Page 37 of Yours, For Now

We neared the restaurant. I turned on the blinker to get into the parking lot and slowed down.

"I see." The two words she uttered in the dark weren't as heavy as I thought they might have been.

I found a spot and parked the car. "We had a big fight when I finally told her I wasn't ready to propose. I told her it was because of the Sotomayor Group. Which was true. It wasn't the whole reason, but it was the most important one. She didn't take it well."

I switched the engine off. I could finally put all my attention on her; she gazed at me with a thoughtful wrinkle between her eyebrows.

Her eyes focused on me, clear. "I think she assumed the same fate for us, and thought I'd end up like her— disappointed."

"Still kinda shitty she took the liberty." I gave her half a smile, a corner of my mouth curled upward. "Imagine if I had been wanting to make it last with you. She could have gotten in the way of that, pulling away the veil of a new romance and warning you that I'm not good boyfriend material."

She shook her head. "With that kind of romantic statement, no wonder she wanted to marry you so badly."

I laughed, and we went into the restaurant.

Gabe sat next to me in a booth, Lucía and Rodrigo in front of us. Our food had arrived a few minutes ago; the smell of it reached me and I sighed. I hadn't been the one running for two hours, but I was hungry.

Gabe took a big bite of his burger and swallowed. "Mmh, that's good."

I smiled and ate some of the fries at the side of my beef dip sandwich. It hadn't escaped my notice that I had never seen Gabe be this casual, with sports shorts and a shirt, rather than in a suit, and eating a burger instead of the fancy dishes we'd had to date. The comfort of it opened a little door in my awareness, into a place where I could relax and bring down some of my walls. One or two at a time, but at least one for now.

Lucía must have seen something in the way I gazed at Gabe, because she gave us a teasing look I ignored.

"Aren't you happy you're not working right now?" my cousin said. "Much more fun to be out for food, telling us about how this happened." She moved a hand between Gabe and me.

My fake-boyfriend shook his head. "I thought we came for food and to hear about this competition among league players."

"I want to know about this competition, too," Rodrigo said. Lucía ran her fingers through her boyfriend's hair, pushing the longish tendrils behind an ear. "I've never heard of it."

My chest fluttered with a rare wave of longing. I rarely paid attention to the part of me who wished to know what love felt like, to care about someone enough to see them as your future. I spent too much time hoping my dad would start believing in me and let me run the business when he retired, to think much about real love.

I gulped and looked away. The weight of an arm around my shoulders took me out of my mood before I could fully delve into it. I gazed at Gabe, and when he winked at me, it was gratitude that fueled my smile.

It had been only a few seconds since Rodrigo's question, and I'd almost forgotten, but Lucía answered him.

"I have this theory I shared with my prima," she said. "That the guys in the league have this secret competition for who gets the most cheers from people."

Rodrigo arched an eyebrow and glimpsed at Gabe, who chuckled.

"There's always someone who brings that up during a game." Gabe left my shoulders to drink some of his beer. "Maybe there's something to this idea."

"You mean, like when I was trying to get that ball from you and I told you to break a leg?" Rodrigo smirked.

All of us laughed.

"Yes." Gabe grinned. "And, just as I got control of it, I told you at least my girlfriend was the loudest."

We laughed again, and Gabe and I exchanged a look. There was something in his eyes that brought butterflies to my stomach.

"Now it's your turn." Lucía took a sip of her drink. "I thought you guys have known each other for ages. I wondered if there was something there."

I startled. "You did? I didn't think you were aware we knew each other."

"Oh yeah. You always talked about the Sotomayors more after you came back from the gala."

Gabe chuckled. "That's probably because I always sought her out at Construction Cares. Every year, I counted on seeing Lina there. And I made sure to find her. Maybe she complained when she returned?"

I took a big swig of my beer. "I honestly don't remember what I would have said after returning, but I doubt I was complaining."