Page 83 of A Lot Like Adiós
“Just please tell us what’s going on.” Ava’s eyes were patient, but concerned.
Michelle looked from one cousin to the other. It was true,she was usually tight-lipped about anything to do with sex or relationships. Old habits died hard, but even she could admit she was in over her head. Maybe she did need advice from her primas. She grabbed Jasmine’s mug and took a fortifying sip of the bitter black brew.
“All right,” Michelle said. “You want to know what’s going on? We gotta go back a little bit. Remember how Gabe left after high school?”
Jasmine’s expression darkened. “How could we forget?”
“And you remember what I told you we did before he left.”
Ava nodded.
“All right, now we need to jump ahead. Because I never told you two about Nathaniel.”
Jasmine took her coffee back. “Who the fuck is Nathaniel?”
And so Michelle explained about Nathaniel, her coworker, and how late nights working on challenging projects had brought them closer together. Nathaniel had always been conscientious, but the more time they spent together, the flirtier he got. One thing led to another, and soon they were blowing off steam after long workdays.
It wasn’t serious, Michelle insisted. But she’d liked spending time with him, and she could talk to him about work. They talked about other things, too, like their families. And when the next promotion came up, Nathaniel used that against her, ingratiating himself with their bosses and cutting her out. And then he was gone, off to the Los Angeles office with the job that should’ve been hers.
Michelle had stayed at Rosen and Anders for a short time after that, but the feeling of betrayal, combined with the longwork hours, finally broke her, and she’d ended up in the emergency room with a diagnosis of “stress and exhaustion.”
“That’s why you quit,” Jasmine murmured. “I always wondered if there was more to it.”
“Yeah. I mean, I was burned out too. But that shit with Nathaniel sure didn’t help.”
Ava’s eyes shone. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Michelle shrugged. “Why didn’t you make me a cup of coffee?”
At Ava’s narrow-eyedDon’t try to change the subjectlook, Michelle sighed. “You both have your own problems. I don’t like to burden anyone else with my feelings.”
“A burden shared is a burden halved,” Ava quoted, and Michelle rolled her eyes.
“I’m not one of your students, A.”
“Aren’t you?” Ava’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she raised her mug and drank.
Jasmine rubbed Michelle’s back. “Mich, you’re always there for us. You have to let us support you too.”
“I know it goes both ways,” Michelle said, more touched by her cousin’s words than she wanted to admit. “It’s just hard.”
“Well, start now, and tell us what’s really going on with Gabe. Because I’m not buying thatWe reconnected on Instagrambasura for a minute.”
Michelle should’ve known Jasmine wouldn’t be fooled. She told them about Fabian’s email, about the Pros and Cons list, and about fearing that Nathaniel would get the job if she turned it down.
“No better way to ruin Gabe’s life than to drag him to afamily gathering,” Jasmine commented when Michelle was done, raising her mug in a toast.
“I was kidding about ruining his life. Besides, he was supposed to leave on Friday, before my parents got back.”
“Why didn’t he?” Ava asked.
“We got caught.” Michelle explained how Gabe’s father had discovered him buying condoms, and how Gabe didn’t want to tell his dad about opening a gym in New York.
Jasmine’s smooth brow creased in confusion. “Why didn’t Gabe want to tell his dad about the gym?”
“He’s been estranged from his parents for years. Their relationship is... complicated.”
“I can understand that,” Jasmine murmured.
