Hometown Girls: Reunion

by Tressa Messenger

  Eduardo thought about it for a minute. “That doesn’t really sound like fun.”

  Katie laughed. “No, it doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong. Country life is beautiful and peaceful, but I always thought I was meant for bigger things. I never expected to stay there as long as I have.”

  “So, why did you stay?”

  This time Katie was the one quietly thinking about the right answer. “To be honest, I’m not sure anymore.”

  He grabbed her hand and held it in his own. Shocked, she looked down at their intertwined fingers, then up at his smiling face. “It’s never too late to make a change.”

  She swallowed hard. “You’re right.”

  They walked around the city hand-in-hand, exploring everything the area had to offer, from Ground Zero where the World Trade Center once stood to Times Square. They browsed through trendy shops along their way, making a few purchases of silly touristy things. Katie could already tell her new white t-shirt, which boasted “I Love New York” in black and red writing, would be her long-time favorite. They walked all over until they came to a stop at Central Park.

  “Are you hungry?” Eduardo asked her.

  “Oh, I thought we were going to walk through Central Park.”

  “We are, but I was thinking that a picnic would be perfect.”

  She looked at him confused, and tilted her head. “A picnic? But we didn’t bring anything.”

  “I know,” he said with a mischievous smile.

  Still holding her hand he pulled her around a corner and stopped in front of a small white cart with a colorful umbrella jetting out of it, which had been concealed behind some trees. Her face lit up when she saw what he was doing.

  “Two hotdogs, all the way, please,” he said to the vendor, and turned to her. “There’s nothing in the world quiet like a New York style hotdog. It’s like a religion.”

  “I’ve seen hotdog carts on TV shows, but I never knew they were real.”

  “Oh yes, as real as you and me. Come on, let’s take these in the park,” he said, handing her a wrapped hotdog.

  They walked a little ways in the park, then sat under a shady tree where they ate their food, which was crammed full of mustard, ketchup, chili, onions, and coleslaw. He was right. It was the best thing she had ever put in her mouth.

  “It’s so beautiful here, like a garden of Eden amongst the chaos,” Katie said, looking around in awe once she’d finished her food.

  “Yes, it is very beautiful,” Eduardo said, staring at her.

  Katie noticed the look and blushed red hot under his stare. She looked away.

  “Please, don’t look away. I like looking at you.”

  “But you’re embarrassing me,” she said, feeling like a teenager again.

  “I’m sorry. That is not my intention. I feel like I know you, and I can’t stop staring at you. Is that so wrong?”

  Katie swallowed hard and whispered, “No, not at all.”

  “Good.” He lay down on his back on the grass and pulled her down with him. She lay on her side facing him, and nuzzled close in the crook of his arm, feeling as if they’d done this many times before.

  By the time the sun began to set Eduardo walked her back to her hotel so he could go to work at the restaurant. Instead of leaving her in the lobby, he rode up on the elevator to the seventh floor with her to her room.

  Once in front of her door, she looked down at their intertwined fingers. He hadn’t let go of her hand since that morning. “I had a wonderful time today,” Katie said, feeling awkward. It had been a really long time since she was on a first date, and even then it wasn’t the same back then. She didn’t know if he were going to kiss her or not. She hoped so. Or was she supposed to be brave and kiss him first? She stared at his lips as he smiled at her, wanting so badly to feel them on her own.

  He licked his lips, moistening them, turning them a darker shade of plum. “I did too.”

  As if reading her mind, Eduardo wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him and ran his other hand down the side of her cheek. He rested his hand on her chin, pulling it up softly and brushing his lips against hers before pulling away. She had thought about his lips for the past year, wondering what they would feel like against hers. Would they be soft? Would they be warm? Would their tongues dance in perfect sync? To her that would be the ultimate test of their compatibility. Kissing was such an intimate act. Feeling hungry from the slight kiss she wrapped both arms around his neck and brought his face back to hers. She crushed her lips against his, ravaging his lips. He opened his mouth, letting her know he wanted her just as badly. She was happy she was right. They were in sync from the start, and it felt very natural. He kissed her, leaving a trail of moist marks from her lips to her cheek and down her neck then back up again. Breathless and panting, he put his hands on both sides of her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

  “I’d better go before I end up doing something very ungentlemanly,” he said heavily.

  “We wouldn’t want that,” Katie said, breathless and spellbound.

  He kissed her one last time before he reluctantly turned around and walked away. Katie stared after him until he disappeared on the elevator. Using her key card, she opened the door and came face to face with Jess, Marissa, and Becca.

  “What are y’all doing?” she asked them curiously, her face turning bright red, wondering if they’d heard her and Eduardo making out in the hallway like two horny teenagers.

  “Oh, nothing. Just umm…” Jess began before Becca cut her off.

  “We were waiting on you, duh, now spill.”

  “Can I at least come into the room first?” Katie asked, pushing past them, feeling ten years younger. They followed her through the room, waiting for her to speak, but she ignored them on purpose, changing her clothes in the bathroom and letting down her hair. She strolled out of the bathroom toward the night stand between the beds and grabbed the remote control for the TV. She sat on her bed. Katie un-muted the TV and scrolled through a few channels.

  “Bitch, don’t make me hurt you!” Becca blurted out.

  Marissa and Jess looked at Becca quickly, obviously shocked at, but they looked at Katie when they heard her laughing. They stared between the two, confused, before Katie finally spoke.

  “Well, if you’re going to get all violent, I guess I can tell you about how marvelous Eduardo is and that I felt more alive today then I have in a very long time. Oh, and his lips. It was like kissing a god. I literally saw stars.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet,” Jess said. “Where did y’all go?”

  Katie lay back on her pillows, and stared up at the ceiling. “We went everywhere. I saw Ground Zero, Times Square, Tribeca, and we fell asleep on the grass in Central Park after eating a New York style hotdog.”

  “So you really like him, huh?” Marissa asked.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Are you going to see him again?” Marissa asked.

  Katie fidgeted with the blanket on the bed, avoiding eye contact, and whispered, “Yes, tomorrow.”

  “Well, that’s why we came here. I’m happy for you.”

  Katie looked up at Marissa. She felt awkward under her stare, but Marissa’s words put her somewhat at ease. “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Everyone deserves to be happy. Come here,” Marissa said, pulling her into a hug.

  “Before you start planning your wedding, there’s something you need to do,” Becca said flatly.

  Katie and Marissa stopped hugging and turned to look at her.

  “What’s that?” Katie asked, confused.

  “You need to find out if he is for real or if he is a two-timing loser.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “Go online and talk to him under your alias. If y’all connected the way you think, and if he really is a good guy, he’ll end it with fake you.”

  Silently, Katie got up and fished her cell phone out of her purse, and sat back down on the bed. Taking a deep breath she typed in a quick �
�Hello,” and after a long, heart-pounding pause, he answered and her heart quickly deflated.

  Eduardo: Hello to you. How are you this evening?

  With shaky fingers she typed,

  I’m good. You know, same old same old. And you?

  There was a long pause before he responded.

  Eduardo: I’ve had a great day.

  That made her smile.

  Kismet, actually.

  Feeling giddy, she typed back

  Katie: Sounds intriguing, do tell.

  Eduardo: Well, I kind of met someone. I’m sorry to have to say this to you. I know we’ve never met, but I have always felt very close to you.

  Katie: I feel the same way, but I think I always knew it would never work.

  Eduardo: Yeah, I guess.

  He seemed glum.

  Katie: So you met someone?

  She tried to lighten the subject.

  Is she pretty?

  Eduardo: Oh yes, very pretty.

  She felt like she could feel his smile through the phone.

  She kind of took me by surprise.

  Katie: Well, I’m happy for you, and for her. She sounds like a keeper.

  Eduardo: Thank you. I think so too, but I do hope this doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.

  Katie paused to think about that.

  Katie: I think that can be arranged. Hey, Ed, you’re a good guy. I wish you all the best.

  Eduardo: Thank you, bella.

  Katie: You’re very welcome. I guess I’m going to get off for now. Take care of yourself.

  Eduardo: Same to you.

  Katie threw the phone on the bed in front of her and covered her face with both hands.

  All three girls looked at each other, then back at her, concerned.

  Jess reached placed her hand on Katie’s knee to comfort her. Feeling her touch, Katie slowly moved her hands to expose the biggest smile she’d ever had. The girls looked at each other again, but this time they were confused.

  “He broke up with me,” Katie said, and quickly stood up from the bed and proceeded to jump up and down.

  “I guess that’s good?” Becca asked, perplexed.

  “Yes, it is good. He broke up with me for me,” she said, and burst out laughing.

  “Oh my God! He really is all that and a pack of Skittles,” Becca replied.

  Jess got up and gave her a hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  ***

  Marissa sat back, silently watching the exchange, taking in everything. She thought about Daniel and wondered what it all meant.

  Chapter Eleven

  By weeks’ end Katie was absolutely smitten with Eduardo. She and Eduardo spent every day together, exploring the city or just enjoying each other’s company. At night, when he had to leave her, he left her breathless in the hallway in front of her room. She thought about it often and would gush to her girlfriends into the wee hours of the night.

  On Saturday, the day before the girls were scheduled to leave, Eduardo dropped her off at her hotel like normal, but with the intention of coming back to pick her up, but this time, instead of exploring the city, he wanted to cook her dinner at his apartment. She was skeptical at first. It was Saturday night. The restaurant would be busy and he would be needed, but he assured her he could take the night off.

  He was back at the hotel at seven o’clock, prompt as usual, and like their first date, she tried on everything all four girls had brought.

  “You do know what’s going to happen tonight, don’t you?” Becca asked.

  Katie looked at her, confused.

  “You’ll be alone. In his apartment. Just the two of you. Alone.” Becca looked at her, smiling mischievously.

  Katie turned from Becca to stare at herself in the mirror. She had thought about that, of course she had, but it hadn’t really hit her until now. Tonight might actually be the night they had sex. All of a sudden Katie felt very nervous. Her heart pounded, and her hands began to shake. The guilt began to creep in. But there was no time to panic because Eduardo was there and knocking at the door. Becca put her hand on Katie’s shoulder to comfort her before getting up to answer the door for her.

  “Becca, right?” Eduardo asked, staring at the fiery redhead in front of him.

  “Well, I guess I don’t have to test you, after all,” Becca said with a devious smile.

  He wiped his forehead and blew a relieved breath before smiling at her.

  Becca laughed. “Katie, Prince Charming is here.”

  Within seconds, Katie appeared in the open doorway. Eduardo looked her up and down, admiring her sexy black maxi dress, the same one she’d worn to the high school reunion. After she showered, Becca curled her hair and loaded it down with product until it was full and luscious with curly dark tendrils falling down her back.

  “You look magnificent,” he said, keeping his eyes on hers. “You should wear your hair down more often.”

  She blushed a few hues darker than her make-up. “Thank you.”

  “Are you ready?” he asked, holding a hand out to her.

  Katie looked down at his hand and smiled before placing her hand in his. She turned around to look at her friends one last time before leaving, knowing after that night her whole world was going to change. There would be no going back.

  Once outside, he opened the waiting taxi cab’s door for her before climbing in beside her. That whole week they had walked everywhere they went, so riding in the taxi made Katie feel like a princess. Within a few minutes they stopped in front of an elegant old brick building about five stories high, in a small bureau called Little Italy, which was exactly like the name implied. There were Italian-inspired buildings everywhere she turned, and she could swear the air smelled of garlic. He held his hand out to her and helped her out of the taxi.

  They silently rode up on the elevator, hand-in-hand. When he opened the door to his studio apartment, she stood in the entrance in awe, looking around at all of the authentic Italian décor. She walked up to a large framed photo, which was mounted on the wall above an old wooden table. The surface was littered with what looked like family photos. Eduardo walked further into the room. She couldn’t resist reaching out and running her hand over the surface of the painting, feeling the colors come to life under her fingertips.

  “It’s exquisite,” she said breathlessly, referring to the woman lying lifeless on top of a man.

  He walked up behind her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and leaned in close to her. He whispered softly in her ear, “There’s an old Roman legend of a warrior named Alessandro, living his life alone, never experiencing the pleasure of love, his heart as hard as stone. One day, as he was battling in the Colosseum, he caught the eye of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen standing in the front row. The woman locked eyes with him, and in that instant his heart began to beat for the first time. She too felt the universe open up and pull them together. She pulled the flower out of her hair and threw it down to him. He bent to pick up the flower and raised it to his nose. He was so captivated by the woman, he forgot all about his opponent. His opponent came up behind him and drove his sword in his back. Feeling his life slipping away, he reached his hand out to the woman, wanting so desperately to touch her before he died, but instead he fell to his knees. The opponent raised his sword for a fatal blow, but the woman jumped down into the ring and fell on top of her warrior, the sword plunging through her so deep it struck the warrior as well. They died together.”

  Katie wiped the tears from her cheeks. “That’s so sad.”

  Eduardo turned her around to face him. He wiped the remnants of her tears from her cheek, “No, mi amore. In that one moment, the warrior finally found love and died for it. It is a true love story.” He kissed the sides of her cheeks ever so gently, then looked into her eyes. “Do you believe in great love? The kind which hits you instantly, and no matter how hard you try to fight you know you will fail because love always wins?”

  “Y
es,” she whispered.

  He smiled and brushed back a strand of hair which had fallen in her face. He brought her chin toward his and whispered into her lips, “I love you like that, bella. I can’t explain it. It’s so sudden, but I can’t stop it. I feel like my heart has known you all my life. “

  She swallowed hard through the grit in her throat and whispered, breathlessly, knowing that it was true, “I do too.”

  “The dinner!” Eduardo said quickly. He rushed into the kitchen and opened the oven. “Sorry for ruining the moment, but I had put the food on while I went to pick you up and had completely forgotten about it.”

  She hated that the intimate moment was ruined, but she laughed despite herself and followed him into the kitchen. “Is it ruined? The dinner, that is?”

  He cut open a piece of heavenly-smelling meat, veal maybe, and inspected it before pushing it back in the oven. “No, but it is almost ready.” He stirred something red and creamy in a pot on the stove, and brought the spoon back to let her try it. “This is my special sauce. Good, no?”

  She licked her lips, enjoying the flavors. “Very. What’s in it?”

  “Ahh, that, mi amore, is an old family secret. Maybe I will teach you one day.” He pulled two glasses down from a cupboard and poured them each a glass of wine, the same red Merlot he carried in the restaurant.

  “What should we drink to?” she asked.

  He thought about it for a minute, then smiled. “How about new beginnings?”

  “I like it.”

  They clinked glasses, but Katie, who was infamous for her clumsiness, did it just a little too hard. Her wine spilled over the top of the glass and soaked Eduardo’s shirt. She threw a hand over her mouth in shock. “I’m so sorry.”