Page 40 of Thiago
“We do not want to go down that road.” Thiago placed some lettuce in his mouth.
“Why not?” India asked with a laugh, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “You started us down this road.”
“Because I wanted to find out more about you, not divulge my innermost secrets.”
“Too bad, I want to hear all about your secret love. Were your feelings unrequited? Was there pining? Who was she?”
He took another sip of wine and then carefully placed the glass on the table. “I don’t know if it was love, but there was a girl in high school who I was certain I would marry. Her name was Kimberly. Her father was in the military, and one day they arrived, and then they were gone again. I was devastated. We stayed in contact for a while but eventually lost touch.”
“Maybe you should find her.”
“Years ago, I found out she is happily married with two children. I don’t think her family would appreciate me coming back into her life.”
She laughed lightly. “Probably not. What did you like about her?”
Thiago pondered the question for a few moments. “She was smart and never took shit from anyone. She stood up for other kids who were bullied, which told me that she was compassionate. And she was beautiful. Full lips, cinnamon brown skin, and long braids falling to her waist. She would put these gold sparkly things on individual braids. She was… magnetic. A goddess.”
“Do you have a thing for Black women, Thiago?” India asked in a teasing voice.
He chuckled. “One could say that, yes. I suppose that’s why I enjoyed my time in Brazil so much.”
His biological brothers had both ended up with Black women but over the years had dated women of all races and backgrounds. He, however, except for one relationship in distant memory, had always been drawn to darker-skinned women.
“By the way, it is not a fetish. It’s a preference,” he added.
“Interesting…” India said, tipping her glass to her lips.
The waiter arrived with the main course. Thiago had chosen a steak with a side of vegetables. India had opted for steak aswell, along with the restaurant’s famous roasted carrots with harissa and yogurt.
“Remind me of your Mexican and Colombian background again,” India said.
“Born in Mexico, moved to Colombia after my parents split, and my mother took us back to her country. I was glad when she sent us to live with my father permanently. My mother is not a bad woman, but she is not very maternal. I missed myabuelamost of all when we moved. She was more like a mother to us. She passed years ago, but I can still taste herarepas con queso.They were…” He kissed his fingertips. “The smell of cornmeal dough and the taste of the gooey cheese is a fond memory.”
“We were both lucky to have our grandmothers in our lives. I’ve never hadarepas, though. I’ll have to find a restaurant that makes them,” India said.
Thiago paused from eating. “No, absolutely not. You will not go to a restaurant. You need to taste the homemade version. I cannot cook, but I will ask Bruno to make some. His are delicious.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I insist. Do not argue with me.”
She smiled. “Yes, sir.”
Had she said that on purpose?
He watched as she continued eating, calm and composed, while need uncoiled in his gut.
Chapter Seventeen
After their conversation at the restaurant, India had new insight into Thiago.
He talked about his home life and growing up in a blended family after he and his brothers moved to the States and his father met and married his stepmother. The transition had been difficult at first, mixing cultures, and of course, there was his struggle with the language when they started school. But eventually, he grew to love his stepmother, his new siblings, and the life they had embarked on in Georgia.
As they strolled through the main doors of her apartment building, Thiago placed a light hand at the base of her spine. The ride up in the elevator was quiet, but India sensed tension in him. There was tension in her too—sexual tension which started as he drove closer to where she lived.
She unlocked and opened her front door. “Did you?—”
Thiago pushed her against the wall, and she immediately forgot what she was about to ask. The door slowly eased shut and enveloped them in darkness, with only the twinkle of lights from the surrounding buildings coming in through the living room windows.
