There’s a proper time for everything.

Of course Diana knew. Why wouldn’t she? Maria loved gossip like I love a nice cookie. It wasn’t a big deal, anyway, but it almost made it sound like I was hiding something when in reality we just had other things to talk about first.

“Cute Brazilian fan?” Mila asked, then her eyebrows shot up. “Oh! Is the stalker back?” she asked, grinning.

“Wait, stalker?” Diana asked right after.

“A regular at the coffee shop,” Grace told her. “This really cute, sexy girl with darkish skin that we thought just really liked coffee.”

“Until we heard her listening to one of Oliver’s videos on her phone,” Sarah said with a huge smirk. “Then we realized she liked the waiter more than the coffee.”

“She ran away and was never seen again,” Noelle said. “Until now, apparently. Was it really her?” she asked me.

I let out a heavy, drawn out sigh and nodded. “Turns out I was right. She’s the daughter of a man I know from the gym. They stopped by the shop early Saturday morning to buy breakfast. I talked for a bit with Mr. Carlos because he’s a genuinely great guy who helped me out a lot when I was starting out at the gym. Then Maria was taking his order and I tried to talk to this girl for a bit. Her name’s Fernanda and she… Well, she doesn’t like to talk much.”

Diana smiled sympathetically. “Her too, huh?”

I nodded. “She’s not like you, though. She was clearly uncomfortable, avoided eye contact and answered questions in two or three words.”

“Oh, so like you,” Sarah said.

“Yep.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Though there was this one thing she said. She… Um… She told me she watched my videos, liked my music and was a fan.”

Alice pursed her lips and scratched her cheek. The others also stopped themselves from saying what they were about to. I had an idea why that was.

I sighed again. “You think she was just saying that because she likes me?”

They all flinched and looked away.

“I’m sorry, dear,” Diana apologized. “It’s not fair to you, but it was the first thing that came to mind.”

“I mean, it’s what I would’ve done,” Sarah admitted. “Your music is good, but if my objective was to get closer to you, that’s what I would start with.”

“It’s not that we don’t think she might actually like your music!” Noelle hurried to say. “It’s just…”

“No, I get it. Don’t worry.” Yeah, it was a downer thought, but I couldn’t deny it could be true.

My self-esteem had gotten better after all this, so I was no longer at the point where I didn’t believe a girl could like me. Sure, I could still think of reasons for people to dislike me, but I could also see why girls would find me attractive. I just… wanted to believe I had a fan who actually liked my music more than my looks.

“Well, whatever,” I said. “Doesn’t really matter in the end. Even if she said my music was shit I’d still keep playing.”

“...” I noticed Diana staring into her glass. She was only drinking mineral water with her food. I got the strong feeling there was something on her mind, but couldn’t tell what.

“Diana? Is something wrong?” I asked her.

She pursed her lips then moistened them in preparation for what she was about to ask. “So do you… like this girl?”

I felt my chest grow colder. The only reason I didn’t instinctively panic was that there was no accusation in her tone. I decided not to overthink her question and to trust our connection.

“I think she’s very beautiful, but I barely know her so I can’t say I like her. That said, I… Have a similar feeling about her as I did with you. I think… we could hit it off if we had the chance. That’s about it.”

Diana then turned to look at the other girls. “And none of you seemed surprised by this, huh?”

“W-Well, you know…” Mila giggled nervously. “We told you we encouraged him to go out with you. At the time, when we asked him if there were any other girls he was interested in, he mentioned you and this girl.”

Diana’s cheeks took a pink tint. “I see…”

“Having second thoughts?” Grace asked her.

I had my heart in my throat, but Diana easily shook her head. “It’s not that. I just find it amusing that just this Friday his mother asked me what I’d do if and when Oliver found another girl he liked.”

“What did you tell her?” Alice asked.

“That I’d have to wait and see. That if I liked her, I’d welcome her. If I didn’t, I’d tell him.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much our stance, too,” Sarah said.

Dianna nodded. “Yes, I figured that’d be the case. It’s just that…”

“Wait a moment here,” I interjected. “I know we’ve talked about this and I know you’re all mostly okay with the idea. But I’m not asking out another girl now. Not happening. I mean, we’ve just started getting to know Diana!”

“And what if she disappears again, Oliver?” Mila asked me.

“Then that’s too bad,” I told her firmly. “I love being able to date all of you, I know you like seeing me with other women and I’m not against… meeting new people, but not if it’s to the detriment of what we have now. So yeah, I have a good feeling about that girl but that’s it.”

Diana smiled, relieved. “Thank you. I’m not against it, but… It doesn’t seem like the right time.”

“Well, we ARE in the middle of some big changes in our lives,” Alice said. “So yeah, I agree it’s not the time for something like that. That said and for what it's worth, I’m not against you giving it some thought for the future, either.”

Mila, Grace and Sarah looked at each other, sharing a wordless conversation like they often did. They had something in mind, I just knew it. They didn’t say what it was, but I was sure I’d find out soon enough.

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