“I came for an adventure,” I mumbled to myself, taking a seat on a couch.
An adventure I was certainly having.
“Georgia.”
I looked up, startled to hear my name so soon. Rodrigo stood in front of me, looking put together and fresh in a blue suit. For one brief, wild moment I forgot how to breathe.
“Rodrigo.” I went to stand, forgetting all about my injured leg, and collapsed back into the cushions.
“Careful there.” Suddenly, his hands were on my arms, his face only inches from mine. Woodsy aftershave invaded my nose, and my chest expanded.
I struggled to speak. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
He nodded, his Adam’s apple rolling with a swallow, and stepped back.
“I’m still getting used to maneuvering,” I said with a laugh that undoubtedly sounded fake.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like a hand?”
“Nope. I have it. Thank you.” With zero grace, I hauled myself to standing and propped a crutch under each elbow. “See? What broken leg?”
Rodrigo smiled, and the sight of his dimples made my heart do a flip. “You were always the most capable person I knew. Shall we?”
Because I didn’t want to be too much of a jerk, I let him open the hotel door and then the car door for me. He’d made use of his driver again, an older man who smiled and nodded at me when we got in the car.
“Did you have a good day?” Rodrigo asked as we took off.
“I did. Do you remember Juliana? She came and saved me from death by boredom.”
“Of course I remember Juliana.” His eyes lit up. “And I remember when she got us kicked out of that bar after she sprayed the bartender with whipped cream.”
“Right,” I laughed. “That just goes to show you shouldn’t cheat on a firecracker like her.”
“I would never dare cross her,” he laughed.
An old comfort settled in the car, but as soon as I recognized it I wanted it to go away. This wasn’t college. We weren’t kids anymore. This was the man who broke my heart, who left me questioning whether love was real at all.
Turning away from him, I looked out the window. “How is Sebastián?”
“Your biggest admirer? He’s…” Rodrigo hesitated. “In some trouble.”
I turned to look at him. “Is he okay?”
“Yes, yes. I didn’t mean to alarm you. I meant that he’s in some trouble at school. His grades are failing, and I haven’t been able to figure out why. He won’t talk to anyone about it.”
I frowned, having trouble imagining the sweet, chatty boy I’d met refusing to talk to anyone. “That’s troublesome. I’m sorry.”
I considered casually asking what Sebastián’s mother thought about all this, but I held my tongue. If she had died or vacated Sebastián and Rodrigo’s life, I didn’t want to open a box filled with pain.
“Here we are,” Rodrigo said as the car pulled up to a curb. “I’ll help you out.”
For once, I decided to swallow my pride. Better to accept a helping hand than land face-first on the sidewalk.
After opening my door, Rodrigo held out his hand to me. I slipped my palm into his, and a rush of energy coursed through me. It was as if eleven years hadn’t passed at all. The man in front of me still had the ability to make me breathless with one simple touch.
“Thank you.” I focused on getting onto my crutches, knowing that if I were to look him in the eye it would be my complete undoing.
It wasn’t until we were about to enter the restaurant that I realized where we were. “This is where we had our first date.”