Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
CLARA
“Two vodka crans, please,” I say to the bartender, when someone taps my shoulder.
I turn, half expecting it to be Mia, ready to rip her a new one, but it’s Valeria.
I’m glad it’s not Mia. If I never see her again, it’ll still be too soon, but I almost wish it had been because Valeria’s got one eyebrow raised, her arms crossed over her chest, half-empty drink in hand, tapping the glass with a stern expression on her face.
“Can I talk to you for a sec?” she asks in a firm tone that means business.
I nod before grabbing the drinks I ordered and following her as she weaves through the crowd and pushes open a side door, leading us out into a quieter patio in front of the club.
The air is cooler out here, crisp against my skin, a very welcome contrast to the steamy heat in the club. I set the drinks in my hand on a small table near us, and Valeria leans against the wall, chin up.
“So . . .” she begins with a smile. “You and Alejandra.”
I open my mouth, then close it again. There’s no easy way to explain what is happening between us, not when I barely believe it myself.
She takes a sip of her drink and waits. “You okay?”
I nod slowly. “Yeah. I’m . . . really okay.”
“And this thing with Alejandra? Is it still pretend, or . . . ?”
I laugh under my breath, rubbing the back of my neck. “No.”
She chokes on her drink, eyes going wide as she coughs. “Omg, tell me more”
I tell her about the balcony—because apparently, she’s the only one who didn’t see it—about us hooking up and agreeing to give dating a real shot.
“I still can’t believe it,” I admit. Telling her everything makes it feel real and surreal at the same time.
“So you told her you’ve loved her since you were teenagers?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. That feels like too much, too soon. How do you tell your best friend you’ve been in love with her for years without totally scaring her off?
How do I explain to her that I’ve never even tried for a romantic relationship with someone because my heart was already full, and it was all hers?
I think it’s safer to keep that part to myself for now. ”
Valeria gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “I don’t think anything will change between you,” she says softly. “But I understand why you feel the way you do.”
I smile and pull Valeria into a quick hug. “Thanks,” I whisper, grateful for her understanding.
We step back, and my gaze wanders across the room to Alejandra. She’s with Diana, dancing side by side to a routine they made up when we were kids. They pull it out at least once whenever there’s music. They look ridiculous, and I can’t help but smile.
The rest of the night—thankfully—is blissfully drama-free.
Diana gets plastered alongside Alex. Alejandra and I flirt and dance for hours, listening to our friends go on and on about “how they always knew it.” And for once, we’re not worrying about our friends, or Mia, or anything else; we’re fully present, savoring the beginning of us out in the world.
Honestly, it couldn’t be more perfect.
Alejandra and I don’t go back to sleeping in our rooms; if anything, Alejandra has asserted herself in my room more.
More and more of her things keep showing up in my space, but I don’t say a word. Honestly, I love it. Every night ends with her curled up beside me, and my mornings are brighter—even if I do wake up buried under a sea of her hair.
We continue to do all the things we did before we started dating.
I love that we can so easily go back to being friends like nothing happened, and that the new intimacy between us isn’t earth-shattering like I thought it would be, and as much as I love still feeling like her best friend, being her partner is my new favorite thing.
I’ve discovered her in a completely different way, and it’s intoxicating.
Addicting, and I only want more. I can’t even handle a few hours away from her anymore.
So here I am, walking into Alejandra’s studio with two coffees in hand, right in the middle of her workday, because I miss her so much, I’m practically inventing excuses to see her a little sooner.
The second I step into the building, my eyes scan the room until they land on her. Alejandra is standing behind the camera, effortlessly giving directions. She moves around set with such ease, it’s almost like she’s dancing, taking shots at exactly the right moment.
She looks perfect—as usual—and my heart does that little flutter it always does when I see her.
I step into her line of sight, and when her eyes land on me, her entire face lights up.
“Clara!” she says with a big, glowing smile. “What are you doing here?” She skips toward me and kisses me like she hasn’t seen me in months. I melt, pure bliss washing over me.
I didn’t tell her I was coming. Honestly, I didn’t know myself. It wasn’t until I was in line at the coffee shop that I decided Alejandra was probably due for a midday chai, and I was overdue for a kiss.
I hold up the two coffee cups, and her smile grows.
“I thought you might need this,” I say, and Alejandra leans in to kiss me again.
“You’re an angel.” Her lips curve into that smile that always makes my heart beat faster.
I hand her one of the cups, and she takes it with a sigh of relief.
“You came all this way to bring me a chai?” Alejandra pouts.
“Yes and no.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Tell me more.”
“You forgot?” I tease. She must have. I mean, yes, I got here a little earlier than I should have to give her a chai, but it’s not the only reason I’m here.
“What?” she says, genuinely confused.
“We’re supposed to go to Diana’s today,” I remind her.
Her eyes widen as realization sets in. “Oh my God, you’re so right. I’m sorry, today has been hectic. I need an hour to finish up with the rest of the models, and then we can go.”
Alejandra doesn’t usually work during the weekends, so I’m not entirely surprised she forgot.
I nod and sink into the green leather couch she has set up at the far end of the studio.
She got it for a shoot once—a brand sent it over and then let her keep it.
She was planning to take it home, but it turned into her unofficial editing station, so it stayed.
She turns back to the model, giving clear, confident instructions, but her voice is warm.
There’s an ease to the way she moves: steady, assured, completely in her element.
She walks around set, adjusting lights, tucking a strand of hair behind the model’s ear, her focus completely locked in, like nothing else exists but the shot she’s after.
It’s kind of captivating, honestly. There’s something magnetic about the way she works—it’s like watching someone do exactly what they were born to do. I don’t even think she realizes how mesmerizing she looks when she’s caught up in creating something, how her whole face lights up with it.
Every time I see her like this, I feel it all over again. That slow, steady pull toward her. That flutter in my chest that never goes away when I’m around her grows even wilder. I’ve seen her do this a hundred times, but it never gets old.
She laughs at something the model says—a tall, striking woman with deep brown skin and features so perfect it’s almost unfair. But Alejandra, caught mid-laugh, looks almost ethereal, and it’s impossible not to have eyes only for her.
An hour passes in a blur, and before I know it, Alejandra is collapsing on the couch next to me, completely spent.
“I’m so sorry I made you wait so long,” she says, planting a quick kiss on my lips.
“Don’t be, I like watching you work.”
She lays her head on my shoulder. “Thanks again for my chai. I wouldn’t have made it through without it.”
“Of course.” I wrap my arms around her.
Alejandra looks up at me, her face suddenly so close it steals the air from my lungs. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having someone so breathtaking this near. I could kiss her a thousand times over and still feel my breath falter every time her eyes find mine.
Her lips part slightly, the mole near her top lip taunting me the same way it has for years. When my eyes find hers again, she doesn’t look away, and neither do I. Our gazes lock, and I find myself lost in the warm, hazel pools of her eyes, like sinking into sunlight.
Alejandra leans in painfully slowly, and every muscle in my body tightens; my heart beats wildly with impatience and anticipation.
I gently thread my fingers through her hair and pull her in until our lips meet.
This kiss isn’t rushed or hungry like most of our kisses are; it’s gentle.
Her lips are warm and soft, and she leans into me like she’s been waiting for a second alone to do this, too.
There’s something tender in the way our mouths move together, slow and electric. Deepening with every breath. My heart swells as I imbed this kiss into memory, willing time to slow down because I’ve never been kissed like this before, so full of love, so achingly tender.
I pull away first to catch my breath, but the second I do, I already miss the taste of her lips, the warmth of them pressed against mine. And I’m mad at myself for breaking the moment.
“We should probably head out before we get too distracted here,” I say as I exhale.
“But that sounds way more fun,” Alejandra replies as she rubs her nose against mine, planting a quick, soft kiss on my neck.
I groan as I lean into her. Alejandra’s lips meet mine with heat. I slide my tongue against hers, and she moans.
My hands find her waist, and I pull her until she’s straddling my thighs and her hands are tangled in my hair as my own explore her body as she presses tightly against me.
Her mouth moves over mine with such urgency it leaves my skin buzzing and every nerve alight, wrecked, floating, reeling, and wanting more.
My hands cling to her hips, needing something to anchor me as the world tilts.