Resplendent (9 page)

“Is that all I have to do to taste you?” He laughed, squeezing his eyes shut, and holding his hand to his stomach to control his laughter.

“That’s not what I meant, you pervert!” I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I pulled my face up to peek out from under my shirt, but Andres was sprawled on the floor with tears coming out of his eyes. I jumped on him and pressed down on his arms.

“You know what I meant, you ass!”

Andres grabbed me by the waist and began tickling me, which caused both of us to roll on the floor with laughter.

“BRAINSSS,” he mocked, while poking my side until I was gasping for air. “That’s how I want you, Peach, underneath me and gasping.” I could tell he was trying to be serious, but even he couldn’t do that. I finally pushed him off of me and wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

“You’re so embarrassing!”

“You’re so adorable.”

Lola came into the room and frowned when she saw us sprawled on the floor. “What’s going on in here?”

My already rosy cheeks turned a darker shade of red, but Andres saved the day.

“We were making bets on who would survive the zombie apocalypse.” He looked at me and grinned deviously. “I’m hoping it’s Savannah.” I knew he was smirking, but I pretended to be busy with the TV.

“All right,” Lola smiled. “Well, it’s almost that time, Andres. Carmin should be getting back as well. Her curfew is in an hour.”

He said okay and Lola added, “I’ll be in the living room watching a movie if you need me.” With that she walked away, and I poured us another shot, the laughter now having died down.

“My parents would have loved you, you know,” I said faintly and watched the glass slowly fill up.

“My mom would’ve loved you.” Andres scooted over to me and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear.

I couldn’t look at him in fear I’d start crying, so I cleared my throat. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, I just wanted to do it in person.”

“You’ve realized you’re madly in love with me and are thinking about proposing? I got to tell you, Peach, I’m flattered, but we’re a little young for marriage.”

I blinked and closed the bottle. “I’m serious.” I could see he was still staring at me and waiting for me to continue.

“I was accepted into BU.” Finally, I turned my head slightly to look at him.

He grabbed my hand, linked our fingers and paused, looking away from me before turning his gaze into me. “That’s great, Peach!” he said, his voice strained.

I inhaled a deep breath and ran my free hand along my pajama bottoms. “It is.” I nodded firmly. “It’s a full scholarship, the best deal I’ve gotten so far.” I brought my knees up to my chest. “So I had to accept.”

He smiled his genuine, boyish smile at me. “Of course, you should.”

He pulled his hand back and grabbed one of the shot glasses. “To beautiful, intelligent girls getting full scholarships.”

I found mine and smiled. “To ambitious, hardworking boys succeeding in their own business.”

We clinked and drank.

The TV cast a soft glow in the room when Andres grabbed the remote and muted the sound. He reached over to turn on the radio, lowering the volume so we could continue the conversation. Rearranging the comforters and pillows, he grabbed Carmin’s comforter as well and then patted the space next to him for me to lie down.

After we were situated, he dragged his arm under my neck and peered down at me and said, “You look sad. Why are you so worried about moving?”

“I’m going to miss you,” I said softly, my eyes slowly memorizing the curve of his lips and the five o’clock shadow on his jaw.

My eyelids fluttered when he trailed his finger along my cheekbone that had a slight blush. I was warm from a mixture of my confession and the liquor. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath as I thought back to all the nights that we had celebrated Taco Tuesday together. It had been fun to get competitive and bring in a new bottle of hot sauce. I also remembered the nights I hadn’t been able to sleep and he’d stay up with me, entertaining me on the phone.

“I’m going to miss you too,” he said gently in my ear. “But you’ll be back before we know it.”

I opened my eyes and turned my body to face him. My fingers followed the veins along his arm toward his wrist and back again. “Four years from now,” I whispered.

He tilted my face up with his finger and his eyes bore into mine. “And by then, I’ll have convinced you to be my girlfriend.” It wasn’t a question. He was simply stating a fact, confidently, the way Andres had always been.

“Yeah right, a lot can happen from now until then...” My voice trailed off, and I looked up at the ceiling and closed my eyes.
Who would keep him entertained now? Would someone else take my place?

“You think I’d meet someone better than you?” Andres scoffed. “Not a chance.”

“Mmhmm,” I said, not believing a word he was saying.

“Look at me,” he said and I turned my face. His eyebrows were pinched together, and his lips were drawn in a hard line. “Not a chance in hell, okay?”

I nodded but didn’t say anything.

He leaned his head forward, and I closed my eyes when he pressed his warm lips to my forehead. Saying goodbye to Andres would be like saying bye to the safety net I’d found after losing my parents. It would be hard to leave him, but even harder, was the fact I’d be all alone in a new home.
Again
.

“I sometimes wonder what would’ve happened if I would’ve been in the car with them that night,” I pondered.

He pressed his finger to my lips. “Don’t.”

“Why?” I asked and began to sit up. “Why do people
always
say that?”

“Because you can’t -”

“I know. I know. You can’t change the past.” I exhaled and looked out the window, noticing the moon was full. “I know that,” I repeated, calmer. “But I
still
wonder. Why can’t I wonder?”

He sat up and placed his arms across my shoulders. “Because everyone that knows you doesn’t
want
to wonder about not having you in their lives. I sure as hell don’t want to wonder where I’d be tonight if I wasn’t here with you.”

“You’d be just fine.” I shrugged.

“I would be fine, yes. I’d be alive and going through the motions. But I wouldn’t be great. I wouldn’t be better.
You
make me better, Peach.” He kissed my shoulder and I leaned into his warmth.

“My parents should have stayed alive so they could make me better.” A small tear escaped, and I quickly wiped it away. I just wanted to stop talking about this.

He ran his fingers through my hair, pulling the strands behind me and leaned to kiss the side of my face. “They already have.”

I lay back down and pulled his arm so he could follow. When he wrapped his arms around me, I closed my eyes and breathed him in.

A softness in my ear woke me up, and I slowly opened my eyes, the room encased in darkness.

“Peach, wake up.” His warm breath against my eyes caused me to shiver. I snuggled further into him, seeking his body heat. He chuckled and squeezed my waist. “Wake up, sleepy head. It’s 3:00 in the morning.”

That woke me right up. My eyes popped open. “What?” I asked groggily.

He grabbed my forearm. “Relax, Lola isn’t mad at you.”

I rubbed my eyes and stifled a yawn. When I looked around, I noticed everything had been turned off, but I could hear murmuring down the hall.

“Carmin isn’t home yet, and Lola’s worried. I woke up to her yelling on the phone.”

I kicked off the covers and we both began to get up. Andres held my hand, and we walked down the hall, pausing when we entered the living room.

My godmother was sitting on the edge of the loveseat with her cell on her lap and her head in her hands.

“Todo bien, Madrina?”
I asked.

When she looked up, her eyes were bloodshot. “Oh, I’m sorry for waking you both up. Carmin finally answered, she’s on her way.” Lola held up her phone and snorted. “Or that’s what she said.”

Getting up, she blew her nose and walked over to hug me. “Thank God you’ve never given me a hard time.” She rubbed my back and sighed before pulling back. “Andres, I think you should probably go home now.”

I couldn’t help but squeeze his hand. I wasn’t ready for him to go home but didn’t have the heart to argue with Lola after seeing how distraught she was. Carmin was going to be grounded for life. Or at least for the week. We had spoken about this earlier today. I’d told her to be careful. She could still party or sneak in a drink. Heck, she could even have sex. How many times had she told me that she could get a lot done in those motel rooms that charged by the hour?

I heard Lola’s bedroom door close behind her, and I looked up at Andres.

“Let me help you pick up,” I said solemnly. We put everything back in its place, while I pondered what the future might hold and what it would mean for our friendship. When all was picked up, I spoke up. “I forgot to mention to you earlier that I leave in four weeks.”

His pulled the zipper on the book bag slowly and looked up at me incredulously.

“Four weeks? Why so soon? I thought we had all summer!”

My eyes began to water, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I know. I had to start a summer session for my scholarship to take effect.” He was quiet as we continued to pick up. The only sounds were the rustling of fabric and glass.

We walked outside, toward his car. I looked up and took in a deep breath. The moon was hidden behind clouds. It was humid, with a cool summer breeze swirling through the branches and leaves that had fallen on the ground. I wrapped my arms around myself and waited. I didn’t want to say goodbye, but knew I had to.

Finally, Andres broke the silence. “Can I drive you to the airport when you leave?”

I licked my dry lips and nodded. The breeze pulled my hair on my face and I twirled strands with my fingers, trying to keep busy. I didn’t want to cry. He stood in front of me and wrapped me in a hug, resting his chin on my head. I inhaled his scent and couldn’t help the tear that escaped.

“I know you’ll be busy with -” I didn’t want to finish the sentence out loud as my thoughts silently screamed,
with work, family, and
girls. I rubbed my hand on my throat and cleared it. “I just mean, maybe we can still talk...” I squeezed my eyes, thinking how ridiculous that sounded. He’d have better things to do than waste time chatting on the phone.

He lifted my chin with his hand and made me look up into his eyes. “I will never be too busy for you. Got it?”

He had shown up during one of the most important nights of my life. Even though it wasn’t what most girls dreamed of when they planned out their prom, it had been one of the best nights of my life. I knew at that moment that no one would ever replace him in my heart. When I didn’t answer, he traced my lips with his finger like he had done just a few hours ago.

“I’ll call you every week,” he assured me.

I smiled timidly and got up on my tippy toes to plant a soft kiss on his lips, surprising him into submission. There wasn’t anyone standing between us now. I knew Carmin had moved on, but now we had 1,482 miles between us (exactly, I Googled it). Doubt was spinning inside my brain. Outside of it. How would we work this out so we could stay in touch until I was done with school? A long distance relationship was going to be hard on both of us.

He cupped my face with his hands and pulled me toward him. The soft glow of the moonlight displayed the crease of worry between his eyebrows, his strong nose, and tender lips. I glanced up and encouraged him with my eyes.
Kiss me.
He leaned down until his lips were pressed warm and firm against mine. I melted under the sensation of them, our bodies against each other and my arms curled around the inside of his biceps. I fell. I fell fast and deep into an abyss of love and lust. We kissed as if we’ve been kissing our whole lives. As if our lips knew all along that one pair could not survive without the other. I was thankful. I was thankful for this kiss because if I were to die tomorrow, I could say I’d experienced bliss at the hands of this man before I got to heaven.

Silent tears streamed down my cheeks as the seconds turned into minutes, but time wasn’t on our side. Four weeks wasn’t enough for us. He got in the car and lowered his window before he pressed his two forefingers to his lips and blew me a kiss. I took a step forward and fought the urge to run after him as he pulled out of the driveway. He was taking my heart with him, and I wondered if I’d ever get it back.