Page 47 of Don’t Tell Me Who To Love

Aisha looked back towards the van. Nicolás approached with his guitar, behind him the others with the board and drum. She wished she could run into the night with Gabi. “I will be busy until late,” she said.

“You don’t mind if I stay here all evening, do you?”

Aisha laughed. “It would be impossible to stop you. And, no, I don’t.”

Gabi leaned back, and Aisha felt assessed and admired as they set up their stage and started to dance. Every time she caught Gabi smiling, it was the most delicious feeling and soon, it numbed her troubled thoughts and allowed her dreams of love to set her free. And for those few hours, where her imagination ignited every movement, every sensation her body desired, she knew what it would be like to be touched by Gabi.

As they packed away, Gabi approached. “Will you come for a drink with me?” she asked.

Aisha turned towards Nicolás. He was watching her. Fuck him. She smiled. “We’re going to Casa Torra.”

Gabi looked towards the men and back at Aisha. “Okay, maybe another time.”

Perhaps Aisha should be more cautious with Nicolás around, but she wasn’t ready to say goodnight to Gabi. Surely, there was no harm in a conversation, and especially since Mama had invited Gabi to the Fiesta celebrations and was therefore familiar with who Gabi was should he decide to say something to Mama. “Meet us there.”

Gabi shoved her hands in her pockets, shuffled her feet, and glanced around. “I don’t know. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“Follow the road past the church.” Aisha pointed. “Take the first left and it’s the first bar you come to. It’s easy to find. Casa Torra. We’ll be there soon. Please say you’ll come.”

Gabi nodded. Aisha stole glances in Gabi’s direction as they packed away.

“Who is that?” Nicolás asked.

Aisha had to quash any inquisition, and there was only one way to do that. “She’s a friend. Mama has invited her and her nana to our house.”

Nicolás raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

“Because they are good people, our people,” she said. Aisha couldn’t be sure of the truth, but Estrella had talked about spending time with a man called Juan, panning for gold in the river, and he was most likely to have been a gitano.

He nodded his head and slowly smiled.

“Gabi is going to come for a drink.”

He laughed. “I have no wish to indulge in women’s talk tonight. I feel like celebrating.”

He was high on their future engagement. The line that had separated her from Nicolás before, as friends, had been clear. Being promised to him, the line had shifted, and she was more accountable to him. If she married him, which she had no intention of doing, there would be no line at all, and she would be bound by his word until death parted them. “You promised,” she said.

“Our secret,” he whispered. He pressed his finger to his lips.

Aisha shuddered at the thought of him. She walked through the street thinking about Gabi. She spied her as they entered the bar and went straight to her table. The men went to the bar, laughing and talking, and she was glad to be rid of them.

Gabi motioned to the glass of Rioja on the table. “I didn’t know what to get you.”

Aisha sat opposite her and took a sip of the wine. “Thanks.” She felt alive with the dizziness of being close to Gabi, and every bubble that popped filled her with joy.

Gabi smiled. “It’s nice in here.” She looked around. “Busy, but—”

“Yes.” Aisha checked to see the men were occupied.

Gabi followed her gaze. “Who is he? The man who plays guitar?”

“Nicolás.”

“Is he related? He seems very protective of you.”

Gabi’s frown deepened and her eyes narrowed, and it was clear she hadn’t warmed to him. Why should she? Aisha had a good idea what he would be thinking, and guilt pricked her conscience. “He is.” She sipped her drink. “He married Esme. We’ve danced together forever. He’s like a brother to me.” She took another sip of wine to settle the discomfort from not being entirely open with Gabi about his intentions to marry her. Firstly, no matter what he thought, she wasn’t going to marry him, and secondly, she didn’t want to raise something that might scare Gabi away. And it wasn’t a conversation for this time or place. Still, she found it hard to look Gabi in the eye without feeling as though she was deceiving her.

Gabi glanced towards him and back at Aisha and took a slug of her drink. Her tight-lipped smile revealed the discomfort that Aisha felt. Perhaps she shouldn’t have invited Gabi to join them. “How was your day?” Aisha asked and smiled.

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