Constanza

Trinity University was quieter on Sundays, especially the Sunday after a break. Students rolled suitcases toward their dorms while parents waited beside half-empty trunks and said their last goodbyes.

Constanza didn’t mind all the movement. She liked watching the campus fill up again.

She and Amara had just left Amara’s dorm room on the east side of campus and were cutting across the quad toward Constanza’s building.

“So . . .” Constanza said casually, sipping her latte. “Are we going to talk about it?”

Amara didn’t even look up. “Nope.”

“Not even a little?”

“Nope.”

Constanza stopped walking and gave her a long stare. “You still haven’t texted him back.”

Amara exhaled. “No, I haven’t.”

“It’s been two days.”

“I know.”

“He texted you Friday night.”

“I remember.”

“And now it’s Sunday.”

“I’m aware.”

Constanza groaned. “Why are you like this?”

Amara shrugged. “I didn’t know what to say, so I kept putting it off. Now it feels too late to respond.” 

“It’s only weird if you make it weird. Just text him back and say you were catching up after break and barely looked at your phone. People do it all the time.”

Amara covered her face with her hands. “Ugh, I’d rather melt into the floor. What if he turns around and leaves me on read this time? I’d have to change my name.”

Constanza laughed as they started walking again. “Good thing you’ve got me. I may not have it all together, but I know when someone’s worth it.”

“Do you now?”

“I do. Which is why I’m setting up dinner.”

Amara groaned again, louder this time, but Constanza only grinned.

***

Dinner was at a tavern just off campus with exposed brick walls, dark wood tables, and televisions mounted above the bar. The menu had everything from burgers and fries to pizza and subs. 

Dorian and David were already seated near the back when the girls arrived.

Constanza noticed the way Amara paused before sliding into the booth across from Dorian. She also noticed the way his face lit up when he saw her.

It was subtle, but Constanza caught it.

David stood when he saw her, a playful smile already on his face. He bowed his head, placing one hand behind his back while gesturing toward the seat across from him with the other.

“Milady,” he said quietly.

Constanza rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.

Once everyone ordered, the conversation came easily. Dorian made Amara laugh once, then again. Before long, Amara was brushing her hair behind her ear every time he spoke, and Dorian leaned closer whenever she answered him.

From where Constanza sat, her plan was working perfectly.

But somewhere between the fries and the flirting happening across the table, she noticed something else.

David had always been smooth, but tonight he seemed more focused on her. He teased her more than usual and slipped compliments into his jokes. Whenever their hands came close on the table, his stayed there a little longer instead of pulling away.

When she laughed at one of his jokes, David held her gaze a little longer than usual.

Constanza looked down at her drink, still smiling.

David was handsome, smart, and easy to talk to. He always looked good, smelled good, and knew exactly how to make her laugh.

But tonight, she found herself wondering if he had been flirting with her all along.

More importantly, she wondered how she felt about it.

***

Later, the four of them took the long way back through the quad. The air had grown colder, and streetlights lit the walkways ahead of them.

Constanza and David had fallen behind Amara and Dorian, who seemed too caught up in their own conversation to notice. 

David walked beside Constanza with his hands in his pockets, telling her about falling asleep during a lecture and dreaming that he was still in class.

She laughed and nudged him with her elbow.

As they neared the path leading toward her dorm, David walked a few steps ahead, then turned around and continued walking backward.

“You know,” he said, smiling at her, “you laugh way too easily at my jokes. I’m starting to think you’ve got a crush.”

Constanza scoffed. “A crush? Please. Those were pity laughs.”

David turned around and fell into step beside her. “Pity? You laughed before I even finished the story.”

“I was laughing at you, not with you.”

“A laugh is a laugh. I’ll take it.”

Constanza smiled. “You would.”

David looked over at her. “It’s nice talking to you like this. You’ve got a good vibe, you know?”

“A good vibe?” she repeated with a smirk.

“Yeah. Smart, sarcastic, sassy when necessary . . . It’s cute.”

Constanza looked away, unsure what to say. David had been teasing her all night, but this didn’t sound like another joke.

“Thanks,” she said. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

David smiled as they continued toward her building.

By the time they reached Constanza’s building, Amara and Dorian were long out of sight. Candlelight flickered behind the sheer pink curtains of her third-floor room. Her roommate was in.

Constanza wrapped her arms around herself. “Well . . . this is me.”

David rocked back on his heels. “I had fun tonight.”

“Me too.”

She smiled at him, but she didn’t offer a hug or try to make the moment last.

David was handsome, funny, and easy to be around. He was the kind of guy she should want. She just didn’t know if she did.

“Goodnight, David.”

“Goodnight, Constanza.”

She pulled open the door and stepped inside.

As she headed upstairs, she thought about the way David had looked at her all night. Until tonight, she had never considered that he might like her as more than a friend.

Now that she knew, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.