And yet that didn’t happen. If Luciano got injured and I had been rehabbing him in such a way every day for weeks on end, would we have ended up the same as Alejo and me? Something tells me no. I think Alejo was after me from the moment we laid eyes on each other. His injury only brought us closer together and made more opportunities arise.
It was always going to be Alejo.
It’s like I knew from the very start.
“Everything okay?” Luciano asks.
I realize I’m just staring into space.
“Yes, yes, sí,” I tell him, quickly feeling for the knot he’s talking about.
“You almost sounded like a Spaniard,” he jokes.
“Well, Alejo is helping me with my Spanish.”
His brow raises. “Is he now?”
“Sí,” I say emphatically, not liking that look in his eyes as I’m swabbing down his shoulder.
“You guys have gotten awfully close,” he comments after a moment.
I pause with the swabbing before clearing my throat and slipping on the latex gloves.
“I guess you could say that,” I admit carefully.
He doesn’t respond to that, so I take the chance to move on and take out the needles. I explain how it’s going to feel, and it’s just after I’ve tapped the second needle in and am picking up the third that he says, “Just go easy on the kid.”
“Go easy on the kid?” I repeat, looking around to see if anyone can hear us. We’re alone. “What does that mean?”
I have a bad feeling about this.
Luciano doesn’t know…does he?
“I’m afraid he’s infatuated with you.”
My heart thuds around in my chest, loose and reckless. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Thalia, he told me.”
“What?” I cry out then quickly keep my voice down. “What the fuck are you talking about, he told you? Told you what?”
“Uh, maybe you should put the needle down.”
I bring the needle close to his face. “If you don’t tell me what he said, I’m going to stab this fucker in your eye.”
“Whoa, hey, okay, calm down,” he pleads before rattling something off in Portuguese.
“I was calm,” I practically hiss at him. “You’re the one who brought it up. Now what did he say?”
“He said that he kissed you.”
I blink at him.
“That was it,” he adds.
Thank god. I mean, this is bad but it could have been worse.
Still…
“Does this mean I’m fired now?” I ask quietly.
“Fired? No. I can’t fire you, I’m just the captain. That would be Mateo’s job. And before you ask, no Mateo doesn’t know. Alejo wouldn’t have told him, and his secret — well, your secret — is safe with me.”
I bring the needle up to his eye again. “How can I be so sure?”
He glances nervously at the needle and then up at me. “Because I don’t want to lose an eye. I just want you to fix my shoulder.”
I take in a deep breath and step back from him, taking a moment to stare at the ceiling and gather my thoughts. I need to get back into my role and properly.
“Sorry. Let’s fix your shoulder,” I tell him, going back to work with the needles.
He tenses up, wincing.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I assure him.
“Are you sure? You seem kind of mad.”
“I’m not mad,” I say, tapping the needle in. “I’m just…upset that Alejo told you that.”
“We’re like brothers,” he says. “Good friends, not just teammates. He tells me because he trusts me and I would do the same with him. And I care enough about the both of you that I would never tell. I don’t want you both in trouble.” He pauses. “Which, by the way, is what will happen if the two of you keep this up.”
There’s a knot forming in my throat, the kind that won’t budge. I’m tempted to stick a needle in it. “I know,” I say softly.
He peers at me, purses his lips thoughtfully. “Huh.”
“What?”
“I thought maybe Alejo was the one who had it bad for you but I can see you have it bad for him as well.”
“Well, whatever it is, you’re right that it’s bad,” I grumble under my breath.
“Hey, I don’t want to be a, a…what’s the phrase? Wet dog?”
“Wet blanket?”
“No, I don’t think so. It doesn’t matter, I don’t want to be the one to put a damper on things.”
“Like a wet blanket?”
“Maybe. I just want what’s best for both of you, and…well, if you have a chance to break it off now, I would. Before it goes too far. Alejo can be…impetuous. That’s the right word, right?” I