We make our way farther inside, and she drops her duffle bag at the foot of the bed before turning to see the tree.
“Oh my gosh! Look at our little tree,” she squeals, rushing for it. “And presents!” Nova spins to face me, her eyes lit up with so much happiness.
She heads back to her bag, rips open the zipper, and pulls out a few small presents. After arranging them next to the ones I got for her, she twirls around and smiles.
“I’m so happy you’re here. I’m so happy we’re doing this.”
“Me too,” I respond with a grin, stepping close to her and wrapping my arms around her waist.
“We have to always have tiny Christmas trees,” she says.
“We will.”
“And sex. Christmas sex is a must.”
I lift her up. “Most definitely. Let’s start that tradition right now.”
49
New Year’s Eve
“Where the hell are you going tonight?” Gia yells from the living room.
“I have plans!”
I look myself over in the mirror, loving this black dress I found for tonight. It hugs my curves without being too tight, and stops above my knees, but most importantly, it shimmers.
“Plans doing what? With who?” My sister makes her way into my room, still moving at a slow pace, but at least capable of walking without crutches.
“A friend. Some friends,” I amend, turning away from her to grab my makeup bag.
“All right, now I know you’re lying.”
“What? I have friends.”
“What friends? Who? Because you’ve yet to tell me a story about Janelle. I haven’t heard what’s going on with Meli. I don’t know if you’re still talking to Dorian or not. Because you keep going out with these ‘friends’ but you never have anything to say about them or what y’all are doing. So, be straight with me.”
She makes her way to my bed and sits on the end while I move back to the mirror to fix my makeup.
“You have a boyfriend or something?” she questions. “Why won’t you tell me about him? Is he a criminal?”
“What? No.”
“I hear you on the phone, you know.”
My eyes bug out. “You listen to my phone conversations?”
“It’s not like I mean to! This house isn’t all that big, and your voice carries. I’m not saying I know what you’re talking about, but I know you’re talking to someone at all hours of the night. And now all this sleeping over somewhere else. Come on, Nov,” she says, staring at me through the reflection in the mirror. “Why can’t you tell me?”
I let out a breath and turn around. “Okay, I have a boyfriend.”
She nods, her dark curls shifting with the movement. “And?”
“And I’m spending time with him.”
“Okay, and what’s his name?”
“Elijah.”
“And what does Elijah do? Where did you meet him? Why are you being so weird? We always talk to each other about guys.”
“Hey!” Greg calls from the other room, proving how small it is.
“Before you, Papi,” Gia responds.
I laugh and shake my head. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but you can’t talk shit or be all weird about it. Let me explain before you open your mouth,” I say with wide eyes, pointing my finger at her.
She twists her mouth at me. “Mhm. Okay. Go.”
“Elijah’s really nice. I’m so happy with him. He isn’t like anybody I’ve met. G, you’d love him. His heart is always in the right place. He’s extremely smart, he loves his family, and he really cares about me.”
“He sounds great, Nova. Why couldn’t you tell me this?” she says with a smile. “I just want you to be happy.”
I chew on my nail. “Well, there’s more.”
She tenses up. “Oh lord. What?”
“I met Elijah in Gaspar.” Her head tilts to the side. “He’s a teacher.” Her brows furrow. “A professor, actually.”
“Nova Cristine Rivera. I know this is not the same professor you were talking about being so hot.”
I bring my shoulders up in a stiff shrug, a grin that says busted written on my face. “Umm. No?”
“Oh my God! It is! You slept with your professor?”
“Okay, look. Don’t get all crazy. Let me explain how everything went down.”
I tell her everything. About how I met and slept with him before I knew he was my professor. I tell him we didn’t do anything for a little while. I explain that I was the one who kept trying and that he attempted to stick to the rules. I tell Gia how much he means to me and that it’s not some stupid fling. I go over what he did for me when we thought Mario was in town, and again when I left to come back home.
“G, he’s a really good guy.”
“A grown man.”
“Yes, he’s grown, but that isn’t bad. I’m a woman, not a child.” I sit next to her on the bed and hold her hands. “He’s been through a lot, too. He also lost both of his parents at the same time. He took care of his brothers just like you take care of me. He’s the most selfless man in the world. He’s the best, G.”
“And he’s here? In Florida?”
“We wanted to see each other.”
“And you’ve been keeping him hidden in a hotel room?”
“I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“How old is he?”
“Thirty-five.”
“Thirty-five,” she repeats. “He’s older than me.”
“I know, but I…I really like him, G.”
“What are you planning on doing? Are you gonna move back? Is he gonna move here? How do you see this working?”
I let go of her hands and let my shoulders drop. “I don’t know. We’ve just been taking it one day at a time. I love being here with you, but he has his brothers back in Ohio, and I don’t see him moving away from there.”
Gia places her hand on my thigh. “It’s something you should talk about.”
“I know.”
“And I want to meet him.”
My skin prickles with surprise, and I open and close my mouth twice before finding words again. “You do?”
“Of course I do. You’re over here singing this guy’s praises. And if this is serious, I need to meet the man my sister is spending so much time with.”
I give her a hug, careful of her injuries. “I love you. And I think you’ll love him.”
She murmurs into my shoulder, “It seems like you do.”
I ignore it. “Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is fine. I’ll make dinner.”
50
“Okay, so she knows everything, but she doesn’t seem mad. Maybe more surprised. I explained the whole situation, so I think she understands how I feel. You don’t have anything to be worried about. Don’t worry. It’s just dinner with my sister and her boyfriend, Greg. Greg is really nice. He’s quiet, but funny. After we eat, we can leave and do whatever you want. It’s just a casual dinner.”
I laugh, bringing my hands to Nova’s arms and stopping her in her tracks. She’s been pacing and talking a mile a minute since she showed up.
“Nova, it’s okay. I’m not nervous, but you seem to be.”
“Why would I be nervous?” she asks with a laugh that could only be described as nervous. “It’s just dinner.”
“Right. A casual dinner.”
She purses her lips. “Don’t make fun of me. My sister only met one boyfriend, and we all know how that turned out.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m already a few points ahead of that guy.”
“You’re really not freaked out? Meeting my sister? I mean, that’s kind of a big deal, right? I haven’t even met your brothers.”
“It is a big deal, and I’m not taking it lightly, but I’m not worried about it. I think we’ll be fine.”
She takes a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
* * *
All the way over to Nova’s house, including the walk from the car to the door, she’s a ball of nerves. H
er knees bounce, she chews on her nails or bites on her lip. You’d think she was meeting my family.
Before she opens the door, I have her look at me, then I cradle her face in my hands. “Baby, breathe. It’s gonna be okay.”
She sucks in a deep breath then slowly releases it, giving me a smile. “Okay.”
Nova pushes the door open and brings me in behind her. “Hello? We’re here.”
Nova’s sister comes around the corner, looking almost exactly like her. She’s a few inches taller, and her hair and skin tone is just a smidge darker, but there’s no denying that they’re sisters.
She extends her left hand. “Sorry, my other one is still a little tender,” she says with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Elijah.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too. Thanks for having me over.”
“Well, my sister’s been holding you captive in a hotel room this whole time, so I figured you should get out and have a good home cooked meal.”
Nova rolls her eyes and I laugh. “He wasn’t a prisoner. He has a rental car.”
We follow her into the kitchen where I meet Greg.
“This is my boyfriend, Greg,” Gia says.
“Hi, Greg. Nice to meet you.”
He wipes his hands off on a towel and then extends one to me. “Wish I could say I’ve heard a lot about you, but…” He shifts his eyes to Nova.
“Ha-ha,” Nova says sarcastically.
Me and Nova sit on a couple of stools, looking into the small kitchen as they cook.
“So, Elijah,” Gia starts. “You were my sister’s professor.”
“Oh, God,” Nova groans, slapping a hand over her face.
“I was, yes.”
“But that’s not how you met,” she says, tilting her chin down and giving me a pointed look.
I chuckle. “Uh. No. We met a little earlier.”
“But you two just couldn’t stay away from each other, I see.”
“I tried. But your sister…”
“Is a pain in the ass?” she says with a laugh. “Doesn’t know when to quit?”
I laugh. “I was going to say she’s determined and persistent.”
Nova beams at me and reaches over to touch my leg. I squeeze her hand and give her a wink.
“And you have younger brothers?”
“I do. Three of them.”
“So I’m sure you know what it’s like to want the best for them.”
“Of course.”
“Nova is my only family. I love her more than anything in this world, and her safety and happiness are more important to me than my own.”
“I understand.”
“If the age difference isn’t a problem for you two, it’s not a problem for me, and really, it’s nobody else’s business. You’re not her teacher anymore, so that’s nothing to worry about. I want the best for you both.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Nova smiles at her sister, but Gia levels us both with a look.
“But you need to start discussing how this is going to work in the long run. I’m afraid my sister may get her heart broken, because long distance relationships are hard to maintain. What’s the end goal here? You have family in Ohio, but this has always been Nova’s home.”
Me and Nova glance at each other. We haven’t discussed what we’re going to do in the future. I’ve only been thinking about her staying here until her sister was up on her feet again. But Nova still has school to finish. There’s definitely a lot to talk about.
“Okay, dinner’s done. Greg, Nova, take some stuff to the dining room table. I made pollo guisado and tres leches for dessert.”
The rest of the evening goes off without a hitch. We eat dinner, and the conversation flows like we’ve been friends for ages. But I know me and Nova keep thinking about the conversation we’re due to have, and how neither one of us is prepared to have it.
51
Valentine’s Day
A month and a half has gone by since I’ve seen Elijah, and while we talk on the phone constantly, we’ve yet to have a conversation about what the future holds for us.
I’ve been busting my ass doing double the work and taking as many classes as possible so I can finish and get my degree in business administration as fast as I can, but I didn’t stop to think about why.
Initially, I guess my thought was to come home, take care of my sister and finish school so I could go back to Gaspar and not have to re-enroll in college again. I didn’t want to return to the student/teacher roles we had.
But recently, I’m starting to wonder if I can leave my sister behind again. I did it once, but that was only because she forced me to, and I was doing it for my own safety. Now that I don’t have to worry about that anymore, I have no reason to not be here.
Except Elijah.
He’s the reason I want to be back in Ohio. But is it selfish to leave my home and my only family member behind for a guy? I mean, Gia and I are both adults. We both have to have our own lives, but I don’t want her to hate me for leaving.
Today is Valentine’s Day, and since it’s a Friday, Elijah decided to take today off and fly down. Because President’s Day is Monday, he has a longer weekend, so he’ll be able to spend half of today with me, then Saturday, Sunday, and leave Monday afternoon.
As I look over the heads of people who pass me with their luggage, my eyes seek the gorgeous face of Elijah. When I spot him, I run forward and he drops his bag and catches me as I leap into his arms.
“You miss me or something?” he asks with a chuckle.
“More than you know,” I reply, burying my face in his neck.
We kiss before he places me back on my feet. “Let’s get to the hotel,” he says. “We have a holiday to celebrate.”
* * *
After the physical celebration, Elijah presents me with a red coffee mug covered in hearts and stuffed with chocolate, and a white teddy bear wrapped around it with Be Mine printed on its foot. On top of that, which honestly would’ve been enough for me, he gave me a rose gold tennis bracelet.
I bought him a watch with an engraving on the back of the face. It reads I’m having the time of my life with you. And it’s true. I’ve never been happier, even with the distance between us.
“I’m going to hate leaving you,” Elijah says as we lie together in bed. “My time here is short, and I won’t be able to get time off again until spring break.”
“And that’s in April?”
“Yep.”
“Maybe I can fly over next month.”
“Yeah?”
“I can try.”
“I’d love that. The house misses your presence. I think Sugarfoot misses the music and dancing in the mornings.”
She laughs. “You better turn up the music and dance with that dog.”
“I’m not a good dancer.”
“I don’t think he’ll judge you,” she says with a giggle.
We’re quiet for a few minutes, wrapped in each other’s arms as we’re lost in our own thoughts.
The question we both need to ask is Are you willing to move to be with me? But neither of us asks it. And if we don’t ask, what are we doing? Are we willing to be together and only see each other once every one or two months? When will that become once every six months? When will the distance become too much? Are we wasting each other’s time?
“I know what you’re thinking,” he says, his breath whispering over my ear. “It’s the same thing I’ve been thinking every day since you left.”
I’m too scared to face him, so I keep my back to him and wrap his arm around me even tighter. “What have you been thinking?”
“Which one of us will be the one to make a move.”
“Hmm.”
Another long silence follows. “I’ve decided to take classes during the summer, so I can finish my degree quicker.”
“Okay.”
“If I go back to Ohio now, I have to re-enroll in school and then we have the same problem we had before.”
“But we’d see each other every day.”
“Right.”
“But your sister is here.”
“Yes, and I don’t know how she’ll feel about me moving away. This time forever.”
“Forever?”
“I mean, it would be, right?” I ask, feeling a ball of tension form in my stomach.
“I’d hope so, yes.”
I release a breath. “I know you have your brothers in Gaspar. And you live in your parents’ home. I know there’s ties there you can’t break.”
“So you’re saying you know I won’t leave Gaspar, and you aren’t sure you could leave Tampa.”
With a long and deep sigh, I say, “I don’t know what I’m saying.”
He releases me, flopping onto his back. I take a peek over my shoulder and see his arm resting over his eyes. This is why we never had this conversation. It’s too complicated and has the ability to cause drama. He wouldn’t ask me to leave my sister, and I couldn’t ask him to leave his brothers and his job.
We don’t finish the conversation. We eventually move on and enjoy our remaining days together. We go to the beach, we go shopping, and we have dinner with my sister and Greg. We don’t think about what seems to be inevitable. We don’t mention that as much as we care about each other, this may not work. Which is why I don’t tell him I’m completely in love with him.
52
April
Nova wasn’t able to make it to Ohio last month because there was a trial for Mario and she needed to be there for it. He got five years for the hit and run, and another five for aggravated stalking. Nova kept the threatening letters he sent her, and it was because of those that it wasn’t considered misdemeanor stalking. He threatened her life in those angry and vicious notes. And now they don’t have to worry about him for a long time.
We’ve barely talked about our plans for spring break, but still haven’t decided whether I’ll be going there or if she’ll be coming here. Florida is obviously spring break central, but I don’t mind being holed up here. I don’t need the late-night beach parties or club scene. I’m content staying in and watching a movie. But I know Nova has friends out there, and they’re young and still willing to do all the pool parties and concerts, and immerse themselves in with thousands and thousands of tourists.
Against the Rules Page 20
