I’ve been licked by a lot of animals in my life, including cats,dogs, cows, anteaters, giraffes, and chimpanzees, but this is the first time by a goat. And it’s not an experience I’d care to repeat. It doesn’t feel pleasant, especially on my face.
Gah. I must’ve landed in the petting zoo. I feel the muscles in my back scream in protest as I sit up slowly. The goat isn’t the only animal I’ve attracted. A couple chickens, potbellied pigs, and a pony watch me in amusement too.
The goat bleats again, jumps off the hay bale I’m half sitting, half lying on, and trots over to the other side of the enclosure. I’ve never been so glad to see hay. It must’ve broken my fall and saved me from hitting the concrete. Being mindful of the sharp blades of the skates, I bring my knees to my chest and scoot myself so I’m fully sitting.
“Ava!” Fernando shouts. Still in skates, he runs toward me, breaking away from the three workers dressed as elves blocking his path. In an instant, he’s kneeling by my side, his eyes creased with worry. “Are you okay? Try not to move too much. A medic is on their way.”
“I don’t need a medic. I’m stiff, and I’ll probably have a lot of impressive bruises tomorrow, but the only thing that’s injured is my pride.” My eyes rove his body. He’s still pale, but some color has returned to his face. “What about you?”
“I’m bueno,” he says quickly, clenching his jaw and glancing back toward the elves. “I would’ve been here sooner, but the petting zoo workers didn’t want me back here until the medic cleared you.”
I nod in understanding. “I’m sure they were just doing their jobs.”
“Still, even if that’s the case, they should’ve let somebody back here. What if you were bleeding or needed CPR? The time they wasted arguing with me could’ve made all the difference if the situation were serious.” He continues ranting about the basics of first aid and how the petting-zoo elves need to be retrained.
My brain zones out. Hearing how concerned he is about me adds to the list of qualities I find extremely attractiveabout him. Dylan would be hands off. He would’ve been too worried about being sued for doing something he wasn’t supposed to.
Fernando remains with me until a man in a bright-yellow vest and pants approaches us. He removes a backpack and asks me a series of questions in rapid Spanish. Everything he’s saying is jumbled in my brain. Fernando jumps in and acts as my interpreter.
After a quick evaluation, I’m deemed fit enough to leave the area under my own power, but advised to rest. Fernando promises the man I will. By this point, we’ve attracted quite a bit of unwanted attention. There’s a horde of people lined up around the petting zoo, staring as if we’re the main attraction, not the animals.
“I hope nobody caught my fall on video,” I murmur.
“It happened so quickly that I doubt anyone did.” Fernando stands and brushes stray pieces of straw off his jeans. He grimaces as he, too, takes notice of our unwanted audience. “Do you want me to carry you? It’ll make for a quicker escape than you walking in your skates.”
I sigh. As much as I’d rather walk on my own, he’s right. “Yes, please. The sooner we’re out of here, the better.”
He helps me stand, then reaches one hand under my legs and places the other around my back, cradling me to his chest. I loop my arms around his neck. If my back weren’t so sore, I’d be enjoying this more. But right now, all I can picture is taking a nice, long hot bath back at the hotel.
We end our visit to Madrid earlier than expected and catch the first train back to our home base of Toledo. Throughout the ride, we’re silent, each lost in our own thoughts, staring out the window at the rapidly darkening sky. I think about how much I enjoyed spending the day with Fernando until my Humpty-Dumpty moment.
When I was in his arms earlier today, I didn’t want to let go. Iwanted to stay there and be cared for by him. With each passing mile on the train, as I relive the moments we’ve shared together throughout this trip, I realize that I’ve started falling for Fernando.
I steal a glance at the man sitting next to me. He’s leaning his elbow on the tray table, head propped up on his hand. His eyes are closed, and a soft snore escapes, making my lips twitch.
Fernando is my friend, but I’m craving more. I don’t want our relationship to be fake. I want it to be real. I want to go on dates and become one of those happy-go-lucky couples you might see in a Disneyland commercial. Except that’s the last thing he wants.
After we arrive back at the hotel, I enjoy my long-awaited soak in the tub, then listen to the soothing voice of my favorite audiobook narrator in bed. The exhaustion of the day has caught up with me, and it doesn’t take me long to drift off to sleep.
Knock, knock.
I awake with a start, scrubbing my eyes with my hands as I sit up. The red glowing numbers on the clock next to the bed read eight p.m. The knock sounds again. Leaving my nice, warm cocoon, I pad over to the peephole and stare out to see a nervous-looking Fernando. “Hey,” I say opening the door.
“Hi.” He waves with one hand, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “I, uh, brought you dinner.” He holds up a large paper bag. “I wasn’t sure if you’d eaten. I thought we could share a meal together, but, um...” His voice wavers as he realizes I’m in my pajamas. “I’ll just leave this with you.”
As tired as I am, my stomach grumbles as I catch a whiff of cheese, onions, meat, and spices. “What did you bring?”
“It’s nothing fancy. Just some street tacos, chips, and fresh guacamole.”
“Food is the way to my heart. Especially when it’s tacos. Come in, we can eat together.” I pull the door open wider. “My stomach says food first, sleep second.”
His steps are slow and measured. He gingerly places the bag onthe round table by the door and clears his throat. “Ava, about earlier, I’m sorry for everything.” His voice is gravelly and raw.
“For what?”
“You crashing into the wall. It was all my fault.”
“It wasn’tallyour fault.” I rub a sore spot on the back of my neck. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. If I had, I would’ve seen the wall.” I leave out the part about not knowing how to stop. I don’t want to make him feel any more guilty.
