CHAPTER 26

“Daylight” – Taylor Swift

I WAS SO ENTRANCED LAST night (and am even more so now) that I’ve completely changed my mind with how I want to explain everything to Georgia as I type out a message for her the next morning:

Jasmine: Okay so I decided that I just want to talk about everything with you in person. Everything’s going well though!

Georgia: So you’re about to fuck or already have...

Jasmine: GEORGIA

Georgia: ;)

Before I even have a chance to reply, she adds:

Georgia: I can’t wait to hear all about it when you’re back. I. MISS. YOU.

Jasmine: I MISS YOU MORE!!!

_________

The only logical thing that’s left for Luca and me to do is play some football before I leave, so of course that’s exactly what we’re doing now. And of course I’m winning.

Just kidding. Not even close.

As I take a sip of my water, he manages to steal the ball from me. “It’s a shame,” he taunts. “You should have brought your glasses.”

I scoff. “Jokes on you since now I’m actually good at soccer.”

“Now you’re just calling it that to get under my skin,” he says while walking toward me.

I match his distance. “Is it working?”

“Never.”

Strategizing how I’m going to get the ball back, I coyly say, “I’ve been practicing a lot more recently.”

“Just like you’ve been practicing your surfing?”

I give him a fake pout. “Hey! I thought you said my surfing improved?”

“It has.”

As he’s smiling naively, I take the opportunity to retrieve the ball and start dribbling it back and forth between my legs ahead of him. “Lesson number one, don’t get distracted.”

He raises his hands. “Okay. You had me there for a second. Let’s see what you got.”

Scrimmaging for a few feet that consists of both of us trying to predict the direction of the other’s next move only leads to the inevitable as we’re so focused on each other’s strategies that we shortly just tumble onto the grass.

“I see all that practicing has really been paying off.” Luca snorts from beneath me as I playfully nudge his shoulder, trying to avoid the sensation that this new angle’s giving me. It’s then when I realize I’ve never really been on top of him like this. At least not yet …

He drags his fingers down my back. “So we’re not gonna wait until we get back?” His lips curve into a smug grin. “I can work with this.”

I roll my eyes while moving off him even though it’s the last thing I want to do right now. But I have a match to win here.

As I reach my hand out to help him back up, he takes the ball from me right when he’s standing again, this time mocking, “Lesson number two, don’t fall for your own trick.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” I squeal as he runs toward the other side of the field, flashing yet another one of his hidden talents while I watch the ball hit the net in disbelief.

“I demand a rematch,” I declare with a growing heartbeat when he runs back with even more disheveled hair.

His eyes glimmer as he raises his brows. “Funny? I thought you wanted ice cream.”

“After I win.”

“We’ll see about that.”

After running back and forth, I use one of his own tricks against him, pretending I’m going to the left but then kick the ball to my right. Getting closer to the goalpost, while running faster than I probably have in years, I manage to score a point before boastfully walking toward our stuff jokingly. “Okay,” I say. “We can go now.”

“Nice work,” Luca admits.

But why does he look so cocky though?

Suddenly feeling warmer than I already am, I ask, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What if I told you that I let you win.” He narrows his eyes at me as he passes the football back and forth between his hands .

I walk closer to him, my adrenaline building with each step, until I’m just a foot away from him. Placing my index finger onto his firm chest, I look him dead in the eye and say, “Never let me win.”

Biting down on his bottom lip, he looks down at my finger before smoothly glancing back into my eyes. “Are we still talking about football?”

Taking the ball from his hands, I narrow my eyes at him. “I guess you’ll find out later.”

I smirk to myself when I walk right past him so that he doesn’t see my facial expression.

The next round, we both give it our all as if we’re in the final match of a crucial tournament. And although it’s pretty close, Luca scores again. Unfortunately.

Trying not to show my exhaustion, I subtly say, “Maybe just one more play.”

He picks up on how I’m actually feeling, “ Already tired?”

“I was suggesting that for you .” Then I quickly remember how I’ve been trying to learn some Spanish these past few days. Hoping I can impress him given how he hasn’t heard me speak the language yet, I say, “Sabes cuánto me encanta jugo al fútbol.”

He snorts so loudly that I jolt. “Sabes cuánto me encanta jugar al fútbol.”

“No I think I was right.”

“Hm I don’t know about that. I don’t think you were trying to say that you love football juice .” Luca bites back a smile, while my eyes grow wide.

“Is that really what I said?”

“Hey you were close,” he says. “‘You know how much I love playing football’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as what you said anyway.” I roll my eyes. “And to your previous point, I could go for a few more hours.”

“Show off.” I scoff as if I don’t love it .

His stamina is still a wonder to me. It’s like he’s the kind of person who views situations like a marathon rather than a sprint. Already seeing it play out for a variety of things, I only get goosebumps at the reminder.

But I, on the other hand, am a second away from collapsing, so when we reach near the side of his goal where I could easily score, I pretend to miss the ball and walk away. “Oh look. You won. Now let’s go get ice cream before I pass out.”

“We wouldn’t want that to happen. Quick. Hold on!” Luca leans forward, making me giggle as I jump onto his back before he leads us to his car.

_________

I don’t request for us to go back to the same place we went last time solely for the ice cream. It’s more so since it reminds me when Luca and I visited the ice cream stand the day after we first met.

I knew something was alluring about him then. Hence why I kept finding myself being drawn back to him like how waves cling onto the ocean after they crash along the shore.

And sitting next to him in the passenger seat of his car right now has me convinced that none of this will fully hit me until I’m back home.

When I recognize the street we’re approaching, I immediately turn toward him. “Wait. Do you mind if we stop here for a second?”

“Where?” he says .

“That corner.” I point toward the street I visited by myself that one day. “There’s this store that I want to go to again.”

“Yeah, sure.”

We park close to the ice cream place and walk just a few blocks to the boutique. “It’s right there. Have you been here?” I ask as we approach the door.

“To La Luna?” Luca says. “Yeah. Sofia actually told me to get the beads for the friendship bracelets from here. Before that, I hadn’t been here in a while.”

“I was wondering why the butterfly shaped ones looked a little familiar,” I say.

He grins at the reminder. “They have some pretty neat things.”

“Right? Everything is so beautiful.” I revel at all the nostalgic pieces, while sharing, “This place just took me back to my childhood. Do you remember those book fairs from when we were kids? The ones with all the stationary items, picture books, and novels?”

Luca’s smile resembles that of mine when I first stepped foot in this store. “I completely forgot about those.”

“This place instantly reminded me of them.”

He glances around the store. “Yeah, I can see that.”

As I scan the shelves, I ask, “Did you like those book fairs too?”

“I did. I’m guessing not as much as you though,” Luca says with an endearing curve to his lips as my attention turns toward the cookbooks.

“Oh I was genuinely obsessed with them,” I confess.

He chuckles. “I bet you loved buying all the dumb shit,” he guesses, alluding to things like the book marks that I’ve still kept to this day .

“Of course I did,” I confirm. “What were you doing at a book fair at age 7? Purchasing Shakespeare ?”

“Not until I turned 8,” he deadpans.

I laugh, now recalling an item that I purchased from one. “There was this mermaid cookbook that I got from a fair. I don’t remember much about it other than there being a cupcake recipe that had seafoam green frosting, and I made those for an entire summer.”

“A mermaid cookbook?” Luca snorts. “Now that explains why the frosting turned out so good that night.”

My mouth drops open at his remark from the cakes we made for the wedding. “I thought you said it tasted amazing.”

“It did.” He looks at me and licks his lips slowly. “It tasted unlike anything I’ve had before.”

“Are we still talking about the frosting?” I swallow the sudden lump in my throat, while almost dropping the book that’s currently in my hands.

He doesn’t reply right away. Instead he looks at the items in front of us before placing his lips an inch away from my ear, making sure I hear the vibration of his words as he whispers almost inaudibly, “ No .”

Leaving me flustered in the middle of the aisle, he roams coyly throughout the rest of the store. “Were you just as clumsy back then?”

Trying my best to pretend like that didn’t just alter my brain chemistry, I reply, “Oh no, I’ve definitely improved in that regard.”

“ Improved? That’s terrifying.” He laughs from across the aisle.

Before I can even roll my eyes, I notice the same older woman is sitting behind the register again. “The owner here is super sweet,” I tell Luca .

He smiles when he sees her as well before turning toward me. “Yeah everyone loves her. She used to be a teacher before she opened the shop actually. She was also my mom’s teacher for a few years as well.”

“Woah, really? That’s so cool. So she knows you then?” I ask, while smiling at the thought that the woman who gave me dating advice somehow had a connection to Luca.

“Not personally,” he says. “But yeah, I’ve come here enough where we remember each other when I stop by.”

When she waves at us, we both walk toward the register as Luca and her start speaking in Spanish.

I’m reminded of the time where Luca was greeting his friends at the club a few weeks ago and how confident he looked around everyone. I thought it was just the environment, since we were at a club, but I’ve quickly learned that his charm is beguiling enough to work on any age and at any setting.

As soon as they’re done talking, I ask him, “What did she say?”

“That you’re with a really awesome guy.” Luca brushes my shoulder.

I snort. “Yes, I’m sure she said that. What did she really say?”

“That she’s happy it worked out and that she thinks we look good together.”

“Aw, really? That’s so sweet.” I thank her as Luca’s cocky smirk returns.

“ When exactly did you tell her about me?”

I don’t even bother denying it. “A week ago.”

“A week ago?” He raises his brows. “So before the wedding then?”

“Yeah… ”

“That’s cute,” he says so arrogantly, contrasted by how softly he traces over my cheek.

Feeling a spike in my temperature yet again, I pout. “Stop distracting me. I almost forgot what I came here for.”

He grins to himself as I walk to a section that I remembered was filled with a variety of notebooks and journals before picking up the pastel yellow journal that I couldn’t stop staring at last time.

Although, I didn’t quite know what I’d use it for then, so I put it back on the shelf secretly hoping I’d find a reason to come back for it.

And now I have my reason.

Debating between the lilac and yellow journal, I decide to go with the latter, noting how brightening I find this shade to be ever since Luca pointed it out to me.

Picking up the bundle of paper, I walk toward the register while revealing to him, “I want to start journaling. It would have been nice to have started years ago, so that now I could have something to look back on and see how far I’ve really come. Since it’s so easy to discredit everything you’ve done so far like you said before.”

“I think that’s a beautiful idea, Jasmine.” Luca rubs my back as I set the journal near the register. I take out my wallet, but then he stops me. “I got it.”

“Are you sure?” I ask since it’s not exactly a cheap item.

“Absolutely,” he says.

“Thank you.” I kiss his cheek. “Please tell her that I really appreciated her advice from before.”

He nods and then translates her response to me, “She said that you look a lot less stressed today. She also said it’s not worth it to ever let a guy stress you out. ”

Giving her a knowing warm grin, she smiles back at me before Luca and I walk toward the door.

I continue smiling even as we leave the beautifully charming shop. How nice it is for a woman who didn’t need to show a stranger any kindness still decided to do so.

I guess it’s not about it being a stranger or your own family. It’s who makes you feel comfortable to be yourself. The people who accept you and appreciate you for who you are. And through that acceptance make you want to be better, not pressure you into thinking you need to change.

I realize how much easier it’s been to be myself on this trip, especially the longer I’ve been here. And why I cared so much about my parents to be proud of me in the first place.

It’s a lot easier to be yourself when you have the support.

For years, I wished they would see me like this and liked me the very same. A big part of wanting to make them proud had to do with me being an only child. I learned the hard way that not impressing them enough or listening to their restrictions equated to losing their support. They were all I ever had though, so if I didn’t have them as support, I didn’t have anyone. Until I got to college and met people like Georgia.

Yet now, I’m learning, it might be worthwhile to invest in those that do see value in the things you also value. The pain from the neglect of who you once wanted to care about you may not be erased. However, there’s joy waiting to embrace you if you let it.

It’s so damn hard though. On some days impossible even. But it just might be worth it.

When we reach Luca’s car again, he turns toward me and asks, “Do you want to drive or walk?”

“ Drive? I thought it was just a few blocks away,” I tease him back for how he made fun of me on our first walk together .

His eyes sparkle even brighter against the sun as I take the opportunity to walk ahead of him. My ability to play it cool lasts a full three seconds when his touch catches me by surprise as I feel his fingers intertwine in mine from behind.

_________

I don’t know why it’s taking me this long to decide what flavor I want once we reach the ice cream stand. Especially after coming here enough to know exactly what they have. So I take Luca’s recommendation to try a new flavor.

As we find a spot on a bench that’s overlooking the marina, Luca hands me my ice cream. “Thanks,” I say before facing the lavish boats. “Eras botas son hermosas.”

He snorts, tilting his head up at me. “Those boots are beautiful?”

“Shit. I meant those boats are beautiful.”

He gives me a side grin. “Esos barcos son hermosos.”

“Got it.”

“So it turns out I got the chance to hear you speak Spanish after all,” he teases as he bites down on his bottom lip.

“Hey, I’m trying.” I groan at my two failed attempts so far.

“I know you are. And you’re doing well, really . Your accent’s also pretty adorable,” he adds with a smirk.

Between the warm sun and my rosy cheeks, it’s the perfect moment to finally try the new flavor. “Okay, wow. This is amazing. I’ve never had lemon ice cream before. Just lemon sorbet, but this is incredible.”

“After coffee and pistachio, this is definitely my third favorite,” Luca says.

“I can see why.” I turn toward him, while taking another bite. “I have an important question to ask you. ”

“Tell me.”

“Lemon or lime?”

He chuckles. “Lime.”

“Not that there’s a wrong answer, but why does lime just taste better?”

“I know,” he says. “And speaking of lime, the only dessert I actually know how to make is key lime pie. Well, in addition to that impressive chocolate raspberry cake we made.” I snort, and then he gives me a warm smile. “We should make that together sometime.”

Frowning at the realization that this most likely won’t happen for a while, if ever , I somehow still manage to joke, “After baking for the wedding, I think that we shouldn’t be allowed to work in a kitchen at the same time.”

“Now why would you say that?” His lips curve into a smirk when I catch him glimpsing at my cheeks, for a second wondering why before quickly feeling the sticky sensation on my skin. Luca’s smile doesn’t leave his lips as he gently brushes his thumb across my cheek, wiping away the ice cream dripping down my face.

It’s funny. After everything we did last night, you’d think that a delicate movement like this would somehow feel less . Instead, it feels more consuming. More pleasing, More heartbreakingly beautiful. Like I’ve just landed inside a snow globe after it’s been shook, as the confetti, glitter, and faux snow dance through a magical blizzard. And while my body has pretty much ignited all over again, I express with innocence, “Don’t ask me how that got there. I don’t even know.”

He chuckles, before pressing his lips so softly over the same spot where he removed the sticky dessert a second ago. As if that wasn’t enough to stir subtle waves of arousal across my skin, he lifts my chin and says, “ Te quiero .”

Oh I know what that means .

“You want me?”

He smirks. “I said I love you .”

So I was close …

“But yes. That too ,” he adds as his entire face beams into a large grin that for a second makes me forget that this is a vacation that will soon be coming to an end.

I’m so overwhelmed that I realize I forgot to even say it back to him. With the glimmer lighting up my eyes as I look up into his, I’m convinced that he knows exactly how I feel.