When he’s done fastening my coat, he untucks my hair from the collar and pulls my hands out so as to wrap his gloved ones around mine. We’re standing so close to one another thatI can feel the heat radiating off his body. So close I can see the flecks of gold in his dark irises. So close that I could count the light freckles dusted over the bridge of his nose and across his cheekbones.
“The snowboarding competition always takes place around your birthday. When you still lived here, Gaby would sleep at my place because you’d have your friends over at your house to celebrate and you were being too noisy.”
He gives his head a slow shake, a small smile threatening to split his face. He’s handsome when he smiles, but he doesn’t do it often. I can see that things are still weighing down on him, that he’s worried about a lot of aspects of his life, but I’m not giving up on him. I’ll help him find the love he once had for life.
“Sagittarius, huh?”
He scowls as we move forward. “Don’t tell me you’re into that astrology shit.”
“What? It’s fun. I like knowing people’s signs and looking at how their personalities match with their charts and all.”
“Well,” he prompts softly. “What does being a Sagittarius say about me?”
I tilt my head sideways, analyzing the faint line between his brows, the perfect smatter of dark hair on his jawline, the slope of his nose, the reflection of whiskey in his eyes. “I’m still trying to figure you out, Diego.”
His cheek twitches. We move forward again, but he doesn’t let go of my hands. “We’ll have to change that.”
The admission makes my heart skip a beat. He wants to open up to me? He wants me to see him? Diego is an enigma, a fascination I can’t stop thinking about. Layer by layer, he allows me to take hold of his mask and peel it off. Bit by bit, he gives me pieces of himself, but it’s evident that he wants to keep some things secret. I wonder why. Is it because he’s leaving and he doesn’t want to give me too much?
It’s probably better this way, anyway. Getting attached would be a recipe for heartbreak – for me, at least.
It’s our turn to order, and Diego asks for a crêpe with chocolate spread. “Do you want one?”
“No, thank you. I’ll get some hot chocolate.”
“Sounds good.” He keeps his attention on the lady making the crêpe. “Can you make sure you haven’t touched or manipulated the strawberries with your gloves, please?”
I look up at him, bewildered. He’s intending on giving me a bite of his food and making sure there’s no trace of strawberries because I’m allergic to them.
“You remembered?”
“I pay attention, and I listen to you, Alara.”
It’s such a small gesture, such a simple confession, yet it sets my bloodstream on fire. Am I so deprived of attention and craving for affection that I’d let his words affect me? Am I a fool for thinking he could be romantically interested in me? No, he’s only being nice because we’re constantly around each other.
Once he’s in possession of his crêpe, we step to the side and huddle under a heating lamp. I’m pressed to his arm, looking around and smiling at the sight of the sheer joy everyone emanates. The ambiance at Christmas time is one I always cherish.
“Ladies first.”
He brings the steaming hot crêpe to my mouth, and I take a bite, the sweet flavors bursting on my palate like a shot of happiness. Diego chuckles as a string of warm chocolate dribbles down my chin. He tears a glove off with his teeth, tucks it in his pocket, wipes my chin clean, and then sucks the pad of his thumb.
“You’re a messy eater,” he mutters, before taking a bite so big half of the crêpe is already gone.
“Accept me the way I am, or leave,” I tease.
He chuckles then pins me with a serious look. “Can we talk about the elephant in the room here? And don’t get all smart on me and say we’re not inside four walls.”
“Oh, come on. You could’ve let me have that.”
Dumping the empty carton, he ushers me toward the hot chocolate stand with a hand on the small of my back. This man finished off his crêpe in two freaking bites.
“I was so rusty,” I say.
“Rusty?” he echoes, puzzled. “I wouldn’t call what you just did rusty. You’re out of your mind, woman. That was seriously amazing, and you know it.”
The tips of my shoes are suddenly interesting. Hiding my smile, I accept his compliment. “Okay, ask away,” I relent as we get in line. There’s only three people in front of us.
He blinks, a bit lost in his thoughts. “I didn’t know you were so good at snowboarding.”
