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“It doesn’t matter how many friends you make, you’ll always miss me because I’m me.” She chuckles.
“You’re definitely one of a kind, Mel.”
“Anyway, my flight gets in Friday night at 5:45 p.m. Where are we going after you pick me up?” I know Mel means well, trying to change the subject but it’s gonna take more than Mel’s usual charm for my anxiety about Carmine to be silenced.
“Not sure but I’ll have a few ideas for us when I pick you up.”
After Mel and I finish the conversation, I decide I need to speak with Lily. I want to find out about doing less courtroom work for the next few weeks, if possible. When I reach Lily’s office, her door is open, so I knock twice before entering.
“Hi, Sol. Our phones have been ringing all morning after our firm was identified in the paper.” Great, now the name of the place I work at was made known too.
“That’s precisely what I wanted to talk to you about,” I say, my words not as firm as I want them to be. I’m nervous. I’m still new here and not sure how I should approach this subject with her. On the one hand, I know she’s good friends with my last boss and probably the primary reason I’ve gotten so much work. But, on the other hand, Lily doesn’t know me so I’m not sure how she’ll receive the request for me to do less courtroom work because of personal drama. I stop behind the chair and lean against it.
“The client said you did an incredible job interpreting at that trial. She’s already told me she would like to use you exclusively for all of her future hearings and case work.” Great, I can’t say anything now. I’ll have to suck it up and deal. Be extra vigilant.
“Wow, that’s really nice of the client. I’m so happy she’s pleased with my work.” I give her a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes.
“Sol, you’re excellent at what you do, of course she’s pleased with you. All of the assignments I’ve given you have returned with incredible feedback about your interpreting skills. You’re easily one of the best employees I’ve ever had.” My smile lifts, reaching my eyes.
“Thank you, Lily. Coming from you, it means a lot.”
“What is it you wanted to discuss?” she asks, leaning back in her chair.
I swallow the words sitting on my tongue. “Oh, I wanted to make sure you knew CNN picked up the coverage and showed a clip of me next to the defendant. I’m not sure if they gave the company name but my friend from Boston called to tell me she saw me.” My smile no longer reaches my eyes, I hope Lily doesn’t pick up on it.
“Excellent. More exposure for us ensures we have continued business.”
“Anyway, I’m almost finished translating the contracts for the Neville case. I should have them by the end of the day.” I spin to walk back to my office and I swallow the lump in my throat.
“Thank you, Soledad,” Lily says.
The rest of the day at the office dragged by, despite me keeping busy with the contract translations. All I could think about was Melida’s call and her seeing me on the news. I searched the internet for a little while to see what I could find. Some of the local Miami papers identified me as “an interpreter from Miami Language Solutions” but I haven’t seen any with my name. Not that it makes a difference, you can clearly see my face and now everyone knows where I work. It was all starting to give me a headache, so I left early in search of sunshine and fresh air.
Yesterday Amaury and I made plans for him to come over after work. If I’m being honest, I don’t feel like company because he’s going to pick up on my mood, notice I’m not myself. Since hanging up with Melida I’ve been shaky and nervous. I’m also not ready to discuss Carmine with Amaury but if I cancel on him, he’ll know something’s up anyway. He’s perceptive and reads me like an open book. I need to shake this off. Hopefully a nice glass of wine will help take the edge off.
On my way home I stopped by the liquor store to pick up a couple bottles of wine, even though Amaury doesn’t drink, although I wish he did. Solo drinking when he’s with me isn’t as enjoyable and I’ve noticed I drink less. He pointed it out to me once and I wrote it off as I didn’t feel like having anymore for the night, but that wasn’t entirely true. The only reason I didn’t feel like having any more is because he was with me. Anyway, maybe it’s a good thing.
We decided to order sushi for dinner, which he’s never tried. I’m not sure how that even happens but here we are. I hope he likes it. There’s a sushi place a few blocks from my apartment that’s quickly become a go-to for me. I probably order from them once a week because when I call to put in an order the woman who answers the phone recognizes me and knows my favorites.
The first thing I do when I get home is pour myself a glass of wine, a nice Riesling recommended by the woman working at the store. I hit shuffle on one of my playlists and stretch my legs to rest on the coffee table. My thoughts are racing with Carmine and the CNN clip. There’s no way he won’t find out. He knows everyone in Boston, and someone is bound to say something to him. I know he’s the one making all those unknown calls to me and when he finds out I’m here, I don’t know what he’ll do. I’m not sure how to deal with it, especially since I’m here by myself.
The knock at my door pulls me back to the here and now. Before opening the door, I peek at myself in the mirror to the right of the front door and take a deep breath. I need to shake this feeling.
“Who is it?” I ask, even though I know it’s him. The one thing I don’t like about this apartment is there is no peephole on my door.
“Amaury,” he responds, and I quickly pull the door open. His dark hair is growing long, the bangs hanging over his right eye.
“Hi,” I say, pulling the door open.
“Hello,muñeca.” He sweeps me in his arms, our lips crashing, kicking the door shut behind him.
Deeply.
Passionately.
Fervently.
I reciprocate, each stroke of his tongue turning the heat up and igniting my desire for him. He stretches his arm to lock the door while his onslaught of kisses continues. Before I know it, we’re in my bedroom and he’s lifting me onto my bed.
