“Do you want to say goodbye to your friends before we leave?” I ask him after we leave his family.

He hesitates and gives me a long look, scanning me briefly, in that magnetic way I’ve come to appreciate. The soft and amused laugh that escapes his lips makes my skin tingle everywhere. “No, I’m good. They’ll understand.”

Lupe was telling the truth. He does like me. A little? A lot? The warmth of his skin as he takes my hand lights a tiny flame in my chest, and the heat it creates spreads like a wildfire through my body. He leads me through the crowd all the way down to Central Avenue, as we hear the first few fireworks being set off.

We find a spot in the crowd standing in the section of the boulevard that’s closed off. Esteban stands next to me, with a hand placed on the small of my back.

The fireworks keep rising in the sky, slowly at first, followed by louder and faster displays. People around us cheer, and the brilliance of the artificial stardust paints the blue of the night, the popping sound echoing in my ears and my chest. My heart has been galloping ever since Esteban and I left the square. My stomach twists as I notice his eyes dance between me and the display of colors in the sky.

The blooming hope in my chest wants me to believe these fireworks are just as auspicious as New Year’s Eve displays. Part of me knows I should be careful, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this electrified by being near someone I liked.

We exchange a few looks and smiles, but we’re both quiet while everyone around us seems determined to be as loud as they can be.

The final part of the show is an eruption of colors and sparks and it’s such a well-timed crescendo that my jaw drops, and I cover my mouth with my hand, almost giggling in ecstasy. I’m sad when it’s over, because once again, I hate the idea of saying goodbye to Esteban.

It’s a weekday, and everyone is in a hurry to go back home after celebrating the last couple days.

I’m thankful that the apartment is only a few blocks away. Even though they’re rather comfy, my red suede sandals are hurting my pinky toes.

“I’ll walk you home.” Esteban’s deep and confident voice penetrates all of my senses.

Nodding, I wrap my arm around his, and he rewards me with the most charming, satisfied grin I’ve ever seen.

We talk a bit about my family, his family, and we compare past Fourth of July experiences. When we reach the Old Town square on the way to my apartment, most of the people have gone and the band has stopped playing.

Stopping in my tracks, I take in the view I’m more familiar with, the one of the sleepy, quiet square.

“What is it?” Esteban asks, as a knot forms in my throat. I breathe deeply to dissolve it and blink away the tears that have formed in my eyes.

“It’s just strange.” I smile. “It’s strange the way you get attached to a place so quickly. One day you look at it as a tourist, as an outsider, and suddenly it becomes part of who you are.” Esteban listens intently. “Want to know something funny?”

He nods. “Of course.” His green eyes are darker than usual, but they sparkle just as bright as the fireworks we were watching a few minutes ago.

“Did I tell you which town my parents were from?”

He shakes his head, his full lips pressing in a line.

“They were from a town close to Granada, the original Santa Fe.”

“No way.”

I laugh. “No, it’s true. It’s a small rural town. Honestly, I don’t know much about it. Except, now that I’m here, I keep asking myself if I was destined to end up in New Mexico one way or another. I also keep wondering if maybe I should move to Santa Fe. Have some sort of full-circle moment,” I say, taking another look toward the square and staring at the light illuminating the church of San Felipe de Neri.

“Please don’t,” he says, distracting me from my monologue.

“Don’t what?” Confused by his words, I smile.

He exhales, his bottom teeth grazing his full upper lip, as if he needs to muster up the courage to say whatever he needs to tell me.

“Don’t move to Santa Fe.”

I stare at him partly confused, partly amused, hoping that his reason is the one I want to hear. “Why? You don’t think it’s the right place for me?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m sure you’d do well anywhere…” His tone has softened, and his words make me smile. “And sure, Santa Fe is beautiful and fascinating, but long-term might have less opportunities for you.”

“Less opportunities for me? I don’t understand what you mean by that. You know I work remotely.” I can’t hold back my smile, even though I try to do that by biting on my bottom lip.

“Fine,” he exhales. “I would rather you not move to Santa Fe.”

“Why is that?” I press, stifling a laugh.

“Because I like you and I’d like to get to know you, Ines,” he says in a lower tone. It’s too dark to tell out here in the square, but I’d bet he’s blushing. His mouth is lightly ajar, his pupils are wide, eyes fixed on me like I’ve just about hypnotized him. I let out a loud, joyous, and amused laugh, because this is too good. The look of embarrassment on his face is one of the most endearing things I’ve ever seen. If I weren’t trying to exert some type of restraint on myself, I’d kiss him stupid right this second.

“You do realize you sound like a character from a Jane Austen novel, don’t you?” I tease.

“Is that a bad thing?” he asks, shyly.

“Nope, it’s not in my book,” I answer. His lips are pressed into a thin line and he scratches the back of his head.

“Stop, you’ll mess up your stylish do,” I tease him, reaching for his hair and brushing my fingers against his. He takes my hand in his and pulls me closer to him, and it’s so unexpected that I have to steady myself, placing my other hand on his hard, solid chest.

We haven’t been this close since we were dancing earlier, but now there’s hardly anyone around us, and the more I try to tell myself I shouldn’t, the more I’m dying to kiss him. He takes me in his arm and doesn’t let go.

“Did you hear what I said?” He scans my face impatiently.

Nodding, I reply, “I like you too, Esteban.” The words come out of my mouth fast and jumbled, and I feel like a schoolgirl confessing her feelings to her crush, but in all fairness, he started it.

“I mean it, Ines. I don’t know if it’s too soon for you, but I would like to get to know you better,” he whispers.

Yes, please.

How about right now? I almost want to say, but I’m afraid to scare him by being too forward and I also don’t want to betray the promise I made Lupe. I’m not going to play with Esteban’s heart. In order to keep my promise, we need to take things slow. This alone poses a challenge. Right now, I want nothing more than to throw caution to the wind, I want nothing more than to forget about everything and get lost in him.

“I’ve got good news for you.” I smile, a little smugly. His responding smile is nothing short of glowing. Whispering, I say, “I think I’m going to stay put and remain in Albuquerque.” Adding a saucy wink and leaning closer.

“Good.” He brings the hand he’s still holding to his mouth and kisses it.

“I want to get to know you too, Esteban. But I also promised your sister I wouldn’t treat you as a rebound, and I think we need to take it slow…despite not really wanting to.”

His eyes widen in surprise, and then a laugh escapes from his lips.

“Of course. Leave it to Lupe to somehow meddle in our business.” Esteban shakes his head, but I can tell he’s elated. Sheer euphoria overtakes my body, electrifying every muscle with new energy.

“Our business?” I tease.

He nods silently, his gaze as bright as the stars out in the desert.

“I like the sound of that,” I admit, my voice trembling with excitement and impatience.

I want to be closer to him. I need to be closer to him. He’s right to laugh. Taking it slow is not going to work. He looks down at me with a serious expression, long eyelashes framing his pretty eyes, but he can’t hide the mischief in them.

“Why would you ever make her such a promise, Ines?”

I shrug. “I had to. Do you think she would have ever left us alone, otherwise?”

“So, is it presumptuous to think you’ve been thinking about me, even though we haven’t seen each other? As you might have guessed, my sister bullied me into staying away from you for the time being. I didn’t want to.” And there it is. There’s the confirmation that I’m not alone nursing a huge crush, which is a pleasant surprise.

Esteban Garcia has been thinking of me.

His words leave me flustered, and my knees go weak, but I have to pull myself together. When he gives my hand a tug, I turn slightly to resume walking, but instead, he pulls me toward him and leans down and holds my chin, tilting it up gently toward him. He pauses for a second, looking down at me through the slits of his barely open eyes, as if looking for confirmation. I close my eyes, inebriated by the feeling of excitement running through my veins. I tilt my head back and pucker up slightly. A moment later he presses his soft, full lips against mine.

We stay like this for a couple of seconds, before my lips part, welcoming his tongue, ready to surrender. Esteban’s kiss is so much more than I expected. It’s hello and goodbye at the same time. It’s discovery, excitement, and longing all at once. As his tongue wraps around mine, he kisses me deeper, taking my breath away. I know I’m in heaps of trouble.

I hoped he would be a decent kisser. I didn’t expect him to be a great one. The more his tongue wraps around mine, tasting and sucking, makes me believe this man can put a spell on me with his tongue. This is the kind of intoxicating kiss that seeps into your memory and every cell of your being. This is the kind of kiss I will hopefully still remember when I’m wrinkly and old. I’m swept away by his mouth moving with mine, and I’m so desperate for more. His hands come up, one cupping my jaw, the other at the nape of my neck. He breaks the kiss and looks at me for a second before he starts placing gentle kisses all over my mouth, worshipping my lips. His fingers sift through the hair on my neck, tugging on it gently. I lift myself on my tiptoes even though I’m wearing heels because the need to be closer to him is stronger than anything else. I run my fingers through his hair, messing it up just as he was a moment ago. His hands travel to my waist, pressing me closer to him. His tongue parts my lips again and it circles and explores my mouth until I’m nearly breathless, but I don’t want him to stop. He does, and I mourn the loss of him immediately.

He presses his forehead against mine, catching his breath. I look up through my lashes.

“I don’t know how we’ll ever take this slow,” I pant. The low rumble erupting from his chest is the most delightful sound.

“You can say that again,” he mumbles and then kisses my forehead. Taking a step back, he offers me his arm and smiles at me. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”