Translation of Love - By Alice Montalvo-Tribue Page 0,55
Rob to bring the car around. I hadn’t noticed he left. He really is good at being invisible.
“Rob’s in the lobby. Let’s roll,” Victor says, linking his fingers through mine and pulling me from my chair. The three of us board the elevator, taking it down to the lobby, where Rob is waiting. Together we walk to the car. Alex takes the front seat, leaving Victor and I in the back. He snuggles me into his side and whispers in my ear, “Told ya he’d love you.” The comment makes me smile. I bring up my left hand to grab his hand. “I really like him too, and you two together are adorable.”
“Adorable?” He looks down at me looking almost disgusted, like a child that’s just tasted a dreaded dose of medicine. “Babe! I’m sexy, never adorable.”
“Okay calm down, sexy. I meant it in the best possible way.”
He brings his mouth back to my ear. “I can’t wait to get you home. I’ll make sure you never mistake me for adorable again.”
The tone of his voice, tells me he means it. It’s a promise and I’m looking forward to being on the receiving end of. I lick my lips. “Oh, is that right?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” he says, licking my earlobe.
My heart rate increases. “I’m looking forward to it.” Lately, I feel like someone’s taken over my body. The me that I created two years ago would never say or do the things I’ve done in the last few days. That girl wouldn’t even be here, she’d be locked away in her house, alone on a Saturday night. I can’t say that I miss her. What I do miss is the protection she affords to my heart. Without that protection, I’m vulnerable, and I hate that I’ve given Victor enough power to hurt me. It’s too late now. He has all the tools to do me in. My only option is to try to keep what’s left of my defenses intact.
Once at the restaurant, we get seated immediately at a secluded table in the rear. What a sight we must be, me surrounded by three hot men. The thought of it makes me smile. The waitress eyes me suspiciously as she takes our drink order.
“Three Coronas… What do you want, Babe?” Victor asks.
“I’ll have a Mango Mojito, please.”
“Sure,” the waitress says. “Do you all know what you’d like to order, or would you like a few more minutes?”
“Do you need help with the menu?”
I look up at Victor and shake my head. Turning my head toward the waitress and sounding super confident, I place my order. “I’d like the Churrasco a la Cubana with a side of white rice and black beans, please.”
When I turn back to my group, they’re all staring at me, mouths wide open like I’ve just cracked an impossible code. “What? Just cause I’m white I can’t like Cuban food?” The boys erupt in laughter. Victor puts his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in and placing a kiss on my head.
I’m stunned at how comfortable I am around the three of them. The conversation flows easily throughout dinner as we trade stories about any and everything. Alex is quick to tell me as many embarrassing stories about Victor as he can remember. I’ve heard stories of crazy girls ripping his clothes off of him to stories of him forgetting lyrics and falling on stage. The drinks are flowing and I know I need to stop. I’m finishing up my third Mojito and I’m starting to get the swimmy feeling in my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Victor straighten his spine. He murmurs a curse under his breath.
Alex is less discreet. “Oh, hell no!” he says. I look around the table and see that everyone is on high alert. Before I can ask anyone what’s wrong, a tall, leggy blonde approaches our table. I recognize her from the article I read this morning. This is Christina, Victor’s ex. I let out a sigh and do my best to get my emotions in check.
“Victor,” she says coming over to him, she bends and places a kiss on his cheek.
“Hello, Christina,” he replies icily.
She stands again taking in the rest of us. She barely looks at Rob, but pays particular attention to me and Alex. “Alex, nice to see you again. Who’s your friend?” she asks, referring to me.
“Actually, Christina,” Alex begins but is quickly interrupted.
“This is Ellie, she’s my girlfriend,” Victor finishes, putting