“I’d like that,” I say and lead him over to the bale seat, He sinks down onto it and I join him. I half turn towards him. “I have an idea.”
I reach for his hand, holding it between mine.
“What’s this grand plan of yours?” he asks. His tone is light and I take a deep breath. I don’t feel prepared to say this but I need to.
“I’m leaving tomorrow, probably today now. I don’t want this to be goodbye, Simon. It’s probably crazy to say this but it doesn’t feel like only a few days since I met you. You’ve made me feel in a way I never thought possible. You’ve lit a fire in me I can’t extinguish, nor do I want to.”
I stop, holding my breath, waiting for his reaction.
“I feel it too,” he says quietly. “Earlier today, I wasn’t going to come to watch you play. I told myself it was pointless as you were leaving, but when the time came, I couldn’t stay away. I had to be there. I don’t understand it, but it’s the truth.” There’s a sadness to his deep blue eyes and I squeeze his hand.
“Remember I told you that Gabriel was setting up a new equestrian centre? It’s going to have a spa, as well as a bar and restaurant. I know Gabriel is looking for a chef, so what if you came with us?”
For a brief moment hope flares in his eyes before they darken again.
“What does Gabriel say?”
“I haven’t talked to him yet, but he likes you. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“I see.” He withdraws his hand from mine and shoves it with his other between his knees. I feel the loss as if he’d ripped it straight from my heart. He looks at me.
“Andrés, I appreciate you trying to help, I really do. But I don’t want a job because it’s done as a favour for someone. I want it because I’m a good chef and deserve it.”
“You’re a brilliant chef,” I blurt out but he just gives me a small sad smile.
“Thank you, but I’ve put my trust in people before and I’ve been burned. I need to do this on my own. Please understand that.”
The sad fact is I do understand him, as much as it causes me pain. “What happens now?”
“You go to England,” he says. “I’ll finish my contract here. If Gabriel is still looking for a chef and it looks like the right job for me, I’ll apply. But I don’t want any favours or special treatment. I have to know I’m worthy of it.”
His determination is one of the things I admire about him, one of his great qualities.
“What about us?” I ask and this time he takes my hand.
“That’s the other part. I feel a connection to you, Andrés. It feels like more than an infatuation based on a few great days and awesome nights. But I need to know that it is. If what we have is special, it’ll survive a few weeks of separation. If not, then it’s been amazing.”
A hole opens in my chest, not helped by the knowledge that he’s right.
“How are you so wise?” I ask.
“Well, I haven’t had the advantage of being a playboy.”
“Hey!” I say, but I see his smirk. I lean forward and kiss it right off his face.
“Will you still stay here with me now?” I ask when we break from making out.
“Of course,” he says, tucking himself against me, and I pull a blanket around us to keep warm. “I want to make sure my sweetheart is alright.” He nods towards Chispa.
I look at him and the smirk is back. I roll my eyes at him. What we have is special, I know it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SIMON
Something hard nudges my hip and I awake instantly. Only to find myself face to face with a large horse looming over me. Chispa. She shoves her nose into my hip again, her teeth pulling at my coat.
“Hey! Stop that,” I exclaim and try to push her away. I sit up and ease the stiffness in my neck, wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth where I’d fallen asleep against Andrés. He stirs and blinks as he opens his eyes.
