Page 43 of Out of Office

“When we leave here, do we have time to go and take pictures in that plaza? I want to write in my journal tonight. It’s been enriching to document my travels. And I know your thoughts on social media, but people have really been liking my tips for Black women travelers. Is it wild to say it excites me sometimes more than doing Tropics work?”

“Mmm-hmm.” That’s all I got from Adrián as the lady brought our drinks, setting them in front of us.

Okay. Something was definitely off. He’d jump on that comment any other day; he’d been encouraging me to lean more into my travel journaling passion. I’d even considered starting a blog. Maybe changing topics would snap him out of his trance.

“So, Ricard asked me to do some reconnaissance for that dude, the architect. At first, I refused, thinking they were a big-time, privileged person, but apparently, he’s from humble beginnings and Afro-Panamanian! Now I’m intrigued, and I emailed his old firm to see if they can put me in contact with him. It’s exactly what you and I were talking about that day...”

Adrián’s face went ashen at my words, and a cold finger ran from the back of my neck to the bottom of my spine.

“What’s wrong?” I murmured.

“Nothing. I was going to... I was... I need to tell you something before I move on.” Adrián cleared his throat, straightening on his chair.

Our relationship felt like an unattainable dream, but I thought we had time. I thought we were still basking in how different and unique it all felt between us.

“I’m bisexual,” Adrián said and took a scalding gulp of his coffee.

I guess this was when I had to say something, but I was perplexed. I thought...

“Yeah... I figured.”

“You figured?”

“Well, sometimes when we are together, you admire the same men I do...it’s not overt. It’s just a quick acknowledgment of beauty. Hey... I do it too. Then there is Julín.” I shrugged.

“Julín is gay, yes, but... I don’t have feelings for him.”

“I didn’t think you did, but him, on the other hand.” I turned my gaze to the plaza as night settled over the last vestiges of daylight. The hot cup felt warm in my hands, and I held on to it, attempting to tamp down my nerves.

“No, he doesn’t. I know everyone thinks so, but...he’s just overprotective.”

“And he needs to protect you from me?” I asked, hurt that his best friend saw me as a threat.

“No...to be honest, he thinks he needs to protect me from the world. It’s tough for me to explain...” Adrián’s supplicant gaze made me soften immediately, my hands extending on the table to feel connected again. It worked at the beginning, so why not now?

“Okay, I have never had to tell someone about my sexuality. It’s always implied, so I cannot imagine having to come out to someone. Please know that you’re safe with me. I see you, Adrián...” I grinned, and he leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss on my lips.

“There you are,” I whispered, then he took my mouth with sensual swipes of his tongue, the taste of his milky coffee the best I’ve ever tasted. Time stood still as the lamps outside the plaza turned on, and night blanketed everything. The cool breeze reached us as our kiss grew incendiary.

“Marry me,” Adrián gasped the moment our lips separated.

“Wait? What?!” A rush of adrenaline shot through me, my hands shook in Adrián’s large palms, and the prickle behind my eyes couldn’t be contained.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Genevieve Raymond. Life is too fleeting...that I know. I thought I had the rest of my life mapped out, but then you came with your powerful aura and dedication. Many men would have been intimidated, hell I was that first night, but in a couple of days, you started showing me the real you...and I was captivated. Captivated with your brilliance, sweetness, and burgeoning sensuality, with your reserved nature and your inquisitiveness. All the things that make you, you. With you, I can be still, I can be loud, I can be sexual, I can be—just me. And even though our paths are very different, the similarities make it all possible in my eyes. You make it all possible. Would you marry me?” Adrián shifted from his seat and dropped down on one knee. In my periphery, I could see the owner of the coffee shop holding Adrián’s cell phone, and it stoked me that he had actually planned this.

He had wanted to propose. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, but he’d ensured it was an intimate gesture, just for us. He’d taken the time to bring me to a place that reminded me of our first explorations together, ushering our short story to a new chapter. No public proposal, no great fanfare. Just him and me with his explanation of why he wanted to take this step with me. An explanation that resonated deep inside because he had also captivated me from day one. From his thoughtfulness, his courteous gestures, to the way he saw the world. His love for his family, and his care for me. Hard worker, goal oriented, but still deeply grounded. Self-aware and insightful. And oh so sensual. Handsome and just...

He got me.

With the backdrop of the plaza behind us, I accepted his pledge.

“I’ll marry you!” I shouted, even though it was just the three of us in the coffee shop. Tears streamed down my face, and everything looked blurry until Adrián kissed me again. When he pushed back, I saw the tears falling down his face too, and I wiped them with my thumb.

“This is my mother’s ring... Claudia had already married before they passed, and...”

He slid the warm gold ring on my finger, a twisted vine design with small glittering diamonds on the top. A bubble of air caught in my throat, and I couldn’t speak, so I did the only thing I could. I embraced Adrián, the race of our hearts meeting as we both cried in joy.

The walk to the hotel was a blur, and even though it tempted me, the three-course dinner he’d planned for us full of Afro-Antillean delicacies wasn’t enough incentive to convince me away from my goal. To get Adrián naked and in my mouth in record time.

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