Page 35 of A Follow-Through in Faking
Today is going to be fun.
It’s summertime in Australia, so Catalina is wearing a flowy white dress with a burst of colors from several different flowersall over it. Her skin appears to be glowing in the light of the afternoon sun, and her blue eyes are complemented by the dark eyeshadow she’s wearing. She braided her long, brown hair into two dutch braids, a few strands framing her face.
Her scowl is firmly set in place, but when she sees me, clad in a white dress shirt that matches her outfit, and dark blue jeans with a bouquet of daffodils—her favorites—in my hand, her gaze softens.
“Happy Birthday,mariquita,” I say and step toward her, handing her the flowers. She takes them from me, and I lean down to place a kiss on her cheek. Her eyes flutter shut before I make contact, which is all the reassurance I need.
My lips press to the soft skin on her left cheek, and I linger because I can’t help myself. She smells fresh and sweet, so I inhale subtly, trying to get my fill of her scent for the millionth time since we’ve met. It’s been over a decade, but Catalina has always smelled this way.
And even though I linger, she doesn’t push me away. She doesn’t tell me she’ll gut me like I would have expected. Cata simply places her free hand on my chest and gently presses to break the skin contact.
“I think the paparazzi got their picture,” she says, her eyes drifting over my shoulder.
We’re in front of her hotel, and I know for certain Charlie and Mamá didnottip them off that we’d meet here. It’s too dangerous for Cata for anyone to know where she’s staying.
“Relax, they’ve known where I’m staying since I arrived. It’s fine,” she says, but I’m not happy about this at all.
“You’re coming to stay with me at my hotel,” I blurt out, attempting to storm past her and up the stairs to the entrance of her hotel when she wraps her fingers around my wrist to stop me.
“I most certainly am not, Santi. It’s enough that we are forced to spend so much time together. I am not voluntarily going to be around you more,” she says, walking toward where I parked my rental car to pick her up.
I bite down my frustrated rant about her not taking her safety seriously enough. There is no point. If she doesn’t want to come with me, she won’t.
But that doesn’t stop me from texting Charlie and telling them to get some security for Catalina for the last week that we’re going to be here in Melbourne. It’s a wonder people have known about her staying here for a week already without any incidents.
“Santiago, let it go. I’m fine,” she says, and I wonder for the millionth timewhyI care. Why her safety is so important to me. Why I’m trying to find ways to make her forgive me and even despise me less.
It’s not because I want a lasting relationship with her that isn’t fake. Of course it’s not. That would not only be extremely out of character for me since I’ve never been in a relationship before, it would also be plain stupid.
But this season is going to be long, so it only makes sense that I’m trying to find ways to bond with her. To bicker less. To… well, fuck me, but I want to kiss her, even if we’re faking it, while she isn’t so damn angry with me all the time.
“Get a move on,cabrón.I’m going to get my first grey hair waiting for you,” she says right before slipping into the passenger seat.
A sigh of utter frustration slips past my lips, but I do as she wants and get into the car.
“Would it kill you to be a bit more positive about spending time with me?” I ask once I drive onto the highway and toward our first location. Catalina looks thoughtful for a moment as she seems to consider my words.
The key-word being “seems.”
“I’m not sure, but I’d rather not find out,” she replies, which has me smiling despite how much I want to shake her.
“Let’s make another deal. If by the end of the day you hate me a little less, I want you to give me a hug. Not a fake one. A real one. The kind of hugs you give Charlie,” I say, still grinning because Cata throws a disgusted look my way.
“It’d take a miracle, so sure, Santi. And if I don’t hate you less?”
“I’ll buy you whatever you want.”
“Sounds good. I’ve always wanted my own private jet that flies me to my own private island.”
I burst into laughter, and finally, she joins me, her melodic voice filling the rental car until there is nothing left for me in the world but the extraordinary woman beside me.
Chapter 16
Catalina
“Whatarewedoinghere?” I ask Santiago as he leads me to a restaurant/café called Higher Ground. He went so far as to reserve a table for us, and as nice as it is, I don’t see any paparazzi to photograph us anywhere.
“We’re here because this is our first stop of the day. And because when you get hungry, you get even angrier with me, and I’m trying to avoid that,” he says right as a waitress places our cups of cappuccino in front of us, as well as the food we ordered.
