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"What classes do you have?"
I look up and see my brother giving me a disappointed look. He knows what classes I have, but he wants to give me shit. It’s written all over his face.
"You know what classes I have, Xavier. Stop being a dick."
He looks around to make sure no one is listening. "You know it annoys him that you're always following him around."
I roll my eyes. A habit I got from my mother, and I know he hates it. "So," I say with a shrug. "Why do I have to hide the fact that I like Santi and want to be with him. He should feel good about it. I don't see the problem, Xavier."
But I see he does with the way his eyes harden. He hates that I like Santi. He hates that our parents expect us to get married to form an alliance between our families.Entre familia. It is our way of life. Family is in our blood. Our culture.
Mexican culture is about our roots and history. Tradition. Our fathers have the ultimate authority. Woman are usually second in-command to her husband. Our mothers are highly respected. The Kings believe what God has created cannot bedestroyed by man. In the cartel, it is hierarchical organization. All of our families follow.
"You know, Elena. Sometimes I curse the day our mom and Alina agreed to this arranged marriage crap. I curse the day our fathers and their wives came up with this medieval bullshit. I had to listen to it when we were in middle school, high school, and now college. It's freshman year, and all you can think about is hooking up with the guy who can't stand the idea of marrying his boy's sister." I flinch when he steps closer. "Honestly, I agree with him because I have the same problem. We can't stand to be forced to be with someone, and what's worse is agreeing with my best friend in treating my sister like shit." And with that, he storms off.
I slide my phone in the front pocket of my leather Dior bag and watch him walk into the campus gym.
"What the fuck crawled up his ass and died?"
I look over my shoulder at my cousin Mia walking toward me from the parking lot. "Me wanting to be with Santi.''
She snorts. "He found out about your class schedule, huh?"
"Yep."
She sucks her teeth. "He'll get over it."
I look at the quad where students are hanging out. Girls smiling at their boyfriends like they found the cure for cancer or some shit. Their boyfriends smile back. I Envy the way they look at each other.
I thought Santiago looked at me like that once when we were thirteen. We are the same age but five months apart, and it was my birthday.
Our families decided to celebrate at the beach house in Malibu. My father, Aiden, gifted my mother the house as a honeymoon present. I saw it as a sign.
After we had cut the cake and everyone had given me their presents, Santi waited until I was alone. He had a black metalbox with a sugar skull on it. I knew he had a gift for me because he looked anxious. He was holding it in his lap the entire time.
We were the best of friends growing up. He would protect me. Make sure I never fell on the playground or fell off my bike.
Santiago Cortez is the man I've loved since I knew what it was to like boys. Girls at school would ask who I thought was cute. Boys would ask if I had feelings for them but I already had feelings for Santi.
That day, I thought we would be together forever. That I was the one he would always want to be with. In my mind, he was going to make us official.
He said everything he loved was inside that black box and asked me to write down what I loved so he could place it in there and seal it. It was the greatest gift anyone could have given me. To care enough about me and ask what my greatest love was and to place it with theirs.
Then high school started, and like all guys in our family, they found they could stick their dicks in every short skirt with a pretty face and nice body. When I realized he was like all the Kings before him when they were young, I was heartbroken but I never gave up on him.
My thirteenth birthday was the last day Santi smiled at me like I was his forever. It was the day he buried the black metal box with the sugar skull in the sand behind the house as my birthday present, along with his kindness.
But I refused to believe it. I knew deep down Santi cared for me––that he loved me.
I keep telling myself he needs time to do whatever it is guys do before they are ready to settle down. To be patient and let it happen.
"Why the fuck did you sign up for every class I'm in?" I look over my shoulder, and Santi is storming his way to where Mia and I are people-watching.
My heartbeat races when the breeze picks up and the scent of his cologne hits me. His black sweatpants sit low, giving me a glimpse of smooth skin with ink near the band of his underwear. His shirt is stretched tight over his muscled chest. His face is gorgeous except for the scowl he is giving me.
"Well… hello to you too, Santi," Mia says sarcastically.
Mia gets annoyed with Santi because he treats me like crap, but I ignore her when she tells me to forget about him.
