WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT WHEN CARMA'S INVOLVED?

DIEZ

Days of avoiding Alixxander were all for naught because he randomly showed up at my residence making claims he no longer wanted the unconventional s*x. To be honest, I was cautiously relieved. But I knew at any given moment he could rescind his words and ask again. During his stay, I made some inquiries into his personal life and got more than I bargained for. People who think they can hold a blank expression are the ones who express their feelings the most. He did not do a decent job of hiding the devastation in his heart from the actions of his best friend and harlot of a fiancé.

We got to talking, and I was extremely interested when he told me he could have made all my furniture from scratch. It would have taken time, but it would have been of higher quality and surely would’ve lasted longer. He has a place he retreats to blow off steam. It's far from his house because his floozy doesn't like it when he gets dirty. Creating magic with one's own hands is nothing short of fantastically phenomenal. He also uses his woodworking skills to prevent himself from hitting the club scene, finding a girl, and cheating on Carma. Yes, we kissed. Yes, he asked me to perform an unusual act with him, but had I agreed, I think he would have passed. I convinced myself he wanted to feel wanted. By letting him build my furniture, I was able to make him feel that way for a short while.

“You know, I've come close to cheating once already.” Only once? I found that hard to swallow.

Hitting on a lesbian was an obvious preventative measure. For some unknown reason Alixxander refused to do unto that awful woman. The things he spoke of and the articles I’d read about her, Carma would lose her sh*t if she felt threatened in any way, shape, or form. Maybe cheating would teach her a lesson, but then again, prolly not. The guy was clearly hurting and in need of a friend. Abuela taught me about kindness and how the world lacked it. She said kindness was the key to a person’s soul. With kindness, I offered to be a friend as long as he understood we needed to remain respectful. When he asked if I was ready for the bedroom, I instantly thought we were back to that. It was going to take some time for me to put his request behind me. No pun intended.

I carefully prepared for the office meeting all employees had to attend in the morning. Alixxander offered his rideshare services before leaving. It was sweet of him to offer, but small gestures such as a ride are how big rumors get started. He flashed a sad smile, reached into my personal space, kissed my cheek, and headed for the elevator without a look back. It sucks when there's nothing you can do to help someone that's hurting. And no, finding a random body to use to make you forget for a little while is never the answer. All it does is pile regret on top of the already existing pain.

The delicious lunch was still digesting, so I skipped dinner and opted for a snack. If it's crunchy, it's for me. A bag of chips and I curled up on my new sofa watching Dharma & Greg reruns. Can you imagine meeting someone and marrying them within a few days? I am not a hopeless romantic. I'm more of a realist and would like to find someone that loves and accepts me, flaws, and all. Hoping they won't cheat when times get rocky, and trust me, rocky they will get. It’s life. It should not have to be said, and yet, these days it needs to. During that time, I was happy being single, dreaming about my future.

I awakened from the midst of a dream. It must’ve been good for once, because my new sofa came with the bonus of leaving a kink in my neck from falling asleep in what I could assume was an awkward position. I hate not remembering my dreams, don't you? I looked at my phone, the battery was three percent away from being depleted, and I had an hour to get ready for the meeting. “FCK,” I hollered. No pictures weren’t hung yet, so my voice echoed around the room. I jammed the plug into my phone and did my best to freshen up, since there was no time for a shower. Go figure, I was up early one day and the next I overslept.

With my phone half charged, I ran downstairs to my rental, which had a flat tire. That was how my fcking day was going to go? I could not be late for that meeting. AAA was going to take over two hours, there was no spare in the rental. Looking at the time, I knew someone who would drive over to grab me.

My fingers were crossed hoping the right person would answer this time. “Good morning, Miss Sanchez.” Looking up, I mouthed, thank you. Thank you very much. Like I was Elvis or something.

I shared my morning misfortunes with him and asked if his offer for a ride was still good. Car manufacturers don't put fcking spares in the trunk anymore for weight-reduction reasons. I may not have told Alixxander the complete truth about my love of cars. Besides, he doesn’t need to know everything about me. Mystery is good.

He suggested I take deep breaths while agreeing to swing by and grab me. He was a lifesaver. I made the blunder of saying I owed him one. To which he replied, “Remember that. I will come to collect.” My body quivered with an array of excitement, wondering what he meant by that. Things and feelings were happening to me because of him. I understood none of it and fought against it every step of the way. I waited by the junk the rental company gave as a gorgeous blue Ferrari sped into the parking lot and stopped in front of me.

The tinted window lowered. A man’s voice boomed from inside. Asking, “Need a ride?” Bending down, Alixxander displayed his million-watt smile. As a true gentleman would, he exited the car to open the door for me. I expressed my gratitude in the hopes he would forget the IOU.

Having a serious look on his face, I became concerned. “You know I don't usually pick up hitchhikers. I feel safe with you.” His corny joke made me giggle. I liked the comedian side of him. Seeing his spirits high made me think of Abuela and her words of wisdom.

Before taking off, he looked over at me and said it was nice to hear someone laugh when he tries to be funny. Carma told him all the time how pathetic he was. She is a twig not happy with who she is as a human being and feels the need to tear others down to her level of patheticness. Just my opinion. My older sister did that all the time to people, and yet they still flocked to her as if she were the Virgin Mary.

Alixxander warned me to hold on before slamming down on the gas pedal and shifting gears. Profanities were expelled while laughing hysterically. Speeding down the street is so incredibly stupid, but so fun at the same time. I did my best to hold my hair in place after the sudden jolt at takeoff. Before I knew it, we stopped, and I did my best to salvage my updo.

Placing his hand behind my headrest, he made an unexpected comment. “You look fine, Miss Sanchez. Trust me. Shall we?” Licking, then biting his bottom lip caused me to swallow hard. More so when I realized he was checking me out.

Nervously, I responded with, “I'm an airhead. I should never have asked for a ride, knowing how close I live. I could've walked.”

“An airhead? Pfft. If that were true, I would have forgotten your name at the drop of a dime. Yes, you could have walked. Though I’m thrilled you called. It is nice to be someone's knight in a shiny blue Ferrari.”

Could he? Did he? “Did you flatten my tire?”

The side eye coupled with the sly smirk wasn't an admission of guilt, but I took it that way. What game was he playing? I removed myself from the overly expensive car only to come face to face with a group of men greeting me at the top of the stairs. “Miss Sanchez.” I heard from behind me. “She's not married, ahole.” Fckin’ Alixxander should have minded his p’s and q’s.

“My apologies. I’m Travis Savage, Alixx’s eldest brother. We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting because I’ve been in Chicago setting up the new firm.”

I lied when I told him it was a shame it took so long to meet. Travis was as adamant as Alixxander for me to call him by his first name. I wondered what boss would want their first names to be used so freely. Then came the question all of them wanted to know the answer to. Travis asked if his jackass brother was treating me well. How to respond was tricky because I wasn’t sure if Alixxander said anything about the intimate moment we shared. Thankfully, Román interrupted, introducing himself as the father of his four dimwitted sons. They all laughed when I replied they couldn’t be that dimwitted if he hired them.