by R. Rodriguez
Dario wasn’t about to let up, though. He continued his inquiry as to my Spring Break plans.
“So, when are you guys leaving?” he asked.
“Early tomorrow,” I said. A small yearning was igniting in me. I suddenly imagined a torrid romance in a Caribbean setting with Dario. But I didn’t act on my impulse to invite him along. I did have pride. I found that I didn’t have to, though. Dario promptly invited himself.
“Hey, do you mind if I come along, babe? I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch the last couple of weeks. I’ve had a lot on my plate with the games and everything.” Funny…Stan was on the same team and he was here every night, I thought.
Dario was quiet for a second and when he realized I hadn’t answered he added an afterthought in his most enthralling voice.
“This is me trying to make it up to you.”
I suddenly wanted him to come more than anything in the world, but I wasn’t about to let him know that. He deserved to work for it a little.
“Well, if you want to come. I’m sure no one would mind, Dario. It’s up to you.” I took extra care to take my desires out of the equation and leave the ball in his court. I never gave him additional information about our flight or arrangements, so I wasn’t sure if he would accompany us, but I did hope.
If Dario had called me soon after over passing me for his more “interesting” girlfriends that night at the nightclub, I probably would have sent him straight to hell, but some time had passed and unbelievably, it was time enough to placate my feelings about the whole ill incident. That is perhaps my biggest flaw, with exception to my family’s trespasses, I’m usually fast to forgive and even faster to forget.
My centered life suddenly lost its horizon. The worst part about it was that as much as I relished Dario’s company, I also craved him. In the farthest recesses of my being, not only physically. His lips, his hair, his dangerous gaze enveloped me and enraptured me. It was easy to get tangled up in the hurricane that was Dario.
My phone rang again and I expected Dario to call me back confirming that he would join us, but it was my dad instead.
“Are you all ready to go, dear?” I was happy he had remembered I was leaving.
“Yeah, Dad. All packed up,” I answered.
“Well, Mom and I hope you have great time. You be careful, though. Don’t be talking to any strange handsome young men over there,” my dad said. “Mom said to remember the Natalee Holloway story.”
It was so like my father to include my mom in his concerns. Since we both knew, she had no such concern in relation to me. She was too busy with her fund raisers and her luncheons. She really had nothing to say to me as long as I wasn’t reporting back to her on every one of my activities, as Jane did. But he made sure he put in two cents in her name anyway, in the hope that we would bond in some way. But, our bond was supposed to be created a long time ago and she had never taken the time to accept me for who I was.
“Thanks for the extra cash, Dad.” I gave my final farewell, and finished packing.
My dad wasn’t the only one with going away presents. Soon after my two phone calls, my buzzard went off. I let Laura get it since she was done packing and was closest to the door.
“Grace! It’s Lucian!” She yelled from across the living room.
“Come in, Lucian!” I invited him into my room.
“Maybe you could help me with this zipper,” I requested as he stepped into my room. He was dressed in his work clothes still, which told me that he had just gotten off and was hauling a basket of sun time goodies. I forgot about my zipper and dug into the cellophane paper to fish out sun block, Aloe Vera gel, lip balm, designer sun glasses, coconut lime body spray, and a voucher for a car rental for two days.
“Ha, ha funny!” I pretended to punch him on the arm.
“Don’t want you to bake like a lobster or anything,” Lucian kidded.
“What?! Are you kidding me?! Thanks. You are too much, Lucian. You spoil me, really.” I jumped on him for a thank you hug.
And it was true. Lucian never forgot the details. He remembered my lack of experience with tropical islands and my wish to explore beyond our resort area. Hence the car rental gift.
“Anything for you, sweetheart. Just remember to bring me back at least a sea shell and have fun. You deserve it.” He kissed the top of my head. Of course I had invited him along, but he had a professional life to tend to, unlike the rest of us who were still enjoying our student days.
I asked Lucian to stay until late that night. I was too excited to go to bed early. We chatted. We ate take out late at night while we watched Couples Retreat, which was the only movie I owned in my collection that had a tropical setting.
After the movie, we began to chat about my trip. He had been to San Juan several times and had advice for me. I decided to tell him about Dario’s sudden phone call.
“Hey… You won’t believe who got in touch with me before you got here.”
“Who?” Lucian seemed curious to know.
“Besides my dad… I received a phone call from Dario. Remember him?” I confessed.
I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw Lucian’s smile dwindle.
“Oh, really? What did he want?” He picked at an imaginary fiber on his shirt.
“Nothing really. Just to explain himself. And… he kinda added himself to the list of travelers for this week. I have no idea how he arranged it all, but I guess he’ll be going along with the rest of us.”
It was more a wishful statement than the truth.
“Well, I just hope you know what you’re doing, Grace. He doesn’t ring right for you. There’s just something about him…” I was surprised to hear Lucian beat Dario down. Lucian usually didn’t pass judgment on people.
“Of course, I know what I’m doing, silly. I have my head on straight,” I countered.
“I know you do, sweetheart. I’m just not so sure he does. Hope I’m wrong, though.” Lucian looked at me thoughtfully and finally broke my confused silence by standing up.
“Gotta go, love. Long day tomorrow. For the both of us.” He grinned, already making me forget about the small glimmer of distrust I held for Dario’s intentions. I stood up to accompany him to the door and let myself be swooped into a tight hug before planting a big smooch on Lucian’s cheek.
“Promise me you’ll be careful,” he said suddenly serious. “I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you.”
“Maybe you should stop worrying so much and come along for good measure,” I suggested in turn.
“You know that if I could, I would,” Lucian said regretfully.
“I’ll be okay, Lucian.” I lifted up my right hand in oath.
“Okay.” He gave me one last hug before leaving. “Have fun then.”
The following morning we were having breakfast at an airport café before boarding our flight. Dario hadn’t shown up yet. I was trying to enjoy my French toast, but it was kind of difficult with my mind occupied on catching a glimpse of him. I dared not mention anything to the rest of the guys and no one mentioned him, so I assumed that he hadn’t figured it out.
The time came to board our plane and I gave up hope of Dario appearing.
I cursed Dario inwardly for affecting the excitement I had felt for my trip in the days before his phone call. I rented the movie that was available on the plane and made myself comfortable in the hopes of relaxing and forgetting about Dario. By the time we took the connection flight in Miami, I had come to terms with Dario’s absence and set my mind up to enjoy my trip.
I had traveled as a child, but hadn’t done so as an adult and our family trips were usually in the continental United States. I had certainly never been to a tropical island. The closest I had been to tropical weather was Florida in the spring. So I took out my copy of the magazine the travel agency had given us with tourist information about Puerto Rico and flipped through it excitedly. We already had our activities planned for the week. I closed my eyes and imagined myself loungin
g on the beach under the sun with a piña colada in my hand. The image of Dario snuck into my visualization and I saw him lounging right next to me. Our gazes locked like the Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes stare lockdown in the modern version of Romeo and Juliet, only with the Caribbean breeze ruffling our hair.
The actual view when we got to the hotel was more than I could fathom. The sun was setting on the vast expanse of blue green water. Its slight shimmer seemed to dance over the rippling waves. But the smell was what I remember most. The sultry air of the salt water invaded my head immediately. I had never smelled anything like it.
I was the only one who was traveling without a partner, so the advantage was that I got to have my own room. I set everything down on my huge king sized bed and headed for the shower to freshen up for a late dinner at the hotel restaurant that bordered on the beach.
The warm tropical breeze engulfed me as I strolled towards the restaurant in a daze of relaxation. My friends and I had purposely chosen San Juan for our Spring Break. We preferred a relaxed atmosphere that still offered action at night if you so wanted it, to the wild and crazy parties that were present in other Spring Break locations.
I held the seam of my apricot organza halter dress so that it wouldn’t get full of sand and walked to the restaurant whose lights provided a magical glow on the water’s edge. I was fully immersed in my thoughts of contentment when I noticed someone walking towards me. He was donning a pair of short kaki cargo pants and a simple white T-shirt and he had heavy sandals on his feet. My heart did a summersault. Although, the figure was too far away for me to make out who it was, my pulse revealed his identity. I don’t know if it was his stance that gave him away, but I knew it was Dario.
My walk became brisker as I labored to get to him quickly. My pulse had accelerated considerably and the salty air was making me want to do things that were supposed to be forbidden to me by my upbringing and code of morality. Dario seemed to quicken his pace as well, because in no time he was standing in front of me offering me one of his sexiest smiles and looks.
“There you are beautiful!” he chuckled as he took me in. I hoped I looked as alluring as he did, immersed in the shadow of night. Only the artificial glow of the lights from the restaurant offered some source of illumination and the effect was breathtaking. The scent of the ocean wasn’t the only one that filled up my senses. His pheromones must’ve been the perfect blend for my nose, because I felt heady with his scent.
“So you made it,” I said shy at the prospect of what was to be in the days to come.
“Of course I made it. I wouldn’t miss spending this week with you for the world,” he said approaching me confidently. He didn’t seem to care that we hadn’t seen each other for nearly two weeks. That he hadn’t even bothered to call. I didn’t seem to care either. We were both on a tropical island, with a whole week ahead of us to enjoy and make up for lost time and as such I took it all in.
I let him claim my lips as if they were his. I let him clamp my waist against his hard body. I let him make my knees buckle. I let him drive me crazy with his kisses and caresses. I let him take control over my senses. Then, I let him retreat at will.
“I think we should join the others, babe. They’re all ready to order.” He interrupted our fiery embrace.
In a daze, I tried to smooth down my hair and fix my dress.
“Right. Sure. Of course,” I managed to get out. At least one of us remembered where we were going.
Dario grabbed my hand and planted a big kiss on my lips.
“We have all night for this. We have all week,” he whispered in my ear as we entered the restaurant.
“Hey, hey… You found her.” Laura’s boyfriend Stan’s voice boomed over the music. I could tell everyone was already getting in the mood to start the night.
Dario and I ordered and as I ate and joined in the conversation, I sobered up to Dario’s drugging effect on my brain. Even if he had followed me to this tropical paradise and we had absolutely no reason to hold back as adults that we were, I felt the need to take it easy with him. It was hard for me not to remember the disappointments I had experienced with him already.
“So which one’s your room, Dario?” I inquired out of curiosity to see if his accommodations were near us.
“I don’t have a room, babe. I’m staying with you. Stan is holding on to my stuff,” he said as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to stay with me when we had barely dated.
“I don’t know about that, Dario,” I said hesitantly, knowing instantly that I was lost.
“Come on, babe. It was too short notice for me to make other arrangements,” he pleaded.
“Besides…” and that’s when he leaned into me to hold my gaze steadily. “I’ve been waiting to be with you.”
“Guys…we’re checking out the hotel’s club. Do you wanna come?” Laura slurred the invitation.
“No thanx.” Dario quickly answered for the both of us. “We’ve got other plans.”
I was relieved because I really didn’t want to go to a club. I was still feeling a bit of jet lag, but I had to admit I felt quite terrified at the prospect of finally being alone with Dario. I felt that I didn’t know him well enough to have the kind of intimacy I read in his eyes. Besides, I had dated, but I had never actually had a full physical encounter with anyone.
My chest constricted with the expectation of what was to come. I observed in a trance as Stan gave Dario a copy of their room card and I remained in that haze as I accompanied Dario to gather his meager belongings before heading for my room.
It was surreal to see him accommodating his stuff with mine. It was surreal to see him coming for me in the confines of the hotel room. I was surprised at the hardness with which he devoured my mouth, but even more surprised with the equal manner in which I responded.
Dario worked on me expertly, melting away any reserve that I had to let go to him. When he had me arching and writhing to his touch, he surpassed all the other layers that prevented him from getting as close to me as he could.
“Dario… I’m…” My confession was cut short by a momentary sharp pain and then I felt completely enthralled by Dario. I felt lost. I felt like he had all of me from that moment. I had given him the last part of myself.
There went the schedule of activities for which I had already paid for. There went the time in the company of my friends.
The week went by and Dario and I spent most of the entirety of that Spring Break holed up in my room, making up new ways to be close. We only came out to eat and sometimes, we depended on room service to limit interruptions in our pace. By the time I returned to Chicago, I needed another week to provide my body with rest after a whole week indulging in torrid passion.
Chapter 8: Killer
The week of passion and the month that followed much in the same fashion, didn’t go by without consequence. I began to feel an endless lethargy and indefinite hunger.
“Honey, please…Can you bring me one of those personal pizzas?” I pleaded with Dario over the phone as I tirelessly rehearsed my piece for my final exam at the music hall.
“You’re gonna turn into a cow, babe. Didn’t we just have dinner together?” Dario protested. I didn’t know if it was out of laziness that he refused or because the prospect of seeing me get fat mortified him. I knew how much into his body he was. In the end, he refused to bring me the so desired pizza, so I called the next person that I knew would definitely oblige me.
“Yeah?”
“Lucian,” I began.
“What’s up, love?” He sounded busy. There was a lot of background machine noise. He must’ve been at work or something.
“Are you busy?” I knew the answer to that. Lucian was always busy, but he was the boss, so he could drop whatever, whenever and he always did for me.
“No, no. Never busy for you, Grace. What happened?” Lucian always had a hint of concern for me.
“Don’t get all worked up because of me L, I’m just rehe
arsing for my final and I was just wondering if you could swing by and bring me one of those personal pizzas from that new place near your apartment,” I ventured to ask.
“Sure, sure. Where are you at?” He quickly jotted down my location.
My pizza was hand delivered by the gorgeous Lucian within twenty minutes. By that time, I was pretty much overcome with sleep.
I was on my fourth yawn between hungry bites of pizza, when Lucian studied me with concern.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Grace?” He looked at me suspiciously as if he knew something that I didn’t.
“I am. Why do you ask?” I asked innocently. “I’m just feeling a lot drained lately with all the rehearsals and such.”
“You don’t look so great, love,” he declared.
“Well, thanks a lot.” I feigned feeling insulted.
Lucian ignored my theatrics and approached the next subject tentatively. “Also, Paul got in touch with me with some concerns about your scholarship.”
“What concerns about my scholarship?” I almost shouted.
“He says you haven’t been showing up to some classes lately and that your performance has been lacking.”
I immediately felt guilty. What Lucian was saying was entirely true, but I never imagined that my scholarship would be in jeopardy because of my absences. I was just so tired and sleepy all of the time. Sometimes I wouldn’t be able to wake up even if I tried.
“What did he say could happen?” I asked Lucian, on the verge of panic.
“Just that…eyes were on you. He mentioned it to me because he thought you’d be better served if approached by me, than him. He has an obligation to come down hard on slacking students. There’s a lot at stake for him,” Lucian said calmly.
Before I could react, Lucian said, “Do you think maybe you should have a check up to make sure everything’s okay with you? Maybe you have over exhaustion. It happens.”
But when I told Laura everything that was happening to me, she had other ideas which intensified feelings of anxiousness. Dario’s response to the whole situation really started me on a nail biting binge.
