Chapter Three #2
Clara climbs in after me and, ignoring the suddenly awkward tension. Instead, I turn to ask her, “Where’s your other half this morning?”
Cristian and Clara exchange a long look in the rearview mirror before Nelly- oblivious to their silent conversation- turns around in her seat with a beaming smile.
“He’s picking Graham up from the airport.”
Clara’s face meets her palm and Cristian sighs deep enough to rustle the trees.
But I remain perfectly placid. After all, Cristian did tell me he would be getting in this morning.
He’d stayed behind to shut down El Rincón.
It makes sense that Rowan would just go get him rather than have him rent a whole other vehicle.
“Of course.” I force a smile. “Where’s he staying? With you?” I ask Clara, maybe a bit too hopeful.
Her blue eyes soften. “No, he’s—”
“With us!” Nelly bounces in her seat. “Oh! That reminds me!” She’s turned back to her phone before she can see my smile crumble.
“I need to tell Eli to get the booze when he goes to the store later. Graham promised he’d make drinks with dinner tonight.
I want him to make those chocolate shots he’s so good at—”
“Hey, P,” Cristian interrupts. “I have no idea where I’m going. Could you maybe focus, please?”
“He sent you the place. Just connect your phone to the car—”
“I can’t exactly do that while navigating these winding roads—”
“First time driving—”
“In the hills, yes!”
I sink back into my seat as they continue to bicker. Clara reaches for my hand, giving my fingers a tight squeeze. “You okay?” She asks quietly.
Forcing another smile, I nod. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
For a moment she looks like she might say something, but she lets the subject drop.
I turn my gaze out the window to the blurring of the trees and farmlands, wondering if he’s in every car that passes us by.
Eventually I close my eyes, so I’ll stop counting them.
So, I’ll stop thinking about the last time I saw him, about the bitter, biting words we both exchanged.
Words that can’t be taken back or forgiven- shouldn’t be.
They were all true. They needed to be said.
It meant nothing. None of it meant a damn thing. You were just a body all too willing to be used. You’re just too broken—
This is going to be a very long week.
???
"Order for Micayla!”
I cross my arms as we settle into the line inside the little café in the center of town.
It is literally so cute I could die. There are beautiful flowers decorating the entire doorway outside, every table donned with an umbrella and a little fake candle.
Inside, the café has this old-world rustic charm brightened by flowers and eclectic collections of paintings and crystals and books Nelly is already perusing.
There’s even a fucking puppy who has already stolen Clara’s entire focus, dragging her to her knees off to the side.
“Aren’t you just the cutest baby in the whole wide world!” She tells the puppy, smushing his face, pressing her nose to his. “I could just eat you up! Yes I could!”
“Clara,” I snap, maybe a little too sharply but I am severely lacking in good caffeine.
“What?” Her tone remains cute in the presence of the puppy, fingers scratching behind his floppy ears.
“Get off the floor.”
“I cannot,” she refuses, waving me off. “You know what Rowan and I like.”
“I certainly do not know what Rowan likes—”
“I know what Rowan likes,” Cristian sighs next to me. He shrugs when I glower at him. “Just let her pet the dog, Naomi. What’s the harm?”
“She’s on the goddamn floor—”
“So?” He raises a brow. With an undignified huff we take a step closer to the counter and my foot begins tapping against the wood floors. “What crawled up your ass this morning?”
“Probably a tick,” I mutter under my breath.
He tilts his head. “Not a completely impossible scenario.” I whip wide eyes toward him and he smirks. “But not what I mean.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t believe my ass or what goes in it is any of your business, Santos.”
“Nor do I ever want it to be.” He crosses his arms. “I’ll leave those particulars to one Mr. Graham Rosales, I think.” Very slowly, I turn narrowed eyes his way and he snorts. “You two have never been subtle. You used to fuck, didn’t you?”
Sucking at my teeth, I turn back to the line in front of us. “Not once.”
“No, I imagine it was several times.” My jaw pops. “But there was some kind of falling out and you haven’t seen him in a while and now you’re about to which makes you scared that either one,” he holds a finger. “All those feelings will come rushing back—”
“There are literally no feelings—”
“Or two,” he holds up a second finger as we take another step in the line. “That nothing will come back- at least for him- and that might actually be worse.”
How the fuck is Cristian Fucking Winchester-Santos able to hit the nail on the goddamn head so accurately when it comes to my relationship- no, it was not a relationship, is not a relationship- but was always so shit at seeing the problems in his own?
! When he was with Nelly he was quite literally oblivious to anything and everything she wanted or needed.
Yet, suddenly he’s able to spot issues in my relationship—
NO! My not relationship! My situationship?
God fucking dammit.
We finally get to the counter as I mutter under my breath, “I really fucking hate you.”
“Yes, I know.” He smiles at the barista, leaning his elbow on the counter. “Good morning, we have kind of a large order, so I apologize in advance.”
The barista blushes violently, smiling so prettily I can’t help rolling my eyes. Sure, Cristian is obnoxiously good looking, but does every girl who sees him have to bat her lashes? “That’s no problem!” She taps at the tablet in front of her. “Go right ahead.”
He starts listing off items, “Two sausage, egg, and cheese please. One bacon, egg, and cheese—”
“Make that two, and one breakfast burrito,” I interject. “Two avocado toasts. Then we’ll also have one dirty Chai with oat milk, one caramel macchiato, a hazel nut latte- all iced.”
“Two black coffees with like six scoops of sugar in one of them,” Cristian adds, my nose wrinkling. “A regular iced coffee—”
“Extra-large,” I throw out.
“And an americano, por favor,” Cristian smiles.
The barista keeps tapping away for several seconds after we’ve wrapped up the order, bouncing on the balls of her feet with a smile when she gets it all in. “Anything else?”
Cristian glances back at Nelly, currently reading the back of two books at once, then to the barista. “My friend is getting married,” he tells her. “Can you write a little note on her cup with some congratulations? Oh, and let’s throw in an order of French Toast as well.”
I raise a brow to which he answers, “For tomorrow when she’s hungover as shit.” He holds out his father’s card, tapping it against the little black reader. “No doubt Dad prepared for such an occurrence, but it never hurts to be prepared.”
“How is it that you only became so good at taking care of her after got engaged to your dad?”
Maybe I said that last bit a little too loud. The barista’s smile becomes slightly less enthusiastic as she glances between us. She holds out the receipt. “Your order will come out down there. Have a great day.”
Cristian forces an equally painful grin as he shoves me out of line and toward the pick-up end. “You are such a cunt,” he growls. “Could you not, for the next week at the very least, mention how all this,” he gestures vaguely from himself to Nelly to the café. “Went down?”
I lean my hip against the counter. “Why? Scared a fan will hear and it will be blasted on all the gossip rags? Futból Star, Cristian Santos, Cucked By Famous Father, The Island King—”
“I truly hope you get gonorrhea,” he mutters.
“Oh! Or maybe The Island King Steals Impotent Son’s Girlfriend, Half His Age—”
“Do shut up?” Cristian requests. “Forever, maybe?”
“That would really hurt your chances with the models, wouldn’t it,” I smirk, hand on my hip as our drinks start coming out.
Cristian grabs two caddies and begins filling them while I watch. “I don’t date models anymore,” he sneers. “And I know what you’re doing. No amount of insults is going to distract me from the fact that you and Graham are about to have the worst week of your lives.”
My smile falls but he keeps grinning shoving one of the caddies into my hands. “And I so look forward to seeing just how badly you two managed to fuck it all up.”