If there were any rhyme or reason to the days Hector showed up to the chess lab, Charlee could prepare herself accordingly. Monday she was fairly confident he wouldn’t be there because the last two weeks he’d been consistent and only showed up toward the end of the week. She’d been right and thankfully so because she still hadn’t felt up to facing him yet.
It was Tuesday now, and as Charlee walked to the chess lab, her heart sped up. As unlikely as it was that he’d be there this early in the week, the rattled nerves she felt from the possibility of seeing him again were out of control.
Since Friday, more and more had come to her about their conversation that night. She hadn’t just cried on her way home. She cried when she spoke with him. She just couldn’t remember why—or rather what explanation she’d given him for her tears.
Glancing up, she quickly lost her train of thought. Ross stood by the stairway she needed to take to get to the chess lab. He was leaning against the rail with both hands in his pockets, smiling—waiting for her. This was the first time she’d seen him since Hector had blown up at her for talking to him last.
“You promised you wouldn’t be talking to him anymore.” Completely startled by Hector’s voice, Charlee nearly jumped.
With her hand on her chest, she glanced up at Hector, who was now walking alongside her, staring Ross down, and she gathered her thoughts. Was this something she’d promised Friday night? “I did?”
“Something like that.” He took a step in front of her and stopped. “Last week you said you wouldn’t be talking to him anymore. Is he waiting for you?”
Charlee looked up behind Hector. Ross wasn’t leaning against the rail anymore, but he was still there, only the smile was gone, and he seemed to be contemplating whether he should still wait or leave. “I don’t know.”
“He’s a bad guy, Charlee.” his words urged. “Trust me on this. Like the guy Friday night, you don’t want to associate with him. I can get rid of him for you. Just say the word and I will.”
She shook her head. “No.” His already hardened eyes seemed to almost darken with that, so she touched his tense arm and added, “I won’t associate with him anymore, but I don’t need you to say anything or do anything to him.”
“How ’bout I do it to you?”
“What?”
Before she could try to figure out what he meant, he leaned in and kissed her softly. As expected, her lips gave into him without even the slightest resistance. When he pulled away, he smiled, licking his lips. “In case he didn’t see that,” Hector said with a smirk then brought his arm around her waist, pulling her against his hard body, and kissed her again this time deeper.
Push him away. Tell him he can’t do this. It’s not fair!
But her brain was no match for her heart. It pounded soundly and happily in her chest as Hector’s delicious mouth continued to devour hers. Even after Hector pulled away, she stood there breathless and feeling completely enchanted. This was the last thing she expected to happen the very next time she saw him.
Hector turned around then brought his smiling face back to face her. She glanced back in Ross’s direction too. He was gone.
“You see,” Hector smiled even bigger. “That was a much more pleasant way to handle that. I didn’t even have to touch the douche.”
The second she could manage to move her wobbly legs, Charlee began walking. She wasn’t sure what she should be feeling, but at the moment she was feeling it all: excited, confused, a little angry, but not sure if she should be angry with herself or Hector. Mostly though, she felt embarrassed—embarrassed about how easily she’d given into his amazing kisses. Frustration was also peaking in her lineup of emotions. She’d been having a hard enough time getting over something that never was, and now she had more to add to it.
Hector stopped her again just as they reached the stairs, placing his hand on her arm. “Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. But I couldn’t help myself. It was either that, or I might’ve done something to him. No,” he stopped and thought about it for a second, “I would’ve definitely done something to him.”
“You can’t do that again, Hector.” It almost hurt to say the words, but she had to. “It’s not fair,” she added with a whisper and began up the stairs.
“I know,” he agreed with a regretful frown. Then his eyes brightened a bit. “But if he even thinks of still trying to talk to you after that, you have to admit I’ll have good reason to react any way I see fit.”
This time she stopped and looked at him. “No, you don’t.”
His face went all serious again. “What do you mean? The guy thinks you and I are—”
“But I know we’re not. And if he decides to talk to me again and you happen to see it, you will not react any way you see fit. I’ll handle it.”
Hector shook his head. “Charlee, if I see that scumbag anywhere near—”
“Let me ask you something,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her and tilting her head. “Who were those girls you sat in the front row with Friday night?”
Oh, yeah, if he was going to act as if a kiss somehow gave him any liberties to do and say what he pleased, then she’d be taking a few liberties of her own. She almost smiled at the way he so desperately tried to hide how her question stunned him.
He recovered quickly and answered. “They were friends. One was actually. She’s someone I knew from high school, and she brought her friend along to watch the fight.”
She lifted her eyebrow. Was he trying to insinuate that, because he’d only met her friend that night, it had to be completely innocent? “Did you have fun with them too in the parking lot like you did with the two other girls you met the night of the tournament?”
The fact that she knew about that didn’t stagger him quite as much as she would’ve thought. Still he pressed his lips together before responding. “No. We were supposed to grab a burger after, but when I overheard someone talking about inviting you to that keg party, I cancelled so I could go look for you instead.” This time she was the one stunned and obviously he noticed. He took a step closer to her. “The decision was a no-brainer, Charlee. You were my priority.”
She gulped, feeling something strange happening, but she dared not even think it. It was hard not to the way he stared at her now. His eyes looked deep into hers like they had on the dance floor that night and then later that same night when he’d kissed her so profoundly. That same stare made her insides feel all kinds so of craziness.
Still, she reminded herself that while his eyes and kisses may be saying one thing, he’d made it clear more than once now that anything deeper with him was out of the question. And as much as she’d love to give into having the pleasure of being in his arms, experiencing those amazing kisses of his, even if it was only temporarily, she knew she couldn’t. She didn’t have it in her to do that. Inevitably, she’d be in tears and drowning in despair, knowing someone else was enjoying those arms and amazing kisses too. There was no way she could do that. But what was fair was fair.
“Well, thank you for making me your priority that night. And given the circumstances Friday, I’m glad you reacted the way you did with that jerk at the party. Even today, I know you meant well, but this needs to stop.” She hated to admit the next part, but she’d since decided she had to be honest from here on. No more games of any kind. No more wondering what he might be thinking nor making it unclear what she was thinking or feeling. He already knew anyway. She’d use her big drunken declaration in some way to her advantage. “You said it yourself, Hector. I’m not like those girls you hang out with so casually.”
He nodded, still staring at her in that way that was going to be the end of her. “I can’t do this and pretend it doesn’t affect me, and I won’t anymore.” She glanced away, unable to take his penetrating eyes anymore.
“I agree,” he said. “And just so you know,” his fingers grazed her arm. That alone was enough to send shivers swarming through every part of her body, and just like that he had her locked in his hypnotic stare again. “I can’t do it either without feeling more. And while I’ll do my best to let you handle this guy, I can’t make any promises. I’m just being honest. I don’t think he deserves so much as a nod from you, but I will promise that if I do decide to do something it won’t be what I did today.”
Smiling at him as if that were a good thing, Charlee took a deep breath. Maybe the fact that Hector had just promised never to kiss her again was the last thing she thought she’d ever ask him to do, but deep inside, she knew it was the smart thing. The tingly feeling she got just from being around him and knowing that he felt something for her too made it feel all the more impossible that she’d ever give up hope for more. Any more kisses from him would certainly have her clinging to something that he already said wasn’t happening.
Hector’s own forced smile suddenly disappeared, and he looked at her suspiciously. “Since we’re in agreement now that this guy’s a douche you shouldn’t be associating with, can you tell me now what question he was gonna answer for you later? Maybe that’s why his dumb ass is still creeping around trying to run into you so he can answer it for you.”
Charlee had to think about it. She wasn’t sure what he was talking about and then it came to her. “He mentioned wanting me to give him another chance.”
Hector’s entire face went rigid and his brows pinched. “A chance for what?”
Shrugging, she responded. “That’s exactly what my question was just before you got there. He never got a chance to tell me.”
“And he never will,” Hector said very seriously.
She stared at him for a moment but decided not to argue. Clearly after seeing the way Hector kissed her today and judging from his reaction to Ross around her in the past, there was no way Ross could still think there was any chance of anything with her. Charlee didn’t think she’d have to worry about Ross still wanting to answer that question.
Finally able to tear herself away from his those eyes, Charlee made her way up the stairs, feeling drained. Going back home for a few days—weeks maybe—to regain a little of the willpower she now felt completely devoid of, was beginning to sound like a really good idea because even after her little speech to him, if he so much as asked to kiss her one last time, she’d be in his arms in a heartbeat.
~*~
Drew was a fucking genius. This plan of hers was not only working out, it was happening a lot faster than Hector had expected. He’d gotten the text from Drew Saturday night. She told him to plant the seed as soon as possible. Get it in Walter’s head that Natalie was interested in him.
In hindsight, Hector felt a little stupid now that he hadn’t noticed what Drew said was so pathetically obvious, and she couldn’t believe he’d never noticed how lovesick Natalie was. Drew even gave him specifics he could point out that even Hector couldn’t believe he’d missed. Like how when Natalie made Walter a sandwich, she was very meticulous about making it just the way he liked it right down to the extra pepperoncini and choice of bread—seven grain.
Hector had noticed but didn’t think anything of it, even when Walter mentioned she always got it right. Drew pointed out that Walter hadn’t asked for his sandwich made in any particular way but apparently Natalie had made note of his preferences. She also mentioned how Natalie would laugh at all of Walter’s jokes, no matter how lame they were. But most notably, Drew said there was no hiding how impressed Natalie seemed with Walter’s level of intelligence. Thatshe’d said was the clincher. Drew said she wasn’t being mean, but Walter had little else to impress this girl with, so it was huge that Natalie was already so taken by his intellect.
It amazed Hector that Drew had picked up on all this in one visit while he’d been there several times and never made anything out of any it. To his credit, he did think it odd that a young girl like Natalie would choose to work at an old folk’s home instead of a hospital or clinic with young staff like her. All the other nurses there were old and crabby-looking. They looked like they belonged there, but not Natalie; although, Hector never would’ve attributed it to having anything to do with wanting to be around Walter. He just thought it had something to do with the amount of money she might be getting paid being someone’s exclusive nurse.
Of course, Walter had been just as clueless as Hector when he told him. Sunday morning, when Walter had come in for his workout, Hector got right to it. The workout that morning was pretty much a wash because Walter had stopped so often to listen to Hector tell him everything he’d picked up on from Natalie in the past few weeks. Hector could kick himself now for not thinking of setting Walter up with anyone else sooner. The poor sap had been instantly excited about the prospect that someone was actually interested in him. Right there laid the real reason why Hector hadn’t thought of setting Walter up with anyone else. If he had to be honest, the idea that anyone would be interested in Walter had never crossed his mind. But Walter was making progress with his weight loss now. And the haircut and brow trimming had been huge improvements. The best thing about this was that none of that mattered with Natalie. Her attraction to him was obviously for what was on the inside, not the outside.
By Monday evening, Walter was already talking about going to the movies in a few days with Natalie. It didn’t surprise Hector that Walter said it had been her idea after Walter brought up wanting to see a new movie coming out that week. But it didn’t matter. The most important thing was he’d talked about Natalie the whole time and only once brought up Charlee. That was only to mention that she seemed a bit down at chess lab that day, prompting Hector to make an early visit to the lab that week.
He knew it was way too soon for it, but he hadn’t been able to restrain himself from kissing her, especially after seeing that shithead smiling and waiting for her. Already, he was marking what was his, and they weren’t even there yet. But after a week of Walter talking non-stop about his new love interest and the successful date to the movies with her, Hector was ready to go for it. He could hardly stand to be around Charlee anymore and hold back.
Drew worried it was too soon and thought he should wait at least until Walter kissed Natalie. She said as awkwardly shy of a guy as Walter was this would likely be his first kiss so that would certainly seal the deal. After getting his first taste of that and especially if things went any further between him and Natalie, Walter would be saying, “Charlee who?”
Only a week after springing the plan into action, Hector got a call from Drew. This whole time she’d done nothing but text him, so he had a feeling this was bad. Normally he didn’t answer his calls while he was in the middle of training someone, not even Walter. Abel said it was in bad form. You were supposed to give your trainees your undivided attention at all times. But Walter wasn’t exactly a paying customer. Hector had agreed to train him for his own reasons. So he told Walter he had to take the call and rushed out.
“Hello?”
“We need to move this along a little faster.” The urgency in Drew voice only worried him further.
“Why? What happened?”
“She’s talking about going back home again. She says she needs to get away. I’m doing my best to talk her out of it, but she’s saying things like maybe she can finish up the semester via the internet. Because of her status on the chess team, she thinks they might give her special privileges if she lies and says someone is sick at home.”
Hector brought his hand to his head, his stomach dropping instantly. “You mean leave for good?”
“Yes! Either you take your chances that Walter will still be upset with you and just tell her how you feel or you get that boy to first base with Natalie already!”
“How long do you think you can hold her off?”
“I don’t know. She’s in her room now, looking into the online school stuff. I’m not sure if it’s even possible, but if it is, it’ll probably take at least a few weeks for her to get it all together.”
“A few weeks? I think I can pull something off in that amount of time.” He thought he heard Drew groan. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said sounding frustrated. “You just need to think of something fast.”
Hector’s mind raced. Walter had just finished telling him he and Natalie would be going to the aquarium later that day. Maybe he could give him some more tips on how to make the first move. Ever since Drew mentioned that once Walter got that first kiss down Hector should be golden, he’d been laying it on thick that Walter should just go for it. From what Walter had told Hector, he was certain Natalie would be more than willing.
“Okay, in the meantime, I’m setting her up with a friend of mine.”
“What?” he didn’t even realize he’s been pacing until he stopped cold.
“It’s just a double-date thing. This guy I went out with a few times has a friend who thinks Charlee is cute. So I figured—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Hector gripped his phone tightly, already regretting that he’d cussed at Charlee’s best friend but feeling like his choice of words just may get worse. “You’re gonna have her go out with someone else? Someone who’s already interested in her?”
“It’s just one date, and—”
“I don’t care if it’s just coffee!” Fuck Walter. “Did you already set this up?”
“I’m waiting for him to return my call, but I’m sure if they don’t have plans tonight, they’ll be up for it.”
“Tonight?” He started pacing again. “You’re gonna do this tonight?”
“I was desperate, Hector.” She lowered her voice. “I needed to distract her so she could stop talking about going back home.”
“Call the guy back.” Hector said almost through his teeth. “Tell him to forget about tonight then text me Charlee’s number. I’ll distract her.” He stalked back toward the front door of the gym. He couldn’t believe this shit. All week long, Drew had been spot on with all her ideas and now she comes up with this? “And do me a favor, will you? The next time there’s an emergency like this, call me before you go setting her up with anyone else. I can guarantee you I’ll come up with something better.”
Drew was quiet for a moment. “Are you sure? What about Walter?”
“I’ll worry about Walter. Just cancel that double date.”
“Hector,” she whispered.
He stopped just before entering the gym. “Yeah?”
“Who are you gonna tell her gave you her number? She can’t know I did this. I promised I’d stay out of it.”
“I’ll think of something. And don’t worry. I won’t mention you,” he said then just before going inside he added, “Drew?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for doing this. I owe you big time.”
She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “Anything for Charlee.”
There was a noticeable change in her tone, and Hector remembered her I-need-to-do-this-as-much-for-myself-as-I-do-for-Charlee comment. He considered asking her to clarify, but he didn’t have time. He needed to talk to Walter, and then he had a very important phone call to make.
***
Hector was unbelievably thankful that Walter had Natalie to distract him now, because having this discussion with him before would’ve been even harder. This was way sooner than he anticipated having to have this conversation, but Hector’s mind was made up. He wouldn’t deprive himself of Charlee for even another day. He could already feel the blend of excitement and anxiousness building.
Walter would just have to appreciate the fact that Hector did think to come to him first before he did anything. He wouldn’t have to find out any other way. Hector was manning up and telling him before anyone else did.
“You done?” Hector asked as he walked up to him in the locker room.
“Yeah,” Walter wiped off his sweaty face with a towel. “It’s definitely getting easier, and I actually like the way I feel when I leave here now, not like before when I’d be dragging my ass out of here in total pain.”
Hector patted Walter on the shoulder. “That means you’re getting there. Eventually, you’ll be doing this just for thatfeeling, not because you need it.” Hector straddled the bench and leaned against the wall. “I gotta talk to you.”
Walter turned to him and stopped mopping his face, letting the towel drop on his shoulder. “What’s up?”
“The way you’ve been talking about Natalie this week, I get the feeling that trying to get Charlee is a thing of the past.”
Hector kept a close eye on Walter. He was doing the honorable thing here, asking for Walter’s blessings to go ahead and do what he’d wanted to for what seemed like forever now. But he also needed to get one thing straight. Once he did, he didn’t want Walter so much as daydreaming about her, because after today, Hector wouldn’t be taking any steps back. He’d be going forward with this full throttle, and if she was all for it, Charlee would be his.
Walter was pensive for a moment before responding to Hector’s statement. “All this time, even after you told me you thought maybe Natalie was interested in me, I thought Charlee would still be the ultimate goal, if I could ever get there.” He shrugged. “I almost feel guilty now that I saw Natalie as a consolation prize, someone I’d be settling for. To tell the truth, this whole week talking to Charlee was just as nerve-racking as always but nowhere near as exciting and as easy as when I talk to Nat.” Walter seemed almost embarrassed by that. “I was nervous at first, thinking that knowing Natalie might be looking at me in a way I would’ve never imagined would change things—that I wouldn’t feel at ease as I always have talking to her. But we’ve had our moments this week, and things are still the same.”
“That’s a good thing.” Hector smiled. Walter had no idea how good that was for Hector too.
“I see it now, Hector.” Walter smiled a smile Hector had only seen the day he brought out the robot from his trunk and told Hector Charlee had been impressed. “What you said you saw and I had such a hard time believing. Every time Nat looks at me now, I see it.” He shook his head, but the smile was still there. “It’s no different than how she looked at me before. Now I have to wonder how long she’s been feeling this and I was too blind to see it.”
“Which means,” Hector reminded him with a smile, “that what you were thinking, that she only noticed you because you started making this transformation isn’t true.”
Walter laughed full on now, and Hector was relieved to see him so damn happy. “That’s the best part about it. I mean I still wanna lose weight and all. And I’m gonna keep coming to the gym no matter what, but it’s nice to know that, unlike with Charlee, that’s not the only thing Nat will appreciate about me.” He stopped laughing and got a little serious. “That’s not to say I think Charlee is shallow or anything, but you know what I mean. Charlee’s never been anything but nice to me, but obviously my personality alone is not gonna cut it for her. And it’s just as well, because after spending so much time with Nat this week and then trying again to feel comfortable with Charlee, I think maybe she and I are just too different.” He scrunched up his nose. “Plus her head is always somewhere else. I always get the feeling she’s not really listening to me.” He laughed again. “I guess in a way that’s a good thing because I always manage to say something stupid around her.”
Hector laughed now too, and he’d like to think he knew just where Charlee’s head had been when Walter had been trying to make a connection with her. “So you’re done with Charlee then, right?”
Walter nodded then slipped a dry t-shirt on. “Good,” Hector said, standing up but lost the courage to look Walter straight in the face when he said it, so he smiled at one of the trainers walking out of the locker room and waved, “because I think I’m gonna ask her out.”
Hector held his breath, still not looking in Walter’s direction, but after the silence went on for too long, he had no choice. To his surprise, Walter was smirking. “Funny, it never even dawned on me that Nat might be looking at me as more than just her only patient’s grandson, who she had no choice but to be nice to. It’s not surprising really since I’m usually pretty lame about picking up on those kinds of things. But I’ve seen the way you look at Charlee. I was beginning to think I was just paranoid since, obviously, you weren’t doing anything about it. I thought maybe you just liked what you saw but she wasn’t really your type.”
“I don’t have a type, Walter.” Hector smiled, feeling a little stupid that here he thought all this time Walter hadn’t noticed his fascination with Charlee. “I only recently found this out. And the only reason I hadn’t done anything,” he crossed his fingers behind his back. Walter seemed happy enough now. Hector didn’t have to tell him just how weak he’d been about staying completely away from Charlee, “was because I knew you had a thing for her. But you’re cool with this now.”
Hector purposely made his last comment a statement not a question. He didn’t want to give Walter any room to say no because regardless of what Walter said now, Hector was not about to chance Charlee leaving.
Walter nodded. “We’re cool. Just don’t ever tell her I was pining for her all this time. That’s embarrassing.”
Not sure how he’d explain to Charlee why he fought this thing all this time without mentioning that, Hector agreed. At this point, he’d agree to anything.
“Well, I got a date to the aquarium I need to go get ready for.” Walter said, grabbing his gym bag.
And Hector had a phone call to make. As much as he knew Charlee wanted this—she’d told him she did and so had Drew—Hector wanted this too. So why the hell was he suddenly scared out of his mind?