Melinda
The next day, I woke up feeling restless. Daddy was out at a business meeting, so I put my hair up in a bun, called Antonio, and went for a long run. Normally I hated working out, but sometimes I’d just get in these moods where almost anything else seemed like a horrible idea. I never stayed in these moods, of course, so I was pretty out of shape. After I’d been running for only five minutes, my chest was burning and my legs ached so much that I wanted to fall down and die right there.
Antonio was slowly driving behind, keeping an eye on me. When I stopped, he pulled up alongside me. I could tell he was trying not to laugh, but his face was pinched and amused.
“Don’t even start,” I groaned, holding up a hand as I flopped over and let my hands rest on my knees. “I can’t take it from you – not today, Antonio.”
Antonio snickered. “Okay,” he said. “I won’t say anything.”
There was a pause.
“You want to keep running, or do you want a ride home?”
I rolled my eyes before walking over to the car and opening the door. “That was a dumb idea,” I complained. “I don’t know why I felt like running. I hate running.”
Antonio laughed again and I glared. “Sorry,” he said, pulling away from the curb and turning around in a driveway. “It’s just kind of funny. I really like running, but it took years to get there. For a long time, it just felt like punishing myself.”
I sighed and laid my head against the window. The heat from my skin fogged up the glass, and I traced circles and squiggles with my finger.
“You hungry?”
I shrugged. “More like bored,” I said. “You wanna come in for a little bit?”
Antonio narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think Rodrigo wants you supervised at home,” he said darkly.
“Dad’s out,” I chirped. “He had a meeting. I was home alone until I called you.” Being with Antonio was making me horny, as always, but I didn’t want to come onto him twice in a row. Last time, I’d almost embarrassed myself by practically jumping in his lap and wrapping around him like some kind of poison ivy. He’d gone along with it – I knew Antonio couldn’t resist me – but still, I’d really put myself out there.
What was wrong with me? And here I was now, angling to get Antonio alone again. We’d never fucked in a bed before – I wondered what sex would be like outside of Antonio’s car.
“Well, still,” Antonio said. “I could eat. You want some breakfast?”
I sighed. “What’s wrong with my house? Why don’t you just want to come over? I can have Debra make us something,” I added. “She’s a good cook.”
Antonio snickered. “Let the poor woman relax for once,” he said. He pulled into a burger joint and parked the car. “You want anything?”
I frowned and shook my head. As soon as Antonio left and trotted inside, I regretted not asking him for something, but I didn’t have my phone with me and I was feeling too lazy to follow him inside. I felt weird, like there was something hidden between us – a secret growing and blossoming that was making it difficult to interact like normal. I wished he would just speak his mind!
When Antonio came back ten minutes later, he was carrying two big cups of coffee and a bag that smelled heavenly.
“Here,” Antonio said. He handed me a wrapped biscuit with bacon, egg, and cheese. “I figured you’d want a bite or two of mine and I don’t feel like sharing.”
I took the food and unwrapped it, trying not to inhale the whole thing in one bite. “This smells incredible,” I admitted. “Thanks.”
We chewed in silence. The scent of grease and cheese and meat mingled with the hot coffee, making the car smell like a diner. I didn’t mind – I was even kind of glad that I didn’t have to make conversation. When I finished, I wrapped the wax paper in a neat little ball and threw it back in the bag.
“Just take me home,” I said with a yawn. “These carbs are making me feel tired.”
Antonio raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t even eaten more than half of his sandwich yet. When he saw me eyeing it, he rolled his eyes and handed it over.
“You can finish that,” Antonio said. “I had a feeling you’d be hungry after running.”
“It’s embarrassing,” I said, taking a big bite of the biscuit and chewing loudly. “I’m so hungry right now! I wish I knew why.”
“Pregnant?” Antonio smirked.
The blood drained from my cheeks. “Jesus, I hope not,” I mumbled. “I mean, that’s impossible, right? You can’t get pregnant the first time you have sex.”
Antonio rolled his eyes. “I’d like to have a talk with whoever tried to educate you about sex,” he said. He took a long swallow of coffee then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m taking you home,” he said. “And I’m going to sleep for a while.”
I pouted. “You can’t come inside? Not even for a little while?”
God, what is wrong with me, I wondered as Antonio shook his head.
“Nope,” Antonio said. He yawned. “Come on, Melinda. Be reasonable.”
I glared at him. I hated the way our relationship twisted and shifted into something ugly and unreasonable every time we butted heads. But it wasn’t like I had anything to compare it with – I’d never had a boyfriend before.
Thinking about Antonio and the word “boyfriend” in the same sentence was strange. I blushed, almost worried about Antonio being able to read my mind as he pulled up to the curb.
“I wanna go dancing later,” I said as I climbed out of Antonio’s car clutching the remains of my coffee and Antonio’s biscuit. “Okay? To Hurricanes,” I added. “Like I’d go anywhere else.”
Antonio rolled his eyes. “Okay, princess,” he said sarcastically. “I’ll call you when I wake up.”
I slammed the door and walked up the drive, swinging my hips as seductively as I could manage. But by the time I was at the door, Antonio had driven away.
The house was quiet. Debra was cleaning the kitchen and the only sound over the chirp of birds outside was the rhythmic scrubbing of her brush against the tiles.
“Miss Melinda, your father called,” Debra said. “Mr. Rodrigo wants you to stay home tonight, okay?”
I glared. “Did he say why?”
“I did not ask Mr. Rodrigo for a reason,” Debra said sourly.
“I know, I know, he’s your boss,” I mumbled. “Whatever, Debra.”
I ran up the stairs and slammed the door. What was wrong with me? Why was I acting like such a spoiled brat today?
And why didn’t Daddy want me to go out tonight?
I called Cassandra. “We’re going to Hurricanes tonight,” I said. “I don’t care if you don’t want to. I’m going stir crazy. And bring Gloria.”
Cassandra laughed. “You are so pushy,” she said. “Don’t you want to try somewhere new? Last time I was there, I saw that jerk Alexander.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be afraid of him,” I said. “He’s a little kid. He’s not even a real man.”
Cassandra didn’t reply.
“Cassandra? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Yeah, okay. Antonio is coming, right?”
“Of course,” I said. “Although my dad doesn’t actually want me leaving tonight. So it’ll be like old times.” A rush of nostalgia came over me and I closed my eyes, suddenly missing the old days where I’d spent most of my time sneaking out. It sounds silly, but everything was so much less complicated then. I’d never had to worry about Alexander…or Antonio.
“Fine,” Cassandra said. “Gloria and I will meet you guys there around ten. That good?”
I nodded, suddenly feeling tired. “Perfect. I’m gonna take a nap. Talk later.”
“Love you,” Cassandra said.
“Love you, too.” An unexpected tightness grabbed my throat and for a moment, I wanted to pour out of all of my secrets to my best friend, but I wouldn’t have even known how to start. Sure, Cassandra knew about me and. That was just the tip of the iceberg, though – how the hell was I going to tell her everything else?
After we hung up, I took a hot shower and then crawled into bed. The quick workout and stomach full of greasy food had caught up with me, and my limbs felt heavy. I’d barely pulled the blankets up to my chin before I could feel myself drifting off to sleep.