“So…how did the fake dating go? You get to go home tomorrow and what? You’re going to pretend you don’t love her?” Livie asks knowingly.
“How do you know I love her?” I ask, my attention never leaving my girl, who’s dancing the night away with my little cousins.
“Anyone with two eyes can see there’s only one girl for you, big bro. You just needed to be brave enough to actually utter the words.” She pats my back. “I’m glad you finally did. I’ve never seen you smile as much as you did this weekend. And happy looks good on her too.”
I look at Livie and smile. “Thanks, hermanita. Not everyone can meet the love of their life and immediately be honest about their feelings, you know? Some of us need a little push.” I shove her gently with my shoulder.
“Mmm, actually, Alex and I fake dated too,” she replies.
What?
“What?” I ask, and she giggles.
“It’s a long story, but yeah. Crazy, huh?”
The song changes from a perico ripiao to a bachata, and I know exactly what to do. Daisy seems to think the same, since her eyes find me immediately.
“Oh my God, get a room!” Livie shouts.
“I’m not even close to her,” I tell my little sister, now walking away from me in her frilly cupcake dress, as she calls them, to sit on her giant husband’s lap.
“You don’t need to be. It’s all in the eyes, remember? Now go. Get out of here.” She sends me away with her hand. I don’t have to think twice about it. I walk up to my future and hold her in my arms.
“Hi, baby,” I whisper.
“Oh, how I love the sound of that,” she replies, her head falling to my chest while my hands rest on her exposed lower back.
“Get used to it.” I kiss the top of her head and carry us along as the song fades into the distance like everything else does. Because when Daisy is in my arms, nothing else matters. Nothing else exists. Just me and her.
13
Meant To Be
FIN DE SEMANA (VERSION NAVIDEÑA) BY LOS HERMANOS ROSARIO & A NONSENSE CHRISTMAS BY SABRINA CARPENTER
Daisy
“I always knew you two were meant to be,” Ada says, startling me.
“Oh, hi. You scared me.” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear and look around to see if anyone else is here.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
I nod nervously. Omar, Mateo’s dad, is the warm and fuzzy one, the one who likes to converse and dance, the one I’m closer with. Ada… I don’t know. I’ve never been able to figure it out. She is harsh on her kids, but she also is relaxed with other things. So her going out of her way to talk to me is…interesting.
“How did you know?” I ask now that I remember she said something.
She smiles looking at her son and daughter, who are dancing salsa on the floor. “A mother always knows. It’s beyond the way he looks at you. It’s the way he talks aboutyou and how miserable he was every time you two were idiots and didn’t date each other.”
I gasp. “Ada, you know how to use that language?” I pretend to clutch my pearls.
“Ay, mija. Please. I know how, I just don’t. Could you imagine if I used language like that in front of Olivia? She?—”
“Would have turned out as perfect as she is now,” I interrupt, because I don’t want her to get the idea she can talk shit about Livie with me.
“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant.” She swallows hard. “I know I have not always been fair to O—” she clears her throat, “Livie, but I’m trying. What I meant was that she already uses explicit language without my aid.”
“That she does.” We both laugh, but I’m still unsure of her motive.
