Calah
The next morning I’m awoken by Mateo kissing my head, I’m not sure how to act right now but I guess I can’t go wrong with,
“Good morning.”
“Oh, it’s a good morning now, anytime I get to see those eyes I’m going to be a happy man.”
“Mateo, you’re too nice to me.”
“No, I’m not nearly nice enough, I can’t explain how beautiful you are. Everything about you is…”
I press my lips to his when he hesitates and he kisses me back fully; he tastes of cinnamon and sugar, “What have you been up to? You taste sweet.”
“You caught me, I snuck out of bed and made you breakfast,” he winks, “Will you join me?”
Suddenly I feel shy, so I sit up and pull the sheet around my body, I don’t sleep naked and I don’t want to just stand up right now in front of him. I’m not even sure where I left my dress, but Mateo is handing me a shirt before I can ask. I slip his shirt over my shoulders and button it as I follow him into the kitchen. It smells amazing; the shirt and the breakfast.
“What did you make?”
“Torrijas, I think you call it like,” he ponders for a minute with an adorable grin on his face, “French toast. I may be a bit biased but ours is better.”
He winks and walks around the counter with two plates in his hand so I sit next to him on a stool, “We’ll see about that, did you know my mother is French? I’ve had some pretty amazing toast in my days.”
“Oh, a little competition doesn’t scare me, take a bite, I bet I can win you over.”
He grins happily so I oblige him and dig into my food. It’s incredible. Somehow lighter and more buttery than my mother’s and even though I hate to admit it, it might actually be better.
“Okay, you have to tell me the secret.”
“No way, not until you cook it with me next time,” he teases, “So you like it?” he asks with a little vulnerability in his eyes.
“Sí, es muy delicioso,” I giggle, I know it wasn’t right but now I’m vulnerable too.
“Look at you! Your pronunciation was so good; I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.”
“Only a little bit, what they taught me in high school Spanish, I’m hardly fluent.”
“I will teach you. Do you speak any other languages?”
“Basic French from my family, I’ve heard that it’s sort of similar to Spanish.”
“I’m not sure but maybe we can learn together and I will take you to France,” his eyes light up while he talks, “We can visit the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.”
It seems like Mateo is planning a future with me. After last night I’m not sure that I can walk away, but there is still the deal to think of. I trust Mateo and want to believe what he said about it last night but at the same time I’m still nervous.
“That sounds lovely,” I say finally.
“It would be wonderful to travel with you querida, I would consider myself a very lucky man.”
“Mateo, I would be lucky to travel with you.”
“That is what you say,” he cups my cheek and meets my eyes, “But I can feel you pulling away from me.”
“I don’t want to, I’m so confused,” I admit.
He drops his fork onto his plate and the clatter makes me jump. Before I can react he wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me from my chair. He holds my body against his and locks his arms around me.
“Calah, you are not confused you are still putting walls up between us, I can feel it in your kiss that you want me too.”
He presses his lips to mine and even though this whole thing stole my breath I can’t stop myself from kissing him back deeply.
There is tension, passion and anger in his kiss, when he breaks away he growls, “You are mine and I am yours, I think you know it too but I will try to give you the space you need to figure it out.”
His demeanor has changed since the kiss, when he sets me back on my feet he seems defeated. My stomach drops and I’m not even sure how to feel right now. I have been sort of hot and cold and that’s not fair to him, clearly his feelings are real and what I really want is Mateo at the end of the day.
I step up behind him at the sink and fold my arms around him. A small comfort comes with pressing my cheek to the bare skin of his back then take a deep breath and let my walls down, in the best way that I know how.
“Mateo, I’m sorry, I’m scared,” I admit. “I don’t know what I’m doing but you’re right, I do want you, I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
The words are just falling out of my mouth now and I can’t stop. I can feel myself starting to cry, if I keep talking I don’t know what will come out next. Thankfully, he seems to sense the change in my mood and turns to hold me against his chest.
“Calah, I’m not upset with you, I know that I am coming on strong but last night was perfect,” his cheek squeaks and he shakes his head like he is disappointed in himself.
“I should be more considerate of your feelings and I want to try but,” he hesitates.
“But?”
He takes a breath and then lets it out, “You lit my fire and now I want more nights with you. I want to fall in love with you, I know it’s scary. I’m scared too but I will always protect you, I will always make sure you have what you need.”
I’m overwhelmed by his declarations but he just strokes my hair soothingly and I manage to hold back my tears. The scent of his skin is already so comforting to me; I stay like that in his arms for a while until we’re interrupted by a phone ringing.
“I’m sorry querida, give me one minute,” he steps into the living room looking for his phone.
An overwhelming feeling of dread fills my belly and I’m not sure what it means. Everything is so intense right now, I’m sure that’s all it is. I do my best to push it down and finish doing the dishes.
When he comes back into the kitchen he is smiling and it’s so bright it disarms me, “Calah, baby, you’re in, my parents are getting really excited!”
“What do you mean?”
“That was mother, she said that Uncle Jorge can’t stop talking about how amazing and smart you are.”
“Oh,” I blush without being able to control it.
“She can’t wait to meet you.”
“Oh? Did you…”
He cuts in, “No Calah, I didn’t tell her about us, she was just asking me what I thought, she knew I went to the meeting.”
He looks a little down trodden, but I can see how that came across. I close the distance between us and unfold his arms then wrap mine around him.
“Mateo, that’s not what I meant, I’d be honored if you wanted to introduce me to your family as more than just Miss Levine. I just wanted to know if they knew.”
“Really?” I can hear in his voice that he’s smiling.
“It’s better that way Mateo, I don’t want to be a scandal, if this is real then...”
He cradles the back of my head and bends me back into an intense kiss, when he breaks away he looks happier than I’ve ever seen him.
“It is real, I promise you Calah. I will figure this out, and you will close the deal on your own merit. Just give me some time, okay?”
“Okay,” is all I can say.
He meets my eyes again, “I promise my baby, I will prove that.”
“I trust you.”
