Ava: See you soon, Prince Ali.
“Even though it was a ton of work, you made Mamá happy. She’s always wanted a daughter to spoil, and you’re the closest she’s come,” Fernando says as he opens the gate to a restaurant right off the beach.
“I just hope we don’t break her heart when we split up. I was thinking maybe we should wait for you to make that announcement once you’re back in the States.”
We select one of the tables on the patio. A waiter comes out with some water and bread.
“I think you’re right. For once in my life, it’s been fantastic not to have to worry about being set up by the tías.”
“Don’t get too excited. My Spanish may not be great, but it looked and sounded to me like your aunts were looking for ways to get us to spend more time together so you can hurry up and propose to me.”
He groans and opens the napkin with the silverware and places it on his lap. “At least we can escape to Barcelona tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Your hair looks nice by the way,” he says. “I mean, it always has, but I like it when you wear it down.”
My cheeks warm as I run a hand through the ends of my hair. One of Mamá Alvarez’s appointments this morning was at a salon. I felt awkward standing around waiting for her and agreed to a haircut. As loath as I am to admit this, it was relaxing to have the hairdresser massage my scalp as he washed it, trimmed it, and gave me a few lowlights.
When I saw the end result in the mirror, I couldn’t stop smiling. I may have only had two inches taken off, but my hair felt so light. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to a glow up. I didn’t think Fernando would even notice. But now that he has, I may consider wearing my hair down more often.
We decide to split a platter of the local seafood offerings. I’m not the biggest fan of crab and shellfish, but since Fernando made the effort to bring us here specifically for those dishes, I bite my tongue and give in. “How was your skating session this morning?”
“It was great! My first coach, Mr. Rodriguez, was there. I can’t believe he’s still coaching. We spent a long time catching up.”
He mentions learning things like flying camels, triple toes, and a death spiral, but they’re all lost on me. I make a note to watch a couple SearchTube videos to start teaching myself a little more about his sport.
Not long after, the food arrives. I change tactics and casually slip in the question I’ve been dying to ask him since he returned. “And what about your breakfast meeting? How did that go?” I ask, helping myself to a piece of fried calamari.
“It was... good. Healing, in fact.” Fernando’s face softens. “Isabel’s changed. Our conversation today reminded me why I fell in love with her.”
“That’s good,” I lie. I reach for my water glass and take a long sip.
“We’ve arranged to meet again the day after tomorrow.”
I force a smile onto my face. “I’m so happy to hear that.”
“The only thing is, Ava, it means changing our plans again.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I can still take you to Barcelona tomorrow, but if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to clear my schedule for Isabel in case lunch runs long.”
“I understand,” I choke out. I knew it! It’s only a matter of time before he gets back together with her. Fernando’s heart has never been up for grabs. It’s always belonged to her. That’s the real reason he never wanted to be in another relationship. It’s romantic. But it doesn’t dull the pain. I selfishly wanted him for me.
“You know what, Fernando, why don’t you plan to spend the rest of the week with her? A day might not be enough time for you guys.”
“Ava?”
“It might work out better for both of us,” I lie through my teeth. The tears are threatening to fall. “I won’t feel like I have to rush to see Barcelona. And you won’t have to rush your visit with Isabel. It’s a win-win.”
“But Ava...” His brow forms a deep V.
“Oh, you know what, it’ll also make our fake breakup easier too! She can take my place. You two have a long history together, so it’ll be believable if you explain to your family that you still love one another and wanted to pick up your relationship where it left off. You can say the breakup with me was mutual and there are no hard feelings.” I push my plate aside, not able to look Fernando in the eyes. “If we do it this way, you’ll even get your dad off your back.”
“Ava!” another male voice suddenly interjects. That voice. I sink lower into my seat, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Slowly, both Fernando and I turn. Leaning over the fence to therestaurant, wearing a black tuxedo and carrying a huge bouquet of roses, is Dylan.
“Is this a cosmic joke?” I whisper in shock. Fernando rekindles his relationship with Isabel and Dylan shows up in a tux? “How did you find me?”
He places a hand on the fence and vaults over it. The tails of the tux gets caught by a stray nail and rip. “Ava, I’m an idiot.” He kneels down at my feet. “And I’ve made a huge mistake. Rainy was never the right person! Everything she did reminded me of you. You’re the woman I love. Not her! Can you ever forgive me for being a world-class jerk to you? I need you in my life.”
My heart thumps rapidly in my chest. I scoot my chair back a few inches toward the wall. I pinch myself, but I’m not dreaming. Dylan hasmiraculously discovered that he “loves” me. “Why didn’t you say anything before you left Sequoia Valley?” I sputter.
