Page 67 of Mutual Discord

Gianna snorted. “And? You’re beautiful, too. And smart and funny—”

“Most of the time,” Andrea interjected with a smirk.

“Is this the one you told me about years ago?” Tití Sara shifted toward my mother, her brows stitched together. “The one that boy she dated was trying to get close to?”

Mortification heated me from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes when Mamí nodded in affirmation. “What a pendejo. Sofia is much better off without him.”

She was right, of course, but God, did I hate to think about Kyle, more than a decade after the fact. He had been prelaw and a member of the men’s swimming team, with those lovely broad swimmer’s shoulders. We met at the gym, and after exchanging chitchat for the better part of a week, I’d been thrilled when he asked me out. For three months we dated, and I really liked him…so I was devastated when I borrowed his iPad one afternoon and stumbled across a conversation between him and a teammate. A conversation in which Kyle bragged that if he played his cards right, he’d be in bed with Caitlin in no time. I was no stranger to being overlooked for my stunning friend, through no fault of her own, but it had cut to the quick to discover that someone I thought cared for me—me—had been angling for my friend the whole time.

It hadn’t occurred to me until just that moment that it was possible I’d been scarred by that ill-fated relationship with Kyle. The possibility that I had let that loser tarnish how I viewed myself in correlation to Caitlin was embarrassing.

“He was a pendejo, which is why it’s pointless to discuss him now.” I shrugged, attempting to infuse as much blitheness into the gesture as I could. “But I appreciate your loyalty.”

“Well,” Andrea began, leaning into the silence that followed my words, “if you’re not interested in Alex, I am.” While the ladies at the table laughed or balked at this pronouncement, Andrea fixed her gaze on the table where the men continued to play pinochle. “I just turned eighteen, and I’m ready to experience being with a real man.”

“ ‘Experience being with a real man’?” Tití Sara repeated, her voice high and her eyes owlish. “Ay, nena, you’re going to be the death of me.”

The rest of the night was full of laughter, rapid-fire Spanish, bickering, and so many wildly flailing hand gestures they could generate enough energy to power a small city. Midnight came faster than I expected, and it was Alex who wished me a merry Christmas first, enfolding me in a giant hug.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I murmured against his cheek.

“There’s no other place I’d rather be.” Alex angled back to meet my eyes. “I hope you know—”

“Feliz Navidad, mi hijita!”

Alex released me and I pivoted to my mother to receive her embrace. After I exchanged well wishes with the rest of the family, I looked for Alex, finding him helping my mother sort and hand out presents from under the tree.

When the room was littered with torn wrapping paper, crumpled gift boxes, and a confetti of bows and ribbon, I sat back with a sigh. My parents had gifted me with a plane ticket to Puerto Rico for next summer, as well as a yearly subscription to the Journal of Women’s History, which I’m sure was Mamí’s idea as she was tired of me asking to use her login information. Javi and Olivia gave me several books from my to-be-read list and a gift card to an independent bookstore in Tempe that I loved.

One person I didn’t receive a gift from was Alex, and I was glad I hadn’t put my gift to him under the tree. I hoped I would have an opportunity to give it to him privately, but if he hadn’t gotten me one, I would save myself the embarrassment. The idea that he had forgotten me stung just a little.

“Sofia,” he said, suddenly at my side and gently grasping my elbow. “I accidentally left your present in my hotel room. I’m sorry.”

Relief flooded over me, cool and sweet. “That’s okay.”

Alex immediately shook his head. “No. I can’t believe I did that. Maybe after this all dies down and everyone heads to bed, you can come with me to go get it.”

Oh. I cleared my throat. “Sure. That works.”

He squeezed my arm. “Good.”

So in the early hours of the morning, after my tío, tití, and cousins had departed for their hotel, promising to return on Christmas mid-morning, and Mamí, Papí, and Olivia had long gone to bed, Alex approached, his car keys in hand.

“¿Listo?”

“Sí.” I briefly slipped into my room to grab my coat and his gift, which I shoved into my coat pocket. Alex waited for me by the front door, but I paused near the chair where Javi appeared to be reading his medical journal again.

“Alex forgot something at the hotel, so we’ll be back.”

Javi’s arched brow was so sharp it could cut glass. “Text me if you need me to come get you. No matter the time. ¿Comprende?”

The backs of my eyes burned, but I managed a nod. “Thank you.”

And I turned to follow Alex into the darkness.

Chapter Eighteen

I crept down the hotel hallway with Alex, trying my best to be as quiet as possible. It was four o’clock on Christmas morning, and no one would think my tired chatter was any sort of present.