CHAPTER 3

“Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” – Taylor Swift

IT’S THE PERFECT TIME TO call Georgia and that’s not only because I’ve yet to hear from Enrique regarding tonight’s plans. It’s tragic not having someone to share drama with during crucial times like this.

Grateful she picks up right away despite the 9-hour time difference, I look through the pile of clothes that I packed for the trip as I greet her. “Hey.”

“Hey, how’s everything so far?” she says, her voice instantly soothing me.

I try to summarize the past two fluctuating days to the best of my ability. “Things started off pretty strange actually.”

“What happened?”

“I bumped into this guy who I spilled drinks on as soon as I got to the resort.”

“Wait.” Her laugh echoes through the line. “That’s hilarious.”

“Yeah he didn’t think that,” I say. “He was so pissed. Which I get. But I think he overreacted about the whole thing. And that’s not even the best part.”

“What do you mean?” she says.

“It turns out that he’s Enrique’s best friend,” I explain, “which I learned this at breakfast earlier today when I saw them together.”

“What?” She gasps. “Really? What a coincidence?”

“I know. I’m pretty confused since they seem nothing alike,” I add.

“I mean, you also barely know either of them,” Georgia reminds me.

“Yeah but from what I do know about Enrique and now his friend Luca, I don’t see why they’re friends. Enrique is sweet and charismatic.” I pause, trying to figure out how best to describe his friend. “And Luca is just…I don’t know? Aggravating .”

“Aggravating?” The amusement in her voice is evident. “Maybe you’re judging him a little too soon.”

“I doubt that considering how we pretty much spent the entire day together just the two of us, and he was fucking annoying for 95% of it.”

She chuckles. “Well is he cute?”

My temperature rises again, reminded of the unexpected and forward comment I gave Luca just minutes ago. And more so the indirect compliment he threw back at me.

“Did you just hear everything I said?” I ask, brushing off the distracting though meaningless moment.

“So he’s cute ,” she concludes.

I quickly add, “That’s irrelevant.”

“So he’s really cute…” She elongates the word “really” on purpose to get under my skin.

“Are you done?” I say.

“Yes.” I hear her bite back a laugh.

Remembering the guy who Georgia just started seeing, I tease, “So how did your date go with Prince Charming?”

I can almost feel her roll her eyes when she snorts. “I wouldn’t know. Pretty sure I just had dinner with a jester.”

I laugh. “At least you actually went on a date.”

“So Enrique hasn’t asked you out yet?” she guesses.

I sigh, still waiting for this to happen. “No. Not yet. We were going to spend the day together, but he got busy and had to leave before I even had a chance to sit down for breakfast.”

“Busy with what?”

“He also works here apparently, and it seems like he’s pretty busy from what I’ve seen. It would have been nice to know this before coming here,” I add, momentarily forgetting that I also decided to go on this vacation for me.

“Would that have changed your mind on going though?” Georgia reasons.

I ponder over this for a second. “No. Not really.”

“Then don’t worry about it.”

“I guess I was just really excited since it was like my first official day today.”

“I get that. Maybe he was excited to see you as well. Who knows? But he never said that he was going to spend time with you before you went. Did he?”

“In my head he did…,” I mumble.

“I’m sure he did,” she says with sarcasm. “No, but just try to think of this as an unexpected vacation. You’re just getting to know each other, and if something comes out of that, then great.”

I can’t deny how rational her advice sounds. The problem with having a crush is that rationale usually flies out the door .

“You’re right,” I reply. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Just let me know who’s the better kisser,” she says nonchalantly, her voice giving away her smile.

“Georgia!” I blush at the thought. “Okay. I’m leaving.”

“Love you too,” she says as I chuckle before ending the call.

Struggling to remember why I even brought up Luca first during our conversation, I fall asleep shortly after.

_________

As soon as I wake up from my nap and notice that it’s already 9 pm, I quickly run to get my phone. Shit . Enrique already texted me. But I breathe a sigh of relief when I notice that the message was delivered within the last hour.

Enrique: I just finished my shift. This day has been ass. Except for the part where I saw you

Jasmine: That sucks. And you’re welcome for making your day

Enrique: I know it’s getting late, but maybe there’s still time to make the evening better?

Jasmine: What were you thinking?

Enrique: The café by the lobby still serves food for the next hour. I can be there in a few minutes

Jasmine: I’m on my way

I don’t know why I sent that last message, considering how I’m not even close to getting ready. Still in my outfit from earlier, I accept that I don’t have time to do much except for comb through my long wavy hair and brush my teeth. It doesn’t hurt to prepare for my first kiss even though I’m still not sure if this is even a date.

My eagerness must show when I arrive before he does .

It looks like he changed. Now I’m questioning if I should have as well. His khaki sweatshirt reminds me of something that he’d wear in college, my heartbeat slowly increasing as I get up from my seat to greet him.

Maybe I should’ve stayed in my seat? Or maybe scrolled through my phone to look like I was doing something more important before he got here?

My thoughts go on pause when Enrique leans in, this time for a hug. “I’m sorry it’s so late,” he says.

“It’s fine. This is early for me,” I reply, making sure my giddiness over our brief proximity doesn’t peek through.

“I should be more free tomorrow. We can do whatever you want,” he offers with a warm grin despite the noticeable heaviness around his eyes.

I give him a playful glance. “I’ll check my schedule and get back to you.”

He smirks as we sit down onto our seats. Then he rests his elbows onto the table, leaning forward flirtatiously. “Please don’t tell me that I lost my chances.”

“Not yet. Although…,” I drag out my sentence, “you’re not the only reason why I decided to come here.”

“Ouch.” He stays in the same position, narrowing his eyes at me. “If not for me then for who?”

“For myself,” I declare confidently before facing my attention toward the kitchen. “And to try the pastries, explore the city…” I face him again and smirk. “And most importantly to watch your team lose in person next week.”

Enrique leans back, the movement full of charm, his facial expression turning more competitive. “Only two of those outcomes are possible so I’d prepare yourself for the game now.”

“I’ll prepare to console you after it,” I say .

Hey . I’m not doing as bad as I thought with the whole flirting thing.

“Now I wouldn’t mind that,” he says, his voice noticeably deeper.

Okay. Now I have no idea what to say.

It’s like my nervous system detects when I’m getting just that much closer to a guy, only to abruptly pull me away from everything.

I shift my attention to the menu, thinking of a safe enough topic. “So what’s good here?”

“Honestly? Everything. The croquettes might be my favorite though. We can share an order if you want.”

“Share? No. Sorry. I’m starving. I’ll get my own, but thanks for your suggestion.”

His dimples appear out of nowhere. “Don’t apologize. I wasn’t sure if you’d like them or not. I’m also super hungry. I barely had a chance to eat today,” he adds, while scanning his menu.

A noticeable lump forms in the back of my throat, feeling a little guilty for being disappointed at how he left earlier. “Do you usually work all day?”

“During summer, yes,” he explains, “and not as much the rest of the year. We get really busy in July and August especially.”

Great. Perfect timing then.

I’m wondering why Enrique suggested for me to even come here when this is the busiest he ever is. Was it a lot more casual than I previously thought? Or maybe he thought that I would be coming here for my own vacation and seeing him only once or twice ?

Then again, he’s the one that said that it would be fun to reconnect . That seemed pretty specific to me. But was that just a figure of speech?

The butterflies in my stomach are turning more nauseous again.

I remind myself how I’m trying to be the “cool-I-don’t-care-girl,” so along the veins of this logic, I offer, “I know me showing up here wasn’t really planned in advance, so I understand if you’re busy with running the resort. No pressure.” Then I realize a “cool” girl probably wouldn’t feel the need to say any of this.

To my surprise, Enrique’s lips curve into a smile. “I appreciate that, but I’m excited to spend time with you,” he reassures. “It’s going to be fun.”

So I’m not misinterpreting his intentions then? I must say that it’s exhausting trying to figure out how someone feels about you when you’re interested in them.

Rationalizing why I care this much this early on has a lot to do with the fact that Enrique fits the exact archetype of the dream guy I imagined in my head while growing up. Outgoing, athletic, charismatic, attractive, and kind. And now that there’s a second chance to experience what I hoped for years ago, I don’t want to fuck things up.

After ordering for the two of us, he looks back at me and asks, “So what was the highlight of your day?”

I take a sip of my water, hoping it gives me the confidence to say what I want to tell him. “The moment I saw you,” I answer.

“It looks like we had the same one then,” he says, biting down on his bottom lip.

My heart flutters, my chest warming up. Although I don’t know if it’s just because of his response. Or the fact that I wanted to say any moment that didn’ t include Luca .

I’m temporarily distracted from our conversation when our croquettes arrive. As soon as I take a bite, I almost gasp at how good they taste. “Okay. These are incredible,” I tell Enrique with wide eyes.

His joyful smile gives away that he’s pleased that I like them. “Right? This is probably one of my favorite dishes ever.”

I nod eagerly. “I think mine now too.”

Enrique’s index finger accidently brushes over mine as he reaches forward to add another croquette onto his plate. He doesn’t even notice. While my chest tightens at the soft touch, that was so quick it might as well didn’t even happen. But it was enough for my brain to register it and certainly more than enough to make me almost forget what we’re talking about altogether, when I hear his voice again.

“If you add some basil on the side, it’s even better,” he suggests with a generous lick to his lips while finishing a bite.

Suddenly I feel a bit jittery, my heartbeat even louder than my thoughts. “Oh I eat basil with everything.” No I don’t. What am I even saying? With my now clammy hands I clarify, “I don’t mean with everything, everything. You could have it with everything, but I personally just like it with some things. I love Brazil though—I mean basil .”

Now I’d like to cover my eyelids with basil leaves, pretending like I wasn’t even here.

Enrique holds onto his jaw, laughter filling his entire face, while I try to ease the tension in my veins at how I can’t seem to make much sense around this person.

At least now I know why my flirting wasn’t as horrendous a second ago. The disappointment from how he left earlier this morning must have lingered, temporarily influencing me to not overthink as much as I typically do.

I take another bite of the croquettes, hoping the room returns back to its previous temperature (prior to my memorable speech about the herb).

I notice Enrique reach down to the chair next to him. “So I was going through some old books that we read together in college and look what I found,” he says before he puts the same copy of Wuthering Heights that we annotated together freshman year next to my plate.

Too in my head earlier, I must not have noticed him carrying a book.

I instantly recognize the numerous Post-its that he previously marked throughout the pages. Just seeing the cover of the novel is enough to bring back even more nostalgia. “I see the sticky notes are still in place,” I tease, opening to the first page.

“I think it really makes the book come alive,” he expresses so artificially that it makes me laugh.

“Right. I know what you mean,” I joke while flipping through the book. “I still remember losing my damn mind at you highlighting every other sentence,” I add, tilting my head up at him.

“What? You said it yourself. It’s an important book with many important quotes,” he fakes obliviousness. “I just happened to make sure that I wouldn’t miss any of them.”

I snort at the memory. “I remember you highlighted the entire first page, and when I asked you why, you told me it ‘really set the tone for the second page.’ I don’t know why, but that still cracks me up to this day.”

“That’s because it does set up the tone for the second page, and the second page really sets you up for the third page,” he says with a gesture of his hand.

“ Totally .” I chuckle. “Do you remember your favorite part of the story? ”

“The movie,” he answers facetiously.

“You were doing so well,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“What about we meet in the middle with audiobooks?” he suggests.

I sit up eagerly. “You listen to audiobooks?”

“Oh no. I don’t,” Enrique replies so abruptly that it makes me giggle. Once he sees my reaction, he adds, “I was just saying what if we met there?”

“Actually though? If you don’t like reading that much, you might still like those,” I say. “That way you can listen to a story while you’re doing other things.”

“I don’t know.” He leans forward ever so slightly. “In that case, I’d much prefer to hear the story through the sound of your voice.”

I don’t know what comes over me, but for once my doubts aren’t holding my mind or body back as I lean in, matching his distance. “I guess it’s a good thing that I’m here then.”

He barely bites down on his bottom lip. “I guess so.” Seeing me try to conceal my smile, he grins softly and then asks, “So is there anything you were really looking forward to doing here?”

You . As if I’d ever say that to him. Or ever actually go through with it.

“I’ve always wanted to go to a nightclub in Europe,” I reply.

Enrique’s face lights up. “There’s a new one that just opened up a few weeks ago. I was planning on going tomorrow night actually. If you want we could go together?”

“Yeah. I’d love to,” I say with a smile.

I’m too excited to worry about how I’ll manage to go to a club with him alone to question it for one second.

I’ve been to all of two clubs in my life, both of which were a huge letdown. All anyone wanted to do was either hook up, grind, or drink. When all I wanted to do was dance with my friends.

“I’ve heard that they’re better in Europe,” I add, “especially if you like to actually dance and not just grind.” Though why I said that last part is even beyond me, now worried that I might have implied that I don’t want to grind with him.

Enrique crosses his arms and smirks. At my clearly effortless charm? Or at the second-hand embarrassment from my remarks? I can’t quite tell.

“You’re not a fan of grinding then?” he asks, his lips still curved flirtatiously.

I quickly shake my head. “No. I love grinding,” I lie, never having actually done it.

He starts laughing, and now I’m not only nervous at how to fix my previous statement, but also at how his dimples are peeking through again. Also trying to avoid the thunderous sound of my heartbeat, I clarify, “I didn’t mean to say that I love it. I also don’t not love it .” Still grinning, Enrique tilts his head up at me at how progressively worse this is getting. And for whatever reason, I can’t shut up . “What I meant to say was that I don’t mind it, but that’s all people ever really do at the ones I’ve been to.”

“Actually, I’ve noticed that as well,” he admits. “I’ve been to a few in California, and they’re pretty different here.”

I unclench my hands in my lap, trying to ease some of the tension in my body. “Honestly, it’s more so the music for me. I want songs that I can really dance to.”

“Got it. So ‘likes to grind but only to real music ?’” he condenses my reasoning teasingly.

I chuckle awkwardly. “Right. That’s exactly what I said,” I reply, pressing my hand onto my forehead, feeling how noticeably warmer I am.

Enrique grins. “Maybe we can also get dinner tomorrow before we go?”

Wondering if this was our first date or if tomorrow will be it, I say, “Sure, that would be great.”

_________

My comment about grinding doesn’t leave my mind even when I’m back in my suite, questioning if it was smart of me to suggest going to a club this early on. Then again, it’s just dancing. Though with the way my heart was beating an hour ago when Enrique leaned in like that, I can’t even imagine how I’m going to process his body pressing up against mine in less than 24 hours. Waiting these many years clearly wasn’t enough to prepare me for anything .

After anxiously staring at the room’s ceiling in the dark for the past three hours, wondering how tomorrow night will turn out, I decide to walk to the main pool to read. It’ll relax me and always helps make me more tired anyway.

This setting alone was worth the inconvenience of leaving my cozy room. The pool looks even more beautiful at night with the array of tiny lights emphasizing the diamond-like pattern of the tiles. I feel a breeze shortly after sitting down on a spacious lounge chair. As I try to move my seat, my Kindle drops. Shit.

“ Jasmine ?”

I recognize Luca’s voice from afar and look up to see him walking by the hallway while on his phone.

Cursing at my clumsiness for the thousandth time, I scowl to myself, then reply, “Yeah? ”

As he gets closer, I notice he’s wearing workout apparel, and his hair looks a little damp. Yet he still looks good. Unfair .

Luca walks up to my chair, now making us a grand total of two people next to the pool in the middle of the night. “What are you doing?” he asks.

I look up to meet his mesmerizing eyes. I don’t understand how they sparkle this much even in the dark, the reflection of the moon over the water only adding to their allure.

“I’m reading,” I say. That’s hardly the truth considering how I’m still on page one.

He raises a brow at me, his mockery palpable before he’s even parted his lips. “In the dark, by the pool?”

“Yeah, you’ve never done it?” I say.

“I’d rather not be bitten by mosquitos.” Despite saying this, he takes a seat next to me and glances over at my Kindle. “What book are you reading?”

“ Wuthering Heights ,” I reply as my heart slowly begins to flicker. “Well, I was going to re-read it. I’ve already read it a handful of times. It’s my favorite book.”

His eyes widen slightly, still focused on the screen. “Good choice,” he says casually albeit with an impressed expression.

Feeling my eyes light up, I ask, “You’ve read it?”

“It’s one of my favorite books,” Luca says.

Surprised to hear this, I can’t tell if he’s reading the page as he continues to focus on the bright reflection, until he abruptly meets my gaze. To which I almost drop my Kindle. Again .

It’s a good thing it’s this dark so he doesn’t notice me blush.

For someone who arguably holds the best eye contact I’ve ever seen, it’s surprising how I don’t break it first like I’d usually do around other guys who aren’t even close to being this cute .

It probably has something to do with the fact that I also cannot stand him. Which means I’m not overthinking things.

Remembering how I saw him just now, I take the chance and mock, “And looks like you also stare at your phone while walking, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah 2 am when there’s no one around is exactly the same,” he dishes back. “So you enjoy reading while getting bitten by bugs?”

“This isn’t so bad. Look.” I point toward the pool and explain, “It’s like this one scene from High School Musical 2 .” I pause, not knowing if he’s even watched the movie. “There’s this pool scene where Gabriella and Troy sneak out in the middle of the night to go swimming together when they finally have a chance to be alone.”

“I know the scene,” Luca says amusedly.

A comforting warmth fills me for some reason, just for the fact that he got my reference as I continue on with my crucial point, “I’d say this location is as romantic as it gets for reading.”

He scoffs. “Of course that’s your reference for romance.”

“What’s your reference? Jurassic Park ?” I deadpan.

“How did you know?” Luca gets up, taking his endless sarcasm with him. “Be careful, legends say that dinosaurs come out of these very bushes at this hour.”

“Goodnight.” I roll my eyes, while also losing count at how many times I’ve tried not to laugh at his remarks today.

He turns around and nods, but barely, as I’m still affected by his eyes from a noticeably greater distance. Briefly also forgetting about my nerves for tomorrow.

That was the sort of conversation that could have lasted through the night .

Not that I particularly wanted him to join me. But why am I this disappointed that he left so quickly?

I ponder one pressing question as I forget about my eBook altogether.

Why did Enrique’s friend have to be this cute? And to my extreme dismay, this funny .