“How about we get some and hike up a hill to watch the sunrise over the water?”
“Is this a crazy one for you or a new?”
“It’s new. No sugar first thing in the morning for a professional athlete. And no intentional bad sleeps.”
“Shit. I can’t wait to see your crazy.”
“Are you in, or?”
“Yeah.” Rona smiled, her lips curled upwards and her whole face lit up.
I wanted to lean in and kiss her. Or add that kissing a stranger would be on my crazy list. But it was too soon to speak quite that openly. And she wasn’t a stranger anymore.
~ 4 ~
Rona
Sitting at the dining table outside the villa with my friends sharing a delicious meal, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I loved them dearly. I knew how lucky I was to have this group around me, and today I was feeling it even more. Maybe it was having Lily here with us that was making me see our group dynamic through her eyes. Music played in the background from the decks I’d set up outside the villa. Earlier on, I’d mixed some music while everyone was hanging out by the pool. It was happy days.
“It’s really nice of you to cook tonight, Lily,” Mathilde said.
“It’s my pleasure and it’s the least I could do.”
Lily had insisted she cook. I’d gone with her to the market after we got back from the beach and my outrageous ice cream moment this morning. I’d watched her at the market as she chose all her specific ingredients for tonight, in awe of how she went about everything. There was something about her confidence, and her attention to detail that I liked. She was open and deliberate in everything she did. I felt pulled in. She seemed to move through the world with an ease I’d never had.
“I think this is the best paella I’ve ever tasted,” Kaira said.
Lily grinned. “I’m glad you like it.”
“When did you pick up these fine culinary skills, dude? I remember you always made a good omelette, but this is next level,” Vicky said.
“It was when I was playing for Barcelona. My Spanish teammates taught me.”
“Ah, makes sense,” Vicky said.
“Did you ever play at the Nou Camp stadium?” Nell asked Lily.
“Many times.”
“Wow,” Nell seemed starstruck. “What was it like?”
“It was incredible. We had a sell-out crowd once. It was a beautiful moment.”
“That’s so cool. It holds like nearly a hundred thousand people or something.”
“Did you learn any Spanish while you were there?” Kaira asked, now having finished her paella.
“Apprendi un poco. Pienso que es un idioma hermoso.”
“You have a beautiful Spanish accent,” I said, without thinking about it.
Lily met my eyes across the table. There was a flicker of something in them, before she looked away and took a sip of wine.
“And by very beautiful she means attractive,” Vicky said, in her usual playfully teasing tone.
I took a sip of my wine too, shooting a glare to Vicky and a hesitant glance back at Lily, unsure how she would take what Vicky had said.
“Sounds like you picked up a lot. Good for you,” Kaira said.
