Page 54 of No Sweeter Poison

A muscle jumps in his clenched jaw as he retrieves a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and puts them on. He answers indirectly. “I’m stepping out. I’ll be back late. Have dinner without me.”

Diego nods. “All right. Call me if you end up staying out.”

“I will.”

Alejandro turns to leave. I sit up in the lounge chair. “Bye!”

He gives a half-hearted wave and makes his way back toward the house. Diego returns to his book, shoulders trembling with silent laughter, as I leap to my feet and scurry after him.

I catch his wrist. “Alex—”

He spins on the balls of his feet and pulls away, not harshly, but fast enough that the rejection stings. “You wanted boundaries, right?”

I can’t find my voice.

“I’m respecting those boundaries. Let’s keep our distance,” he says as he moves away from me. “Wouldn’t want to subject you to any more time in the company of someone you hate.”

I don’t know why I stand there so long. Maybe part of me thinks he’ll turn around and say something else but he doesn’t. And when he disappears inside the house, I’m forced to return to the poolside with Diego who hides his face behind his book.

“Trouble in paradise?”

I don’t take the bait. I sit back and wrap a towel around my shoulders, suddenly feeling very cold despite the midsummer heat. “Do you think he’s angry with me?”

“I think he has a sense of self-preservation. Something you lack.”

I don’t like the way this feels. Being distant from him, being ignored. I know it doesn’t make any sense but I much preferred it when we were at each other’s throats. Or rather, when he was doting and accommodating and I soaked up his attention all hours of the day, no matter how fervently I lied to myself and pretended I didn’t want it.

“He’s keeping his distance. I think that’s best for everyone. Especially you,” Diego lowers his book, eyes shining with sympathy. They’re so blue the color is almost blinding. “Don’t blur any of the lines here. We keep you safe until it’s time to send you home. That’s it.”

“And here I was, thinking we had actually become friends.”

He doesn’t respond and we descend into a prolonged, but comfortable, silence. Diego continues with his book and I reach for my phone. The only thing it can do is play music and call four people so I attempt to FaceTime Karina. The call doesn’t go through and a minute later I get a text.

Karina: Super busy—dress fitting. Catch up later?

I text her back.

Me: You worked everything out with Brent?

Her reply takes a few minutes.

Karina: sort of…long story. Will tell you another time. love youuuu say hi to your hot European lover for me <3

Sensing my distress, Diego places a hand on my arm. “She’s probably busy.”

I know it’s a lie but I appreciate it nonetheless. Karina’s shift is happening much sooner than I anticipated and at such a rapid pace. As maid of honor, she’s relied on me heavily throughout the entire wedding planning process but since I’m here, on another continent, her attention is being steered elsewhere. She’s relying on her other friends and family members to fill in the gaps and I’m sure none of it has been easy given the precarious state of her relationship with Brent. Then again, that may not even be true if the wedding is still on. I wish she’d talk to me about it. She feels so far away lately.

Diego pats my knee and rises to his feet. “Let’s go take a drive.”

I frown. “Where?”

“I have a few errands to run. It’ll do you some good to get out of here for a while.”

I press my lips together. “I don’t think Alejandro will like that.”

“Alejandro’s an overgrown man child who likes to throw temper tantrums.” Diego heads toward the house and calls over his shoulder. “He’ll get over it!”

I bury my toes in the sand while Diego stands at the edge of the short and narrow boardwalk that serves as a private bridge between the mansion behind us and the sea beyond.