May was having a serious conversation with her best friends in her room at her mother's house after school. She had invited her friends over, and Enya and Lis were curious to know what it was about. Natisha was the only one who already knew.

The four girls gathered in May's room. This room wasn't as big as the one in her father's house, but it was cute and cozy. It was decorated with light shades of blue, green, yellow, and white—colors that were easy on the eyes.

"So, what's going on?" Lis asked, curious. The girls weren't wearing matching clothes today, as this was a sudden gathering.

"Well, May is finally interested in a boy," Natisha began, helping May start the conversation.

"What?" Enya and Lis said in surprise.

"I think I can guess who it is," Enya said playfully.

"Who? Is it... oh my gosh... it's Dino, isn't it?" Lis said, looking at May, who blushed like a strawberry.

"Is it serious? I thought it was just... you know, casual," Enya added.

"Well, May admitted that it's not casual," Natisha said in a serious tone.

"Oh, this is a serious matter. So, does he not like you?" Enya asked.

"Well, I think he likes her, but you know our girl doesn't have enough patience, so things are getting complicated," Natisha replied.

"Yeah, you're always rude to him," Enya added, and May's face looked disappointed.

"So, May wants to show Dino that she likes him. We're making a plan for them to talk alone," Natisha explained.

"I could tell him that you want to talk to him alone," Enya said, lying on the bed, propped up on one elbow.

"No, it shouldn't be that obvious. It should seem like we just accidentally end up alone," May finally spoke.

"Ohhh... okay. So, what's the plan?" Lis asked.

"Alright, here's the plan...," Natisha and May began to describe it to their friends.

"And we'll need Kacper's help, too," May added as she finished explaining.

"What do you guys think?" Natisha asked Enya and Lis.

"I think it's a good plan. Let's hope it works," Enya said, smiling.

—---------------

After school on Friday, when Kacper went home, May was already there. As usual, Kacper didn't pay much attention to her. They were never really friendly, so he didn't bother talking to her.

"Hey, Kacper," May said.

Kacper looked at her curiously. "Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you," May said, and Kacper wondered what she wanted. Does she want to talk about Dino? he thought.

"Okay," Kacper stopped under the staircase, waiting to hear what May had to say.

"Well, can you invite Natisha on Saturday, and Dino too?" May asked.

"I thought you were going to invite her this weekend," Kacper said.

"I want you to invite her this time. You know she likes you. She'll be happy if you do it," May said, a small smile appearing on Kacper's face.

"That's true. But why do you want me to invite Dino too?" Kacper asked. "This isn't about me and Natisha, right?"

"Well, just invite him," May insisted.

"Is this a trap?" Kacper asked, suspicious.

"No, idiot," May snapped, then quickly softened her tone, realizing she'd overreacted. "I mean, no, it's not a trap. I just want to talk to him. But don't tell him," she added.

"What? Aren't you guys already talking to each other? Why can't you just tell him you want to talk?" Kacper asked, curious.

"Well, you meet Natisha every weekend, but did you tell her you liked her before you two got stuck alone in my room?" May asked, hands on her hips.

"Yeah, you're right. Okay then," Kacper said, heading to his room. Now he had to keep a little secret from Dino, which was really hard for him. It wasn't that he couldn't keep secrets, but normally he told Dino everything—and this was about Dino too. That made it even tougher for him.

—-------------

Dino wondered why Kacper kept inviting him to come over in every single sentence during their phone call. Once was enough—it wasn't like Dino wouldn't go if Kacper hadn't asked him so many times.

Today, Dino wore one of his new black t-shirts. He wondered if May would be there too. Lately, he had been thinking about giving up on her. Kacper was right—May was rude and always seemed to get angry over everything. Dino wasn't even sure if she liked him or not. Sometimes it seemed like she did, but other times she was just mean. So, Dino didn't want to ask her if she wanted to be his girlfriend.

He grabbed the car keys from the table and went downstairs. Luca, who saw Dino leaving, got into his own car and followed him without making it obvious. Dino knew Luca was following him because Pietro had asked him to. Dino pretended not to notice, and Luca acted like Dino didn't know he was being followed. This way, Dino felt relaxed. If the Johnsons tried to attack him again, Luca would handle it.

When Dino arrived at Kacper's house, he rang the doorbell. To his surprise, May opened the door. She was wearing a navy blue dress that hugged her body, showing off her beautiful curves. May had a slim figure with nice curves, but she usually wore oversized clothes, so they weren't as noticeable. Today, though, she looked very feminine, and Dino couldn't take his eyes off her. And, for once, May was smiling.

"Hi, Dino!" May said in a friendly tone. Dino was surprised—what was going on? At the same time, May was amazed to see Dino in his black t-shirt. It fit him perfectly, and he looked handsome. May felt her heart race, and it was like butterflies were playing rugby in her stomach.

"Hey, you look great today!" Dino said.

"Thanks! You look handsome too," May replied sweetly. Dino's face turned as red as a tomato, and he felt dizzy. He suddenly forgot what he was supposed to do next. May was staring at him with a sweet smile, and he was still standing at the door, frozen. Dino forgot English and didn't know what to say. "Grazie," he blurted out.

"Oh, is that Spanish or Italian?" May asked, giggling.

"What—oh, that's Italian," Dino said, realizing he'd thanked her in Italian.

"Do you know Italian too?" May asked.

"A little. My grandpa likes to speak Italian most of the time, so sometimes the others at home do too. So I've picked up a bit," Dino explained.

"May, are you going to let him come in?" Kacper's voice called from behind them. Both May and Dino turned to see Kacper standing there. May wasn't happy about the interruption and shot Kacper an annoyed look.

"Oh, I mean, you guys can talk inside, right?" Kacper said, trying to act casual. He still wasn't sure what May's plan was and didn't trust her completely, so he decided to keep an eye on things.

"Oh, sorry about that. Come on in," May said politely, and Dino wondered if he was dreaming.

"Well, I'll head inside. I need to call my friends," May added before disappearing into the house.

"What was that? What happened to her? Was she in a coma or something?" Dino asked Kacper, sitting down on the couch.

"I don't know. Sometimes she's like that. But she gets angry really fast. I have no idea why she's in such a good mood today. It's rare," Kacper replied, still confused.

Meanwhile, May went to her room and called Natisha. "He's here," she said quickly.

A few minutes later, Natisha arrived. She wasn't dressed like May; instead, she wore a baby pink frock. It wasn't the same style as May's, but it looked just as nice.

"Looks like they're planning to go somewhere, like a date?" Dino whispered to Kacper.

"Date with who?" Kacper's face fell with disappointment. Dino might be right—the girls were dressed as if they were going on a date, but neither of them had asked the girls out.

"Maybe someone asked them before us," Dino said seriously.

"Dude," Kacper's voice sounded pained. "I was planning to ask her out," he added sadly.

"Hey guys," Natisha greeted the boys with a smile.

"Hi! Are you guys going somewhere?" Dino asked.

"Mm, nope. Why?" Natisha asked, curious.

"No reason, we were just wondering," Dino said.

"Hey girl," May greeted Natisha, and the two of them vanished into May's room.

"Okay, what are we going to do today?" Kacper asked.

"I don't know. Let's play some video games," Dino suggested.

"Cool, let's go," Kacper said, heading toward his room with Dino. Just as they were about to leave, Natisha appeared.

"Kacper, if you don't mind, can you come with me to the library? I borrowed a book and forgot to return it. They just called and said today's the last day," Natisha said. Neither of them questioned why she didn't just buy the book herself, given she could afford it.

Kacper glanced at Dino, his expression lighting up like he'd just won the lottery. No one thought to ask why Natisha couldn't go alone or with May.

"Okay then, let's go," Kacper said, addressing both Dino and Natisha.

Before they could move, May, watching the interaction, stepped in to save the situation from the boys' lack of common sense.

"Oh, Dino, could you stay and help me with my laptop? It's having issues, and I can't seem to fix it. Kacper and Natisha can go and come back," May said sweetly.

Dino and Kacper exchanged glances before Dino replied, "Okay, then."

Kacper and Natisha left, and May turned to Dino. "Come on," she said, leading him to her room.

"Can you take a look at it?" she asked, sitting on her bed. Her laptop sat on the desk, seemingly in perfect condition.

"What's the issue?" Dino asked.

"The songs aren't playing properly. I need to practice for the concert, but it's not working. Can you fix it?" May said, swinging her legs as she sat on the bed.

"Okay," Dino agreed, clicking on a song. It played flawlessly.

"Oh, you fixed it! Thank you, Dino," May exclaimed, making Dino raise an eyebrow.

"It wasn't broken," Dino replied with a smirk.

"Really? Well, it wasn't working earlier," May said, feigning innocence. "Anyway, do you want to sit?" she asked, patting the bed beside her.

Dino hesitated but sat down a few inches away from her.

"Well, the ice cream you bought last time was really good. Where did you get it?" May asked.

"I got it from an ice-cream shop near the park. They have tons of flavors. That one was the best," Dino replied.

"I don't think I've been there before. Can we go? I think Kacper and Natisha will be late. We could be back before they return," May suggested.

"But they only went to the library," Dino said, a bit puzzled.

"What if they stop somewhere for coffee and a chat?" May asked, knowing full well that was exactly the plan.

"Okay, but you have to buy me the ice cream," Dino teased, standing up.

"What?" May asked, surprised.

Dino laughed at her reaction. "I was joking. I'll buy you one. Maybe something sour?"

"I don't like sour flavors," May replied, standing up too.

"Okay, then I'll get you the cheapest one," Dino teased again.

"Are you serious?" May asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dino laughed harder. "What? You don't want the cheapest ice cream?"

"Stop messing around. If you get me the cheapest one, I'll just buy myself a good one," May shot back, smiling.

They both laughed as they headed to the ice-cream shop, which was bustling with people. The shop was filled with a variety of ice-cream flavors.

"Wow, is this a new place?" May said, amazed at the vast selection.

"Yes, it opened last week," Dino said, standing closer behind May as the crowd pressed around them. May felt Dino's body brush against hers and stayed still, letting their bodies touch.

"What are we going to have?" Dino asked.

"The cheapest one, I guess," May replied, rolling her eyes. Dino laughed.

"Okay, tell me what you want," he encouraged.

"Oh, look! They have lobster ice cream. Let's try that one. I love lobster ice cream!" May exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh no. I don't eat that. I'll buy you the lobster ice cream, and I'll get chocolate for myself," Dino said, and May had to wait while he bought their treats.

The shop was packed with families and children, leaving no room to sit as every spot was filled. Some patrons were staring at May because she looked stunning in her outfit, making her feel uncomfortable under the attention.

Suddenly, May noticed two kids running around, laughing and bumping into people. They stepped on others' feet, earning angry glares from everyone around. As one of the kids sprinted toward May, he accidentally stepped hard on her toe, causing her to wince in pain.

"Aw!" May cried out. The second child, chasing the first, collided with her before darting away, leaving her feeling furious. She decided to step outside for a moment to collect herself.

Meanwhile, it took a few minutes for Dino to buy the ice cream due to the long line. He didn't mind the wait, but he grew worried when he couldn't find May in the spot where he had left her.

"Stop it, you two!" Dino heard a man shout, turning his attention to the commotion. A grown man was reprimanding a child who looked around four or five years old, and the kid began to cry.

"Why the hell are you yelling at my child?" a woman demanded, coming to the child's defense.

"Your child is running all over the place, bumping into people and stepping on their feet," the man replied angrily, drawing everyone's attention.

Dino glanced outside and spotted May waving at him. He hurried out with the ice cream.

"I wondered where you went!" Dino said, handing May her cup, which was piled high with ice cream.

"A kid stepped on my toe, and another one bumped into me. So I came out here. Look at my poor toe!" May exclaimed, glancing down to see that her small toe was bleeding a bit.

"Oh no, let's go home and put some medicine on that," Dino said, concern etched on his face.

"It's just a little wound, but it hurts so much," May replied. "I thought you would buy cone ice cream."

"I got two big cups instead. We can go home and eat them," Dino said. "I really don't want to stay here any longer. I'm done with the crowd."

May nodded in agreement.