Page 30 of One Year Ago in Spain
Matías laughed. “In the most innocuous, inoffensive way.”
She took him on a long loop around the park. Claire walked fast—another New York characteristic, he’d noticed—but on her, it was charming. She was so determined in everything she did, whether it was the hours she worked at the office or the desire to show him all the best of her adopted city. He knew she’d researched and made itineraries for both the Coney Island date and this one, and Matías smiled as he watched her take charge, flattered by how much she cared about his having a good time.
First, Claire took him to Gapstow Bridge for a beautiful view of the pond, where he couldn’t resist taking some pictures of her (much to her blushing embarrassment). Then they walked to a carousel, which Matías insisted on riding, even though Claire initially protested, saying it was an attraction for kids.
They went to Strawberry Fields—which Matías learned was named after the Beatles song, not the other way around—and then to Bethesda Terrace Arcade, with its gorgeous columns and arches and the yellow-and-blue patterned tiles on the ceiling that sort of reminded him of home.
There was another beautiful bridge, and then the Shakespeare Garden.
A Disney-like castle, with a viewing pavilion at the top of a winding staircase.
An Egyptian obelisk called Cleopatra’s Needle.
After several hours of exploring, Matías’s stomach growled. There was a concession cart not too far away, so he asked Claire, “Would you like some ice cream?”
“I’m always up for ice cream.”
He smiled as they ordered because Claire immediately asked for vanilla, and even though this was only their third date, Matías had already known that was what she would want. He, on the other hand, took a while chatting with the vendor and exploring all the available flavor options in the freezer case before settling on a chocolate-dipped pistachio toffee ice cream bar.
When he took out his wallet to pay, though, Matías frowned.
“Is everything okay?” Claire asked.
“Yes…it’s just that your bills all look the same. They’re uniformly a faded green—not a color I would have chosen—and also the exact same size. Euros have different colors and sizes for each denomination.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” Claire said.
“You will?”
“Of course.”
Matías could have done it on his own. It’s not as if it was difficult; he just would have been slower than with Euros. But he loved that Claire wanted to help, that she offered it immediately. She gave pieces of herself freely, and that was rarer than most people might think.
When she’d paid, they found a spot of grass under a tree with great, arcing branches and settled in to eat their ice cream.Matías devoured his in five bites, then watched, amused, at how slowly and carefully Claire licked her cone.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “Why are you staring at me like I’m another animal in the wild?”
Matías shook his head and tried not to smile.
“I see your dimples. What’re you laughing at me about?”
“Nothing. You’re cute, that’s all.”
She arched a brow.
He gave up and let the smile crack across his face. “You rotate your ice cream when you’re eating. It’s completely symmetrical now.”
She looked down at her cone and scrunched up her nose. “Huh. I had no idea I did that. I just didn’t want it to drip on me.”
“Looks like you’re succeeding. But would it make you mad if I didthis?” Matías darted in and stole a quick bite.
“Hey!” She swatted him away.
Now there was a distinctly unsymmetrical chunk of her ice cream missing. Claire squirmed a little on the grass.
“You hate it, don’t you?” Matías couldn’t stop grinning. “The fact that it’s uneven.”
She faked a pout. “It’s kind of ugly now.”
