“No, that’s not what I meant,” Lisa said, cupping her face with both hands. “What I meant was, how would you feel if I moved here permanently? If I looked for a job in Spain? I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days; I had to because of the New York job but I don’t want that job if I can be with you instead.”
Stella opened her mouth to speak, but too stunned to answer, no sound came from her lips. Lisa’s confession had caused a whirlwind inside her and she had to let it settle before she could think straight.
“Sorry. Is it too early for this conversation?” Lisa winced. “It probably is, but it felt like a good time to talk about it, since this job came up and I need to make a decision. It will take me a while to find something here if I find anything at all. But if you want me to stay, I’ll try.”
“No, it’s not too soon. I just assumed you didn’t want to stay in Spain, especially not in and around Benidorm.”
Lisa pursed her lips as she thought about that. “Benidorm has grown on me, and I really like Altea,” she said. “And now that I’ve been here a while and understand the language better, I think I could settle in Spain. I love the weather, the people, the culture and the food and I’m willing to give it a go, but only if you want that too.”
“Are you kidding me?” Stella’s eyes welled up as she pulled her into a long hug. “You don’t even have to ask me that, silly. Of course, I want you to stay. I’ve been fantasising about you saying that to me, but I never thought it would actually happen.” Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she laced a hand through Lisa’s hair and held her as tightly as she could. “I want you with me all the time. I love you.” She paused after the statement, but it only took a beat to realise that she’d never meant anything more. “I love you.”
Lisa pulled out of the hug, their eyes meeting in a loaded exchange. “I love you too,” she whispered, wiping a tear from Stella’s cheek. She chuckled as she looked down at the ice cream Stella was holding; it had melted and was dripping all over her hand.
Stella followed her gaze and laughed as she placed it on the edge of the fountain for the pigeons to eat and rinsed her hand in the water behind her. “You,” she said. “You really have a way of making me forget everything.”
57
“So, here she finally is!” A slightly younger and more feminine version of Stella came to greet Lisa when they returned from their sightseeing tour through the city. Despite her legs being tired from walking for miles, she felt incredibly energetic and alive after their talk.
“Hey. It’s so nice to meet you,” she said, returning the hug when Eléa embraced her. “You look so much like Stella.”
“I do? I thought I was much prettier,” Eléa joked, throwing her head back with laughter when Stella nudged her. “Hola hermana! How are you?” She fell around Stella’s neck, then mumbled something in Spanish before she stepped back. “How did you manage to find yourself such a beautiful girlfriend, huh? Is she blind or something?”
Stella shot a sharp reply back at her in Spanish, but she smiled and hugged her again. “You’re just jealous,” she said, taking Lisa’s hand.
“Nah-ah. I like men.” Eléa winked at Lisa. “I couldn’t live without a big—”
“Hey, no dirty talk,” María cut her off, and they laughed as she ushered them to follow her up to the roof, where a spectacular feast and two overexcited puppies were awaiting them.
“They’ve been eating all day,” Stella’s father said, stroking Butters, who was sitting on his lap. He put him down when Butters wagged his tail at the sight of Lisa, and he immediately ran up to her.
“Hey, little one, mummy’s back,” she joked and exchanged a soppy look with Stella, who picked up his sister. “I’ve missed them.”
“Yeah, me too. It’s going to be hard to let them go,” Stella said. They cuddled and kissed them before putting them down in the bed that they’d created from old blankets, and the siblings started play fighting, tumbling over each other.
“They’re so, so cute. I wish I could have dogs in my flat,” Eléa said. “You should keep them.”
“We can’t. It’s too complicated.”
“No, we can’t,” Lisa agreed, but she liked the ‘we’ part of Stella’s answer. She was in such a peaceful headspace now as she didn’t have to procrastinate over the job offer anymore. Her future was decided, it would be with Stella and that felt so good.
“That’s a shame. I would have loved to see them grow up.” Eléa gestured to the table. “Sit down, I hope you’re hungry. Mum made me slave away in the kitchen all afternoon. I peeled gambas until my nails chipped.”
“Oh no, that’s the worst job ever.” Stella chuckled and held up a hand. “But let’s face it; fair is fair. I had to do it last time you brought a boyfriend over. Where is Sandro anyway?”
“I have no idea. I haven’t seen him since last week when I threw a drink at him at that gypsy bar in Triana.” Eléa let out a dramatic sigh. “I caught him cheating on me.”
“Sorry to hear that. But I told you he was no good,” Stella said, raising her hands in defence when Eléa narrowed her eyes at her.
“Hey, I know I’m the younger sister but ‘I told you so’ will still result in a fist fight if you’re not careful; it’s not helpful.”
“Come on, girls, let’s eat in peace,” their father interrupted them. “Sandro is not worth spilling words over. He’s good for nothing,” he added in a mutter, pouring red wine for them.
“You’re right.” Eléa pulled out a chair for Lisa and took a seat next to her. “I just want to enjoy getting to know my new sister-in-law over a well-deserved dinner. I’ve worked hard enough for it.” She sniffed her hands. “Fucking shrimp smell just won’t fade.”
Lisa laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I would have helped if I’d been here.”
“I’m kidding. It’s so exciting to have another girl in the family.” The way Eléa said it made Lisa think she’d already been accepted as part of the family, even though she’d only been here for two days. The warmth and love these people exuded made her feel so welcome, and the constant playful bickering, especially between their parents, was hugely entertaining.
