Page 109 of Wishing for La Luna
“That’s not anxiety-inducing at all.” My voice is dry, more than I intend.
She chuckles, taking the exit at full speed. Her nifty Lexus 350 handles the curve with smooth ease. “Not my intent. I want to know how you are. We’re heading to a safe and well-guarded area to walk and talk outside. You may see one or two celebs, but it won’t get out. It’s a safe space where people are not photographed or harassed.”
We go through a gate where we sign in and park. There are a few luxury cars in the lot.
I look at the entrance to the trail and exhale, my gaze fixed on the colorful forest with vibrant leaves on the trees and ground before me. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is. So…talk to me. How are you?”
I think of the last three weeks when I have been stuck in my office or my room, online looking for an apartment ahead ofMami’swedding. When I’m not doing any of that, it's even worse. I watch the concert feeds that Sel sends me, obsessing over every detail, every expression on Rio’s face, trying to decipher how he really is handling stuff. I try to sleep to avoid thinking, only to wake up early and pack or work on Morena & Miel stuff.
“Fine, I guess,” I finally say.
She says nothing, but I can feel her gaze burning the side of my head until I sigh.
“Thierry’s been busy, so I thank God for that. It keeps my mind occupied.”
She shakes her head. “He triggers so many memories of me in the trenches with Mateo; it’s wild. But I’m glad it helps you not think about it…unless he’s just a mask and you’re still thinking?”
“I think about…” I measure my words and shake my head. I can’t tell her.
“I’m not just Rio’s. I’m yours too.” She rips the Band-Aid off by saying his name.
I keep walking like the pain is not about to double me.
“What I’m trying to say,” she starts again, “is that I would never betray your trust. You’ve been cooped up for three weeks, and since Sel is away, I can sub. I’m a good girl’s girl.” She smiles.
“I do know that about you, but you’re no one’s sub.”
“You said it.” She shrugs, and we laugh.
“I’m trying, Maeven. I’m waiting for the day when I don’t have to fill every second of my life with something to do so I don’t miss him.”Or no longer fill my nights with his performances.
She waves me on, and I continue.
“I don’t get it. We weren’t together all the time, but I miss him like a limb. It’s like the time I had my finger in a cast and couldn’t use it. It was there, and it hurt, but I couldn’t move it.” I blow out a breath. “When I have a minute to breathe, I wonder what he’s doing or if he’s okay.”
“Well…” she says, “you know what he’s doing. You got your enforcer infiltrating the camp.”
She means Sel, and it makes me smile.
“She’s there for Tito. She’s so in love.” And even my heart smiles for her because I love to see her happy. Though Sel tries to sound matter-of-fact about it, the truth is she’s giddy when she talks about Tito.
“Main objective, yes. But we both know she plans to keep an eye on Rio. I think part of him knows it too, but Tito is happy, and he loves him like you love Sel.” She smiles too. “And that keeps an open line to you. And vice versa, right?”
“Yes,” I admit, because Sel reports everything she sees. “I worry about how he’s handling it inside. I wonder if he feels alone too, because…” I stop because my throat clogs, and I shake my head until it clears. “I don’t want to be someone else who abandons him.”
“You’re not. It didn’t work out then. It doesn’t mean it won’t later on when you are both ready. Normally, I’m so used to seeing breakups that I don’t blink, but you two hurt my heart. My comfort is that I know you’ll find your way back to each other as long as you both keep an open mind and heal.”
And there’s that feeling in the pit of my stomach—the same one I got when she called and invited me out last night.
“Why do I feel like you’re setting me up for something, Maeven?”
Her lips flatten. “Well, I?—”
We hit a windy curve, and two men walk toward us. One is very tall with an athletic body, wearing a matching tracksuit. His skin is a rich, beautiful brown, and his eyes are like piercing honey. He must be at least 6'4". The other man is shorter, but at least 6 feet tall, and has a slender build and a buzz cut.
“Maeven Tatis, imagine finding you here,” says the shorter man.
