Page 63 of A Lot Like Adiós
“Ah, porque...” Gabe cast around for an answer to whythey hadn’t told anyone and settled on one that sounded legit. “We knew you’d all make a big deal about it.”
“Verdad. Tu madre...” Esteban shook his head. “She’s going to lose her mind. You’re back, and you’re with Michelle. It’s all she ever wanted.”
Fuck. Gabe had forgotten to consider his mother’s response in all this. How could he have forgotten about his mom?
“¿Dónde te estás quedando?”
“I’m staying, um, me estoy quedando... con Michelle.” Gabe’s voice cracked and he cursed himself for not thinking of a lie. Hotel. He should’ve said he was staying in a hotel! And then he could have raced back to the house, grabbed his suitcase, and escaped forever.
Michelle would probably kill him for leaving her again, but death would be an improvement over whatever hell he was currently trapped in.
“¿En la casa de Dominic y Valentina?” Esteban raised his eyebrows and gave Gabe a look like,Dude, that’s bold.
It was. Shit. What had he been thinking, having sex with Michellein her parents’ house? All of this was a giant mistake!
“Vendrás a cenar esta noche,” Esteban said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Michelle también.”
“Uh, okay. Sí.” Fuck, why had he just agreed to have dinner with his parents that night?
He was regressing. Two minutes in his father’s presence and Gabe couldn’t think of a lie to save his life, couldn’t say no, and couldn’t set clear boundaries like a fucking adult.Thiswas why he’d needed to leave.
“I better go,” Gabe muttered, and made a move to stash the boxes back on the shelf.
His dad put a hand on his arm to stop him. “¿Qué haces, muchacho? You’re not married to her yet. Necesitan practicar safe sex.”
Gabe’s heart stopped. This was it, this was the moment he died. In the condom aisle of a CVS, at the age of thirty-one, because his father had told him topractice safe sex.
Because his father was watching, Gabe held on to the boxes and got on line to buy them.
Esteban waited with him, since he was there to pick up his blood pressure prescription. He peppered Gabe with questions in a mix of Spanish and English, and by the time Gabe was able to get away—after promising that yes, he and Michelle would be over for dinner at 6P.M.—Gabe no longer had any idea what he’d replied. It was like some kind of out-of-body experience.
Gabe hurried out of the store and lost a few moments looking for his black Audi hybrid before he remembered that he was in New York and had driven Michelle’s teal Fiat.
Once in the car, he pulled out his phone to call Michelle, but his hands were shaking so badly he almost dropped it. Never mind. He’d be back at her house in a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, he started the car and drove back as quickly as residential speed limits allowed.
MICHELLE WAS INthe basement printing pictures for her presentation when she heard pounding footsteps and Gabe shouting her name. She abandoned the printer and ran upstairs.
“I’m here!” she called, heart racing. Had something happened with her car? Was he hurt? Did he—
Gabe met her in the kitchen, eyes wild. He shook a white paper pharmacy bag at her. “We’re caught.”
Michelle looked him over, checking for blood. “What?”
Gabe sucked in a breath and let it out in a rush. “Mydad...”
Michelle’s stomach sank.
“Saw me...”
She clapped her hands over her mouth. It was obvious where this story was going.
Gabe squeezed his eyes shut as if in pain, then yelled, “BUYING CONDOMS!”
Michelle bit down hard on her lower lip. If she laughed now, he would never forgive her. Maybe in ten years they’d be able to joke about this, but right now he was looking apoplectic, so she took his arm and pulled him over to the sofa.
“Let’s sit down.” Channeling Ava, Michelle adopted a soothing tone. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
Gabe sank into the cushions and covered his face with his hands. “It was awful, Mich. I couldn’t decide between the condom brands’ core values, and then suddenly my dad wasright there.”
