Chapter Twenty-One
chapter twenty-one
ISLA
The bar is rowdy tonight, the busiest it’s ever been while I’ve been on shift, but it’s a Friday night so karaoke is kicking off and it’s half priced drinks. It seems everyone decided tonight was the night to cash in.
I’m slowly getting to know more and more of the people here, and I’m starting to feel like more people are getting to know me too.
Like Enzo, who comes into the bar every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. on the dot for a strawberry kombucha. I’ve told him he could just get it from any local market, but he likes the atmosphere of Marina’s. He said it reminds him of when he and his wife first began dating. Their parents didn’t agree with their pairing, so they would sneak off every week to get a drink together at a bar out of town where no one would recognize them. It’s quiet enough on Tuesday’s that I can sit down and chat with him for a while. He tells me stories about his “prime years” with such a captivating joy that Tuesdays are now the day I look forward to the most.
My eyes catch on the door as Caio walks in followed by Rafael and Leo, I didn’t know that he is still in town. “Evening, gorgeous,” he greets me as they all sit down at the bar stools right in front of me. I smile back at him in return. He’s a shameless flirt.
“Come for the cheap booze huh?” Marina comes up beside me.
“Of course not,” Caio says. “Just to spend some time with the world’s best cousin.”
She rolls her eyes at him before Rafael chimes in. “No, what we really came to see is Nora and Vanessa in action, sounds like we’ve been missing out on all the fun lately.”
The guys giggle to themselves as Marina reaches over the bar and smacks the side of Rafael’s head. “Is that you volunteering to get them home tonight?” She asks.
“No of course not, Luca is on standby,” Rafael says. Marina rolls her eyes before walking off and leaving me to deal with them.
“So…the beers?” Rafael says.
I shake my head before cracking open three beers placing them on the counter in front of them. Rafael has warmed up to me lately, so much so that we almost might be, maybe, friends?
“Thank you,” Caio smiles at me.
“Yeah thanks,” “Thanks Isla.” Rafael and Leo echo after him.
“So how long are you here for Leo?” I ask, I haven’t seen much of him, but from what I’ve heard he’s a solid guy, even if Marina has had to get him out of trouble every now and again.
“As long as you want me to be, cara mia. ”
This earns him a sideways glare from Caio that makes me giggle. I get the feeling Leo only acts like that to piss him off. Which he seems to enjoy as a shit eating grin lights up his face before he brings his drink to his lips, doing a terrible job of concealing his amusement.
“Isla, can I have a hand?” Marina yells out from somewhere on the floor, the place has gotten even busier in the five minutes that I’ve been distracted.
“That’s me.” I give a two fingered salute to the guys before heading out.
It’s been nonstop for the last couple of hours, well I’m assuming that’s how long it’s been considering I haven’t had a minute to check my phone.
Nora and Vanessa have been dominating the karaoke machine tonight kicking others off every couple of songs, subjecting the rest of the bar to their tipsy mumbling of what would be classic bangers.
I’m balancing a tray of drinks while weaving through the full tables to my group right in the middle of the bar. It’s a big group, maybe fifteen guys are sitting around the table that’s meant to fit more like ten, but they’ve been ordering round after round keeping me busy and giving decent tips, so I let them away with it.
“Alright two Peroni’s and a gin and tonic?” I load the drinks onto the table before turning to head back to the bar, but the stocky guy sitting right next to where I stand grabs my wrist getting my attention.
“Would you be a doll and get me a whiskey? Neat.” He smiles up at me as he slips a few bills into the front pocket of my apron, taking his time to pull his hand out of the pocket resting against my front. I inwardly shiver as I take a step back, nodding before I quickly turn around and get out of there.
I shudder as I get back to the bar to get his whiskey. I know this kind of thing happens to women all the time, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore considering I’ve come across many men like that many times, but it still creeps me out just the same.
“Everything okay?” Caio asks, frightening me. I barely remembered they’re still sitting there. They’re all looking at me now.
I catch my breath composing myself before I respond. “Of course! All good.” I throw him what I hope is a reassuring smile before making my way back to the table with the whiskey. Once I’ve served this drink, they should be sorted for a while, and I can get away from this table.
“One whiskey neat.” I place it down in front of him and turn to leave but he grabs my wrist again, keeping me in place. “Why don’t you sit down with us for a bit, you look mighty tired.” The sly smile on his face forces another shiver down my spine. His accent is Southern, they must be tourists passing through, because I don’t recognize any of them at the table.
“No, thank you, I’m working.” I go to pull away from his grasp, but his hold tightens on my wrist, and my heart skips a beat.
The other men sitting on either side of us don’t pay any mind to the uncomfortable situation unfolding right beside them, this is either normal for this guy or they don’t give a single fuck. Either way, I don’t like it.
“Come on, sugar, relax a little.” He tugs on my arm trying to pull me onto his lap with more force than I’d expected. I rip my arm away trying my best to get out of this situation. My arm slips from his grasp, but I quickly lose my balance and the dark floor comes rushing towards me.
I land hard on my wrist causing me to wince as I try to push away from the floor.
Caio’s voice floods my senses as I come to, and I look over my shoulder to see him standing behind me, holding the creep up by the collar of his shirt. Pure fury blazes in his eyes as he looks down at him. I’ve never seen even a hint of anger in Caio, but right now, he looks far from the cool, calm, and collected guy I know him to be as he stares directly into the stranger’s eyes.
“Apologize.”
His voice is harsher than I’ve ever imagined it could be. The man’s eyes snap to where I still sit on the ground. “I’m sorry,” he stammers.
All of his friends are standing at their table now, facing Leo and Rafael as they stand beside Caio with deadly expressions on their faces.
A hand rests on my shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?” Marina sounds worried as she helps me up off the ground.
“I’m fine, this guy just got a little handsy and I tripped,” I say, brushing my hands off on my thighs.
Caio releases the stranger, giving him a shove in the direction of the door and motioning for his table of friends to follow.
“If I ever see one of your faces in here again, you won’t be asked so nicely to leave next time.” He follows them to the door holding it open for them, giving them a hand a dirty look as they leave.
Marina loops an arm through mine. ‘Yeah…my cousin is not like that with anyone.”
I stare back at myself in the bathroom mirror. I can’t shake the icky feeling crawling over my skin, so I distract myself by retying my ponytail. I collect my thick hair up on top of my head, willing my hands to stay steady.
Miles would be pissed if he knew I let myself get in that situation. Before going to work at the dive bar in college, Miles made May and I take a self-defense class, he’s big on us being able to protect ourselves, and it made him feel better about his little sister and her best friend going to work at a bar.
It made me feel better too, but tonight I just froze, like anything I knew just escaped my head.
It was the way he was looking at me. It took me straight back to that one night in my sophomore year of college. May and I were at a party with some girls from our dorms. May had gone off with her boyfriend at the time, escaping to any free bedroom they could find while I stuck around in the living room of the gigantic house we were in.
There weren’t many people around, and when a senior from the school’s basketball team caged me in against the wall, there was no one around to see when he wouldn’t let me go, keeping me there as he tried to convince me to go upstairs with him.
Nothing happened, but I always feel icky whenever I think back on it, and the way that guy was eyeing me up tonight was the exact same way he did back in college.
Ugh.
I run my hands under the cold water for a minute, willing my insides to chill. It was just a slimy guy; he’s gone now and I’m fine.
I push the door open and walk into the hallway.
“Isla?”
I jump at the sound of my name, my heart racing once again. I turn to see Caio push off the wall, he comes to stand in front of me but doesn’t get too close. His eyes search mine, and I suddenly feel utterly exposed like he can see right through me.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong,” I say.
He runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for how I acted, I should’ve left that fuckwit and came to you but,” he lets out a frustrated sigh, a disgusted look on his face as he continues. “I just couldn’t hold it in. Watching him look at you like that. I’m sorry Isla I should’ve stepped in earlier. I couldn’t stand seeing him touch you like that.” He’s rambling, I’ve never seen him like this, his eyes riddled with worry as he looks me over.
“Are you hurt?” He takes a step closer.
“You were watching?” I’m still stuck on his earlier comment.
“Of course I was. I couldn’t take my eyes off you if I tried.”
My heart slows down a beat as relief ebbs through my veins. Nothing could have happened, Caio was there.
He was there.
“Now I’ll ask again, are you hurt?”
I lift my arm up. “Just my wrist a bit, I landed on it when I fell.”
He steps in closer, close enough that I’m staring straight at his chest which is rising and falling with more pace than usual. But mine only slows at his proximity, I feel a rush of relief and safety with his presence enveloping me.
He gently lifts my wrist up turning it over as he checks for any sign of injury. Just as I think he’s going to let go, he lowers his head pressing a brush of a kiss to the inside of my wrist. It was so soft I can barely tell if it actually happened or if I imagined it, but a second later he’s turning it over and pressing another gentle kiss to the other side.
He’s kissing it better.
He looks up at me, his fingers trailing down my arm to meet mine before he kisses the tips of my fingers, intently watching me, waiting for some kind of reaction, but I just look back, not knowing the answer to the question in his eyes.
God my heart is doing somersaults in my chest, any calm feeling has quickly washed away, but so have any thoughts of anything but the man in front of me.
He lets go of my hand, we are even closer now, my chest brushing against his as we stand here silently in this hallway.
He wraps his finger around a strand of my hair, before cupping my cheek, lazily stroking his thumb back and forth across my cheekbone. His question still lingering in his eyes. “Every fiber of my being wants to kiss you right now, but I don’t know if I should considering what just happened. So you’re going to have to tell me,” he whispers.
“I thought we were just friends.” I sound like an idiot, but it’s all I can think of at this moment.
“Is that why you’re biting your lip like your life depends on it?” He asks. My breath hitches as he drags his thumb along my bottom lip, pulling it from in between my teeth, and I can’t control the urge to flick my tongue out, wetting my lip.
“Tell me we are just friends Isla.”
My heart is beating at an unnatural pace. I think I shake my head. “I can’t.”
Caio doesn’t waste another second before he grabs my head with both hands as his lips crash into mine with a gentle intensity.
A moan escapes my mouth as he wraps an arm around my waist pulling me flush against him, his other hand tilting my head so he can deepen the kiss, his tongue gently licking into my mouth. I follow his lead as he slows our pace like he wants to savor this moment, and that’s when I stop.
“Wait,” I push against his chest. “Wait,” I repeat, catching my breath.
He doesn’t question me, he just stands across from me, a worried look in his eye as he fights for air.
“I’m supposed to leave in just over a month,” I say, almost reminding myself of the fact more than I’m reminding him. He nods slowly.
“I just,” I struggle to find the words. I don’t even really know what I’m trying to say myself. “I don’t want to start something that isn’t real, I don’t want some meaningless summer fling.” Every fiber of my being tells me that isn’t what Caio wants either, but that leaves me lost for what this would be between us.
He closes the distance between us, grabbing my hand and placing it on his chest. “Feel that?” It doesn’t take much concentration to notice the ferocity with which his heart is beating, it mirrors my own. “Does that feel real to you? Because that’s what happens to me every time you walk into a room.” His eyes pierce mine, my hand still on his chest, his heart a continuous quick and unsteady beat under my palm. I try to count them to steady my own, but I can’t keep up.
He’s right this feels real, too real and that’s what scares me. Every minute I spend with Caio my feelings for him grow, my heart just keeps expanding, blowing up more and more like bubblegum, and I’m just waiting for it to pop. It’s like a ticking time bomb.
“Every time you smile at me, or when you laugh for me, Isla,” he places his hand over mine still on his chest. “This is what I can feel, and it feels pretty real to me.”
I look up into his ocean eyes, staring at me with a burning intensity, and any reasoning for why I shouldn’t do this quickly melts away as I wrap my arms around his neck and bring his lips back to mine.
A low growl escapes his lips as he reaches under my ass picking me up with ease and pressing my back into the wall, our kisses more needy than before, more desperate. A clash of tongues swirling together with urgency. I sink my hands into his thick hair, pulling at the roots, making Caio groan into my mouth. I can feel a growing hardness pressed against me, and any throbbing that was earlier in my wrist, is now directed between my legs.
He kisses me with urgency, like he can’t get enough, and neither can I. I feel like I’m going to combust. I’ve never enjoyed kissing someone so much in my life. Never felt like I was burning from the inside out. He pulls my bottom lip between his teeth, forcing a moan out of me which just spurs him on. He grinds his hips into me as I claw at his back wanting to be closer than physically possible.
I hear the faint sound of someone clearing their throat in the distance, which I’m completely happy to ignore, but Caio freezes. His head snaps to look down the hall, and my eyes follow his gaze to where Marina stands at the end of the hall.
Oh shit.
I got so swept up that I completely forgot where we are, and by the look on Caio’s face, he did as well.
He hastily sets me down on my feet as Marina openly smirks looking between the two of us. “When you have a minute Isla, I could use you back out on the floor.” She turns on her heels heading back out.
I spare a look to Caio who’s doing his best to look casual. Bliss sparkles in his eyes, not a shadow of regret anywhere to be seen, warming up my insides. I flash him a small smile before following Marina out.
What the fuck did I just do.
When I come back to the bar, my friends and Nora and Vanessa are huddled together exchanging notes. I shake my head holding back a laugh, grabbing a tray of drinks.
Fuckers.