She dried me off and put my robe on, kissing my forehead before brushing my hair. “Vera, honey. I can move some ligaments, you know? I’m not paralyzed.”
She laughed. “Maybe we should go again. If I didn’t do a good job.”
I turned around and smiled at her. “Oh you did a good job, I’m sore and tired and so relaxed.”
“Bien. Either way, you’re my princesa and I want to take care of you.” She continued to brush my hair and I let her. What was I supposed to say to that? She wanted to do something for me, so I let her, as if she hadn’t done enough for me already.
We decided to keep the robes on and sit on the patio with a glass of champagne. I wanted to watch the sunset, but I wanted to be comfortable and not go anywhere. Vera fully supported that idea and insisted we cuddle up on the patio.
We were currently sitting with my legs in her lap and she was giving me the best foot massage I’d ever gotten.
“What are you thinking about over there?” she asked. I had the biggest smile on my face and my eyes were closed, head tilted back and completely feeling blissed out.
“Just how amazing this trip has turned out to be. I don’t want to go back home, yet. My house is a little lonely, you know? Maybe I should get a dog or something.” I shrugged
It was true. The entire trip had been perfect, and I’d gotten used to falling asleep and waking up next to Vera. I didn’t think it was even close to time to ask her to move in, but the thought had crossed my mind. I knew it would be different than vacation living together, and I didn’t think I was really ready for that. But I was tempted.
She smiled. “You should. They’re a lot of responsibility, but I think you can handle it. You have a home office that looks amazing now. You’re welcome, by the way. So you can be home when they need you. And I could also keep you company. I’m not a dog but I can be one if that’s what you’re into.” She winked.
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. “Hard pass. But I do like the idea of you on all fours.” I busted out into laughter when she widened her eyes.
After that, we just sat there for a little while, drinking our champagne and spending time together. It was so nice, but for some reason I started thinking about my family.
Spending time with Vera’s abuela and having her always talking about her family, it made me miss them more and more.
“Hey,” she said softly. “Come here.” She helped me sit up and I snuggled closer to her. “What’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours? I can see your thoughts going a million miles a minute and you look far away.”
I gave a sad smile. “Sorry. I was just thinking about how much I miss my parents. We talk every week, but it’s just not the same, you know? They’re on the other side of the country and it’s not as easy as I’d like it to be to go visit them.”
She squeezed me and kissed the top of my head, causing me to close my eyes and just feel her embrace mixing with the evening breeze.
I was in big trouble. The feelings I’d tried to hide away and pretend didn’t exist were growing stronger and stronger. The more time I spent with her and the more things she said or did, the more I found myself wanting to be around her all the time. She’d come into my life and completely changed how I viewed the world. Until that moment, I hadn’t regretted leaving that morning. Now, I’d wished I’d stayed to see what could’ve happened.
“I’m sorry, princesa. Where are they now?”
“They live in Maine. My mom is a traveling nurse, and my dad is a truck driver. He got a job offer there ten years ago, and has stayed ever since. I wanted to plan a trip out there for Christmas, but we’ll see.”
“Wow. That is far. Hopefully you can make it out there. I’m glad you still keep in touch, though. I don’t know what I’d do if my brothers or abuela lived that far.”
I absolutely loved that family was a priority for her. It was super important to have a support system, especially being a queer woman and working in a man’s field. Truthfully, I loved a lot of things about her.
We continued talking about our family dynamics and she told me about how her abuela got sick when she was in high school. She admitted to dropping out to take care of her, but when things got better she went to get her GED and got some on the job training.
“I’m incredibly proud of you. You stepped up for your family. Then you didn’t quit and went back to continue your education and better yourself. That is amazing, Vera.” I leaned over to kiss her, wanting her to believe me.
When we parted, she smiled, pushing my robe off my shoulder and placing a soft kiss there. I shuttered and she pulled away, teasing me.
“It looks like your robe is having trouble staying on. Let’s go inside and I’ll fix that for you.”
She stood up and took my hand, not giving me a chance to say no. As if I would’ve anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
VERA
We didn’t join the mile high club on the flight home like I’d hoped, but I did get to hold her leg and kiss her, so it was still a great flight.
When we got home, we’d gone our separate ways for a few days. We both needed to catch up on sleep and work things. Life had gotten a little crazy, so we hadn’t seen each other for almost a week.
