“Who’s first?” Mitch asked.
Oh. Yeah.
“I don’t know,” I replied quietly. “I hadn’t thought about that yet.”
Sofia got to her feet and looked around the room. She had the all too familiar look of I know exactly what to do written all over her face. I watched her dig into her pocket and pull out a quarter.
“Call it in the air, gentleman,” she said, flicking it with her thumb.
Alejo said tails and Mitch said heads. Sofia caught it in her palm, flipped it onto the back of her hand, and walked over to me without looking at it. She took a seat next to me and together we looked at the coin, as she moved her hand away.
“Batter up, Señor Castillo,” she said as I looked out the window again. I didn’t know how I felt about the coin flip. I was honestly hoping to go with Mitchell first. It would’ve been so much easier that way, but instead Alejandro would be the first. I would have to leave Mitch again like I had done before and it felt like a knife had just been driven through my heart.
Alejo got to his feet and nodded at Mitchell before he came over to me. A smile never crossed his lips; ever. It didn’t have me worried but it made me wonder why he had become so serious.
“Ready?” he asked opening the door and stepping aside. I looked at him for a moment then at Mitchell, who was leaning back in the chair watching us. He smiled at me. I returned his smile and then I walked out the front door with Alejandro.
One
“I can’t believe how beautiful this place is,” I remarked for about the hundredth time.
Alejandro chuckled as we walked hand in hand down the streets of Pamplona Spain. I knew we had been here
before for the Running of the Bulls, but it was nice just to be able to walk through and look around.
I remembered when he said he wanted to take me to Spain for our time together; I had asked him if he had lost his mind. The last time I was on a plane with him, it didn’t end well, but he had assured me that we would be using a private jet and that it would be safe. So here I was a week later, walking in what felt like an entirely different world, with a kind, soft spoken, handsome man.
He had been quiet for the majority of our time here so far, but now he seemed a little more comfortable.
“Ah, there it is!” he said suddenly. I glanced up at him and followed his gaze. I couldn’t help at smile but the beautiful restaurant in front of us. Alejo said that he wanted to take me somewhere nice for our first time back in his native country again and thought I would enjoy El Restaurante de Baluarte.
“That’s so pretty!” I exclaimed.
“Let’s go in. I think you’ll find the view from inside even prettier,” he replied with a small smile.
“Señor Castillo!” the host greeted us cheerfully, following it with something in Spanish that I didn’t understand.
I felt Alejo’s hands on my shoulders as he responded and I heard my name somewhere in the mix. The host smiled at me widely, before leading us to a table with the most beautiful view of Pamplona. I sat down and set my purse on the chair next to me. Then I fixed my fancy cloth napkin on my lap, keeping my eyes on the outside world. The waitress brought a fresh basket of rolls and they spoke for a moment before she left.
I must have been grinning like a fool as I watched the cars and people because Alejandro laughed and threw a piece of bread at me. I jumped and looked at him sheepishly.
“It’s so pretty out there. I can’t help it,” I said.
“I know how that feels. When you see something so beautiful that you just can’t help but stare,” he replied softly.
My almost immediately face felt hot. I looked at him with a shy smile and he grinned.
“Can I ask you something, Livie?” he asked leaning back in his chair. I nodded curiously.
“How long did it take you to remember everything?” The waitress came back at that moment and handed Alejandro a glass of white wine and a glass of red wine to me. I took a sip and glanced out the window again before I answered.
“After I woke up? About six months of Sof’s nonstop harassment,” I said with a laugh.
“What was the first thing you thought of?” he asked softly.
“Actually my first thought was ‘how the hell did I survive that?’” I replied truthfully. I grabbed one of the rolls and broke it in half thoughtfully, “My second thought was ‘I hope he survived too’.”
He let out his breath in a shaky gust. I hadn’t realized he had been holding it and I wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting for an answer, so I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.