Crisis
Nothing. Absolutely nothing, could prepare Eric for the horror those four little words could spawn. I missed my period.
Her big, anxious eyes stared at him, her lip already quivering. Eric had never felt faint in his life, but he was sure this was what it felt like. He had to remind himself to breathe. For a moment there, he thought his own lip would start to quiver. “How late are you?”
“A day, but I’m never late.”
Eric brought his fist to his mouth. Damn! He couldn’t let her see what he was feeling. He’d always thought if he ever got someone pregnant, the worst thing would be to have to tell his dad. Telling his dad didn’t even compare to the terror of having to tell her brothers. Alex would kill him, and that was no exaggeration. All three of her brothers would take turns on him, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. Angel had trusted him completely, gave him the benefit of the doubt even after the New Year’s incident, and this is how Eric repaid him?
“I should’ve got it yesterday.” Sofia began to cry. “I wanted to wait longer to tell you, but I’m so sick with worry. I couldn’t stand it.”
Eric leaned over and hugged her. They sat in his car just outside the restaurant. Now he knew why she didn’t want to tell him there. He’d noticed something was wrong the moment she walked out of the restaurant, and he insisted she tell him right then and there. He pulled back and started up the car. If anyone walked out now and saw her sitting in his car crying, it might get back to her brothers.
He drove a few blocks before pulling into a residential street and parking.
“Sarah says it’s too early to take a pregnancy test.”
“You told Sarah?” The words came out much louder than he’d intended.
“Yes, don’t be mad please. I had to tell someone. I was going crazy. She won’t say anything. I promise.”
The thought of Angels’ girlfriend knowing about them scared the living crap out of him, but he doubted Sarah would be willing to be the one to break the news to Angel even if they asked her to. “What did she say about the test?”
“If I take it too soon, it might be a false negative so I should wait.”
“How long?”
“Few more days.”
Eric wiped the tear that slid down her cheek. He’d always hated seeing her cry. He slipped his hand in hers and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. “Let’s not worry yet. You might not be.”
After drop ^ght/di soping her off at home, he drove to his house. He’d barely taken a few steps inside when he rushed to the restroom and puked violently. His head had been in such a fog when he drove up to his driveway that either he hadn’t noticed his dads’ car parked there, or he’d just walked in, but he startled Eric. “You’ve been drinking, Eric?”
Eric glanced up at his dad, standing at the bathroom door. His insides still turned. “No.”
“Then what’s the matter?”
My sixteen-year-old girlfriend is pregnant. I betrayed my best friend in the worst way imaginable. He’ll probably end up in jail for murdering me. Nothing really.
“I dunno. I just felt sick all of a sudden.”
Less suspicious and more concerned, his dad asked, “You need me to take you to the emergency room?”
Eric shook his head. After being questioned some more, he convinced his dad it must’ve been something he ate. He went to his room and lay there for hours, staring at the ceiling. Though he wasn’t the most religious person on the planet, and God was probably not thinking too favorably of what he and Sofia had done, he began to pray.
*
Several torturous days passed since Sofia should have got her period and still nothing. She couldn’t wait any longer. Convinced she was pregnant, she’d begun to think about her options. There was no other choice. She’d have to go to her mom, but she wanted to be sure first. Eric was on his way over with a pregnancy test.
The front door rang and she took a deep breath. She heard Alex and Eric’s voices downstairs. Eric wanted to wait until Alex wasn’t home. He didn’t even want to chance the possibility of Alex sensing anything was wrong, but Sofia couldn’t wait anymore.
She told him to lose the box and just bring the test in his pocket. The voices downstairs seemed to fade, and Sofia knew they were in the kitchen. She made her way down and walked into the kitchen where Eric sat at the center island. Alex had made himself a protein drink and was pouring into a glass. She exchanged glances with Eric, who looked as nervous as she felt.
Even though the last thing she could think of was eating, she cut up an orange and made small talk. Finally, Alex got a phone call he said he would take outside. As soon as he was out the door, Sofia hurried over to Eric’s side. He pulled out the small stick from his pocket and handed it to her under the island table. She grabbed it, stuck it in her own pocket and practically ran out the kitchen, nearly colliding with Angel as he walked to the kitchen. He looked at her funny, but didn’t say anything. She hurried upstairs to the restroom that separated her room from and Angel’s.
Eric had already texted her the instructions on the box earlier and all she needed to know: One line = no, two lines = yes.
Waiting for the results was the longest five minutes of her life. She stood in front of the sink, eyes closed, taking deep breaths, checking her phone several times for the time. Thoughts of what would happen if she had to tell her family plagued her mind. She wasn’t afraid of telling her mom. She dreaded disappointing her, but she’d always been able to go to her mom about anything. But even her mother wouldn’t be able to hold back her brothers k heshe, especially Alex. Sofia shook her head. This couldn’t be happening.
Finally, she confirmed it had been five minutes. Sofia was almost too scared to look down. She glanced down, read the results and immediately, became overwhelmed with emotion.
*
Alex being home was bad enough, but of all weekends for him to come home, Sal was there, too. All three brothers and Eric were now in the garage. Alex and Angel were both under the hood of their moms’ car, while Sal, as usual, supervised, making sure everything was done properly.
It couldn’t get any worse. If anything went down today, they’d all be there to tear him apart. The nausea was back. It started at the drug store when he stood there reading the labels on the home pregnancy tests. It only intensified when Sal got home.
Eric stood there taking deep breaths, concentrating on not being sick, while the brothers argued back and forth.
“Will you just hand me the damn thing?” Alex held out his hand.
“Hold on.” Sal bent over to check Alex’s work. “You gotta make sure it’s tight enough.”
“Hey, Mr. Dreamy.”
Eric had been so lost in thought he didn’t even notice Alex was talking to him. “Yo, Eric.”
Eric snapped out of it and looked at him.
“What’s you’re problem?” Alex didn’t wait for an answer. “Make yourself useful and go grab me a water from the fridge.”
“Yeah, me too,” Angel said.
“Make that three,” Sal added.
Eric managed a nod as he walked toward the kitchen. His phone beeped just as he reached the kitchen door—a text from Sofia. He gulped before opening it.
Negative…but what if it’s false? I still haven’t got my…
Relief came and went in the same breath. For now, they were in the clear but she was right. What if?
He walked in the kitchen. Sofia stood there looking worried. When their eyes met, she fell apart. Eric panicked. “Sofie, don’t cry.” He turned to look out the window. “All your brothers are out there, babe.”
To his dismay, Mrs. Moreno walked in from the front room. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Sofia wiped the tears away and attempted to compose herself. “I have really bad cramps.”
Her mother rubbed Sofia’s back. “That bad?”
Sofia nodded. “Yeah, I’m gonna take an aspirin and lie down.”
Mrs. Moreno turned to Eric. “Did you need something, Eric?”
He’d been frozen in the same spot the whole time. “Uh, yeah,” he motioned to the back door, “they want water.”
She looked at him kind of weird. “They’re in the fridge. Go ahead and grab some.” She turned back to Sofia. “I’ll get you the heating pad. That should help ease the pain.”
Her mom walked out of the kitchen and Eric started to the fridge. As he neared Sofia, he saw her eyes welling up again.
“I should tell her,” she whispered.
“No!”
“But what if I am?” Sofia was falling apart.
“What if you’re not? Give it a few more days.”
This was the worse nightmare of his life and it only got worse. The back door opened and one by one, her brothers filed in.
Sal spoke first, “What’s taking you so—” he stopped when he saw Sofia, “What’s wrong, Sof?”
All eyes were on Sofia, including Eric’s. He gulped, feeling his stomach turn violently and he almost winced from the pain. She wouldn’t throw him to the lions, would she?
“I’m not feeling well.”
“You sick?”
“Cramps.”
Mrs. Moreno walked back in the kitchen, holding the heating pad. “Did you take the aspirin?”
Sofia nodded. Eric nearly jumped out of his skin when Alex poked him. “What’s with you?” He smirked as he moved past him to get to the refrigerator.
Sofia walked out of the kitchen with her mom. Eric could only pray she wouldn’t tell her.
“Yeah, thanks for bringing out the water,” Angel said as Alex tossed him one.
After tossing Sal one too, he asked Eric if he wanted one. “No, I’m good. I gotta go.”
“I thought you were gonna hang out and work out?” Angel said, taking a swig of water.
“I gotta do this thing for my dad, but maybe later I’ll come back.”
Eric couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The second he got the chance, he texted Sofia.
PLEASE don’t tell her yet.
Her only response was, k.
After being sick again at home and walking around the house aimlessly for hours. Eric got the text from Sofia that took the weight of the world off his shou k ofpray lders.
I got it!
Never in life had he experienced such an overwhelming relief. That moment changed everything. He and Sofia would never take a chance like that again. He’d nearly seen his life flash before him when her brothers walked into that kitchen.
He’d been so damn worried about what her brothers would say when they found out, he never even had time to worry about being a teen dad. Now that it was over and he could think clearer, he couldn’t believe how stupid they’d been.
He dropped down on his bed, his heart still feeling the effects of the past few days. He text back the two words that had come to him as the relief manifested.
Thank God!
*
Alex was in the front room watching television when Sofia walked in. “Where’s Angel?”
Sofia had a feeling that would be the first thing he’d ask. “With Sarah.”
There was no hiding the annoyance. “So how’d you get home?”
He already knew the answer to this. She didn’t know why he bothered. “Eric was already at the restaurant so he offered to bring me home.”
“I’m sure he did,” Alex muttered.
Sofia smiled as she reached the stairs. Even though her brother’s clout had begun to weaken, she and Eric were more cautious now than ever. After the scare they had, Sofia couldn’t believe Eric had actually been worried that she would want to continue taking chances. She might’ve taken risks before, but getting hit with such a huge reality check was enough to scare her straight. They were still sneaking around, and they still did things that came awfully close, but the memory of the agonizing worry they’d gone through made it easy to hold off.
Of course, Sofia still planned to do it again eventually. But for now, even using condoms was too risky. Sofia wanted to wait until she was on the pill, but she wouldn’t even think about asking her mom until she had the go-ahead on having a boyfriend. That was still weeks away. Even then, she wanted her mom to let the idea of her having a boyfriend simmer. It could be months before they tried it again.
She got no argument from Eric there. He said the image of her brothers walking into the kitchen that day and what he felt when he thought she might tell them would be with him forever. He’d even had nightmares.
It wouldn’t be too long, and in the mean time, they found plenty of other ways to keep themselves satisfied without the risks. As much as Alex thought he was keeping them apart, he had no idea.
*
Eric got the text just as he walked into the flower shop.
Guess who’s allowed to have a boyfriend as long as she keeps up her grades? =)
He smiled. Sofia had told him when she turned seventeen she was going to talk to her parents about it. She certainly hadn’t wasted any time. Here it was the morning of her birthday and she’d already done it.
Another text came through before he could respond.
I’ll have to start looking for one.
He called her back, instead of responding to the text, and walked out of the flower shop to talk. She answered on the first ring.
“You’re not funny, Sof,” he said, smiling.
She giggled. “My mom was kind of surprised. I guess we haven’t been as discreet as we thought. She said she thought you were already my boyfriend.”
“Are you telling your brothers?” Eric closed his eyes and waited for her response.
“Only if they ask. I’m not gonna announce it or anything.”
The nerves began to stir inside him. He wanted nothing more than to be Sofie’s boyfriend—have the whole world know it, too, but Sofie was so brazen. Even if they were a couple, he still had every intention of being respectful in front of her brothers. He wasn’t sure Sofia would be with him on that. Especially because Angel could never quite keep his hands off Sarah, no matter who was around.
Even with the okay from her parents, it would still be interesting to see what her brothers had to say about it. He knew they wouldn’t be thrilled, but Angel had been cool about them holding hands prom night. After what happened at the beach that night, when Angel and Sarah finally arrived, Sofia never once let go of Eric’s hand. Angel and Eric had exchanged a glance, but he hadn’t objected. He knew Sarah had a hand in that. She’d softened Angel. Alex would be a whole other story.
Once off the phone, he walked back into the flower shop. He’d planned on getting Sofia a light flower arrangement and a regular happy birthday balloon. Instead, he picked out a heart shaped balloon with the words I love you, and a dozen roses. He had them delivered.
He felt a little flutter in his stomach as he sat in his car. He’d done it now. They’d know in just a few hours.
Later that afternoon, someone honked outside his house. He walked out and saw Sofia sitting in a white Ford Fiesta. She smiled from ear to ear. He’d been expecting her. Sofia had gotten her license finally and Angel had told him on the down low what his parents were up to for her birthday.
“I got a car!” she yelled out of the window. “C’mon, I’ll take you for a ride.”
She told him Alex had been the one to get the door when the flowers arrived. As expected, he wasn’t happy about it, but after realizing he had no choice in the matter, he told her he’d be warning Eric of a few things in person. She gave Eric a heads up.
“Basically, him and Angel are gonna make sure you know the rules,” she laughed, “as if we haven’t broken them all already.”
She reached over and squeezed his thigh. Eric squeezed her hand and looked into the side mirror. If he didn’t know her brothers so well, the thought of those two following them wouldn’t have even crossed his mind.
Sofia drove to the beach and parked. It was a cloudy day and there were hardly any people there. Only k thnow in ja few other cars were in the parking lot. The second the car was off, they were all over each other. Eric stopped a few times, breathlessly, to look around. He just couldn’t put it past her brothers to be watching them, but the coast seemed clear. Sofia reached down and unzipped his pants.
“Sofie, not here.”
She smiled. “Why not? No one can see what I’m doing.”
He should’ve known when she parked in the most isolated corner what she had in mind. A second later, he dropped his head back in sheer delight, forgetting about everything.
***
Months after becoming an official couple, Sofia was still trying to conjure up the nerve to talk to her mom about getting on the pill. So the night her mom knocked on her bedroom door had come as a huge surprise.
“Are you busy?”
Sofia pulled both earphones out of her ears. It was how she always did her homework. She sat on her bed, legs crossed, with her binder over her legs. She moved the book next to her and patted it for her mom to sit.
Her mom sat down and took a deep breath. She glanced around the room. She didn’t come in her room often. Sofia had a collage on her wall of her and Eric. Pictures of them even from when they were kids. She didn’t like how chubby she looked in some, but the memories were so heartwarming, she couldn’t bear not putting them up. Her mom smiled. “You two were so young, but I think that boy was in love with you even back then.”
Sofia smiled and nodded. “That’s what he says.”
Her mom touched her hand. “And you were with him, as well?”
For some reason that made her blush. Was it that obvious? “Yeah, I think so.”
Her mom stared at the collage for a while longer before speaking. Without looking at Sofia, she said, “I know things are getting serious between you two… and I know as much as your brothers think they can keep you two from…”
Sofia cringed. Her mom had the talk with her years ago, but not in direct correlation with anyone specific. “Mom—”
“Let me finish, Sofia.” She squeezed Sofia’s hand. She seemed as nervous about this as Sofia. Though that still didn’t help. “You’re father and I—”
“Daddy?” Sofia sat up. This was so much worse now.
“Your father and I,” her mother continued, disregarding Sofia’s mortification, “we really didn’t think we’d have to deal with this so soon. You see, with your brothers being the way they are, we honestly thought it’d be years before anyone dare come around,” she chuckled. “Little did they know, he’d been around all along.”
Her mother held Sofia’s hand in both of hers now. “We may be old school, Sofie, but we’re not naïve. We know your brothers have been active for years. As much as we would like you to wait… we don’t want you taking any chances. You have your entire life ahead of you.”
Excitement began to replace the mortification. Was her mom really saying what she thought she was?
“We want you to get on the birth control—”
“Okay!” She placed her hand over her mouth, realizing her mom hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly.
Her mom cleared her throat. “You do understand becoming sexually active changes everything, don’t you?” Sofia nodded. “Everything is turned up a notch—a major notch. And once you go there you can never go back. I mean,” she paused, “you decide how much or how often, but if there is ever anyone else—”
“There won’t be.” Her mom was less obvious than her brothers with the ‘you’re being naïve’ look but Sofia could spot it a mile away. She sat up straighter and reiterated, “There won’t be.”
Her mom finally conceded with a smile. “Okay.” She leaned over and kissed Sofia on the forehead, then stood up. “I’ll make an appointment for you this week.”
Sofia jumped up from the bed and hugged her mother. “Thank you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mija.” She raised an eyebrow. “Now, we both know this is your business and no one else’s, but I’m sure your brothers will see it otherwise. Be discreet, Sofia. I don’t have to tell you what might happen if they ever walk in on—”
“Oh God, I know. Don’t worry.”
As soon as her mother left her room, Sofia grabbed her phone and texted Eric.
Guess what?
His response was immediate.
?
She was so excited she couldn’t text fast enough.
I’m getting on the pill this week. My mom’s taking me.
A second later, her phone rang.
“What happened?”
Sofia gushed as she told him about the entire conversation. When she was done, he was silent for a moment. His only response, “So your dad knows?”
Sofia couldn’t help laughing.
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CHAPTER 7
Change is good
Adapting to Eric no longer being in school with her wasn’t easy. He was also going to college and working now, so that made it harder for them to be together as often as Sofia would have liked.
Sofia was a senior now. School was far more demanding and she was still on the track team. She was not about to give her parents a reason to take back her permission to have a boyfriend, not that at this point anything could keep her and Eric apart, but she liked not having to sneak around. So she spent a lot of time studying.
One of the biggest changes now that Angel and Eric were no longer in school with her was boys were really opening up to Sofia. It was new and exciting, but Eric’s senior ring hung on the chain around her neck, faithfully. Still, that didn’t mean she never flirted. With her brothers gone, she discovered just how big a flirt she could be, and she relished it.
As the year went by, she and Eric fell into a routine. During the week, they saw so much less of each other than they had the year before and that past summer, but it worked out. She was just glad Eric hadn’t gone away to school. She would’ve never lived through that. Even now, she saw less of him during the week, but she saw him at least twice and they spoke every day, not to mention texted all the time, and of course, they made love frantically, every chance they got.
Late her senior year, while Eric was busy cramming for finals, she finally decided to show up and surprise him at his job. He worked in a big home electronics store at the mall. She’d stopped by at his job before, but he was always so busy he hardly had time to visit with her. So she hadn’t dropped in on him in a while. This was the longest they’d gone in a while without seeing each other. He’d been busy cramming for finals all week. She could tell he was a little worried about his grades, so she stayed away and let him study.
It was a Friday night and the place was busy. It only took her a moment to spot him. He was helping a customer, and she decided to go around the aisle and come up from behind him, to surprise him. She strolled up and waited for him to finish with the customer.
The girl he helped looked older than Sofia. Sofia hadn’t paid attention to the conversation until the girl laughed a little too loud. Then Eric laughed with her.
“Eric, you know I’m a tech idiot,” the girl teased, “that software you installed for me on Tuesday is still sitting there on my computer, untouched. You’re gonna hav kresede to come over and install this one for me.”
“How hard is it to put the disc in and follow the prompts?”
The girl laughed again, making the hair on Sofia’s arm stand up.
“I could probably drop by on my way home if you want. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
“And then you’ll show me how to use it?”
Eric’s laugh was like none Sofia had ever heard. It made her stomach turn. “It’s not that hard, Nicky. But yeah, I can walk you through it.”
“Yay, you’re a doll. I’ll make you fish tacos, and I already have Coronas chilling in the fridge.”
Sofia held her breath. Say you can’t—you won’t.
“Fish tacos and a cold beer, sounds good.”
Sofia walked away and out of the store, choking in anger. He’d been to this bitch’s house this week to install software, but he hadn’t had time for her all week? He hadn’t called her all day to mention anything about getting together tonight, so she’d assumed he was busy studying again.
She hit the speed dial on her phone and called him. When he didn’t answer, she called right back. Never once this entire time had she questioned Eric’s faithfulness. Sure, she’d worried a little when he started college about all the college girls he’d be meeting, but once he started, and nothing changed between them, she felt certain she could trust him. He’d loved her since they were kids. He told her this all the time. The jealousy burned her up. She called until he answered, pacing outside the store.
“What is it, Sof? I’m working. I’m not supposed to answer my phone.”
“Am I gonna see you tonight?”
He paused. “That’s what you’re calling about?” He paused again for a moment. “I don’t know, babe. I still gotta cram.”
Her stomach bottomed out. Without thinking, the words flew out, “Fuck you, Eric! I hope you enjoy Nicky’s tacos, because I’m never cooking for you again!”
She hung up and wiped her tears. The heartache she felt was suffocating. It took her a while before she realized she was walking in the wrong direction. She spun around and stalked to her car.
***
Sofie’s words were like a bat to Eric’s groin. It took him a moment to recover. When he did, he realized she must’ve been in the store, close enough to hear his conversation.
He tried calling her back several times, but each time it went to voicemail. After working for another half hour, his phone rang again. It was Angel.
“Shit.”
The number one rule when Alex and Angel had laid down the law about him and Sofia was, do not break her heart. Alex had harped on that more than anything ktha0"> . He’d never even brought up sex. He hurried to the break room to answer it.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“You better hope my sister stops crying before Alex gets home. What the fuck did you do, Eric?”
She was crying? This was worse than he thought. It was only fish tacos!
“Nothing!”
He explained about his friend Nicky, told Angel Sofia must’ve been there and overheard. “But I swear to God, I was just being polite. I would never do anything to hurt Sofia.”
He told him about Sofie’s call, leaving out exactly what’d she’d said, just said she was harsh. “I really do need to cram, Angel. I just think she’s completely misunderstanding all this.”
Angel’s tone didn’t ease up, even after his explanation. “Well, you better fix this, because I’ve never seen her this upset. I don’t like it.”
“I’m on my way.”
Eric told his manager he had an emergency and had to take off early. His dad would kill him if he knew what he was doing. He’d already warned him he had too much going on. School was his first priority, then work, and last was his social life. The reason why he’d cut down on his time with Sofia. But he had to fix this, and he had to do it now.
The more he thought about on his way to her house, the more he realized why she’d been so upset. He turned it around in his head. If it had been him, he’d be incensed. Truthfully, he had been a little flattered with Nicky’s continual flirting, and now he was feeling rotten about it. He took a deep breath before getting out of his car at Sofia’s house.
Angel met him at the door. “I already told her you’re here, but she refuses to come down. Sarah’s in there with her now.”
Eric had no idea what to do. “Can I go up there?”
Angels face soured. “Hell, no. I’ll go tell her you’re here again and remind her Alex will be home soon.”
Eric stood at the bottom of the staircase, waiting. He looked up when he heard her door open. Angel came out first, followed by Sofia. Even Angel flinched when Sofia yelled, “You’re a liar! You were at her house this week, and you were going there again tonight! But you told me you had to cram!”
Her parents rushed in from the kitchen.
“Sofia, what’s the matter? You’re crying?” Her mom looked up the staircase.
Sofia ignored her mom. “Is that who you were cramming all week, Eric?”
Angel had started down the stairs, but stopped at her outburst. “Sofie, calm down. Let him explain.”
“No! Go get your fish tacos, Eric. Tell Nicky you like lots of cabbage!”
“Sof, I can explain. It’s not what you’re thinking. I swear to you.”
Her parents stared at him. As if his heart could take anymore, Alex walked in.
“What’s with all the yelling?” He took one look at Sofia’s face and his expression immediately we kmme"0">
Mr. Moreno put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Calmado.”
“Nothing,” Sofia said before Eric could respond. She rushed past Angel down the stairs. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
Alex still glared at Eric, but Sofia grabbed Eric’s hand and pulled him toward the front door. “We’ll be outside.”
As soon as they were outside, Sofia let go of his hand. “You’re lucky I didn’t want my brother to blow up.”
“Sof, I swear to you. It’s not what you’re thinking.” His heart was still pummeling against his chest. He knew Sofia could be feisty, but to make such a scene in front of her family? “The software I installed for her on Tuesday was in the store. She brought in her computer. I was only going to stop and install the new one tonight then go straight home. I wasn’t going to hang out with her. You have to believe that, Sof.” He reached his hand out to her, but she backed away. “I love you. I would never do something like that.”
She paced back and forth hugging herself. Alex stuck his head out the front door. “You okay, Sofie?”
She nodded and wiped her tears away. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Alex glared at Eric, then looked back at Sofia. “You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Alex shot Eric another look before closing the door.
“Don’t ever…” She whispered.
“What?” Eric took a step closer to her.
“Don’t you ever dare cheat on me, Eric Diego.”
He’d never even considered it and ga-damn if he’d ever would now. He reached his hand out and she took it.
“I would never, Sof. You should know that.” He pulled her to him, feeling her arms wrap around him and squeeze him.
“I don’t want you to talk to that girl anymore, and you better never eat any of her food.”
Eric had to smile. He hadn’t even thought of what a big deal that might be, but Sofia had always loved cooking for him. It was their thing. He buried his face in her neck. “I’m sorry I made you so upset. I hate to see you cry.”
Sofia pulled away from him and looked him straight in the eyes. “No more house calls for any of your tech idiot girlfriends either. Okay?”
Eric kissed her. “I wish you could somehow feel what I feel for you, Sof. You’d never have to worry about me with anyone else.”
“I do feel it. It’s what I feel for you, but you made me question it today.”
“I’m sorry, Sof. I didn’t even do anything, but I’ll say that forever. I’m sorry.”
She rested her head against his chest and sighed. “I feel drained.”
Eric took a deep breath. “Yeah, that makes two of us.”
***
Sofia’s graduation present was a trip to Cancun. Eric seemed thrilled when she said she wanted him to come with her. All her friends were going. It would be a blast.
Sofia had been a little surprised her brothers were actually happy Eric was going, but at almost nineteen, she knew her brothers had to assume they were sexually active. At this point, all they were more worried about was her safety partying in a foreign country.
The trip was everything she’d hoped for, except for the fact that she was the only one of her girlfriends that brought her boyfriend along. There were a couple of nights her friends were a little miffed that she didn’t hang out with them because they were supposed to be girls’ nights. Still, Sofia and Eric made the most of the trip, and they had the best time ever.
Eric took a break that summer and only took a few classes instead of his usual full load. They were able to spend more time together and as always, every moment alone was electrifying.
When summer ended, Sofia concentrated on school. She attended UCSD, the same as Alex and Angel. She dare not go anywhere further. It was bad enough, school and his job kept them apart for days at a time now. She couldn’t imagine being away from him for weeks, much less months.
She met Naomi in college. They were both majoring in English Lit. They met in a creative writing class. Naomi was a few years older than Sofia, and already had a baby. She was also a little bitter about the hand she’d been dealt. Only twenty-two, she was a single mom with no family support. But she loved reading, writing, and she was working her way through college. Sofia had to respect that.
Sofia worked at the restaurant when she had the time. Her parents had told her she could put in as many or as little hours as she wanted. She couldn’t even imagine working a regular job, going to school and raising a baby all by herself.
They went to lunch as they often did. Sofia sat across from Naomi. She’d asked Sofia if she could interview her. Naomi was working on a paper on relationships for Psych class.
Naomi bit into her sandwich before picking up her pen and note pad. “So how did you meet Eric?”
Sofia smiled. “I’ve known him forever.”
“Really? You’re whole life?”
Sofia nodded. “Yeah, pretty much. We grew up in the same neighborhood. He lived up the block from me. Still does.” She bit into her own sandwich. Naomi waited for her to continue. When she was done chewing, she swallowed and added, “He’s my brother’s best friend, so he was always around.”
“Wow. That’s so sweet. So was he your first boyfriend?”
Sofia smiled and nodded. “My first everything, actually. I’d never even kissed a boy before him.”
Naomi stared. “You’ve never had any other experiences than with him?”
Sofia thought about it. That was it in a nutshell—she’d never been interested in experiencing anything with anyone else.
“That’s interesting. I’ve been reading a lot about long-term relationships. The ones that I find the most fascinating are the couples that met and marry after only a very short time, say a week or a month, but are together forever. Then there are the ones like you, who’ve known each other your whole lives and stay together forever. But I know you’re still young, so who knows. Personally, I don’t know anyone else, even high school sweethearts, that have stayed together. It seems like too much. ”
“What do you mean?”
“Well.” Naomi sat up. “I’m not saying you won’t; I’m just saying most couples that start that young eventually start getting bored with the same relationship and start wondering what they missed out on. You know—dating—meeting new people in the real world outside high school.”
The memory of Eric laughing with the girl at the store came to mind. There hadn’t been anymore instances since then, but the image was seared in her mind forever.
“In most cases, usually the guy starts to resent all he missed out on.” She tilted her head. “Neither of you has had other relationships outside of each other?”
Sofia smiled big. “Yep. It’s just been me and him all this time.”
Naomi took another bite of her sandwich and wrote something, thinking aloud. “Never even been kissed by anyone else.”
Sofia shook her head. “Nope, and I never wanna be.”
Naomi smiled. “That’s beautiful. But don’t you get curious?”
“About what?”
“I don’t know.” Naomi stared. “I’m just saying don’t you ever get curious about what kissing another guy would be like?”
Sofia shook her head. “Never.”
“That is so amazing.” She held out her hand and gave Sofia a high five. “You go! You and your boyfriend are one in so few.”
Sofia thought about that, then remembered Angel and Sarah. “My brother and his girlfriend have been together since high school, and they’re sophomores in college now.”
Naomi’s eyebrows lifted. She lifted her notepad again, but waited until she finished chewing, then asked. “Were they each others first, too?”
Sofia laughed. “I’m pretty sure she was his first real girlfriend, but she was far from his first experience.”
< k="0else.p height="0" width="48"> “What about her?
After thinking about it for a moment, she responded, “I think she said she had gone out with a couple of guys before she met my brother.”
Naomi kept jotting things down on her notepad, but asked, “Well, that’s a little different.”
Sofia was beginning to feel annoyed. Who cared if she didn’t have anyone else to compare Eric to? She didn’t want to compare him to anyone. All her friends had these roller coaster relationships. She and Eric barely had a few minor bumps. They were incredibly happy and neither could get enough of each other. She bit into a carrot and waited for Naomi’s next question.