Chapter 11
11
ALEJANDRO
‘That was actually fun!’ Jasmine said as we waved goodbye to the rest of the group.
She was right. It was a fantastic experience. I loved the challenge of walking up the waterfall, the freshness of the water and the spectacular views of the nature that surrounded us.
But I had enjoyed holding her hand a little too much. I had not done that for so long that I had forgotten how great it felt.
There were many opportunities where I knew Jasmine did not need to hold on to me and I could have let her go. The truth was, I had not wanted to.
I had thought that perhaps the feeling might have been mutual, but I was wrong. She did not even want to hold my hand.
I shook my head as my mind drifted back to our car journey here when I had thought that Jasmine could like me.
Qué tonto . I chastised myself.
Just because a woman says a man is attractive, it does not mean that she is actually interested in dating him. I needed to remember that.
‘ Sí , it was very good.’
After we got changed, we went to collect the photograph we had posed for during the climb.
We joined the queue and when they handed over the photograph, my eyes widened.
‘Cute,’ I said.
The photo was more than just cute . We looked great together.
Jasmine’s eyes sparkled and she looked so happy. Just like I did.
‘Aww,’ the American lady who was part of our group leant over to look at our photo. ‘You two make a gorgeous couple. Don’t they, Joe?’ She turned to the man beside her.
‘Sure do! You two lucked out in the gene pool. She’s a doll and even though I’m straight, I have to admit that you’re a fine-looking fella. If you want to hang out and have some fun, we’d be down for that, right Mindy?’
‘Damn straight.’ She licked her lips.
‘We’re not… We’re just co-workers!’ Jasmine’s eyes widened.
‘It’ll be our little secret!’ The guy, Joe, winked.
‘We should go.’ I stepped in.
‘Oh my God! Won’t you listen to that accent!’ The woman fanned her face. ‘As if he wasn’t already hot enough! You’re a very lucky woman!’
‘Nice to meet you.’ I put on a fake smile, then took Jasmine’s hand and led her away from the couple. This time, she did not resist.
‘Did they just ask us to join them for some sort of orgy?’ Jasmine asked when we were out of earshot.
‘I think so.’ The corner of my mouth turned up.
‘Well, that’s a first!’ She laughed.
‘Perhaps for you.’ I smirked.
‘Really? You’ve been asked to have a foursome before?’
‘A foursome: no. A threesome: once or twice,’ I said casually.
‘Wow. You’re right. You really aren’t as innocent as I thought. And did you take them up on their offer?’ Her eyes widened.
‘A gentleman never tells.’
‘But according to you, you’re not a gentleman…’ she replied.
‘True.’ I smiled, impressed she’d remembered what I’d said in the car.
‘Don’t let me cramp your style. If you want to “have fun” with Mindy and Joe.’
‘Thanks, but they are not my type.’
‘What is your type?’ she replied quickly.
‘I like smart, confident women.’
‘I’m guessing young and pretty goes without saying too, right?’
‘Not always. If a woman is pretty, it is a bonus, but if she looks like a supermodel, but has an ugly heart, that is very unattractive. And as for her age, that is also not important, as long as she is legal. But most of my exes were older than me.’
Jasmine’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline.
‘What, like by a year or two?’
‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘Usually by several years.’
Her eyes bulged. Just as Jasmine’s mouth opened to say something, a loud voice boomed around us.
‘Jasmine! Alejandro!’ I spun around and saw Bob standing next to his car. ‘Come yah suh!’
Jasmine was still rooted to the spot.
‘Are you coming?’ I asked.
‘Y-yes,’ she stuttered.
As soon as Jasmine got inside, she pulled out her phone. From the corner of my eye, it looked like she was scrolling through emails. She let out a deep sigh.
‘Something wrong?’ I turned to face her.
‘No!’ Her voice went higher. ‘All fine! So, you enjoyed the activity, yes?’
‘ Sí . Very much.’
‘Good. Great. So… if you had to rate it, hypothetically speaking of course, because naturally, we went there for research, as colleagues, but if say you went there with a girlfriend… if you were one of our guests, how do you think you’d rate it in terms of… romance?’ Her gaze shifted. She was acting strange, like she was nervous to ask me. ‘It’s to help with my report. I need a man’s perspective.’
‘The views were amazing and it is always nice to take a date somewhere beautiful, no?’
‘Naturally.’
‘And as we experienced ourselves, there are many opportunities to hold hands with each other and that is also romantic.’
Jasmine’s eyes flicked away again.
‘Well, that’s the human chain that you mentioned. Part of it is holding hands with strangers. For safety purposes.’
‘That is true, but there is something special about holding the hand of somebody you are attracted to, no? When you hold the hand of a stranger, as part of the train, for safety, you feel nothing. But when it is someone that you like, the sensation is different. Feeling their palm in yours generates a different kind of… energy. There is electricity. Fireworks. The connection is not just romantic. It can also spark… desire. Hypothetically speaking .’ I fixed my gaze on her, interested to see her response.
‘I-I wouldn’t really know, but if I used my imagination, I could see how that might be possible.’
Her eyes drifted upwards and this time, they locked on mine. We sat there for a few moments in silence.
And there it was. That electricity. It pulsed through me. Just like it had when I had held her hand. I did not understand how she could not feel it.
‘So, it’s a yes, from you for this couples’ activity then?’ Jasmine finally spoke.
‘Definitely,’ I said.
‘Good.’ She unlocked her phone and started typing. ‘I’ll include your comments in my report. Thanks again for your help.’
‘My pleasure,’ I said, thinking how enjoyable it had been to spend time with Jasmine, even if she did not feel the same.