Page 33 of Love at First Ink

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she said because apparently that was the only word she was capable of.

Then all too soon, Cisco was gone. Snowball took over the place where he had been and snuggled up to Marisol’s side. She knew she should go to bed, but her body was still alive with the thought of their kiss.

CHAPTER 15

Marisol

There was no way Marisol was going to leave Snowball alone during her first full day at the house. Since it was her sister’s idea, Marisol felt it was only right that she call Lola for help—to which her sister replied with a surprised, yet excited scream and hung up. Marisol took that as a confirmation, so she started getting ready to meet Alice.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on her front door. She barely answered it when her sister barreled past her and into her condo, dragging her husband, Javi, behind her. Snowball was in good hands, even though she didn’t seem overly fond of Javi. Must be a men thing.

Smart cat.

Lola pried, trying to get Marisol to talk about her plans for the day. Marisol told her she had a therapy appointment—which was true—and she needed to run errands. It wasn’t as if she was hiding Cisco… No. She was very much hiding Cisco. But not for the reasons people might think. She wasn’t ashamed of him. She simply wanted to keep this slice of happiness to herself for a little while longer. However, in the spirit of working on her relationship with her sister, she let her know that she had a date.

It was the wrong fucking thing to say though, because her sister demanded to know everything. Who was he? How did they meet? Had they been out before?

Marisol kept her answers vague, trying to give her as little as possible without lying to her. Thankfully, Javi saved her by reminding Lola that Marisol was going to be late for her appointment if she didn’t leave. Lola was clearly not happy but acquiesced.

After promising to keep in contact, Marisol left the house with enough time to stop for coffee on the way over. Alice’s office was abnormally chilly when she arrived, but clearly her therapist didn’t agree. She came out in a knee-length skirt and a short-sleeve shirt. She was also fanning herself with a makeshift fan created from computer paper.

“Never get old, dear. Hot flashes are the worst.” Alice stepped aside to allow Marisol to walk through. She cursed the thigh-length black dress she wore, wishing she thought to put on a snowsuit before leaving the house.

Graciously, a blanket was awaiting her when she walked into the room. She sank down on her usual spot on the sofa, unfolding the blanket to drape over her bare legs. She was well aware this could quite literally be her comfort blanket for the duration of their session.

“The last time we spoke, you mentioned you were debating going on a date. Did you ever come to a decision?” Alice asked, ever the professional. She wasted no time getting down to the nitty gritty of it all. Marisol appreciated this approach because there was no time for bullshitting.

She still couldn’t believe it was only last week that she went on her first date with Cisco. It felt much longer but alsolike no time had passed at all. Her feelings for him had developed quickly and only grew stronger. She was both thrilled and terrified. Mostly terrified, but she tried not to stew on that fact for too long.

“I did and agreed to the date.”

If Alice was surprised by this, she didn’t show it, but she did smile from ear to ear. “Did you? And how’d it go?”

“It went really well,” Marisol admitted with a sheepish smile. “He took me to a concert to see a band we both enjoy. It was probably one of the best days of my life.”

“That sounds lovely. Do you plan on seeing him again?”

“I have actually. He helped me pick out things for Snowball.”

“And Snowball is?” Alice asked, reminding Marisol she hadn’t yet filled Alice in on that new development in her life. That was a rarity because she told her therapist everything and practically in real time.

Marisol recapped the last few days. How Lola suggested she check out the shelter during free adoption day, to finding Snowball and how they clicked immediately. How Cisco came to pick her up and shop for everything Snowball needed. And finally ending on how they ran into Archie, but the day wasn’t ruined by him. It was still horrific to see him.

“Wow,” Alice said once Marisol finished her updates. “You’ve been through a lot in these last few days. I imagine seeing Archie was hard, especially while you were out with Cisco.”

Marisol couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably. That moment had sucked, and for a second, she believed Archie had ruined everything. Hell, she thought Cisco believed the same thing. Unlike Archie or anyone else in her family, though, Cisco listened to her explain and chose to believe her. Not onlydid he choose to believe Marisol, but he also sided with her and promised to help her if Archie became a problem again.

“It wasn’t pleasant, but it didn’t end badly. Cisco came back to my house to put together Snowball’s tower and litter box. We spent the evening together.” She conveniently left out the kiss. She told Alice most things, but there were certain things Marisol wanted to keep to herself.

“I want to circle back to the shelter. You mentioned meeting someone named Stella? Can you tell me more about the flyer Stella offered you?” Alice asked, crossing her legs and balancing her notebook on her lap.

“She gave me a flyer that talked about volunteering. Stella encouraged me to check it out. Said I might be a good fit.” She shrugged.

“Did she specifically say why you’d be a good fit?” Alice inquired.

“Oh, I think it’s because I was able to connect with Snowball. She thought I might be able to connect with other stubborn animals, I guess.”

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