Page 37 of Mr Best Friend's Brother Grump

“No! I’m just really happy! I’m crying.” She sniffs loudly. “So, what I’m saying is… I know we had that conversation about how awkward it would be if you dated my brother, but it’s fine. It. Is. Fine. In fact, it’s more than fine! It’s wonderful!”

Listening to Kendra blather on, I’m speechless. Nathan called her from L.A. to tell her that he’s in love with me. I am about to burst through the ceiling with happiness. I gulp down a sob and squeeze my eyes shut to stem a flow of tears, but they leak out and I wipe them from my cheeks with my sleeve. Thank goodness I'm alone in the office.

“I know you have a whole lot to do and I’m so looking forward to partying with you. I just needed you to know, okay? This is the best news! My two favorite people in the world! Rosa, you rock.”

When I hang up, it takes me a while to calm my thoughts and keep it together. I can’t wait to see Nathan. Hearing Kendra so elated fixes a smile on my face and I buzz around for the rest of the day. I want to call him now, but I decide to wait until I’m at home and in a quiet place.

“Tres. Dos. Uno.” The fiesta crowd shouts in a raucous collective countdown and then the mayor cuts the ribbon, declaring the mural well and truly unveiled. A huge cheer goes up, so loud that, if there was a roof, it would have been blown away by the noise. Thankfully, it’s not raining. Kendra, who was standing beside me, throws her arms around my neck and squeezes me so tight I can hardly breathe. Then she holds my hands, and we jump up and down, howling with the exhilaration of the moment. Rob is standing a safe distance away, smiling at our unleashed emotions. He seems like a nice person: normal. And it’s obvious he likes Kendra. A lot.

I’ve been watching them, slyly, throughout the speeches and the unveiling ceremony. He was never far from her side and even put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. I think I’m going to see more of Rob with Kendra.

Nathan called me earlier to say his flight had been delayed from LAX, but he would be here as soon as he could. He had better get here soon, otherwise, he’ll miss the party altogether. And then he will face a very grumpy girlfriend. Did I just say girlfriend? Well, that is what I am now. We had the conversation, and he said a few things that made me cry. But most of all he said a few things that made me feel like the most important person in the world.

He asked me to give him a chance to prove himself. He asked me to be patient, but that he needed to make some changes. He didn’t want to go anywhere far away without me, so I had better have my passport ready and up to date.

“I can’t wait to see you,” he says from the LAX departure gate. “I hope you’re ready for a kissing marathon. Maybe after the fiesta we could go to the Empire State Building just to kiss in the elevator all night.”

“Yes, please,” I say, grinning away in my pretty pink love bubble where everything is beautiful.

“Alright, Rosa," says Nathan a little out of breath. He's walking and talking. "I’ve got to go. The plane’s boarding now… I love you.”

“What? I didn’t hear that last bit.” Happy tears are streaming down my cheeks.

“Rosa Martinez, you are the most beautiful woman in the world and… I. Love. You... Did you get it that time? People are staring now. I’ve got to go. I love you, okay?”

“Yes. Get here soon.”

Chapter 32

Nathan

Airports are maddening. Especially when you desperately want to be with your hot girlfriend. Did I say girlfriend? Well, yes, I did, and I feel so good about it. And I didn’t care when I said the three little words out loud in the departure lounge, and fellow passengers turned to stare. Let them. I’m in love with the most beautiful woman in the world and I want the world to know. It’s liberating. It really is. I feel wonderful. If I was only in New York now and not on the delayed flight from LAX. Never mind.

When the plane lands I charge like a lunatic to the exit. I only have carry-on bags, no need to wait at the carousel. I jump in the front cab at the taxi stand. My head is so full of Rosa, I don’t even strike up a conversation about sport to get the driver going on a rant. I sit back in the seat, willing the traffic to evaporate like mist. But it doesn’t. Red taillights of vehicles, murky with exhaust fumes, stretch out like a procession in front. We inch forward at a snail’s pace. The driver is playing reggae music. Bob Marley is telling me everything’s gonna be alright, which helps to soften my anxiety. But the realization that I’m going to miss Rosa’s event is causing my stomach to twist in knots. If I can’t even make it to something as important to her as the fiftieth-anniversary celebration of her community, then what does that say about me? I’m a chump. That’s what it says. She has put her heart and soul into planning this party, and I should be there to support her, and not in a cab.

I shake my head and look out of the window. Then we’re in the Queens- Midtown tunnel. I check the time again. If there are no more hold-ups, I can still make it for the speeches.

“Almost at there, sir. Which end of West Eighteenth?” The taxi driver interrupts my internal monologue.

“The far-end corner of Ninth Ave, thanks.” The cab slows to a stop outside my building. “Please, wait?" I say, grabbing my gear and darting out of the taxi door. "I’ll be two minutes.”

“You the boss. I’ll leave the meter running, but I may have to drive around the block if the cops move me on. Cool?”

“Cool. Okay,” I shout over my shoulder, as I race from the taxi and sprint to the building door with my swipe card already in my hand. Backpack, camera bag, and laptop swing wildly as I run. Up the in the elevator, down the corridor. I punch numbers in the keypad and I’m in my apartment. Dump everything just inside the door and I’m gone. No time for a shower. No time for a change into fresh clothes. Shut the door behind me and I’m out of the apartment and back down in the elevator. Thankfully the taxi is still waiting.

“Thanks man. Let’s go.” I collapse on the back seat.

“No problem, boss. Where to?”

The jubilant noise of music and laughter greets me when the cab drops me at the Cuban community center. I tip the driver who winds down his window to argue with me about it, telling me it's way too much, but I’m already across the street. I show the bouncer at the gate the ticket on my phone and I’m in. Inside, the party is cranked right up. I crane my neck and look for Rosa over a multitude of dancing revelers. A salsa band on stage plays with exuberance: a big horn section, guitars, bass, congas, and keyboard. Three women in sparkly red dresses and a man in a white suit sing into microphones in front of the band. The temporary scaffolding performance area is barely big enough to accommodate the number of musicians.

I sidle through the crowd of dancing couples trying not to get in their way, judging the trajectory of spin, and newly vacated space, every few paces. I step through to a vantage point near the bar away from the twirling dancers, and there’s Rosa, talking with Kendra and another guy. She sees me, smiles, and shouts out, but I can’t hear. Kendra turns to wave, and I make my way through the crowd towards them.

A few more paces and Rosa is in front of me. We stand looking at each other, breathing heavily, for a moment. Then I grab her and pull her into my embrace. She wraps her arms around me, and I hold her tight. The music flows around, and for a few minutes, the party continues without us, before Rosa raises her head and says, “You made it!”

We smile at each other, then I kiss her madly, deeply, passionately with all my heart, until we’re interrupted by Kendra who shouts, laughing, “Guys! Please. Enough already! This is a public place.”

I hug my sister and she introduces me to Rob. He seems nice: normal.

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