Page 18 of All at Once

He smirks as we sit down onto our seats. Then he rests his elbows onto the table, leaning forward flirtatiously. “Please don’t tell me that I lost my chances.”

“Not yet. Although…,” I drag out my sentence, “you’re not the only reason why I decided to come here.”

“Ouch.” He stays in the same position, narrowing his eyes at me. “If not for me then for who?”

“For myself,” I declare confidently before facing my attention toward the kitchen. “And to try the pastries, explore the city…” I face him again and smirk. “And most importantly to watch your teamlosein person next week.”

Enrique leans back, the movement full of charm, his facial expression turning more competitive. “Only two of those outcomes are possible so I’d prepare yourself for the game now.”

“I’ll prepare to console you after it,” I say.

Hey. I’m not doing as bad as I thought with the whole flirting thing.

“Now I wouldn’t mind that,” he says, his voice noticeably deeper.

Okay.NowI haveno ideawhat to say.

It’s like my nervous system detects when I’m getting just that much closer to a guy, only to abruptly pull me away from everything.

I shift my attention to the menu, thinking of a safe enough topic. “So what’s good here?”

“Honestly? Everything. The croquettes might be my favorite though. We can share an order if you want.”

“Share? No. Sorry. I’m starving. I’ll get my own, but thanks for your suggestion.”

His dimples appear out of nowhere. “Don’t apologize. I wasn’t sure if you’d like them or not. I’m also super hungry. I barely had a chance to eat today,” he adds, while scanning his menu.

A noticeable lump forms in the back of my throat, feeling a little guilty for being disappointed at how he left earlier. “Do you usually work all day?”

“During summer, yes,” he explains, “and not as much the rest of the year. We get really busy in July and August especially.”

Great.Perfecttiming then.

I’m wondering why Enrique suggested for me to even come here when this is the busiest he ever is. Was it a lot more casual than I previously thought? Or maybe he thought that I would be coming here for my own vacation and seeing him only once or twice?

Then again, he’s the one that said that it wouldbe fun to reconnect. That seemed pretty specific to me. But was that just a figure of speech?

The butterflies in my stomach are turning more nauseous again.

I remind myself how I’m trying to be the “cool-I-don’t-care-girl,” so along the veins of this logic, I offer, “I know me showing up here wasn’t really planned in advance, so I understand if you’re busy with running the resort. No pressure.” Then I realize a “cool”girl probably wouldn’t feel the need to sayanyof this.

To my surprise, Enrique’s lips curve into a smile. “I appreciate that, but I’m excited to spend time with you,” he reassures. “It’s going to be fun.”

So I’mnotmisinterpreting his intentions then? I must say that it’sexhaustingtrying to figure out how someone feels about you when you’re interested in them.

RationalizingwhyI care this much this early on has a lot to do with the fact that Enrique fits the exact archetype of the dream guy I imagined in my head while growing up. Outgoing, athletic, charismatic, attractive, and kind. And now that there’s a second chance to experience what I hoped for years ago, I don’t want to fuck things up.

After ordering for the two of us, he looks back at me and asks, “So what was the highlight of your day?”

I take a sip of my water, hoping it gives me the confidence to say what I want to tell him. “The moment I saw you,” I answer.

“It looks like we had the same one then,” he says, biting down on his bottom lip.

My heart flutters, my chest warming up. Although I don’t know if it’s just because of his response. Or the fact that I wanted to say any moment thatdidn’t include Luca.

I’m temporarily distracted from our conversation when our croquettes arrive. As soon as I take a bite, I almost gasp at how good they taste. “Okay. These are incredible,” I tell Enrique with wide eyes.

His joyful smile gives away that he’s pleased that I like them. “Right? This is probably one of my favorite dishes ever.”

---