Being the Girl Next Door
Copyright© 2026 by Evie Olivia Niven
Chapter 3: A Date With Carlos
Carlos almost never dressed in anything casual; at least, nothing casual enough for a pizza place. He couldn’t ask Parker for advice because he hadn’t told him about his date with Kaia. Hopefully, they’d be gone by the time he found out. In the end, he found Jodie and asked for her help. I told her not to be late, Carlos thought, as he quickly scrubbed shampoo into his hair, and here I am, dragging my ass. It was three fifty-five when he’d gotten into the shower, and he’d asked Jodie to come over for four.
He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist as soon as he was out of the shower. Might be time for a haircut, Carlos thought, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He walked out into his bedroom and found Jodie waiting for him, perched on the edge of his bed. Her cheeks turned red when she saw him, and she looked away. What’s that about? he wondered, frowning. Carlos shrugged and headed for the closet. He pulled it open and turned back to Jodie.
“Is something wrong?” Carlos asked.
Jodie continued to stare at her toes. “Could you put some clothes on?”
“That’s what you’re here for,” Carlos reminded her. “Come on, get over here and help me.”
Jodie came to him hesitantly, but at least she came. He stood aside as she began rifling timidly through his closet and tried not to get too impatient. Usually, she was pretty loud-mouthed and perky, so he couldn’t understand this behavior. But she did pick out some clothes for him: a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a simple dark blue t-shirt. Carlos let his towel fall and began getting dressed. Jodie’s soft, startled squeak made him turn. She was standing with her face buried in her hands, and he could see that even the tips of her ears were red.
“Oh, come on, Jodie,” Carlos said. He pulled his t-shirt on and shook his hair back. “You’re, what, twenty-one now? Aren’t you a little old to be a giggling middle school girl?”
Jodie lifted her head, frowning. “There’s nothing wrong with having some modesty, you know!”
Carlos shrugged; he didn’t care too much about modesty. Besides, I’ve known her for like, my whole life, he thought, as he wandered back to the bathroom. Jodie followed him quietly and leaned in the doorway while he ran a comb through his hair. She started to speak when he reached for his hair gel, but quickly stopped. Sighing, Carlos turned to face her again. I don’t remember her ever trying my patience this much before, he thought, folding his arms across his chest.
“Yes?” he prompted.
“Um ... your ... your hair,” Jodie stammered. “It’s better if ... if you don’t gel it. I mean, Kaia likes it better...”
“Are you sure?” Carlos asked, his eyebrows raising.
Jodie nodded. “Yeah, I um ... I’m sure,” she said quietly. “I ... I have to go finish helping Kaia...”
He watched as she turned and fled from the room. She’s always been kind of annoying, Carlos decided. Still, she might have had a point. He’d never really thought about how Kaia liked his hair. Leaving it to dry, he found himself at loose ends now. He still had forty-five minutes to kill, after all. Carlos tried to spend some time reading, but he found himself edgy and impatient. Ahh, this is stupid! he thought, throwing down the book he was holding. Sitting here isn’t going to do me any good!
He went outside, to where his bike sat beneath a piece of tarp. Carlos had gotten it two years ago, and only because his mother had been so against it. As it turned out, there was something freeing about it. He kept in here, made sure it was maintained, but only rode it in the summer. Last summer Kaia had commented that she thought it was pretty sexy. Carlos almost never used the limo while they were out on the coast, now.
“Are you ready to go?”
He jumped and spun around. Kaia stood nearby, watching him. Wow, he thought, smiling to himself. She wore a pair of creamy white Capri-length pants and an aquamarine halter-style top with a long, asymmetrical hem; it was practically a dress, except that it was partially sheer. Her hair was swept back on one side, held back with a blue-and-clear hair comb. Kaia must have been wearing make-up, too, but Jodie’s work was unbelievably subtle. It’s too bad she can’t afford that beauty school she wants to go to, he mused.
“You um ... you look great,” Carlos stammered. Ugh, that was smooth, he thought.
“So do you,” Kaia said shyly. “I uh ... I like your hair like that...”
He grinned. Carlos handed her a helmet, pulled on his own, and climbed onto the motorcycle. He helped Kaia up behind him and waited until she had her arms around him securely before starting up the bike and driving off. They passed Parker, sitting on the front porch of his family’s beach house. He leapt to his feet, shouting something, but Carlos couldn’t hear him over the roar of the bike. This is more like it, he thought, smiling to himself. It felt nice, having Kaia holding onto him so tightly.
The ride into town wasn’t a long one. While it was larger than the village, it was still rather rustic, at least this part of it. Further away, one could forget they were anywhere near the beach. The particular strip of road that the pizza place was on also had a bakery, a café, an old arcade, and quite a few tourist stops. Carlos stopped his bike outside the pizza parlor and helped Kaia down off the bike. He watched her pull the helmet off and shake her hair back.
“Come on,” Kaia said, smiling at him. “I haven’t been to this place in so long ... I miss it when we go back to civilization.”
Carlos secured both helmets to the bike. “I suppose I’ve never really understood the appeal of greasy pizza,” he said.
“Fair enough.” Kaia shrugged. “I never understood the appeal of escargot.”
The way she smiled made him realize she was teasing him. Carlos slid an arm around her shoulders, pleased when she let him. They stepped into the pizza parlor together, into the dimmer light and cooler air. The place smelled strongly of cheese and pepperoni, and other things he didn’t recognize. There were enough empty tables that he and Kaia just seated themselves.
A waitress—a very chatty, bubbly waitress—came by moments later and took their order. Carlos almost wished she’d stuck around; he had no idea what to talk about. As far as intellectual interests went, he and Kaia admittedly had little in common. Even with college, he realized, she had no ... focus. Sure, he found it endearing, it just left him at a loss. Even Jodie had a focus, even if it was doing make-up and hair. Kaia could talk aimlessly about pretty much nothing for hours.
“Um ... how’s ... Blueberry?” Carlos asked finally. God, that was lame, he thought, wincing inwardly.
But Kaia smiled. “I love him ... he was a really sweet present, Carlos.”
“Well, uh ... I’m glad you ... that you’re happy with him,” Carlos stammered.
Maybe it was her unflappable attitude that made him nervous. She didn’t seem in the least bit anxious. It’s easy for her, Carlos thought. She isn’t the one who has to worry about being rejected. Despite his nerves, it was still fun. It amused him to no end the way she ate her pizza; first sprinkling Parmesan cheese over it, then cutting it up with a fork and knife. Kaia had always been so quirky.
“Oh um ... is something wrong with Jodie?” Carlos asked. “She seemed ... bothered.”
Kaia frowned. “Not that I know of. Although ... I think she’s kind of upset that she won’t be going to beauty school in the fall.”
“I heard her parents won’t pay for it,” Carlos said. “That’s too bad, though.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Kaia said, smiling. “Jodie always bounces back ... or just bounces.” Her smile changed to a grin. “And people say I’m exhausting!”
Carlos laughed. “You’re not exhausting. You’re ... invigorating.”
Her eyebrows rose. She laughed with him, a soft, sweet sound that he loved. He’d known her so long, and she’d always been sweet like this. This was a good idea, Carlos decided. He was sure, but now he knew this was a good idea. He almost hadn’t believed it when Kaia had agreed to go out with him. Maybe things would finally begin to change between them.