Page 108 of Yours, For Now

Tu papi

Tears had fallen down my face for as long as I had been reading the letter, but seeing how he'd signed it added power to the wave of emotion cresting inside of me. He used to ask me to call him papi, growing up. I'd stopped sometime as a teen, and seeing the word on paper again, in his writing, healed half the papercuts I'd learned to live with.

I let myself cry, alone this time, but it felt different. Gabe's hug from the night before had filled some tank inside of me, where I didn't feel as alone with my tears. After reading my dad's letter, it was easier to believe I could count on my father's support, as well. It changed my outlook for the future by a hundred eighty degrees, all over again.

And I loved the promise it carried with it.

After, when I went outside to find my dad, we hugged for a long time, and neither of us said a word.

Chapter 30

Gabe: are you at home right now?

Lina: yes. Just got up from a nap. Why?

Gabe: I know it's been only a few

hours, but can I take you out?

Lina: I'd enjoy that

Gabe: I'll be there in an hour

Ididn'tknowwhatto expect from Gabe's texts. Was this goodbye, in his eyes? But I prepared for the night like it would be my chance. At the lake, I'd told him if he wanted his person to be with him even though he had very little time to give, he had to ask. Give them the choice. And yet, as I'd fallen asleep for a much needed nap, it had been easy to decide I'd freely take as much as he could give; he didn't even have to utter the words.

The doorbell hadn't finished ringing when I opened the door. His finger was still on the button, and it lingered there as a nervous smile appeared on his face.

"Hi." I held a jacket in my hand, and I squeezed the fabric to quiet my trembling fingers.

At first he didn't respond. His hand moved from the doorbell to the space between us, and he offered it to me.

"Ready?" he asked.

I gave him my hand and he led me to his car, where his driver waited for us. We settled in the back seat, and soon Josué took us away from my parents' home and into city traffic.

"Where are we going?"

He grabbed my hand again. "You'll see. We're not far."

It took us several minutes to get there, but Gabe kept quiet, so I didn't ask again.

The car finally stopped by an open shopping market known in the city for its picturesque storefronts.

"Go get a coffee or something, okay?" Gabe told Josué. "Use the company card. I'll text you when we're done, and thanks again for doing this on a Saturday night."

"This is what you pay me for, Gabe."

"But when was the last time I asked you to do this on a weekend?"

"Still."

"Coffee and a snack, then."

Josué chuckled, and Gabe got out of the car to help me do the same. Once I'd put my jacket on, he put his hand on my lower back and guided me into the pedestrian-only streets connecting the many shops in the area.

"We won't have to walk for long," he said to my ear.

It hadn't been necessary for him to speak quietly to me that way; even though this area was quite busy during the day and I would have had trouble hearing him over the bustling noise, on a Saturday evening the place was mostly empty. Most stores had closed, except for a couple of coffee shops, where a few couples chatted in a cozy, intimate setting.