Love Is a Losing Game // Joel Pimentel

16 | Oblige

Chapter Sixteen

Blu's POV

"Blu! You have a visitor!" My foster dad yells from downstairs. I furrow my eyebrows knowing that Joaquín and I hadn't made plans for before school.

"Coming!" I shout back before grabbing my bag, my phone, and spraying on some perfume. I rush down the stairs and stop in my footsteps once I see the person who decided to visit my humble abode.

"Yoandri?"

He gives me a two-fingered wave and a grin before going back to talking with my parents. "So you're this new guy she keeps talking about?" my foster mom smiles as she winks at me.

I internally groan and Yoandri smirks, "Aw, I didn't know you liked me this much." I shake my head and push him out the door, "Sorry folks. You just boosted his dangerously high ego, so we must go now."

I kiss their cheeks and give them hugs before waving goodbye and taking Yoandri with me. He chuckles once we are out of their sight and I push him, "What're you even doing here?"

He smiles down at me, "I figured you get lonely when you walk places sometimes. So I decided I'd keep you company."

I look up at him, "Thanks? I mean you didn't have to go out of your way-"

"I'm trying to win over your heart, and in order to do that it's the little things that matter," he confesses. I blush softly and he nudges my shoulder, "No pressure to like me back though."

Silence flows in the air around us and I decide to break it by saying, "It's kind of hard not too."

***

I lay my head down on Joaquín's lap and contemplate my life while he reads a book above my face.

"Wow, you really said that to him? Who knew you were capable of flirting?" He snorts.

I smack his book and he looks at me offended, "Don't hurt Patricia!" He huffs and then angrily flips a page. I shake my head and get up.

"I don't know what to do, please help," I say with a huff. I rest my head on my knees just as Joaquín lays down on my back. "You're smart, just follow your heart. If it's telling you to like this guy, then so be it. But if you're heart is tugging in a different direction don't ignore it," he advises.

"How'd I get such a wise best friend?"

"It's a blessing and a curse," he says dramatically as I laugh.

***

"I heard Yoandri walked with you to school today," Joel says as he types some of my answers into the final report on his laptop.

I put my pencil down on his desk that has now become my working place and turn to face him, "What about it?"

Joel glances over at me and opens his mouth before closing it, the words not quite being able to leave his lips.

I linger on him a second more before breathing out an, "Okay then." He sighs, "It's just that if you wanted company, I would've easily obliged."

"I wouldn't want to bother you," I remind him.

He looks at me confused, "What gave you that impression? I genuinely like spending time with you and talking about stuff that I can't with other people."

I hide the smile spreading across my face and look at him, "I like spending time with you too."

Joel sends me a boyish nod and flops down on his bed before grabbing one of his erasers and launching it at my head.

"Ow," I say with a hint of laughter in my tone.

"That's what you get," he shakes his head.

"For what?" I ask teasingly.

Joel leans up on his elbows and looks into my eyes from afar, smiling at me in a way that makes my heart flutter and makes my body warm.

"For making me like you."

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a/n

which team are y'all on?