Page 50 of A Discovery: Love and Other Things

Teatime was an afternoon tradition at our site: hot black tea with a ton of sugar and flavored with fresh mint. The entire crew gathered under the tent when the sun was at its brightest and sipped their tea while chatting.

I partook in the custom but rarely finished my cup because even though it was delicious, I would just break out into a sweat the more I drank.

Angela and Sean were in the corner talking quietly as they enjoyed their drinks. They had been spending a lot of time together, and I could sense something was blooming between them. I had asked Angela if she was interested, but she’d just responded with an exaggerated, “What?!” and wide eyes. It looked like I would have to revisit the question next week.

My eyes wandered to James, who was sorting through a utility basket as he exchanged words with Mo. They must have been checking the tools to see what needed to be discarded and replaced, based on the pile of worn equipment in front of them.

His gaze caught mine, and I instantly felt my cheeks heat—and not from the tea. A faint smile spread across his lips before he turned back to his task with Mo.

“Thinking about drinking a soda instead?” Felipe took a seat next to me on the ground with his cup in hand.

I turned my head abruptly and a loose tendril of hair fell across my forehead. I smiled. “You know me too well.”

“What’s the first thing you’re going to eat when you get back home?” he asked.

I tried to brush the hair away, but the sweat on my forehead kept it glued to its spot. “Hmmm...that’s a hard one.” Food in Egypt was wonderful, and the flavors were so vibrant, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t homesick for the food from home. “I’m gonna go with tamales!”

“Oh, that’s a good one!”

The stray hair slid down to my eyes on a stream of sweat, and I swiped at it again with my forearm. “What are you going to eat when you get home?”

“That’s easy. My mother’s paella,” he replied confidently. “I miss chorizo.” All things “pig” were forbidden in Egypt.

I chuckled, drawing the jealous glare of our mentor.

With suddenly nervous fingers, I reached for the rogue hair that wouldn’t sit still.

To my surprise, Felipe reached out and tucked it behind my ear. “There.” His gentle smile twisted my stomach in an unsettling way.

“Oh...um...thanks!” I fingered the tucked away lock anxiously as if to erase his touch.

CLANK.Metal on metal. James stood over a shovel which I assumed he had slammed onto the pile of tools.

He started for us, stalking through the tent like a bull who’d just seen red.

Oh, God. Here it goes!

I locked eyes with him and widened mine, warning him to stop. He halted on the spot, crossing his arms across his chest.

I refocused my attention on Felipe, who was still smiling at me warmly and oblivious to the bull who was ready to charge him.

Now was the time. I just wished I didn’t have to have this uncomfortable talk at work.

“Look, Felipe. I love spending time with you, but I want to make sure we’re on the same page. You’re a really great person, but I’m just not in a place where I want to be anything more than friends with a guy.”

He lifted his hands in the air. “I totally get it. No need to say more. I was hoping you’d change your mind the more time we spent together, but I hear what you’re saying.”

I felt even more guilty for turning him down now that he’d taken it so well. In another universe, Felipe would have been the perfect guy for me. But in this one, I was more into the fuming ogre who looked just about to blow a fuse only feet away. “You’re not mad?”

“A little disappointed, sure. But not mad. I appreciate your honesty.”

“Thanks for understanding.” I smiled.

I watched as James’s anger cooled from a rolling boil to a bubbling simmer before he headed back to play with his little toys with Mo. For a grown man, he could be such a child.

***

Two hours and half of a bottle of water later, I set to work inside of the temple to inspect the hieroglyphs again in search of any clues as to who was responsible for the monument.

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