Living in a Telenovela

My heartbeat accelerates. One car ride with him should be innocent enough. I just have to get away from here.

I kiss my grandfather and walk over to my dad so I can hug him. My mother ignores me when I lean over her but I hug her still. She's just throwing a tantrum because I am ignoring her wishes. I shake my head. One last hug to Juana and I turn to Esteban, who has both of my bags in his hands.

The car ride is awkward. I keep thinking of how embarrassingly I behaved the night before. I was the literal definition of a cock blocker. And that is why I have to leave. Who am I to tell Esteban he can't sleep with someone when it is blatantly obvious he wants to? And why did it hurt my heart so much to know his lips were on hers all night? I need to get out of here as soon as humanly possible.

"I thought we could stop by my mother's house so you can say a quick hi and bye." He breaks the silence.

I shift uncomfortably. "I have a couple of things I have to take care of before I catch my flight. I would rather get to the airport now so I can sit and get on my laptop sooner rather than later."

"You can spare 5 damn minutes of your time, Natalia." He sounds annoyed.

"You Neanderthal!" I cross my arms. I will just say a quick hello to his mom and then be on my way, this has nothing to do with Esteban. I haven't seen her in years, and who knows if she'll be here next time.

The truck pulls into their driveway and I see an old, brittle woman sitting on the front porch with a bowl of green beans on her lap. She curiously looks at me as Esteban grabs me by the hand and leads me to her. I almost want to cry at how tender this moment is. He looks excited to show me off to her. Her face immediately warms, as we get closer.

"Natalia!" She puts her bowl down and rushes to hug me. I bend down and give her a tight squeeze.

"Dona Petra, que lindo verla." She pulls back to look at me, with her toothless endearing smile.

"Que linda usted." She makes me turn around for her, which makes me blush.

She invites us in and makes us sit in her kitchen table while she makes coffee. Her husband is out running some errands with their maid. I guess Esteban doesn't have much to worry about since they don't have animals and their house is in pretty good shape. Their eldest son, Jose, who we call Pepe, is out back checking on the corn. It must be easier for Esteban to live with my grandpa knowing his parents are taken care of by Pepe.

Esteban excuses himself, leaving his mom and I talking about everything that has happened since we last saw each other. Once the coffee is ready Esteban returns and we drink in silence. She looks back and forth between us and I try to look away. I distract her by asking her questions about the people she goes to church with. She talks endlessly about so and so and who is up next to get married. I can see Esteban looks slightly uncomfortable. When we finish with our coffee, she announces that she's going to take a nap, but to make myself at home.

Esteban goes out on the front porch and brings in the bowl of green beans. He places it on the table and reaches for my hand. He pulls me up and tugs me towards the back of the house.

"Esteban, I have to go. It was really nice to see your mom though." I try to plant my feet firm but he just pulls harder.

He opens the door to a room and pushes me inside. I turn to yell at him but he kisses me, shutting me up effectively. I push against his chest as he pushes me back with his body. We both fall on a bed and I try to squirm away.

I turn my face away. "Esteban, I have to catch my flight." My breathing is harsh. I feel my wetness pool in my underwear. The fact that I am wearing a dress makes this that much more dangerous. His hands tug my dress up and he shifts his body down until his shoulders are right in between my legs.

"I am not going to be some slut you can fuck whenever you want." Images of the girl in his room last night burn to my memory and I really start to push him away. "Go back to that pendeja you brought home last night." My hands push against his shoulders.

His rough hands wrap around each hip and his thumbs hook against my underwear. He pulls it off with ease and his lips urgently seek out my sobbing center. My head falls back and I moan uncontrollably as his tongue slips deep in my folds and flattens out as it licks over my clit. My hands ball up the blanket I am lying on while my hips thrust higher off the bed. I try to muffle my moaning by biting my lip. His slick tongue laps my juices, which have pooled deep in my pussy. He laps and laps until I feel myself getting closer. His tongue expertly begins to flutter against my clit and I feel myself tighten up. The wave of the orgasm gets closer and closer until I can't avoid it anymore. I submerge and ride out the orgasm until my legs shake. Esteban licks my clit one last time and then begins to lick around my pussy until he has collected every last drop of my juices.

******

I'm lying next to him trying to catch my breathing.

My body is radiating with sheer pleasure. This was the best orgasm I have ever had. The fact that I find him extremely attractive and his ability to make me feel like he lost control and couldn't help but make me cum is what made the moment exceptional.

He leans in and kisses my forehead. I close my eyes, still focusing on my breathing. His hand trails down my chest until he fully cups my pussy. I moan again as his middle finger begins to pat my heated center. Oh, fuck. I am in danger.

"Stay." His kisses my temple and his finger digs in deeper.

"I can't." My breathing accelerates again and I chew on my bottom lip.

His palm keeps applying pressure to my clit in intervals.

"Natalia, just a few more days. I can't let you leave yet."

His warm breath is in my ear. His tongue takes my lobe into his mouth and his lightly bites on it. His sticks two fingers inside my pussy and I am floored again. With deliberate ease he begins to quicken his pace.

"Esteban," I try to tell him to stop, to let me think but his large fingers feel amazing inside me. I hold on to his arm as he pumps in and out of me.

"Natalia, just promise me a few more days."

"And then what?" I surprise us both. I feel tears forming and I'm not sure if it is because of the incredible feeling he's giving me or because of my fear of letting him in. There is nothing that can happen between us. There is no future that would benefit us both. I am sure as Hell not moving to the country and I can't see him wanting to live in the city.

His hand speeds up and I moan louder. His lips crush mine and he swallows each moan. I try to squirm away. I can't think when he holds me like this. His fingers pump faster and his palm rubs my clit until I am filling his hand with my juices. I cum all over his fingers and ask him to stop when it's too much to bear.

I feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier as the seconds tick by.

******

I wake up alone in bed.

At first I am disoriented. The sun is no longer shining through the open window, and this room is unfamiliar. I sit up and look around. There are soccer trophies on top of the drawer across from the bed. The wall is decorated with posters of cars and girls and some family pictures. Esteban is in most of them. I smile slightly, and then frown. What am I doing? I'm not some fresh face college grad looking for love and settling down in the country. I have to stop this before it goes any further. It might be fun and games for me but I have a feeling Esteban is not taking this lightly. I check my phone, shit! I'm late!

I rush out of the room and follow Esteban's deep rumble. He's in the living room with his brother. Pepe's jaw drops when he sees me. I blush and brush my hair aside. Can he tell that I just came a couple of hours ago all over his brother's hand? I try to ignore the fact that I'm still not wearing any underwear, I rub my legs together feeling the dried up juices between them. Pepe looks like an older, more seasoned version of Esteban. When he stands he's not much taller though. I kiss him on the cheek and his hug lasts a little longer than I expect.

Esteban hits him in the back of the head and pulls me down on his lap. I squirm trying to move next to him but his large hands hold me still. I grind my teeth.

"So, Natalia," His accent is thicker than Esteban's. He was not born here though so that explains it. His tone also doesn't caress my name. "You remember when we would go down to the lake with Susie and Thomas?"

I feel the vague memories trying to rear its head in but before I can grasp it, it goes away. I usually try not to think about this place for too long. The nostalgia is enough to keep me up at night. "Yeah, kind of. I remember you loved jumping off the tree to show off in front of Susie." Susie was fun to hang out with, but like me, she moved out of this small town as soon as she could. She's now somewhere in the west coast, probably raising a family.

Pepe smiles obviously embarrassed. Him and Susie were inseparable before. It shocked all of us when she decided to study at an out of state college. Eventually Pepe moved on and had a wife of his own. I tread lightly around that topic. Not sure what happened to her. No one will tell me. All I know is that she is not around anymore.

I turn to look at Esteban, who is already looking at me. I almost forget my train of thought. "Why didn't you ever come along with us?" Esteban was always in the peripheral of some of my memories now that I think about it. But he was never anything but a passing thought. How could I have overseen him?

"Are you kidding? This kid would follow you around like a little lovesick puppy. But you only had eyes for Paco."

I groan and cover my face. I try to ignore the comment about Esteban being a lovesick puppy there is no way that is right. Even if I don't remember much about Esteban, I do remember he never had a problem with the girls. "Paco was such an ass." We all laugh and start to talk about his whereabouts.

I look down at my watch and panic again. "Esteban, I am going to miss my flight if we don't leave right now."

His hand rubs the top of my thigh causing me to shiver slightly. I elbow him and turn to look at Pepe with a bright red face.

Pepe clears his throat "I have to go pick up Lisa from her friend's house. It was really nice seeing you Natalia. If you do plan on staying we should grab a drink, or sneak some whiskey and drink it in the back of your grandpa's truck like we used to." He winks and gets up to leave. I try to stand but Esteban's arm keeps me rooted. I smile apologetically.

"I'll keep you posted."

I turn to slap Esteban against his arm. He smiles and leans in to kiss me.

I am a whimpering mess by the time he pulls away. I feel his hard length against my ass. My juices are seeping through my dress.

"Just stay here for the rest of the week then you can go back and be the boss lady you are." He's trying to keep the conversation light but the intensity in his eyes is a bit much for me.

"I can't let Paul keep running everything for the next couple of days. And Jennifer is just going to keep calling more and more until I get back. Plus there is so much I have to catch up on when I get back. I'm booked for the next couple of weeks and need to sit down and go over my notes before meeting with the first couple of clients. I'm being very careless as we speak, I should be boarding my plane soon."

His nose rubs against my jaw and my breath accelerates when he nuzzles my neck. "Natalia, it'll probably be another 3 years before I see you again. And who knows where we'll be by then."

I feel jealousy creep into the back of my mind. Esteban will probably marry to the girl from the store, expecting their second baby boy. My heart contracts.

"This won't end well. We're just putting off the inevitable. I will go back to my old life, put work above all else and you'll be here. My grandfather would have a heart attack if he knew we were even remotely intimate."

He laughs against my neck. The noise calms my nerves. "Don Luis would be thrilled to know you have a soft spot for rancheros."

I bite my lip as he kisses my neck.

"My mom will be up in a couple of minutes. Let's wait until then and I'll take you back to your grandfather's."

I nod against my best judgment.

******

Esteban opens the truck door for me.

I hop out but before I can even step towards the house he kisses me until I see stars behind my eyes. His lips are so firm yet soft at the same time. Will I ever get tired of them?

"I'll get your bags and bring them in, go ahead and give Don Luis the news about you staying through the week. He'll be excited."

Like a little girl, I run up the driveway and take the porch stairs two at a time. I almost run into my grandpa when I open the door. His surprised look is enough to make me staying worth it. He smiles and hugs me for a long time.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise." He grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me into the living room. "Ana Barbara, your prayers have been answered."

Everyone in the living room stands when we walk in and my shock cannot be hidden. Patrick takes a couple of steps towards me and pulls me into a tight hug. I am frozen. I probably shouldn't be too surprised he's here considering he did tell us yesterday he would be back but I thought he would leave as soon as he heard I took a plane home.

My mother looks ecstatic, which puts me on edge. Any time my mother is happy it is not because of something good. Before I can ask what is going on Pat takes my hand and gets down on one knee. My eyes automatically widen and I stop breathing. What the fu-

"Nat. Natalie, I was an idiot to ever let you go. You have been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can't imagine living the rest of my life if I'm not with you." His light blue eyes don't blink once as he goes on in his speech.

I look around and see my mother holding her hands against her chest. Her eyes are watering but I know is just for theatrics. My genuine reaction has turned this into the best soap opera she could have ever directed. My father is smiling, in the background neither excited or annoyed, just blending in. My grandfather is smiling at me like I am the most precious person in his life. I catch the end of Pat's speech.

"And with the blessing of Mr.Luis, I would love nothing more than to have you as my wife. Natalie, will you marry me?"

I want to laugh, and I probably would have if the shock didn't shake me to my core. Never in my life did I expect Patrick to be down on one knee, saying he got my grandpa's blessing to marry me. It was never in the cards for me. I could have never seen this coming.

The silence is broken by the front door slamming shut.

My head whips around and I feel my heart beating again. Esteban drops my bags his face pales at the scene before him. A smile spreads against my lips. He's going to laugh with me. Even though his eyes are murderous right now, I just have to explain.

"Nat?" Patrick tugs on my right hand.

The door slams again and I turn to see the hallway empty. I feel my feet moving before I can make sense of anything. My mother and Pat call me as I throw the door open, neither of them follows me. I see Esteban stomping towards the stables. I call his name but he ignores me. I begin to run and catch up to him. The sun is setting. The birds are saying their last words before the day is over. The coolness begins to sneak in. I wrap my arms around myself when I finally reach him.

"Where are you going?" I place my hand on his arm.

He roughly pushes my hand away. "Go back inside, Natalia." The anger radiates off him.

I finally understand that he doesn't get it. "Esteban, you have to listen to me."

He turns to stare me down so fast I instinctively step back. "Go back to him. He is the type of man you need in your life. Natalia you were right. This is stupid. I will never be anything like him and you can never measure up to any of the women around here."

I wrap my arms around myself. "Esteban, don't be mean."

"I'm being realistic." His hands reach out for me but he stops himself. "You need to aim for someone who can give you all the materialistic bullshit you need to survive out there. I need someone with a warm heart who is not afraid to take a chance. We're not even in the same league."

Tears start forming in my eyes and I have to bite my lip to keep it from trembling. I can't believe he's the one ending this before it even starts. I was looking forward to the next couple of days. Hell, even the last couple of days have been enough to keep me satisfied for the next couple of years. The way Esteban holds me, says my name, or even just looks at me makes me feel like the sun in his universe. All the adoration and playfulness, understanding and possessive demeanor almost made me believe he was just the type of guy I had been looking for. And even if I could only live this fantasy for the next couple of days, I knew it had to be enough, at least until I could once again focus on a different relationship. And now, with a snap of his fingers he ended it all. I allowed myself to be vulnerable, to have hope just so that he could prove me right. This was the biggest mistake of my life.

My voice is raw. "At least you're not as stupid as I thought you were."

I run back towards the house, right into my grandpa's arms.

******

I wake up with a head splitting headache.

I ask Juana to make me a hot tea and to find any Advil or ibuprofen. My family always thought pills had nothing on home remedies. The look I give Juana is enough to stop her from giving me one of her special remedies.

My mother and father and still in bed, it's still pretty early.

I walk out to the front porch and pull the thin blanket closer to me. Esteban and my grandpa are on the side of the porch. Esteban is rubbing ointment on my grandfather's hand.

"Buenos dias." My voice is faint but I won't let Esteban know he had anything to do with it. I am sure my eyes are bloodshot and swollen but I don't care. I will never have to face him after today.

He looks up at me and I see the regret in his eyes. I turn and hug my grandpa.

"What time is Patrick coming?"

Esteban goes back to what he was doing but I see his jaw flex.

"Soon. I just needed some tea to help with the headache." I look at the front of the lawn, avoiding Esteban's stare. "What is that?" I ask my grandpa.

He groans when Esteban hits a nerve. "My arthritis has been bad lately. Esteban gives me hand massages most mornings to help me get through the day."

My throat tightens up at the thought of Esteban tending to my grandpa in many more helpful ways than I ever did.

"When will you be back, mi Natalia?" The sadness in his tone almost breaks my stoic mask.

Esteban's ears perk.

"It will be a while. Once I have the business up and running I can steal some time again." I want to tell him the truth, I don't intend on coming back until Esteban is gone for good. That would cause undue stress on him and I can't do that. "You know you can always come up and see me too."

He responds as he always does. His mouth puckers like he just licked a lime. "You know how I feel about those city people."

Esteban finally puts the ointment away and hands it back to my grandpa. "I will get the car ready, Don Luis." He doesn't look at me again and I can't help but stare as he walks away.

"Why do you young people do that to yourselves?"

I hide the embarrassed look from my face. "What theory do you have now, Papa?" I wrap my arms around his shoulders. I feel his bones through his worn out skin.

"Natalia I thought you were smarter than that. I thought you always went after what you wanted."

I clench my teeth. How can my grandpa know so much from seeing so little? "It would have never worked. You know how hard I have worked to be where I am. I'm not some domestic wife, living her life for her family. And Esteban is no fool either. He knows what he wants, it's not me." He scoffs. "Plus, you already set your vote on Patrick."