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Just how I like it.
Julian tried his hardest to have me stay over, and I nearly caved to his request, but then I remembered our agreement. If I want to protect myself from getting hurt by him again, I should steer clear of cuddling, late-night pillow talk, and sleepovers.
When I wake up the next morning, I find my mom waiting for me in the kitchen.
Te quiero. Cuídate:Take Care.
“Mami?” I rub the sleep from my eyes. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I wanted to be here when you woke up.”
Ah, shit.I knew this conversation was coming once Josefina found me at Julian’s house last night, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
I place a coffee pod in my mom’s Nespresso machine before turning around. “I’m sorry you had to find out about everything the way you did.”
“You think I’m upset?”
“Yes?”
“No,mija. I’m worried.”
Unlike my mom’s usual bouts of anxiety, this feels different.
“You came back…so sad. I don’t want to see you like that again.”
I drop a teaspoon of sugar in my cup. “I’m doing better.”
“I know, which is why I worry.”
“This is different.”
“How so?”
“Um…”Yeah, it’s a hard pass on talking about my sex life.
“It’s not too serious yet,” I say.
She makes a noise in the back of her throat.
“We’re seeing how things go,” I add.
She nods. “You’re old enough to make your own decisions.”
I’m stunned into silence. I expected my mom to be rattling off about sex before marriage and rushing to have a church wedding to save my soul, not this.
“That’s it?” I ask.
She rises from her stool and drops a kiss on the top of myhead. “That’s it.”
“You’re not going to warn me about getting hurt or being stupid or something?”
“Julian won’t hurt you.”
I rear back. “How do you know?”
“The answer is obvious every time I catch him staring at you.”
My heart misses a beat. “What do you mean?”
