Her Little White Lie (BWWM Romance) (5 page)

I played the words back in my head. Mikey had said, 'It's not a big deal,' and that friends 'get curious.'

That was all it was for him but I knew that in my heart it was a lot more. I would find it very hard to carry on as normal with Mikey and with each step I took away from his apartment, I wished that I could  run back to his arms.

8

It was just five days to Christmas. I'd avoided Mikey for days and I wondered if I could make it to New Year and not have to see him. I figured I could just avoid him and hope that the feelings I had for him would eventually fade and we could just go back to being best buddies again. Life was so uncomplicated then.

I kept blaming myself for telling that big lie about being engaged and needing time off for Christmas. If I hadn't lied then I wouldn't have needed Mikey, and Mr. Iglesias wouldn't have helped turn him into a male model and I wouldn't have gotten all hot and bothered by his transformation. Would I? Or would it just have been a matter of time before those feelings came out anyway?

It wasn't just physical, either. Yes, I'd seen Mikey at his physical best but there was more to it than that. I wanted to spend time with Mikey, as a friend as well as a lover. To discover what it would be like to be a girlfriend and not just one of the guys when I was with him. But it was clear this was all one sided and I just had to get over myself if I wanted him back as a friend. If I couldn't lose these feelings then I'd lose my best friend too.

I was leaving the hotel when I spotted Mr. Iglesias. He was singing to himself by the looks of it, as he walked along, looking up at the tall buildings surrounding us as the sun was sinking and evening was drawing in.

“Mr. Iglesias,” I called to him. “Going back to order your dinner?”

He seemed to jump from a daydream.

“Ah!” He exclaimed, opening his arms, his walking stick lifted high. “La Princesa Negrita! You finish work already?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Well come and join me in a coffee, maybe a little cake? I know a lovely place just a block away.”

I looked back at the hotel and the tall doorman nodding to the guest just walking down the stone steps in front of the hotel. Mr. Iglesias waved his arms.

“Oh, don't worry about protocol. You are off duty. I am off duty. Let's have coffee.”

He hooked my arm into the crook of his and walked me past the hotel on our way to this lovely place he knew. He was right, it was lovely and I never even knew it existed.

“So, Mr. Iglesias,” I said.

“Why not call me Edmundo? We are friends. Mr. Iglesias sounds like your college teacher or your boss.”

“Okay, Edmundo. I was just thinking, with all that walking around you do, you must have discovered so many little nooks and crannies around here.”

“The problem with nooks and crannies in New York is that they change so much. I discover one and then it closes down. I discover another and it gets bought out.” He laughed and took another mouthful of cake.

“My little indulgence once in a while,” he said, tapping his plate with the fork. “My doctor says I indulge too much but what is life if you don't live it to the full.”

“I suppose.” I put my head down and fiddled with my fork.

“¿
Que pasa, Princesa
? What happened, you been looking so sad these days.” He put down his fork and rested his chin on his hands.

“It's nothing.”

“It's love.”

“What?” I sat up and looked at him. “What are you saying?”

“That Mikey – where is he these days? What is he doing? Has he not picked you up after work lately?”

“He's tried but I've had to avoid him.”

“¿
Porque
?”

“Because I made a fool of myself in front of him.”

“I find that very hard to believe. What could you have done?”

“Well, we're best friends and I...”

“What, you want to be more than friends?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Well, not to him.”

“He just thinks everything is the same as before. I've tried to make myself feel like everything is just like before but my heart won't let me.”

“Trust your heart, Grace.”

“But he doesn't feel the way I do. I can't make him.”

“Maybe he just needs time for the feeling to come his way. It would be great if the raptures of love could enslave us and the ones we want to love us all at the same time. Have you tried pursuing him? It's not unusual these days for the woman to court the men. That's the modern way, isn't it?”

“Sometimes. But this time I know it would be wasted. Mikey knows how I feel and he made it clear how he felt. Friends to the last – that's all he wants for us.”

“But friends become lovers all the time. It may well happen for you and your Mikey.”

“My Mikey, that's a laugh.” I let out a fake laugh and thought for a moment that Mr. Iglesias had found it funny too, he looked like he was smiling.

Then I realized that his expression wasn't what I thought it was. His eyes had screwed up and he was grimacing, not smiling. I saw that he was clenching his fist and pressing it, hard, to his chest. He was wheezing and spluttering.

“Mr. Iglesias!” I jumped to my feet and held his arm as he struggled to his feet. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell forward on the table, everything on it went crashing over.

“Help!” I shouted to the bored looking boy at the counter. “Call an ambulance. He's having a heart attack.”

I tried to lay Mr. Iglesias down, but his body was heavy and he fell at my feet. I knelt down beside him, undid his scarf and opened the top buttons of his coat. I fanned him with a napkin as all the people in the coffee shop gathered around us.

“Is he
alright
?”

“What happened?”

And, “Oh my God!” was all I could hear.

“Miss,” the waiter knelt beside me. “The ambulance is on its way. They said five minutes.”

Fifteen minutes went by and eventually the medics arrived and bundled Mr. Iglesias into the ambulance. They let me in too, and I carried his fedora and walking stick. I sat opposite Mr. Iglesias, who was lying down and covered with a blanket. He looked over at me and smiled through the oxygen mask they'd placed on his face.

When we got to the hospital, they whipped Mr. Iglesias away and I tried to follow behind, but they wouldn't let me into the ER because I wasn't family. I sat outside in the hall and waited and waited.

About an hour later a skinny nurse came over to me.

“You Grace Danvers?”

“Yes.” I stood up, still clutching my friend's hat and stick. “Is he
alright
? Is he going to be all right?”

“He's asking for you.”

“But what does that mean?”

“It means he's fine and he wants to see you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I followed her down a corridor and into the last room on the right. Mr. Iglesias was sitting up and smiling, the color was back in his face.

“Mr. Iglesias, you had me so worried.” I bent to hug him and held on to him for as long as I thought was safe for someone who had just had a heart attack.

“I am fine, Grace, completely fine. Isn't that right, nurse?”

“We will discharge him but we're just keeping him for observation for the next few hours. If everything is back to normal, then there is no reason why he couldn't go home.” The nurse smiled and left us.

I sat next to his bed and held his hand.

“I feel sleepy,” he said.

“Then rest. Have they called your daughter?”

“My daughter?”

“Yes, Penelope. Your daughter in New York.”

He looked down at my hand on his. He had a drip attached to this hand so I moved mine.

“You did remember her number, right?” I continued. “If not, give me her address and I'll look it up myself.”

“There is no need, Grace.”

“So she's coming?”

“No, she will not come.”

“But why? You two have a falling out?”

“No, she will not come because my Penelope is not here. I mean... Penelope has passed away.”

I put my hands to my mouth. Then it occurred to me. Why did Mr. Iglesias always say that he'd come to visit her for Christmas? And, more than that, he told me once that Penelope and her husband were professionals with a three bedroom apartment, so if he were visiting them, then why didn't he ever stay there and not the hotel?

“Mr. Iglesias, when did your daughter die?”

“Six years ago.”

“But you've been coming to New York for six years and telling me you were spending Christmas with them, your only family in the world.”

“I know and in a way it was true. I have been with them...in spirit.”

“9/11. Am I right?”

“Yes. They only just moved to New York. I had one year with them in their apartment and the next year, I lost them both. I have no other family.”

I got up and held him close. This time I could not let him go.

“Grace. It is late. You should go home, have your dinner. They will look after me. Go.”

“Never, I'm staying here until they decide whether they're keeping you in or not.”

“It could be a long night. Please, Grace, if you're waiting, don't stay on your own. You understand? You need a friend to wait with you. Leave my stick and my hat. Go to the cafeteria and eat something and you can check in on me later. Promise me you will eat something?”

“I promise.”

I walked out of ER and headed for the cafeteria. I wasn't even sure it was open. In the corridor I opened my purse and pulled out my cell. There were at least twenty texts and unanswered calls from Mikey. I still had my cell switched off since leaving work.

I put it on and dialed M for Mikey. Another of our corny jokes that no one else would find funny but us. He answered straight away.

“Grace. Gracie. I been calling your cell, your apartment I even wanted to call you at work but I didn't want to get you in trouble. You've been avoiding me. I don't get it.”

“It's all right, Mikey. I've come to my senses now. I want my best friend back. That's what matters. Life is short and I don't want to push you away.”

“You could never do that. Where are you? At home? I'm coming over.”

“No, I'm at County General.”

“What! Are you sick? What happened?”

“It's not me, it's Mr. Iglesias. He had a heart attack and I'm waiting to see if they'll let him out or not.”

“I'm on my way.”

That was so typical of Mikey. He always came through for me in a crisis. I didn't even need to ask.

In no time, as I sat and waited in the corridors outside ER, I saw Mikey walking along the white, shiny floor. He was in tatty jeans and a thick, dark jacket. He had on a gray, woolen hat, pulled low onto his head and he had a half smile.

He sat next to me and put a paper bag on my lap.

“I bought you a sandwich. I knew you wouldn't have eaten and you need to keep up your strength. What have they said?”

“Well, he's sleeping now. It was only a mild heart attack but they just want to wait a little longer. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course.” He opened the paper bag and pulled out the sandwich which was wrapped in greaseproof paper. He undid the paper and held up a half sandwich for me to bite. I leaned over and took a large mouthful.