Decking His Halls #5
Despite the chaos of the day, I find moments to mull over what he said.
I do believe him. I see it in the way he looks at me, the way he offers support, and the way he touches me when no one’s looking.
Touches that comfort, soothe, and inflame.
When my uncle comments on my weight, David shoots Tío a forbidding look and says, “Not in my house.” When one of my aunts has a meltdown over the consistency of the coquito, David runs a soothing hand down my back.
That simple gesture does more to regulate my nervous system than ten minutes of cyclic breathing ever could.
But nothing can resolve the dread I feel about spilling the beans to Nando.
I’ve been avoiding my brother all night, but he finally catches me as everyone’s digging into the wide array of dessert dishes.
“Got anything you want to tell me?” he says, casting a meaningful glance in David’s direction.
David comes over to us, his expression serious. “Let’s talk in my room. Slightly lower chance of interruption.”
Nando gives me an unreadable look as we follow David down the hallway. Once we’re in David’s room, the awkwardness of the situation grabs me in a choke hold.
“Maybe we should sit down,” I tell Nando. If I don’t get off my feet, I’m going to start pacing.
Nando narrows his eyes but sits on the edge of David’s bed. I plop down next to him, and David settles into his armchair.
This is it. Nando is going to make us choose.
Will he cut me out of his life if I stay with David?
Or will he force David to leave me alone to preserve their friendship?
Worst-case scenarios spiral through my mind, and my eyes fall on the angel in the snow globe on David’s dresser.
I just know Abuela’s nosy ass is watching us.
“Listen,” David begins. “We have something to tell you, and it might come as a surprise, but—”
“Quit stalling,” Nando cuts in. “Did you two finally get together or what?”
Silence falls, thick and heavy as a stage curtain.
I stare at my brother as realization dawns. “Fernando Anthony Hernández, you set us up!”
The corners of Nando’s mouth tilt upward and I want to smash that smug smile off his face with a pillow.
He shrugs, utterly unrepentant. “Look, aside from Iris, the woman of my dreams, you two are the people I love most in the world.” He points a finger at me.
“But don’t you dare tell our parents, because I’ll be forced to say they’re at the top of the list, which’ll be awkward for my future wife. ”
I roll my eyes. “Your secret is safe.”
David waves his hand at Nando impatiently. “You were saying?”
“Right. I knew you were both harboring a torch for each other, or whatever the hell the phrase is, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give you both a kick in the ass toward everlasting happiness.”
I gape at him. Who needs Santa when you have a meddling older brother? Still, this seems too good to be true, and I narrow my eyes. “You’re not… mad? You’re not going to make one or both of us choose between you and true love?”
David’s head jerks in my direction. “Love?”
“Why would I be mad when this was my idea?” Nando asks, bewildered.
“Noelia.” David gets to his feet and stalks toward me. “Did you just say love?”
“That’s my cue to leave.” Nando jumps up and heads for the door. “I’d say you have about two and a half minutes before someone comes looking for you.” And then he slips out, shutting the door behind him.
David drops onto the bed beside me and takes my hands in his. His eyes burn with intensity.
I squeeze his fingers and find the strength to put his mind, and his heart, at ease.
“I did say love.” I smile, seeing him as he is now, but also seeing the little boy he once was, and the teenager, and the young man. I’ve loved him, in some form or another, at all of those phases.
And I love him now.
“I had to make sure,” I explain, “that what I’m feeling isn’t just a lingering crush. That this is real and true and now.”
“And is it?” There’s trepidation in his voice, but also hope.
“Yes,” I say simply. “I love you. Now, as I am, and now, as you are.”
He strokes my cheek with his thumb. “I was worried it would take you longer. I was all set to convince you, even before we…” He glances at the bed. “You know.”
“Oh, I know.” But my grin fades. “I’m still scared you’ll think I’m too annoying.”
“I promise that won’t happen.”
“You can’t know that.”
“It hasn’t happened yet, and we’ve known each other for twenty-five years.”
“This is different.”
“Exactly.” He kisses my forehead. “This is better.”
And he’s right. It is.
Then he gets to his feet and pulls me with him. “Come on. Unless you want your entire family finding out about us today, we’d better get out of here.”
“Would it be so bad?” I muse as we head toward the door.
He stops. “What do you mean?”
“If they all knew. My parents were shockingly cool about Nando and Iris living in sin. Why not us?”
A blinding smile breaks over David’s face. He kisses me soundly, then pulls back just enough to ask, “I don’t suppose you have any mistletoe?”
My grin is as devious as the Grinch’s when he gets a wonderful, awful idea. “You bet your ass I do.”
He smirks. “Then let’s go put on a show.”
I picture my grandmother looking through the eyes of the snow globe angel, watching us like we’re her favorite telenovela, and clapping.
She always loved a happy ending.
And so do I.