where we left off in the photo shoot, or early this morning, but after Maria’s lecture about love, this all feels very serious, and all our differences are cemented in the front of my mind.
A warm breeze blows off the ocean and even though there are lots of lights from the hotel grounds, we can still make out some of the stars over the water. “Why didn’t we do this last night?” I ask her.
“I guess we just didn’t think of it. Now that we’re out here, though, it seems painfully obvious, doesn’t it?”
“Sometimes the most obvious things are easiest to miss,” I tell her.
“Why is that?” Serafina asks, tilting her head to face me.
“Humans are weird. We don’t make much sense most of the time,” I say. “But your grandparents seem to have it all figured out. They don’t take themselves too seriously and they can laugh about … things that would likely end most relationships.”
Serafina chuckles. “That they can. I come from a long line of happily married people and now I’m wondering if that speech is one Abuela got from her abuela.”
“Could be,” I say, reflecting on how I come from a completely opposite family. “I wish someone had shown my parents how to be happy,” I say without really thinking about it. “Although, I don’t think any amount of advice would have helped as far as my father was concerned.”
“Do you remember him?”
“A little. I remember playing catch with him once in the backyard.”
“That sounds nice.”
I sigh and stare out at the night sky to avoid eye contact while I unburden my soul. “Not really. I wasn’t good at it and he wasn’t exactly patient.”
Serafina reaches over and slips her fingers through mine. “I’m sorry you had such a bad father.”
“Me too. But my mom’s amazing and she more than made up for his absence.” I offer Serafina a small smile. “I’d do anything for my mom,” I tell her, thinking about how my mom wants to try her dating app when it’s live, and how badly I don’t want her to with her rocky history with men. But if I tell Serafina that, she’ll hate me. Which means I can’t tell her how I signed up for the app just to prove that it’s a dud.
I chew on my bottom lip for a second while I contemplate my options. Gwen pops into my mind and a pang of guilt comes over me. I have the perfect woman back in Manhattan who thinks we’re dating. And here I am, falling for the last person I should be. But it’s happening, whether I like it or not.
As soon as we get back to New York, I’m going to have to cancel my account and tell Gwen I’m not able to go with her to the engagement party. It wouldn’t be fair to her or to Serafina.
“You seem far away,” Serafina says in a gentle tone. She leans over to me, then turns my face to hers with one hand and gives me a soft, slow kiss. Suddenly I forget all about my plans and my concerns and let myself disappear into this moment, right now with her.
Thirty-One
Serafina
My grandmother’s advice to me and Ben about keeping an open mind seems to have been very well received on his part. Ever since Abuela’s talk, he hasn’t disparaged my app once. He’s even asked me some questions and listened to the answers without a pained expression on his face.
We stayed up almost all night on the balcony, snogging each other senseless and talking about everything from our childhoods to our dreams to what our favorite cereals are. I’m obviously a Fruit Loops girl, and Ben eats steel cut oats every morning but wishes it was a bowl of Frosted Flakes because they’re ggrrrrreeeattt. He’s got a playful side. He hides it well, but it’s there.
Our flight back to New York was delightful. We held hands and kissed and just kept right on talking. I feel like he knows me better than my best friends do. Big things, little things, we shared it all. For instance, he told me all about his cat Mr. Spock (how adorably nerdy is that?) and I told him all about my love of circus peanuts — not actual peanuts, but the rubbery, orange candy version. SO good.
We skipped our morning segment this week on Wake Up America! because we were in Florida, so we have a reprieve before the whole country witnesses our lip-lock. I