Page 16 of Mutual Discord

“I think it does, though.” Alex stared at me, but when I didn’t speak for several more seconds, he sighed. “You obviously don’t have to tell me anything, but I find it incredibly surprising that I’m the only person in your real life who knows about your series. It’s phenomenal, Sofia. I can’t believe you haven’t told anyone. I recommend it to everyone.”

“You do?” I whispered, my head swimming as if I’d taken a shot of tequila.

“Really.” Alex pulled out his phone and scrolled, a huff of laughter falling from his lips. “I made an offhand comment to my sister about not having to worry about subway noise during our phone calls anymore, and she mentioned it was a twentieth-century woman innovator who devised a way to limit noise from elevated railway systems. She was floored when I told her, ‘Yeah, Mary Walton.’ ”

I grinned. “I bet that felt good.”

“It did.” Alex smirked. “My younger sister—Camila—is a structural engineer and constantly deals with bullshit from her male coworkers or supervisors, so she’s protective of the women pioneers in the field. The fact I knew Mary Walton impressed her.”

“Camila sounds like a badass,” I whispered. I couldn’t imagine working in a male-dominated field where I constantly had to remind my peers that I deserved a seat at the table, especially as a woman of color. The amount of racism and misogyny Camila had probably dealt with was frustrating and not at all surprising.

“She is. I’m immensely proud of her.” Alex’s cheeks flared on a noisy exhale. “I also worry for her constantly. Camila often charges into situations, lighter lit and ready to burn things to the ground, when sometimes all that’s needed is a few sweet words and a common sense suggestion.”

“I feel like you excel at sweet words and common sense.”

The sentence was out of my mouth before I had an opportunity to consider what I was saying. I focused on the stack of pastries in front of me as if my life depended on what I selected next. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alex studying me, no doubt wondering how he should take my claim.

“Sweet words can be a dime a dozen, but common sense seems harder and harder to come by these days.” His words were casual, but when I looked, there was a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks.

“You mentioned you have another sister. Is she younger than you as well?”

“Elena is older. I’m stuck right in the middle of two sisters,” Alex said, feigning a full-body shiver.

“But again, you were the only boy in a Latino family.” I scoffed. “I bet your parents treated you like a little prince. El jefe.”

“No,” he objected, his scowl fierce. I propped my chin into my hand and stared at him, my brows raised. After a moment, Alex rolled his eyes. “Okay, maybe a bit.”

My laugh was a tad too long and a tad too loud. Thankfully, Alex was a good sport because he simply crossed his arms and watched me, his lips trembling over a smile.

“I have an older brother who can do no wrong in my parents’ eyes. And to be fair, Javi is pretty great.” I ticked off my brother’s accomplishments on my fingers. “Was a star on the baseball team, graduated in the top one percent of his class, went to an elite school, and is now working as a pediatric cardiologist resident in Chicago. He and his wife, Olivia, are cool as hell, and I enjoy spending time with them. All of that doesn’t take away from the fact that Javi is adored, and when he comes to visit, oof, my parents roll out the red carpet.”

Javi and Olivia were supposed to spend Christmas in Tucson this year, and I was looking forward to seeing them. But the holidays seemed so far away.

Alex drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “I know how Latino families are about their sons. I’ve seen it firsthand with my own parents and how they treat me compared to my sisters, who are both brilliant, of course. The only way I know how to address that deeply ingrained cultural misogyny is to call it out when I see it. And I try to do that whenever I can. I like to think my parents have learned.”

“You sound like a good brother.”

“I try to be.” Alex shook his head. “Somehow we started talking about Latino family dynamics and not Rosalind Franklin.”

I cringed. “Yeah.” I dug my fingernail into a crack in the table. “I’ve been thinking that maybe we can table it for the time being. I’ve noticed that the calls for a LIVE have died down recently.”

“Yeah, I noticed that, too. And I’m glad because they were bullshit to begin with.” Alex shook his head. “While I understand that people enjoy our dynamic in the comments, why they felt you had to share your platform with some nameless, faceless idiot on the internet is beyond me. For all they know, I was at the Capitol on January sixth.”

The laugh that burst from my mouth could only be described as a cackle. “Alex, I swear I said the exact same thing.”

“You didn’t,” he said around a laugh.

“I really did.” I knuckled away tears from under my eyes. “How funny is that?”

“It seems like we think on the same wavelength.”

Alex said the words lightly, but his gaze was keen. Warmth expanded in my chest…and I thought of Caitlin and deflated. I reached for my coffee and took a sip as I willed my thoughts into order. Thankfully, Alex focused on eating the gallina he selected after his oreja and a silence stretched between us. After a minute or two, I relaxed into the stillness—Alex didn’t speak just to fill the air, and soon I was lounging back in my chair, leisurely enjoying the late-summer morning with my cup of coffee.

“I’m glad we met, Sofia.”

My gaze darted to his, and his dimple winked at me. “I’m glad we met, too, although I still can’t get over that you and Caitlin are a—”

“Perdóneme, sorry to interrupt,” a voice said from behind me. Peering over my shoulder, I spied Maria, the morning manager at Dulce’s. In her hand was a small cardboard box wrapped with twine. “We have a few conchas and coyotas out of the oven. I thought you might like to bring them into the office, like you have before.”