Page 27 of Under His Sheets
“No, no that’s fine. And congratulations again. I’m excited for you.”
“Thank you, and I hope you know you’re coming to the wedding. You’re family to me.” She smiled, and then herexpression changed. “You were gone for a while. Everything okay?”
This was where I practiced being the covert operator.
“Oh, yeah. I went outside to get some air, and I talked to Felip’s brother Alonso for a bit. He’s really quiet, yeah?”
She wrinkled her nose. “He is. He’s a great guy, very dependable, but he keeps to himself. I always feel a little bad for him, the way they all ride him. I’m looking forward to getting to know him better.” She shrugged. “Okay, let’s see where we can put you.” She took me by the arm and led me back to the living room.
“Oh, there you are, Randall,” Felip said. “Do you mind staying?”
He tried to apologize but I held up a hand. “It’s fine. I didn’t have anything planned for tomorrow.”
He smiled. “Lo siento. I didn’t even think, we usually stay. You can come with us to the guesthouse, there’s a pullout couch, or?—”
“He can have my room.” Alonso appeared from the kitchen, toweling off his hands. “You two go ahead. I’ll get him settled.”
Felip gave his brother a strange look and then nodded.“Okay! Well, I’m cooking breakfast?—”
“No,” everyone shouted, and his mother did the sign of the cross. I couldn’t help but laugh, and Felip seemed shocked.
“What? I’m a good cook.”
“Sí, and you leave the biggest mess to clean up. Go to bed,” his father said, shooing the happy couple off, then he pulled them back and hugged and kissed them both. “Thank you for making an old man happy.”
Mrs. Segura hugged and kissed them both as well. June and Mateu parted, exchanging an odd look, and then Tomás and Mateu climbed the stairs together, pushing each other as they went.
Alonso came to my side and gestured for me to climb the stairs with him. There were more pictures of the family, some of them going back in time as we climbed and showing folks who I gathered must be grandparents, perhaps great-grandparents even. I couldn’t imagine having such a long family history. I hadn’t even known my grandparents, nor had I known cousins and aunts and uncles growing up. My parents had only ever seemed concerned with their immediate family unit.
At the top of the stairs, Mateu and Tomás said their good nights and headed toward the left and Alonso guided me to turn right. There was only one bedroom at this end of the second floor and there was a bathroom right outside. Alonso gestured for me to go inside, and he reached into a cabinet to fetch me a towel and a toothbrush. He didn’t speak, and it was like Alonso the custodian was back.
EIGHT
Saturday11:26 PM Cava Segura Winery, Pènedes, Catalonia, Spain
I took my time brushing my teeth, though I swayed on my feet. The wine had made me sleepy, and as much as I wanted to spend more time with Alonso, I worried I wouldn’t be able to keep my eyes open for long.
I knocked on the bedroom door, and Alonso opened it with a faint smile, his eyes wide as if he too were unsure. He closed the door as I stood looking at the two twin beds against the wall in front of me.
“Which one was yours?” I asked him.
He gestured to the one on the left.
“Makes sense. I hadn’t realized you were left-handed,” I said, turning to gaze at him. “Is that a thing here? Some people get shit for being left-handed.”
Alonso shook his head. “My mother is, so no. Would you like me to leave you to rest?”
“Do youwantto leave?” I asked him, confused. I could still smell him on me from our make-out session.
“No. I don’t.”
“Then no. I don’t want that either.”
He placed his hands on my shoulders and slid my cardigan off.
“Afraid I’m going to have to retire my poor, sad sweater. I hate to. It’s my favorite.”
He lay it over the back of the chair at the end of the two twin beds as I kicked off my shoes. I sat on his bed and gazed up at him.
