“Oh. We’re Caputo.”
“Montesanto.”
“Nice to meet you, Diego Montesanto.”
“You too, Julia Caputo.” He looks ahead for a moment. “How old are you?”
“Fifteen. You?”
“Sixteen. Sucks getting dragged to these things doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
We sit quietly for a moment. “Is it weird that I kinda feel like I’ve met you before?”
I smile. “No. That happens sometimes. Do you live around here?”
“Nope. Two towns over.”
“Well, maybe I just have a familiar face.”
“Yeah, that must be it.” He looks out at the picnic for a moment. “I always wondered what it would be like to have two biological parents. Is it cool?”
I scrunch my nose. “It might be for some people. My dad is kind of mean. He’s really strict. My mom is nice, but she’s super religious so we can’t step out of line at all.”
“Oh.”
“My sister is adopted, so she probably feels like you do in some way.”
“What happened to her parents?”
“Don’t know. She was abandoned at a hospital as an infant. My mom volunteered there and wanted to adopt her.”
“In a way that’s cool. They picked her.”
“That’s what I tell her. They didn’t have to, but they did.”
“She belongs somewhere.” He nods. “I feel like a loner, you know. Like nobody gets me. Nobody listens.”
I offer a smile. “I’m listening.”
He holds my gaze for a moment. He’s so cute. His black curls hang down in his face, highlighting the blue of his eyes. He even has a little scruff on his cheeks. He’s tall and athletic looking. As we gaze at each other, he leans in.
“Want to take a walk?”
“Now?”
“Yeah, now. Want to?”
I look around for my parents, spotting them across the yard. “I have to ask. I’ll get in trouble if I don’t.”
Diego grins, pinching my chin. “They won’t even notice you’re gone. We’ll hurry. I just want to take a walk with you.”
“Why?”
“Cuz I like you.”
I feel a little flutter in my stomach I’ve never felt before. “You like me? You just met me.”
“Yeah.” He grins. “Funny, isn’t it? I think you’re pretty, Julia. And sweet.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He holds out his hand. “Quick walk?”
“Um okay. Yeah.”
He takes my hand and we hurry up the stairs, bumping into Katie on the way.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Uh, Katie this is my new friend, Diego. Diego, my sister, Katie.”
“Nice to meet you, Katie.” His voice is so deep, he makes my knees feel shaky.
“Hi.” Katie looks at me. “Where are you going?”
“A quick walk. Cover for me?”
Her brow furrows. “You sure?”
Diego steps closer. “She’s safe. I just want to walk over to the big oak tree for a minute. We’ll back in twenty minutes. Promise.”
“Well, okay. But hurry back.”
“I will.”
Diego and I rush out the front door of the church and across the parking lot. We slow down when we reach the side yard where the tree is. “I saw this when we came in, and I thought it was cool.”
“It’s beautiful.” My eyes shift up to the huge tree looming over us.
“Like you are.” Diego gently backs me up until I’m pressed against the tree. He puts his arms on either side of my face. “I thought it looked like a great place to kiss a pretty girl.”
My eyes open wide. “You want to kiss me?”
“I do. Have you been kissed before?”
I shake my head. “No.”
Diego moves closer to me, bending his face down. His lips brush over mine, causing me to gasp softly. “Can I kiss you, Julia?”
My eyes shift up to his. “Yes.”
He smiles as his lips meet mine, pressing softly at first, but then firmer. My lips part and his tongue slips inside. My first kiss! We stand like this, kissing slowly as our bodies sway together. Diego’s hands move into my hair, and I let my arms wrap around his waist. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
He moves back just slightly. “Whoa.”
“What?”
“Can I tell you something kinda weird?”
I nod. “Yeah. Anything.”
“Kissing you…it felt fucking awesome. It felt like…”
“What?”
“Like I was supposed to kiss you.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.”
“Can I do it again?”
“Yeah.”
His mouth closes over mine again, and this time, he presses his body into mine. I can feel the muscles in his chest, the slight bulge between his legs, the strength of his arms. It’s so nice. It’s perfect. It’s—
“What the hell are you doing to my daughter?”
The moment is broken abruptly by the sound of my father’s voice. Diego steps back and I see dad, mom, and a distraught Katie rushing toward us.
When dad reaches us, he grabs my arm. “Explain yourself, young lady!”
“Nothing, dad. It’s nothing. I was just talking—”
“It didn’t look like talking to me.” He glares at Diego. “Were you taking advantage of her?”
“No, sir. Not at all.”
“Get in the car, Julia.”
“No, dad, please.”
“Now!”
My eyes meet Diego’s, who looks devastated. “I won’t forget you,” he says, softly.
I mouth ‘I’m sorry’ to him as my mother drags me away. Before I know it, I’m sitting in the back seat, and as my father stomps back toward the car I hear his last words to Diego, “Stay away from my little girl.”
My eyes are still stuck on the boy who gave me my first kiss. Diego waves before sliding his hands in his pockets and the sadness on his face breaks my heart.
“You’re grounded!” Dad slams the door shut and starts the car before twisting around to face me. “And just to be clear, you will not see that boy again. Do you understand me?”
“Dad, it was innocent. He didn’t do anything wrong. Why are you so angry?”
“Do you understand me?”
My heart sinks. “Yes.”
“Good. You will forget that boy if you know what’s good for you.”
Dad tears out of the parking lot as Katie reaches for my hand. “I tried to cover,” she whispers.
“It’s okay.”
I twist around one more time to see Diego still watching me. Forget him? I never will.
∞∞∞
Katie slips in my bedroom after knocking on the door. “You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah.” I close my journal. “I was just sketching a little.”
“Let me see.”
I show her the picture of the tree and Diego leaning against it. “It’s still rough.”
“It’s nice. Still thinking about him weeks later, huh?”
“How could I not? That moment under the tree was magical. He was so sweet, Katie. He needed someone to care and dad just tore me away. I couldn’t get his number or anything.”
“Sucks.”
“Yeah.”
We both lie on the bed and stare up at the twirling ceiling fan. “How are the dreams?”
“Haven’t had one in a while.”
“Since when?”
I think for a moment. “Since the day of the reunion.”
“Huh. Maybe your brain is too full of Diego for dreams.”
I laugh softly. “Maybe. I hope I stop thinking about him soon. It’s hopeless. I’ll never see him again. I already tried finding him online. Nothing.”
Katie turns to face me. “Maybe you just consider it a life moment and move on, you know?”
“I don’t see that I have a choice.”
“Sorry.” She sits up. “I’m going out with Christy to get some ice cream. Wanna come?”
“I’m still grounded.”
“Still?” She shakes her head. “Dad is so hardcore sometimes.”
“Sometimes?”
“Right. I’ll bring you some back. Cookies and Cream?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Chin up. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
She leaves and I open my journal again to finish sketching Diego’s gorgeous features. I may never see him again, but at least I’ll never forget that moment under a big beautiful tree.