and took her to my mom so they could head home together.”

I nod and look at him. There’s kindness in his eyes and humor on his face. He’s a good person.

An uncomplicated person.

“You’re a really nice guy, Ethan,” I blurt. For some reason. I mean, I know he is, but it’s the kind of thing you don’t just say, randomly and out of nowhere.

Ethan looks surprised for a moment, but also flattered, so I decide it’s okay that I said it after all. It’s nice to be nice for a change.

“Nah. I’m just—” he starts to say.

“It was a compliment.” I interrupt him and force another smile. “You should just say thank you.”

I didn’t mean to sound like a dick, and for a moment I suspect I still did, but Ethan just tilts his head to the side for a moment and studies me before he says, “Thank you.” There’s a teasing note in his voice as he says it, and it brings a lump to my throat because I’ve used that same tone while saying thank you to Sutton.

“You never said what you were doing here.” Ethan looks around the busy street. “This isn’t exactly your usual turf, is it?”

I snort out my first genuine laugh in weeks.

“My usual turf?” I repeat.

“I heard it myself as soon as I said it.” Ethan laughs, too.

“I’m in this new gang. The Snake Tails. We’re really badass. Have jackets and everything.”

He chuckles at that.

I point my thumb behind me. “I scored myself an internship.”

“A good company?”

“Yeah. I got lucky. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m learning a lot. And they even pay me a decent salary on top of everything.”

“You must’ve done something good in your past life.”

“Oh, I was a saint, for sure. Saved lives left and right.”

“That’ll do it,” he says.

This smile actually comes more easily.

“Well,” I say after we’re done with the smiling. “It was nice seeing you.”

He nods. “Really nice.” He sends me a long look, and I wait. “Are you in a hurry?” he asks, then.

The question catches me off guard, so it takes me a second to answer.

“Umm. Not really? I’ve got work later, but that’s still a few hours away.”

“In that case, want to go and grab some dinner?” he asks.