Page 35 of Yours, For Now

He smiled. "There you are."

I stepped in close. I put my hands on his shoulders and, raising to the balls of my feet, kissed his cheek.

"Hi…" A hint of a question hid in his tone. "That kiss was… good. But don't hug me; I'm sweaty."

I raised an eyebrow and got a little bit closer. His shirt stuck to his skin, and I grabbed a handful of it and pulled him to me. A mix of pleasant product perfumes and clean sweat reached me.

I lifted my cheek to him. "Say hi properly to your girlfriend. I don't care if you're sweaty."

His eyebrows quirked, but he kissed me on the cheek. He hovered around my ear and said, "Is your cousin around?"

I responded to his ear, too. "She's around somewhere… but your ex is nearby. I'll explain later, but pretend we're in love, okay?"

He chuckled and nodded. He took a step away and crouched down to a bag I hadn't noticed.

"Let me change shirts, first." He stood with a dry shirt in his hand, which he handed to me. In the next move, he'd taken his wet shirt off.

I tried not to ogle, but I wasn't sure if I'd been successful. The sudden appearance of black tattoos around his shoulder and down his arm drew my eyes as if magnetized. My breathing caught, because if I as much as inhaled the wrong way, the ink might run away and disappear— the design was soaliveon his skin, with a mix of geometric and organic lines, depicting a landscape mixing mountains and sea. His shoulders and arms and pecs all had definition to them, not too bulky, more like the kind you might guess came from a mix of lucky genes and general everyday movement, rather than weight lifting. No six pack but I did not miss it, when the general appeal of his torso was so yummy.

He threw his used shirt on top of his bag and reached for a towel from inside of it. He gave me his back as he dried the sweat off his hair and neck.

Once I started, I couldn't stop checking him out; truly seeing Gabe for the first time. His back muscles rippled as he moved, visible through the thin layer of plush flesh covering them. When I caught sight of the most biteable muffin top resting above the elastic of his shorts, I was forced to accept that I not only had a general appreciation for Gabe, but I felt more. In a different way than the tingling awareness I'd felt for Essie.

He threw the towel next to his used clothing and faced me again. He reached for his dry shirt, still in my hand, and pulled; I didn't let go, and ended up taking a step forward to him.

He smirked and lifted an eyebrow. "You seem quite enthralled."

The humor in his eyes made it clear, he thought I was acting. I released the shirt and he put it on. I hadn't moved, and he put his hands on my hips to bring me even closer. His arms went around me in a long hug, and I hugged him right back.

I reeled from the recent revelations, from discovering what had lived under the tailored shirts and suits, and the comfort spreading through me as his arms enveloped me.

"Lina! There you are."

Gabe released me from the hug and I turned to my cousin. It wasn't until I noticed her smile and the way her eyes jumped from Gabe to me and back, that I realized I hadn't hugged Gabe for the sake of anyone else.

Gabe put an arm around my shoulders.

"We found our boyfriends," Lucía said. "Should we go for dinner?"

"Uhm…" Gabe studied me, as I did him. Before he answered, I knew what he was going to say. "I don't know. I have lots of work."

"C'mon," Lucía insisted. She directed her words to Gabe. "Don't tell me you're as bad as my darling prima?"

"We're not bad." I put my arm around Gabe's waist. "We're committed. And he's even worse."

"Please." Luce took hold of Rodrigo's hand. "I get that you're both super busy all the time and incredibly goal-minded, but having a proper meal is healthy. Youhaveto eat. You can go back to your work after."

"Just dinner, just an hour." Rodrigo said. "Think of it as intra-league solidarity."

Indecision tore my mind into two. I needed to work, but I'd go for dinner as a group; I was already out and having fun. A little bit more wouldn't hurt, and it would help sell the story with my cousin. But Gabe had said he didn't want this deal to take too much time away from his priorities.

"I barely know you, Gabe. If you're going to date my prima, maybe we can change that. And, Lina?" she arched an eyebrow at me. "Remember what I said about the silent competition among the guys?"

"What competition?" Rodrigo asked, and I laughed.

"I want to know this, too," Gabe added.

Essie passed us by. Our eyes caught for a minute.