“I see,” her dad replied. “Well, enjoy your trip and hug Santo for us. Tell him to take good care of you and that we love him.”
“I will, Papa. Love you both,” she said as she hung up.
Looking at her phone again, Aria scrolled through the missed calls. There were about fifteen missed calls from Alex and multiple texts, but saw that they both stopped about the time she had arrived in Madrid.
Sighing as she plugged it in to charge, she unzipped her suitcase and found where Corinna had packed her pajamas and toiletry kit. She headed to the bathroom, stopping to look at herself in the mirror.
What am I doing? I feel so lost.
The urge to call Alex was overwhelming but she knew if she heard his voice, she’d probably get on the next flight home.
Once showered, she thought about joining Santo in his living room when she heard the TV playing quietly, but she needed to rest. She crossed the hall to the guestroom and slipped into the sheets, pulling them close to her as she closed her eyes.
She must’ve been exhausted because the next thing she knew, the morning sun was peering through the curtains.
Aria smelled coffee and drug herself out of bed to have breakfast with Santo before he left for work.
She padded down the hallway in thick socks, following the smell of much needed caffeine. Santo was dressed for work in black pants and a button-down white shirt, stirring a cup of coffee.
He looked up and smiled when she entered the kitchen. It was very industrial in design, something she knew her brother loved. Stainless steel appliances and accents, black marble countertops and bright white walls gave his home a modern and minimalistic feel.
“Good morning,” she said, ruffling his hair.
Aggravated and trying to put it back into some order again, he said, “Good morning to you. And leave my hair alone. You know how long it takes for me to tame this beast.”
Aria smiled as he attempted to finger comb his thick hair into place again. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she sat next to him at the bar in the kitchen.
“So, do you want to tell me what happened?”
“How long do you have before you need to leave for work?”
“I don't have a meeting until ten, so fire away,” he replied, sliding a pastry toward her.
Taking a bite of the Palmeritas, the buttery sweet explosion made her mouth water. In between bites, she recounted all the details of what had happened since they spoke last.
Santo listened attentively, his eyes soft with sympathy as he reached out for her hand.
“I’m so sorry. I wish I knew what to say.”
“Corinna says I need to do what I want to do for a change.”
“I agree. This has been a long time coming, Aria. You’re welcome here for as long as you like.”
He pulled his hand away and sipped on his coffee.
“I know. But for now, it will just be about a week. I needed to get away. At first, in my impulsiveness, it was about getting out of Alex’s way. I can’t be the reason Alex upends his whole career. But what Corinna said on the way to the airport really hit home. I need to discover who I am, what I want.”
“Again, I agree,” he said, his facial expression evident that he wanted to say more.
“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming?”
“But,” he continued, “with everything you’ve told me, and what Mama and Papa said to me after meeting him, are you sure you’re ready to walk away for good? Isn’t there a way to compromise?”
“I didn’t give him a chance to find a compromise. He wasn’t open to that. He just kept saying he was willing to walk away from it all to be with me. I can’t let him end up resenting me later on.” Her voice softened and tears stung her eyes. “Like I resented Nicholas.”
“What do you mean?”
Aria squirmed in her chair and took a sip of the sweet coffee to fortify herself.
