Ryan
Living my life hasn’t been easy. In fact, I’ve lived a pretty shitty existence.
Until last night.
I lie on my uncomfortable bed made of gym mats while the most amazing girl sleeps soundly curled against my chest. Last night I carried her from the shower to my room, where we both explored and experimented and drove each other insane until she said those words that stopped me from taking everything she was willing to gift me.
I think I’m falling in love with you.
We’d agreed to keep feelings to a minimum. At least that’s what I meant when I told her that last night couldn’t mean everything. I’d have been okay with like or lust because those two emotions don’t come with baggage.
But love?
I can’t do that.
Love comes with commitment and expectations.
And while I care for Dalila even more than I want to admit, I can’t give her more of myself than I already have.
I won’t let myself destroy a girl like Dalila, which is why I stopped us from going all the way last night. I’d like to think I did the right thing, but even now as she lies naked with her long hair splayed across my chest I want her more than I’ve wanted anything in my life.
Including boxing.
She stirs and entwines her legs with mine. Something tells me that if I don’t disconnect from her now, I might never be able to do it.
I gently rub her tanned, slender arm. “Dalila, wake up.”
Instead of waking, she nuzzles her face deeper into the crook of my neck.
“Dalila,” I say a little louder this time. With her so close it’s hard to keep my body in check.
“Mmm,” she replies in a groggy voice, which only seems to turn me on even more.
I don’t have an agenda here, but what if she does? Trusting anyone isn’t my strong point, especially when I’ve been warned that I should keep my distance from girls who have the power to make me question everything.
Fuck that.
I’m not letting anyone have power over me. I might owe her a favor to take her on a little trip to see her grandmother, but I’m in control of my emotions.
“Come on,” I say in a gruff tone as I move out from under her embrace. “Time to go.”
I quickly shrug into a T-shirt and jeans, ready to get out of here. Suddenly I’m claustrophobic with just the two of us in this small room.
As if it randomly got cold in the room, she sits up and shivers. Her hair is mussed and she looks tired and beautiful. And she’s fully exposed. Damn. Dalila Sandoval could make any guy grovel for her affection. Including me. But I can’t . . . and won’t.
I shove the last of my things into my bag and toss her another shirt of mine. Seeing her naked affects me more than I’m willing to admit. “Here, put this on. Let’s get on the road.”
“I’m hardly awake yet,” she mumbles as she slips the shirt over her head.
“Well, wake up. We leave in less than five minutes.”
I storm out of the room and enter the main gym. Mateo is here punching a speed bag, the staccato sound echoing off the walls. A few other guys are working out, oblivious to the fact that Dalila Sandoval is in the building and that she spent the night. I wish we would’ve left earlier, because I don’t need anyone knowing who I’m spending time with or getting into my business.
“Hey, Hess!” Mateo calls out. “Wanna spar?”
“I can’t,” I tell him.
“Why not?”
“I’m goin’ out of town today.”
He stops hitting the bag. “Out of town? What about your training?”
“It’ll have to wait until later tonight or tomorrow. A job came up.”
“A job, huh?” As if on cue, Dalila appears still wearing my T-shirt. “Ah, I get it,” Mateo says, staring at Dalila’s back as she walks out. The door slams behind her, the sound reverberating through the gym. “I wish I had your job.”
“No, you don’t,” I say. “That girl expects too much.”
“In my experience all girls expect too much. You better run after her. If she gets away, another guy will be waitin’ in the wings to snatch her up. Trust me on this, bro.”
He’s right. I rush out of the gym to find her struggling to start her car. It keeps turning over, then dies.
“What’s wrong?”
With her teeth clenched, she turns her attention to me. “This stupid car.”
I glance at the gas gauge. She’s got more than a half of a tank, so there’s no reason her car shouldn’t turn over. “Pop the hood.”
I’m not a huge car guy, but I might be able to tell if something is off with it.
“You got car trouble?” Mateo asks as he struts outside to join us. I swear the dude walks to an invisible beat he’s listening to inside his head.
“Her car won’t start. She’s got gas,” I explain. “But it won’t turn over when she turns on the ignition. You know anything about cars, Mateo?”
He looks under the hood. “A little.” It doesn’t take him long to point to a tube that’s completely melted. “Take a look at this,” he says. “The tube is destroyed, bro.”
“How long will it take to fix?”
Mateo shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe a couple of hours after ordering the part, but it’ll probably take a day or two to get. I can ask one of the guys . . .”
“Oh no!” Dalila cries out. “It can’t be melted. This isn’t even my car.”
“We can use my car,” I offer, “but I don’t have gas. I’ve got some cash left over, so if I can get to a gas station we can be on our way.”
“That car isn’t going to last a car trip in the middle of the brutal Mexico heat,” Mateo tells me. “And depending on where you’re going, it’s not a good idea to be flashing Texas plates. I don’t know where you need to go, Ryan, but feel free to take my uncle’s truck,” Mateo offers, pointing to a Chevy pickup. “He’s out of town for the week and I can drive another one of his cars. It’s no big deal.”
“We won’t be back until tonight,” I tell him. “No way I’m takin’ your uncle’s truck for that long.”
“He won’t care. I’ll call him if it’ll make you feel better.” He pulls out his phone and starts dialing his uncle. After talking to him, he holds out the keys. “He said to take the truck. He’ll tell one of my cousins to pick me up here after I’m done working out. I’ll pick up the truck in the morning. Have fun.”
With long, purposeful strides, Dalila heads for the Chevy.
Mateo is trying to hold in laughter. “Buena suerte, Hess,” he says with a knowing wink. “That means good luck.”
I don’t tell him I need all the luck I can get to keep my distance from her.
In the truck, Dalila directs me to the highway. I use her phone to call Camacho and tell him I need to take a day off. He’s not happy about it. He said if I don’t keep training while I’m away, he’ll know I’m not committed and won’t hesitate to give up on me. I have to get back soon, because I’m not forfeiting everything I came to Mexico to do.
After I hand her back her phone, I tell Dalila to call her parents and let them know our plans.
She drops her phone into the cup holder. “I texted them last night. They already know where I am.” She looks at me sideways and I can tell something’s up. “I just need to be home by dinnertime.”
A little voice in the back of my head tells me there’s more to the story. Her father seems like a super-strict dude. Why would he just let her spend the night with me? And why aren’t her parents accompanying her to visit her dying grandmother?
“What if we’re late getting back?” I ask her.
“Then my dad will ground me,” she says matter-of-factly. “After he kills you.”
The crazy thing is, I don’t know if she’s joking or not.