My heart warmed. “Of course.”
At the table, the four girls in tight dresses studied us. One of them gave me that up-and-down look, her upper lip curling into a sneer.
I stood straight, though, and ignored it. Her attitude was just a sign of insecurity, and she hadn’t been the one to call Rodrigo anyway.
The girl who’d summoned him asked something in Portuguese. I picked up “club” and “weeks.” It seemed she was asking him where he had been. I gave myself a mental pat on the back.
“I was visiting family,” Rodrigo said, switching to English. This was probably for my sake, and though I was grateful for it, it also felt like a spotlight shining on me.
The girl pouted. “And you didn’t take me with you?”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Did she and Rodrigo have history? The way the girl was acting, it didn’t seem like they were just friends.
“You wouldn’t have had fun, Gisele.” Rodrigo looked around the table. “Fernanda, Alana, Gisele, Aurea, this is Georgia.”
The girl who had looked me up and down said something to me in Portuguese, but she spoke too fast.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m still learning.”
She laughed.
Rodrigo put his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s return to our table, shall we?”
“Sure. Nice to meet you all.”
“Call me!” Gisele said.
I blinked as we walked away, trying to make sense of the interaction. Wasn’t it pretty clear that Rodrigo and I were on a date? And there Gisele was, trying to get him alone.
The interaction sat like a sour piece of candy in my throat. I had no right to be possessive over Rodrigo. The two of us had just met, and I would be gone in six months anyway.
“I’m sorry,” he said as we took our seats.
“What for?” Even though I knew exactly what he was talking about, I didn’t what to show how much Gisele had bothered me.
“This is our night. I should focus on us.” He raised his drink.
I raised mine as well. “I won’t argue with that.”
Wearing identical grins, we clinked our glasses together and drank. Gisele and the other girls suddenly seemed unimportant. I was in Rio to learn and have new experiences.
Why not enjoy the good things while they lasted?
CHAPTER3
RODRIGO
Standing in front of the boarding house, I smoothed my hair and took a deep breath. This was crazy. I was crazy.
Right?
Never before had I fallen for a girl this quickly. It didn’t even seem possible.
My grandmother’s words floated to the forefront of my mind.When it is right, you will know.
To say that things felt right with Georgia would be an understatement. The night before had been the best of my life, and we hadn’t even touched beyond dancing.
I wanted more. Craved more. Needed more.