Outside, I quickly handed Georgia her helmet and slipped my own on.
“Are you okay?” She climbed onto the motorcycle. “You seem frazzled.”
I forced a smile. “Just eager to start the day.”
After what felt like eons, I had the motorcycle started and we took off. I was free, having just dodged a truly problematic situation.
Unfortunately, I had the feeling that morning would not be the last of its kind.
CHAPTER4
GEORGIA
FIVE MONTHS LATER
“This looks perfect.” I grabbed the bottle of red from the shelf.
From over my shoulder, Juliana inspected the label. “Ooh, that’s a nice one.”
“I hope so.”
Really, I didn’t care about the wine. I could drink creek water for dinner, and I’d still be happy to be with Rodrigo. I never liked showing up to people’s homes empty-handed, though, even if it was my boyfriend’s apartment that I’d been in a hundred times.
After checking out, Juliana and I walked into the warm evening. My daily love for Rio bloomed through my chest, but the feeling was accompanied by some sadness.
“Another day in paradise,” I said.
Juliana shook her head. “I cannot believe you are leaving in a few weeks.”
“I know.” I tried not to cringe.
A hundred times I’d asked myself, what if I stayed in Rio permanently?
Of course, it wasn’t that simple. My student visa would be up soon, and I had a life back home. A degree to finish. Friends. My parents.
But in Rio I had Rodrigo, and maybe it was wrong but his presence threatened to cancel everything else out.
We already had plans for him to visit New York in a few months, and that brought me some solace. At least I knew our relationship wouldn’t fall apart the moment I stepped foot out of Brazil.
Juliana and I parted ways at the corner, and I walked up the two floors to Rodrigo’s apartment. The first time he’d brought me to his place, I’d been shocked.
The apartment was in a clean building in a decent neighborhood, but it was also small. Couldn’t the heir to a multimillion-dollar company afford something a little swanky?
What I’d come to realize about Rodrigo, though, was that he wasn’t flashy. He didn’t show off his money or go out of his way to impress people. He lived his life the same as anyone else—a trait that made me like him even more.
Standing at his front door, I knocked and smoothed my hair. We’d had dinner at his place a number of times, but tonight felt special. Perhaps because I was leaving soon and there was no telling how many more evenings like this we would get.
The door opened, and with it all my anxiety and stress went out the window. Rodrigo stood there in a T-shirt and jeans, his wavy hair falling over his face and a grin pulling at his lips.
Without a word, he pulled me flush to him. Our hips bumped together and his palm pressed against my lower back. Everything wrong in the world corrected itself.
He ducked his face, his warm breath raking across my nose. Like they were two magnets, our lips found each other.
The kiss was gentle. Intentional. Rodrigo never rushed. With him, it was all about the moment we were in. Whatever came next could wait.
“Hi,” he said when we finally broke apart.
“I brought wine.” I kicked the door shut behind us. Without my noticing, he’d guided us into the living room while kissing.