Chapter 37
Inavigate my way through the hotel’s expansive open-air lobby, admiring the polished marble floors and the exquisite dark forged iron chandeliers hanging above. Inhaling deeply, I’m greeted by the delightful fragrance that permeates the air, reminding my senses of its welcoming scent.
As I approach the front desk for check-out, a bittersweet feeling washes over me. Obviously, I’ll miss the convenience of having others cook and clean for me, as well as an attentive staff who were always amazing. And soaking up the sunshine day after day is a great way to live. But there’s something deeper that tugs at my heartstrings.
This place was once a reminder of my past mistakes. Now it holds cherished memories of laughter, romance, and being tangled up in bed with the incredible man who’s awaiting my return on the other side of today.
I hope.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Jorge, the man who checked me in upon my arrival. He’s seated at his mahogany desk, assisting a newly arrived couple with their check-in, their champagne cocktails still clutched in their hands. Our eyes meet, and Jorge’s face lights up. He acknowledges me with a smile and a discreet nod. I reciprocate with a grin, shaping my hands into a heart with my thumbs and bending my fingers at the tips.
He raises an amused brow and taps the left side of his chest a few times with his hand. With a tilt of my head, I place my hand over my heart to let him know he was right.
Love was in the air.
Hopefully, it follows me home.
“Ugh, again?” I grumble to myself as I glance at my seating assignment and realize I’m in the middle seat again.
I maneuver through the narrow aisle of Flight number 231, my body brushing against the sides of chairs and elbows jutting out, and the hustle and bustle of passengers settling in. I pass by the comfy leather seats of the First-Class section. Again, the seats that I should be sitting in if Matt wasn’t such a tight-fisted cheapskate. At least this time, I avoid any near-decapitation mishaps.
Finally reaching the Economy section, I locate my seat in row twenty-two, the same row as before.
There it is. My seat. The worst seat in the entire world. The center of a too-tight three-chair row.
I cannot state this strongly enough… MATT SUCKS.
“Excuse me, I’m next to you,” I politely inform the woman seated on the aisle.
Without uttering a word, she stands, allowing me to pass. I slump down into my seat, stowing my hobo bag beneath the chair in front of me. She sits and resumes her reading of the inflight magazine, paying me no mind.
“At least we have nice weather to fly home,” I attempt to strike up a conversation. “They’ll be no turbulence to worry about.”
She responds with an eye roll, dramatically rustles the pages of her magazine, and pretends to read. Well, isn’t she a ray of sunshine?
Alright, lady, I get it. Loud and clear. No friendly small talk with you.
Leaning my head back against the headrest, I close my eyes, trying to block out the commotion as the remaining passengers file onto the plane.
“Excuse me,” a man’s voice interrupts my peace.
Startled, I turn my gaze towards the aisle, where a middle-aged man in cargo shorts and a Hawaiian shirt patiently waits for my seatmate and me to stand so he can squeeze past us. A much different introduction than the fleece-flocked penis porn I was subjected to on the flight a few days ago.
We rise from our seats, allowing him to pass with a polite nod, and he settles into his chair. Without a word, he pulls down the window shade, cracks open his book, and reads in silence.
We’re about an hour into our flight, the hum of the engines providing constant background noise. I’ve finished the complimentary meal, if you can call it that, consisting of two dry cookies and a lukewarm can of diet ginger ale. The taste lingers in my mouth, a combination of artificial sweetener and stale crumbs.
A big plate of chilaquiles and a paloma would really hit the spot about now.
I try to focus on what’s left of my book, but my mind is restless. Thoughts and scenarios of what the future holds swirl in my head, making it difficult to concentrate. I shift in my seat, experiencing the uncomfortable stiffness of the cushion against my back. I’m excited and petrified at the same time about seeing Daniel again. Will he be the same man I met in paradise? Will we be the same couple?
Will he show up at all? And if he does, will it be to let me down easy?
I need a distraction, which is a challenge when you’re confined to a cramped seat, like a sardine in a can. Looking around, I observe my fellow passengers. My aisle seatmate is fast asleep, occasionally emitting a soft snore. Eh, she didn’t like me anyway. The New Window Seat Guy is deeply immersed in a book called Zero Gravity.
I think back to my flight coming to Mexico and how different my seatmates were. At the time, they were thorns in my side… by interrupting me, talking over me, and being general nuisances.
Now I miss those thorns.
Hoping to pass some time while we’re stuck in this metal flying tube, I start a friendly conversation with the man sitting next to me. “Zero gravity? Must be hard to put down,” I kid.
“Excuse me?” he asks.
“You know, your book. Zero Gravity? Can’t put it down?” I explain. “It’s science humor. Funny physics stuff. Get it?”
His eyes narrow, his lips form a hard line, then he shoots me a glare as if I’ve suddenly grown another head.
“Lucky that book didn’t keep this plane grounded,” I try again, this time with a joke even a humorless astronaut would find hilarious.
He sighs, irritated. “Don’t disturb me again,” he responds flatly, returning to his reading.
“Oh, um. Sure. Sorry.”
I miss Daniel.
Landing was uneventful. My seatmates were uncomfortably quiet (probably because they hate me) making me feel a little out of place.
Navigating my way through Customs, I catch a glimpse of the unamused window seat guy, his disdain evident in the way he side-eyed me before shifting to another line.
Your loss, dude. I’m riveting.
Finally clearing the Customs agent and luggage carrousel, I step just shy of the automatic sliding glass doors, taking a moment to catch my breath. My heart pounds in my chest, the adrenaline coursing through me as if I’ve sprinted a 5k in record time. Clammy and trembling, my hands clasp the suitcase handle in a nervous grip.
If Daniel’s not waiting behind these doors, it’ll crush me.
With a deep breath, I muster up the courage to take that step, dragging my suitcase behind me.
As the doors slide open, it’s chaos on the other side. The bustling crowd is a sea of people, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their loved ones, friends, and paid fares. I scan the crowd, my neck twisting from side to side, desperately searching for him amongst the signs bearing names scrawled in thick black markers, colorful balloon bouquets, and welcome home banners.
But no Daniel.
The buzz and vibration of my phone catches my attention, and I quickly glance at the message notification. There’s only one—from my mother. Of course. I ignore it, my focus solely on finding the man who holds my heart. Hope and fear chip away at my confidence. Despite what I see, my heart refuses to believe it.
He’s not coming.
I can barely breathe as my disappointment sinks in. I thought he was different. Maybe we were different.
Pain tightens in my chest—it’s the same old wound, opened on a different day.
Stupid. Stupid.
I don’t think he lied to me before he left. He simply hadn’t faced the truth himself. In the end, he decided that there was no room for ‘us’ in his real life.
“Damn you, Daniel,” I whisper under my breath.
My composure is cracking like a fragile eggshell, the last shreds of control slipping away. The air feels heavy as I try to maintain my poise in front of these strangers.
“Tess!”
Like a lifeline, I hear my name. The rush of adrenaline makes my heart race, and in an instant, my mood lifts. Swirling thoughts of abandonment vanish, replaced by a comforting sense of relief.
He’s here.
“There you are.” With excitement in my heart, I turn to face him, only for it to swiftly vanish when our eyes meet.
“Hey,” Matt says, holding out a supermarket bouquet of wilted red roses in his hand, the yellow clearance sticker still attached to the cellophane wrap.
I curl my fingers tighter around my luggage’s handle to hide my trembling hand. My stomach churns, round and round.
Without a second thought, I pivot on my heel, turning away from him. The last thing I want is to be in his presence.
“Tess,” he pleads, his hand resting on my shoulder. “Wait.”
I freeze, clenching my teeth, my anger simmering and ready to boil over. “Don’t touch me,” I spit out, seething with rage. “Don’t you ever touch me.”
“I brought these for you,” he persists, offering the wilted roses as if they hold some magical power to fix everything.
“I don’t want them.”
“Tessi, I made a mistake,” he says, his voice softening as he gazes at his feet. “Being apart has made me realize that I’m better with you.”
“Really? You’ll take me back?” I widen my eyes like a doe and flutter my lashes. “Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of this moment?” A bitter laugh escapes my lips as I shake my head. “Screw you, you clueless moron. Being apart made me realize I’m way better without you.”
“I sent you messages. I tried calling you. You haven’t answered. We can fix this.”
“Go away, Matt. I have no interest in fixing something you broke. I have nothing left to say to you. Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
“I’ll leave her,” he offers, his voice trembling with desperation.
I pause, taking in his words. This cheating fool is begging me to take him back, yet he hasn’t even ended things with her. The audacity of it all.
“You expect me to get back with you while you’re still with her? You’re disgusting. How small-minded can you be?”
“All you need to do is say the word, and I’ll end it,” he pleads.
I thought that her being his backup option would make me happy, fill some kind of void, but it makes me sad. Sad for all of us. I look at Matt, really look at him, and see no genuine remorse.
I know what this is. His ego is bruised because I didn’t come crawling back when he beckoned me. He only wants me because I don’t want him. I’m an unattainable challenge which makes me irresistible in his sick, twisted, cheating mind.
What did I ever see in this guy?
“God, Matt. You suck.”
“Things were good once. I’m begging you, Tess. I’ll make it up to you. We can be good again.”
“This conversation wouldn’t be happening if we were good. You’re not only rewriting history—you’re rotating the world backwards rewriting it. You showed me who you are. I don’t want to know that person,” my voice wavers, reflecting both my anger and sorrow.
“Is everything okay here?” An arm wraps around my shoulder and pulls me close.
I grin before I see him. The sound of his voice instantly comforts me.
“You’re here!” I exclaim, relief flooding my senses.
“Sorry I’m late,” Daniel says. “I had an errand to run and the tunnel traffic was a nightmare.”
Any doubts I ever had of this man have vanished.
He’s all in, with a million expectations.
“Who the fuck are you?” Matt asks, his face reddening.
Crap, I almost forgot about this asshole. I glance over at Daniel and silently mouth “Matt” to him.
Subtly, Daniel nods, and a dazzling smile slowly spreads across his face. “I’m the guy who spent your honeymoon with your fiancé,” he says, his voice dripping with confidence.
“Ex-fiancé,” I correct.
Daniel smirks, his expression a combination of amusement and satisfaction. “Ex-fiancé,” he repeats smugly.
Matt’s eyes widen with disbelief as he looks back and forth between us, his eyebrows rising. The jackass looks like an angry clown. His focus shifts back towards me. “Did you fuck this guy?”
“That’s none of your business,” I respond defiantly.
Daniel gives me a gentle squeeze with the arm wrapped around me, then presses a soft kiss right below my ear. He’s sending a message to Matt, and it’s spitefully delightful.
Matt glares at Daniel, his free hand balls into a fist and his nostrils flare. Message received.
“You son-of-a-bitch,” Matt spits out through gritted teeth.
“You mispronounced stud.” Unfazed, Daniel meets his gaze confidently.
It’s an incredible turn-on.
“Sex God would have been an acceptable replacement,” I add, wiggling my brows.
“I didn’t want to brag,” he brags.
“Do you think you’re my replacement?” Matt asks, his face turning bright red and his eyes bulging with anger. I’ve seen this look before. He’s reaching his breaking point. It’s glorious to witness.
“Pop your eyes back in their sockets, buddy,” Daniel chuckles with a dismissive shake of his head. “You’re assuming you’re worth replacing.”
“He’s not,” I chime in with humor.
“Then no. Definitely not your replacement.”
“You motherfucker.” Matt throws the roses to the ground, the petals scattering around him. “I’m going to beat the crap out of you.”
“Okay,” Daniel says casually, his voice filled with boredom. “I should warn you, I’m a third-degree black belt. I’ll win.”
“You are?” I ask, genuinely impressed.
“I am,” he answers boldly.
“That’s kinda hot,” I mutter seductively.
“I know.” A mischievous glint dances in his eyes.
“You didn’t mention that while we were in Mexico.”
“Slipped my mind. We were kind of busy,” Daniel winks, his words taunting Matt with zero fucks to give.
If I had any doubts before, I don’t anymore. I’m going to fall in love with this man.
“Those were good times, Daniel.” I coil my arm around his, pulling him closer to me.
“Very good times, Contessa,” he murmurs darkly. “Are we done here?”
I glance at Matt, whose jaw I could scrape off the floor.
“So done,” I say with finality.
“Good, I have four containers of Kimchi waiting in the car for your mother. Let’s go.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.” I can’t help but chuckle. “In case I haven’t told you, this was the best honeymoon ever.”
“Wait until our next one.” He takes my hand and presses a soft kiss on the back of it, a gesture that makes my heart flutter. “It’ll be even better.”
He grabs the handle of my suitcase, his other hand resting on the small of my back. With a gentle touch, he guides me forward, leaving a dejected Matt behind without a second glance. The weight of my past is where it should be—behind me.
As we step outside the building, a wave of drier air greets us, a refreshing change from the thick humidity of Mexico. The scent of car exhaust replaces the fragrant florals and coco butter, and the sounds of horns beeping replace the soothing chirping of birds.
I look at the man walking next to me and realize… I’m still in paradise.
“Hey Daniel?”
“Yeah?” he answers, his handsome face still wearing a satisfied smirk.
“Thank you for that.”
He releases his grip on the suitcase, pulling me closer, his hand resting on my waist. With a swift motion, he dips me, his lips meeting mine in a warm, soft, and perfect kiss. “It’s you and me, Contessa,” he whispers against my lips as he lifts me back up. “The rest of the world better get used to it.”
“Oh, I’ve missed you,” I confess.
“I missed you too.”
“Finally, I can close that chapter in my life.”
“Ah, that idiot was just a footnote in a long story,” he says, his smile never fading.
“Oh? And what are you?”
“I’m your happy ending.”