Page 10 of Out of Office
Distraction. I needed distraction from errant thoughts. I focused on Adrián and found him studying me with a hungry gaze that required a few shifts on the front seat. At this rate, I’d need a change of underwear by the time we arrived at the hostel. This was wild.
“So tell me more—”
“Do you want a blanket? I have one in the back if the AC is too cold.”
Both of us spoke at the same time, and I stopped talking to let him finish.
“Sorry, what were you going to ask?”
Talking to Adrián used to be easy, but now that our mutual attraction was out in the open, it was as if we had pressed Rewind to those first days. I shook my head, and then if it wasn’t enough to use no words, I gave him a thumbs-up with a vapid grin that made me cringe the moment I used it. Adrián pursed his lips in doubt, then returned his focus to the road.
This was a train wreck; where was my poise? My famed calm, my equanimity?
“So since when—”
“What do you want to listen to?” Adrián asked again, trying to start up conversation. He ran his right hand slowly down his thigh, and he might as well have touched me instead. This was the most sexually tense, awkward exchange I’d ever had. Finally, words emerged from my lips, but they were not enough to spark up the usual easy banter that had been the norm in our rides.
“Whatever you like,” I said, then wanted to ask for that blanket so I could crawl under it and close my eyes for the rest of the trip. The blanket would also help with the way my nipples had decided to broadcast all my dirty thoughts.
Adrián fiddled with the console and soon soft salsa music filled the car, substituting some of the awkward silence that reigned before. The charged silence was better, but the awkwardness stuck around the entire ride to Colón. Adrián attempted to start conversation, and I managed to miss every single attempt.
Soon we settled into an awkward silence. I played with my phone, stealing glances at his thighs and hands, which were working so diligently to drive us safely.
When the SUV wheels hit the dirt road that signaled to Aguimar, my shoulders sagged in relief. The two hours had been torturous, and I wondered if I’d imagined the chemistry of just this morning.
Adrián maneuvered his car into a little town with cute houses, driving past a large town square with a round open structure in the middle of a roundabout and on the opposite side of the round structure, a fonda called La Buenona.
I had the pleasure of eating food in a fonda, which I had equated to the Panamanian version of a dive, and wondered how far this one was from the hostel. As if the drive hadn’t been torture enough, my stomach grumbled loudly over the music in the car.
“No worries, my sister probably has some food ready,” Adrián said, holding back his amusement.
If the gravel under us could just jump up and bury me, maybe I could get out of this car with some dignity. I smiled at Adrián, but it probably looked more like a grimace.
Honestly, this day couldn’t get any more awkward.
Five
Adrián
Dios mío.
The car ride had been a disaster, riddled with awkwardness. During the past four months Gen and I had become friendly she had exuded confidence and poise. But this ride...it made me wonder if I’d made a mistake inviting her, putting her in a position she wasn’t comfortable with, and making her retreat to her shyness. I wanted her to relax and be at ease, not worried about any awkwardness between us. She deserved rest. I followed Gen with the luggage as she stood rooted close to the entrance. She was as lovely as ever, fiddling with the straps of her laptop bag and her cell phone in hand, as she stared at Villa Bonita and the surrounding areas in amazement.
Pride washed over me at our little property, unpretentious but beautiful. Ten little cabanas were scattered around green palm trees and abundant rich vegetation, primary colors decorating the walls and windows, the scheme of each cabana unique, with small individual touches I had personally designed.
“This is beautiful,” Genevieve said in awe, then turned around and regaled me with a dazzling smile. A full-body tingle wracked my body at that grin. The gesture reassured me—that was the smile she’d given me many mornings and afternoons.
“I’m glad you like it,” I said.
“Like it? Nah, that’s not enough. I love the way the winding pathways lead to the main building, and if I’m not mistaken all of the units face the beach, right? And the middle structure, it looks deceptively small, but it’s obviously the main artery incorporating all the colors from the rooms. It’s lovely.” The force of her happiness was intoxicating, and I stepped closer, drawn to her. The moment I stood close, she grew bashful, eyes dropping to the ground then back up with apprehension.
“Are you okay? Listen, I know this was a last-minute decision, but the reason it made sense to me is because we already had a connection. If it helps, just remember our rides,” I said, desperate to set her at ease. She’d made a big leap agreeing to spend her last two weeks with me and the last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable.
Genevieve sighed, her ponytail shaking; her shoulders rose, and like magic, the determination and poise seemed to materialize in her again.
“Of course, listen, I know the trip here was—”
Whatever Genevieve was going to say was cut short by a cacophony of noise. The ground shook as if a stampede of wild animals was about to descend on us. Gen whirled on the spot as my five niblings, followed by my very frazzled sister, ran out of the main casita.