Ch. 52 - Rico
R ico checked his phone. Again. The thing had been blowing up all night with texts, voicemails, and emails from his friends and family members.
That was a microcosm of what the station had experienced. In the hours since the 6:00 p.m. broadcast, his story had exploded across San Diego and rippled out into the wider world. Messages poured into the station. Inevitably, a portion of them included brilliant retorts along the lines of “Go back to your shithole country.”
However, Rico had been surprised to discover that a majority of the responses were positive. He’d already heard from dozens of viewers who were children of undocumented immigrants like himself or, like his sister, enrolled in the DACA program. Both legal and undocumented immigrants had reached out, hungry to share their struggles with balancing their identities across cultures. Best of all, the phone lines were practically bursting with suggestions for overlooked people he could recognize in his new weekly segment.
His list now included nearly 100 names and was growing by the hour.
His terrifying leap into radical authenticity had been so much better than expected . . . almost.
Because there was one person who hadn’t reached out to him.
Rico scanned his text messages, missed calls, and emails . . . again. Nothing from Jax.
“Well, I tried,” he said to Sancho as the rat lounged on his shoulder. “It’s okay.”
It wasn’t okay. Not anywhere close to okay.
Okay was in another solar system.
For the past week, his heart had been a bruised, aching thing in his chest. Helping his mother pack up her house and saying goodbye to her in Mexico had kept his body and mind busy, but it hadn’t done a thing to heal his heart.
Knowing he’d betrayed Jax had weighed on him like a 500-pound barbell pressing into his throat. And so, he’d apologized. He’d stopped hiding his true self from the world. He’d given away a great story so she could shine.
But it evidently hadn’t been enough.
He’d lost the first woman he’d ever loved.
And there it was. He loved Jax.
Shoulders slumped, Rico placed Sancho in the small travel case, flicked off the lights in his office, and drove home.
On the long, sad walk from the parking garage to his apartment building, Rico’s legs felt numb. The only thing he had to look forward to tonight was making a healthy, well-balanced dinner for himself and Sancho and then starting to pack.
His landlord had graciously let him out of his lease early for only a slightly eye-watering fee. At the end of the month, he’d move to his small childhood home in Yucca Hills. Sharing the house with Elena would help them both save money to finance their mother’s immigration process. And as for the 45-minute commute each way? Well, it’d be a good time to work on his Spanish .
When Rico arrived at his apartment building, he took the stairs instead of the elevator, as usual. When he made it to the fourth floor, he walked down the hall, then froze.
Jax.
She sat in front of his door, legs crossed, laptop open on her knees, a bottle of wine in a Rose and Thorn bag at her hip. Tendrils of dark hair floated loose around her face as her glorious pink lips puckered in concentration.
She looked up, probably at the sound of his jaw hitting the floor.
“Finally,” she said. Warmth lit her whiskey-brown eyes.
“Jax.”
“Yup.”
“What are you wearing?”
A flattering lacey purple tank top showcased the swell of her large breasts. Tight jeans hugged her hips and ended . . . in the large black combat boots. The laces of one boot were untied. Because it was Jax, after all.
Jax shrugged, a slight shade of red coloring her cheeks. “I’ve had these clothes forever. Haven’t worn them in a while, but it just felt . . . I don’t know. Right.”
“You look beautiful.” Rico’s legs finally started to move. He had to get closer to her. “You’ve always looked beautiful. But now. Extra beautiful.”
“You’re stammering.”
Rico Torres had never stammered in his whole life. Until today. And he didn’t care at all.
“Did you see my broadcast?” he asked.
Jax nodded and closed her laptop.
“Did you get my email?”
She nodded again and climbed to her feet .
“And?” The suspense might actually kill him. Could you have a heart attack at age 27?
“And.” She draped her arms around his neck and gave him a long, lingering kiss. “Thank you for giving me the Bishop story.”
“I can explain about that.”
“You’d better.”
She kissed him again. This time, Rico had the state of mind to kiss her back. His lips eagerly dragged across hers. She tasted like chocolate. It must have been the last lollipop she’d had. Mmmmm . Every kiss with Jax offered a surprise of flavor.
“Thank you for opening up to me, and to the world,” she said. “That was very brave. And very hot.”
“Well, technically just the regional San Diego market,” he corrected.
She laughed and touched her forehead to his chest. “I’ve been waiting to kiss you for the past five hours. I was so nervous.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about.” He kissed the crown of her head.
“I don’t know how to do this,” she murmured into his chest.
“Do what?”
“Be in a relationship. Trust someone.” She looked up at him. “I’m horny. And terrified.”
He laughed, and she shoved at him good-naturedly.
“I’m scared, too,” Rico admitted. “I haven’t been very good at relationships in the past.”
Setting down Sancho’s carrier, he wrapped his arms around Jax, and they rocked gently side to side in front of his apartment door.
“We can learn together,” he told her.
“I have baggage.” She pressed herself closer against him. “Bad, terrible baggage. ”
“That’s okay.”
They continued to rock. “We’ll go at your pace,” Rico promised her. “When you’re horny, I’ll take care of you. When you’re terrified, I’ll take care of you then, too.”
She lifted her eyes up to him. He didn’t see the usual sarcasm in them or the steel of her armor.
“I’ll take care of you, Jax.” His voice grew husky.
“Why?” she whispered.
“Because you make me the man I’ve always wanted to be.”
She made a sound.
“Was that a sniffle or a laugh?”
“Both?” She snuggled her face just below his neck. “That was the most beautiful and cliche line I’ve ever heard. Now let’s drink wine and go to bed.”
Uh, yes, please!
Laughing, Rico unlocked the door, and they tumbled inside together. A moment later, the door opened again, and Rico grabbed Sancho’s carrying case.