Chapter 36

Biting his lip, Diego wavered for a moment. A part of him still felt raw and guarded after the Sofia fiasco. But maybe Lucas was right - meeting someone new in a totally casual way could be just what he needed.

"You know what? Yeah, okay," he said at last. "Set something up. I'm in."

"That's my boy!" Lucas clapped him on the shoulder proudly. "Trust me, D, you're gonna love this girl. She's one of a kind."

Over the next few days, Diego couldn't help but feel a flutter of nervous anticipation whenever Lucas mentioned setting up the meeting with Ava. He tried not to get his hopes up too high, reminding himself this was just about making a new friend.

Finally, Lucas announced, "Okay, I got us all scheduled to grab dinner at that pizza place downtown tomorrow night. You in?"

"You bet," Diego replied, ignoring the way his heart stammered a bit. "Just..." He hesitat