Chapter Five
Adrián
Dios mío.
The car ride had been a disaster, riddled with awkwardness. During the past four months Gen and I had become friendly she had exuded confidence and poise. But this ride...it made me wonder if I’d made a mistake inviting her, putting her in a position she wasn’t comfortable with, and making her retreat to her shyness. I wanted her to relax and be at ease, not worried about any awkwardness between us. She deserved rest. I followed Gen with the luggage as she stood rooted close to the entrance. She was as lovely as ever, fiddling with the straps of her laptop bag and her cell phone in hand, as she stared at Villa Bonita and the surrounding areas in amazement.
Pride washed over me at our little property, unpretentious but beautiful. Ten little cabanas were scattered around green palm trees and abundant rich vegetation, primary colors decorating the walls and windows, the scheme of each cabana unique, with small individual touches I had personally designed.
“This is beautiful,” Genevieve said in awe, then turned around and regaled me with a dazzling smile. A full-body tingle wracked my body at that grin. The gesture reassured me—that was the smile she’d given me many mornings and afternoons.
“I’m glad you like it,” I said.
“Like it? Nah, that’s not enough. I love the way the winding pathways lead to the main building, and if I’m not mistaken all of the units face the beach, right? And the middle structure, it looks deceptively small, but it’s obviously the main artery incorporating all the colors from the rooms. It’s lovely.” The force of her happiness was intoxicating, and I stepped closer, drawn to her. The moment I stood close, she grew bashful, eyes dropping to the ground then back up with apprehension.
“Are you okay? Listen, I know this was a last-minute decision, but the reason it made sense to me is because we already had a connection. If it helps, just remember our rides,” I said, desperate to set her at ease. She’d made a big leap agreeing to spend her last two weeks with me and the last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable.
Genevieve sighed, her ponytail shaking; her shoulders rose, and like magic, the determination and poise seemed to materialize in her again.
“Of course, listen, I know the trip here was—”
Whatever Genevieve was going to say was cut short by a cacophony of noise. The ground shook as if a stampede of wild animals was about to descend on us. Gen whirled on the spot as my five niblings, followed by my very frazzled sister, ran out of the main casita.
“Muchacho! Thank God you’re here!” Claudia stalked straight to me, enveloping me in her agua de maravilla–scented hug. The way Claudia talked to me, people would think she was a hundred years older instead of her forty-five to my thirty-six. Somehow even though I towered over Claudia’s much shorter though abundant frame, Claudia managed to bring me down with a strong arm, my entire body bending to her formidable will.
“What’s up, Claudi, why is everyone running around like un mamonio is following you?” I asked, keeping an eye on Genevieve, who had donned a polite smile as my nephews and nieces surrounded her with curiosity.
“Hi, se?ora, you’re so pretty.” The youngest of the bunch, Yiya, said to Genevieve.
“Well, not prettier than you. Miss?” Genevieve reciprocated.
“Yiya! Nice to meet you! I’m five and this is my sister Mirna, she is ten, but she is really shy and those two, yes you are right they look the same, they are twins, Tuti and Milton. Mami says they’re the most annoying fifteen-year-olds she’s ever met, and that right there, the one that looks really old is Chichi. He should be married, Mami says but Papa says twenty-five is too young.” Yamilah strung all that information without taking as much as a breath. Genevieve nodded excitedly, following the convoluted information, and Claudia turned around with a hand on her hip, ready to chastise her daughter. I needed to step in before my family showed their entire behind before Genevieve even put her luggage in her room.
“Gracias, Yiya, that was very helpful. Now Ms. Genevieve knows the entire family and will remember everyone’s names.”
Damn. My family could be a lot at the best of times, and Genevieve already seemed to be skittish even though she was smiling serenely. I wanted to ensure she knew she wasn’t expected to know everyone’s name nor get involved with whatever was happening in Villa Bonita today, outside of settling in and relaxing. Before I could say anything, she winked at me and turned to Yiya.
“Thanks, Yiya, that’s a beautiful name, and Mirna, no worries, when I was your age, I was very shy too! While I’m here, if you just want to hang out in silence, I love doing that. Tuti, Milton, how are you gentlemen? I can’t wait for y’all to show me around the property. Chichi, very nice to meet you, and don’t worry, you have plenty time to get married, if that’s what you want to do. Claudia, how can we help? Because you have an air of ‘I need assistance ASAP.’”
All of the children, Chichi, and even Claudia froze, Claudia with a slight frown. All the air stopped circulating around me in anticipation; with Claudia things could go either way. Claudia nodded once as it if to say, “you will do,” and I let go of the breath I was holding. It wasn’t as if I wanted her approval of Gen. It wasn’t as if it was a big deal having my big sister like the first woman I brought to the family in a very long time.
I had no reason to be worried about Claudia liking Genevieve. Genevieve wouldn’t be here for long; this was just an impulsive move to keep Genevieve close to me for a few more days before the inevitable goodbye came for the two of us. Claudi liking her or not was inconsequential. So why did I feel much better now that Genevieve had clearly won over my family in less than ten minutes?
“Okay, Genevieve, you can help too. We have a big bus arriving in less than an hour. We need to make sure all the room linens are fresh and clean!” Claudia clapped her hands and started barking orders like a general.
A tingle of dread crept up my back, and I missed half of what Claudia ordered.
“What do you mean a big bus?” I asked, my commanding voice stopping all the chatter.
“We sold out the hostel for two weeks to a group of Americans coming to stay for an excursion. Didn’t you see the email I sent you last week?”
“I...” Shit, she was right. I rubbed the back of my neck. She had told me about the excursion coming, and somehow in the excitement of inviting Genevieve, I had forgotten that salient fact. We rarely were able to sell all the rooms at the same time. If anything, we could have weeks with no one staying, so I had my other transportation venture. I needed to keep my family fed, so I hadn’t ever thought it would be an issue to host Genevieve.
“I what?” Claudia’s eyes narrowed, and the kids scattered, knowing their mother was about to explode.
“Well, Genevieve was coming to stay for two weeks. Maybe the guests coming are friends or family that can...”
“No. No. I’m not telling those people we’re overbooked. So that means that you can figure out what to do about your guest whom you brought to us with no reservation. Sorry, Genevieve, usually I’m super nice and welcoming, but we rarely sell out, and it’s just me, the kids, and my husband. Adrián comes whenever he can, so I’m stressed-out, girl.” Before I could say anything else, Claudia walked away, leaving me with a flabbergasted Genevieve.
“I... Usually I’m very meticulous about checking these things ahead in the booking system, but I...” I floundered, feeling like this was a doomed venture. I’d been so sure this would work out, but since picking up Gen things had started to unravel.
“It’s okay. I can call the B and B where I had my original reservation. I just canceled today.” Genevieve smiled kindly, and I could tell from our drives together that this was her fixer mode. She scrolled through her phone, walking away from me, closer to the shade, and I stood there watching her move.
Something in Genevieve called to me from the day I first picked her up at the apartment. A sense of kinship, a whisper in my ear telling me that beyond her beautiful outer appearance existed something in her that awakened dormant insights in me.
To think that what I had envisioned for our two weeks together was crumbling in front of my eyes felt like a dream forgotten. Like waking up in the morning and trying to remember what exactly you’d experienced in dreamland the night before. Holding on to that amazing feeling as it seeped away, awash in the reality of everyday.
Gen nodded along on the phone, gesticulating as she probably explained her predicament. Her hand gestures slowed down more and more until she stood still, receiving the information coming from the other side. She slowly turned around, grimaced. Damn, the news couldn’t be good. Instead of her having to come to me, I ate up the distance between us in a few strides.
“What happened?”
“They are sold out too. Apparently, they were oversold, but my cancellation evened them out. They were trying to figure out what to do, and it was going to be a first come, first served situation. Apparently, that American group has taken over the town.”
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Genevieve, I didn’t think this through. I wanted you to relax and enjoy my family’s property, and instead...”
“It’s okay. I get it. I... I guess I’ll need a ride back to the city. I can always just change my flight and...”
A thunderous voice inside of me howled in frustration at hearing Genevieve’s plan to leave. Without thinking, I reached out, holding her hand, and the same frisson of awareness I felt in the morning assaulted me again.
The feel of her skin was smooth as I ran my thumb up and down the side of her hand, the gesture appearing to soothe her, but honestly, it was all for me. I inhaled her delicious scent of something flowery and spicy and stepped closer to her.
I focused on Genevieve’s large brown eyes, as they shifted from disappointment to languid relaxation. My hand moved without thought to her waist, and she gasped as the touch deepened the otherworldly sensations I felt when around her. This. This was the connection I wanted to explore when I invited her, but somehow, things had unraveled and...
“Adrián, go get that girl’s luggage and put it in your room!” Claudia hollered from the side path that led to the back of the main casita. Genevieve stiffened in my arms, and I immediately felt the shift in our connection. I turned around to face Claudia who had a basket of linen propped on her hip. I stroked my beard, hoping it kept me from saying something like “mind your own business, old bat.”
“Genevieve’s a guest. I wouldn’t put her in such uncomf—”
Again, Claudia interrupted with a loud scoff.
“Ay por favor. Look at the two of you. I give you two days max. Genevieve stay in his room. It’s one of the largest cabanas and is not part of the inventory. Y’all can figure it out.” Claudia rolled her eyes and stomped away as Chichi called her.
“Listen, you don’t have to worry, I asked you for two weeks, but I’d never presume...”
“How big is the cabana?” Genevieve’s question took a minute to penetrate fully. When it did, my body flashed hot and cold. Images of the two of us in one of my most cherished spaces raised my temperature, but I played it cool. I always did. Keeping my cool helped when kids at school had learned early how to hurt me because they considered my bisexuality a thing to condemn. And it had helped when my cool then translated into being considered unflappable in business and in relationships.
“Big enough for company.”
“My company?” she replied, that shyness peeking through, but she held her gaze with that determination I had seen in her before.
“Genevieve, I’d love to host you for two weeks in my cabana if you want to stay here.”
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
My chest tightened at Genevieve’s easy capitulation; it was like she’d wanted this solution all along. Emboldened by her choice, I stepped closer to her again, this time keeping my arms to myself.
“Good, I’ll make sure you have the time of your life.”