Chapter 16
Adriana
It’s midday, and as expected, Yael’s thirst traps have once again gone viral.
The sun beams down on Altura, making the streets blur from its heat.
Behind me, the fan whirls, pushing the warm summer breeze through the bodega wafting the smell of coffee and food in the air.
While I stand here, obsessing over my ex.
The man I shouldn’t want…
I look down at the screen, watching how tense Yael looks despite the confidence he’s trying to sell.
His right brow lifts, amusement dancing in his brown irises.
A sigh escapes my lips, things between us are more complicated now than they were a couple of years ago.
I wish I could say that I’m simply scratching an itch—hooking up with my ex—but it’s more than that.
He knows it… and I know it.
The only issue is the big elephant in the room.
The resentment I still harbor in my heart.
No matter how much I try to push it away, clarity comes right after the orgasm.
Alongside shame and so many doubts. I press the heels of my palm into my forehead, massaging away the tension. How stupid of me… at my age.
Ugh.
Don’t look at me like that. What would you do?
I sound so much like my younger self, so caught up in my heart, unsure who to choose, what to follow—my heart or my brain.
A small crash towards the back, snaps me out of my head.
My gaze snapping toward the sound. A gray cat with white paws that look like mittens tumbles out the back shelves.
Putting the phone on the counter, I walk towards the small feline.
It’s skinny, dirty, and by the looks of it—hungry.
Memories of my brother break through. The cat’s fur brushes my wrist, and suddenly I’m twelve again, standing beside Neno.
“I can’t feed them. They have fleas,” I blurt out, staring at Neno who holds up two black cats by the back of their necks. I crinkle my nose, the smell of garbage lingering between us. “And they stink.”
“Duh, they were stuck inside the dumpster,” Neno deadpans, before walking past me and out the backdoor. Of course, I follow.
“Are we keeping them?” I ask, knowing damn well, we can’t.
My brother looks up at me, “No.”
“Good.”
Meow.
I blink—and I’m back in the present.
Back in a world where he no longer exists.
And where I’m left wondering what to do.
What to feel. With Lenny, things were easy, or so I thought.
He was with me while I collected the pieces.
Only to realize he was breaking them further—splintering them into millions of tiny fragments impossible to collect.
Impossible to stitch back together. My gaze falls to the kitten who purrs, his tiny body weaving through my fingers, demanding attention.
“I bet it is easy,” I murmur. “Being a cat and all that.”
Meow.
The sound catches me off guard, a smile tugs at my lips. “Is that a rebuttal or agreement?” I wait for another meow, but nothing comes. The purr fades into the hum of the fan. The bell at the door chimes, and a shiver runs down my spine when the footsteps stop.
“Buenas Tardes,”* I greet the customer, trying my best to mask my anxiety. Dread coats my tongue, making it impossible to swallow. The feline hisses, and I rise to my feet.
My gaze lands on a masked stranger blocking the door, and another flanking its left.
I gulp down—hard. Blood rushes through my ears, drowning out everything but the beat of my heart.
The ground shifts from beneath me, making me dizzy and causing my stomach to churn.
I fight the urge to pass out, even though my knees wobble.
It’s like deja vu, like the night everything went wrong. Like the night I lost my brother.
Tears quickly gather, falling before I even have a chance to blink. I can hear them bark orders, but I don’t understand… My body is here…
My mind is floating.
I open my mouth to speak, only for words to fail me.
Yael. I want to scream. My gaze moves to the small stairs that lead to the main house, and as if they could read my mind, one of the strangers tugs at the hoodie, showing the gun.
The glint of it catches the light, and suddenly, I see Neno’s face—terrified, shouting words I never heard.
Because he died alone, my pulse quickens.
The lights pulse, darkening into a deep red.
The night breeze dances around me, the rooftop has become our sanctuary and the keeper of secrets. Yael’s hands on my hips guide me through my orgasm, feeling him deep inside me. His nails dig into my side with each movement I make. Sirens blare down the street, my heart suddenly drops, and I stop.
My gaze snaps in that direction.
“Ciela?” Yael murmurs, his thumb drawing circles on my bare flesh—anchoring me back to the moment.
“It’s Altura. Just sirens,” he adds, and something inside me tugs at his words.
A sinking feeling forms in my gut, only to be pushed to the side the moment Yael thrusts up into me, making me moan into the night sky,.
My body tingles with need. Heat gathers in the pit of my stomach.
Beside us, his phone buzzes, but he ignores it, and the vibration continues.
I pick up my pace, feeling my orgasm build at the base of my spine. “You should answer that.”
“Fuck no,” he grits out, “They can wait until my girl is sated.”
With that, he smacks my ass and matches my frantic rhythm. Pleasure coils tight in my spine, wrapping around the base like a vine. Just as I feel myself tumbling closer to the edge.
“YAEL!” Lenny shouts, his tone full of urgency. “Adriana!”
The moment shatters. I practically jump to my feet, fixing my dress, praying he doesn’t notice that I was just fucking his cousin.
No one knows about Yael and me. And it will be fucked up if people found out this way, especially Neno, who’s taken a liking to Yael again.
And Lenny, who just two days ago was my boyfriend.
“Fuck… Fuck…” I grumble, pacing around the space.
Lenny finally makes it up, his face flushed from the heat, sweat covering every inch of it. “It’s Neno,” he blurts out. “He’s been shot.”
The silence is deafening. My chest caves in, and the rooftop starts to spin.
I can’t breathe, and before I know it, I collapse onto my hands and knees—purging my stomach onto the cold floor.
I can’t think. All I hear is the echo of the gunshot, even though I wasn’t there.
Yael rushes to my side, his hands gathering up my curls.
“Adri,” he whispers. “I need you to be good. I need to go see…” Yael’s voice trembles as he asks Lenny. “What happened?”
“He tried to rob the gas station,” Lenny pauses, his gaze flicking between us, something dark flashes in his features, but I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is that I see.
“Puneta*,” Yael grits out, and I feel his urge to run to my brother.
I feel the same way, our eyes clash, and I nod, giving him the permission to leave.
Yael wastes no time running down the stairs, forgetting his phone.
My hand darts out and I grab it, when I notice the missed calls on the screen. All of them my brother’s.
“Move, bitch.” A dark, husky voice pulls me from the memory as my back slams into the cold surface.
I wince, feeling the weight of his body pressing into me.
I blink fast, coming back to the present—realizing that I’m being robbed.
My gaze darts to the door leading to the main house, my heart sinking at the thought that my sick Abuelo is probably sleeping.
“Where’s the money?”
I could laugh.
We barely made anything this morning. “There’s nothing to take,” I mumble, trying to slow my pulse, so I can breathe and think of a way out. I close my eyes, when I feel the warmth of his breath fan my skin.
Repulsion sweeps through me in waves, the closer he gets. “How about—”
The sound of Yael's voice makes my eyes snap open. “Adri.” He calls out my name from outside the door. The masked intruder places a finger against my lips, his hip grinding into mine, just so I can feel the metal of the gun. I stay quiet, afraid of what happens next. Yael tries to open the door, but it just rattles. The gun digs deeper, and all I can think about is—not again. A single tear escapes the corner of my eye, relief washing over me when Yael finally walks away, knowing he’s no longer in harm's way. Only for panic to kick in, the moment I realize I’m alone with my sick Abuelo and two strangers.
“Grab anything valuable and let’s go,” the one closer to the door barks out, while the one pinning me in place, leans closer.
“We should have some fun first,” he replies, ignoring the string of curses that spills from the other’s lips, disapproving of whatever he’s about to do. I swallow hard, the urge to scream has me biting down on my lip. “You look good, ma, maybe I’ll leave the cash and just take the ass.”
I shake my head.
A firm no. My voice won’t come, but my eyes say everything my lips won’t convey.
There’s movement in the far corner of the room and I track it.
Hoping that it’s not another assailant, I hold my breath waiting for the great reveal.
Just when I think all hope is lost, Yael comes into view, after sneaking in through the back, and I couldn’t be happier for all the late nights he snuck into the bodega just to hear me yap about life and make out behind the counter.
I’m careful to not focus on the spot, even though I track each movement as Yael inches closer to the one by the door, machete in hand then, before the masked intruder can react—over his neck.
“Oye mamabicho*, let her go,” he orders, his voice low and dangerous. The stranger in front of me freezes, his grip faltering, giving me enough room to bring my knee up and hit him right where it hurts.
“You fucking bitch…” the man sneers, his hand shooting out to grab me.
“Don’t even try it, I’ll kill him and then you for touching her. I’ll be smiling in my mugshot, while I do it. Piensalo Chulo*.”
The masked man looks behind him, stopping when he notices the calm demeanor with which Yael holds his buddy.
That stillness reminds me of Lenny, and I look away, unable to stomach the shame.
Sirens blare down the street, the man goes to run but I’m quicker, grabbing the large sardine cans and chuck one behind him.
It connects with the back of his head. He groans loudly, his hand moving to the back of his head.
Only for me to hurl another can—this one hit him at the temple.
“Nice one, Ciela.” Yael’s approval makes me breathe a little easier, or maybe it’s the cops approaching.
Either way, I relax. A cold breeze drafts between us, a ghost's hand, familiar and gentle lands on my shoulder.
The feeling of safety, hard to ignore, and I close my eyes.
All I feel is my brother, here, close to me.
“Neno,” I whisper, and the tears come easily.
After filing a police report and answering questions, I was over today.
Today sucks, not just because of the robbery, but because it marks six years since Neno was murdered.
For this to happen today, of all the days, is just the icing on the cake.
Abuelo wheezes through a cough, snapping me out of my daze.
The smell of Vicks and sickness hangs heavy in the air.
“Mija,” he rasps, his voice hoarse from the lack of use. I lean closer, feeling the tears already forming. “No estes triste. Mi nina, mi única nieta.”*
His cracked lips stretch into a smile and I give him one of my own.
Abuelo pats the spot beside him, and I sit there, just like I would when I was little.
Grief grips me by the throat, and holds me prisoner as I feel his frail skin beneath my touch.
“Sabes que yo amaba a tu Abuela*, but there was someone else.”
My brows knit together, straightening out my back and listening attentively to what I’m sure is another of his life stories. “Yo amaba Germina*,” he confesses. “Yael y tu reminds me of that love. Perdoname, por hacerte regresar*. I wanted to make things right before I died.”
Confusion clouds my mind, “Abuelo, make what right?”
He chuckles deeply, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his cheek. “The rivalry, it was all because of love.”
And just like that all the pieces to the puzzle fall into place. “Does Yael know?”
He nods. “Yaelito, es un hombre bueno.” *
I try to hold back the tears, but it’s no use when your heart is tearing into pieces.
“No me dejes peder,* I bet on your love for him, mija.” Abuelo wheezes, and something inside me snaps with fear.
He looks paler, and even feels colder. “Win for love,” he breathes, and the silence that follows feels eternal.
The last domino falls.
* “Buenas Tardes,” - Good afternoon
* Puneta - Damn, fuck.
* Oye mamabicho - Hey, you fucking prick.
* Piensalo Chulo - Think about it, Chulo.
* No estes triste. Mi nina, mi única nieta. - Don’t be sad. My girl, my only granddaughter.
* Sabes que yo amaba a tu Abuela - You know that I loved your grandmother.
* Yo amaba Germina - I loved Germina.
* Yael y tu reminds me of that love. Perdoname, por hacerte regresar - Yael and you reminds me of that love. Forgive me for making you come back.
* Yaelito, es un hombre bueno. - Yaelito is a good man.
* No me dejes peder - Don’t let me lose.