Page 60 of A Lot Like Adiós
He nodded. “An Aztec eagle.”
Michelle studied the tattoo, the meanings whirling in herhead. The coquí were a species of frog native to Puerto Rico. The little frogs were small but resilient, and they made their voices heard. They came out at night, whereas the strong and majestic eagle symbolized the sun, and the place where the Aztec people had founded what was now Mexico City.
“The styles represent the original inhabitants of the places where you’re from, before colonialism attempted to wipe them out,” Michelle guessed. “Am I right?”
“One hundred percent.” Then he pulled her close and kissed her until she was breathless.
She fell asleep in his arms, but halfway through the night she got up and slipped through the adjoining bathroom to her own bed in the craft room.
As she tried to fall back to sleep with Jezebel snuggled into her side, she was forced to admit she was already breaking too many of her own rules with Gabe. Orgasms during sex, letting him go down on her—she swallowed hard at the memory of his tongue between her legs—talking about herfeelings. Sleeping beside him, being completely vulnerable in repose, was the last barrier remaining.
And she needed it. If she let herself get used to sleeping with him, even for one night, it would make the pain of his inevitable departure unbearable.
She rolled onto her side and petted Jezebel, who let out a grunt at being disturbed. As the cat settled down again, Michelle reflected on their conversation in the car.
She understood now why Gabe had been so anxious to leave the Bronx, and so angry at her for dragging him back here. She’d always liked his parents, and she could see now thatwhile they’d been kind to her, Gabe had suffered under the weight of their expectations more than she’d ever realized. He had good reason to be estranged from them.
His life was in Los Angeles now. She got that. But maybe opening another gym in New York would give him a reason to visit more often. And maybe that would allow them to continue exploring this new evolution of their old friendship.
Michelle didn’t need to spend every second of every day with somebody. The whole reason she’d worked so hard to buy her apartment was so she could have a place that was hers and hers alone. Unlike the rest of her marriage-obsessed family, Michelle was fine on her own.
But she wasn’t opposed to occasional companionship. If Gabe were to visit New York on a regular basis... well, that could be enough.
Lying in her bed with him had been too easy, had felt too right. Seeing him walking around her apartment in his underwear, perfectly at home, had, for the first time in a long time, made her wish for more. Someone she could talk to and share experiences with, someone who wouldseeher.
The way Gabe had when they were younger.
Plus, Jezebel liked him. On the way to the real estate office, Gabe said he’d woken up that morning with Jezebel curled up against his neck—although he’d made it sound like he’d wished it had been Michelle in bed with him instead.
It was hard not to take that as a sign.
Maybe, after all this time, they were being given another chance.
HALF ASLEEP, GABEstretched his arm across the mattress, reaching for Michelle. The other side of the bed was empty and cold, until he reached a pile of warm, purring fur.
He cracked his eyes open to find Jezebel watching him with an enigmatic gaze.
“Where’d she go?” he grumbled at the cat. Jezebel took it as some sort of invitation and padded over to drape her body across his neck, nearly suffocating him. “Fine, I’ll pet you.”
Ten minutes later, Gabe found Michelle in the kitchen loading the dishwasher. “I was looking for you.”
“I’m right here.” She bent over to jam utensils into the holder. “Coffee’s on the counter.”
Gabe glanced at the little mug of café con leche and, after only a moment’s hesitation, grabbed it and took a sip. His eyelids fluttered shut as the first heavenly taste hit his tongue, a reminder of his old coffee habit. Michelle must have made it especially for him, since she was primarily a tea drinker. But he wouldn’t allow it to distract him from the conversation at hand.
“I meant I was looking for you in my bed.”
She shrugged and fit drinking glasses into the top rack. “I don’t sleep with people.”
Gabe let out a snort and set down his mug to pass her the dishes from last night’s dinner. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“No, I mean I don’t share beds overnight with sexual partners.”
Gabe frowned as he gave the frying pan another rinse before handing it to her. “Is this somePretty Womanshit? Like how Julia Roberts wouldn’t kiss Richard Gere?”
She straightened, a look of surprise making her amber eyes go wide. “You remember that?”
“Come on, Mich. You made me watch that movie at least a dozen times.”
