The Man of My Dreams

by Stephanie Aviles

  “For what?”

  “For giving me the courage to be more open to things. Knowing you has made a difference in my life. I feel like I have found someone I can look up to and trust.”

  Elena teared up. Bridget had become someone special in her life as well; she was like the little sister she always wished she had. “I’m glad I’m here too.”

  “Am I interrupting?” Daniel said, looking at them and wondering why they were both crying.

  Elena and Bridget looked up. Daniel’s feet were as light as a cat, always catching her by surprise.

  Bridget wiped the tears of joy away. “No not at all, I was just telling Elena Jake asked me out, and we’re going on our first date tonight.”

  Daniel’s eyes softened, and his smile was as sincere as Elena’s. “That’s great. I hope you both have fun.”

  Bridget got up and put the chair back where it belonged. “I’ll get going. I have tons of work to do, and I have to worry about what I’m going to wear tonight.” She left with a grin on her face and a skip in her step.

  Silence cut the air as Daniel stood in front of Elena’s desk. “How can I help you?” Elena said. Memories of Daniel’s angry glare from last night were playing games with her.

  “Nice flowers,” Daniel commented not sounding very impressed.

  Elena turned and looked at the beautiful arrangement. “Thank you.”

  “Looks like you’ve made an impression on someone. Dare I ask who?”

  By the look on Daniel’s face, she was sure he already knew, and he didn’t seem very happy about it. She skipped around the question. “What can I help you with today, Daniel?”

  “Actually, I’m here to help you out it seems.” He picked the card out of the flowers.

  Elena snatched it out of his hands before he had a chance to read it. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Well, think what you want, but it seems like you and I will be making a leap of faith together.”

  Elena had no idea what Daniel was talking about.

  “Tandem diving?” he said triggering her memory. “John spoke to me this morning about it.” He grabbed a piece of chocolate sitting on her candy tray and popped it into his mouth. “Looks like you’re going to be jumping with me,” he said with a full mouth.

  “Oh yes that’s right, and how dangerous is this by the way?” She leaned back in her seat and relaxed her elbows on the armrest. “I mean, you have done it before, right?” Between her date last night with Alex and the beautiful roses, she had forgotten about her promise to jump to her death for a promotion to a marketing manager position.

  “You’re jumping out of a plane, Elena. There is going to be risk, but don’t worry, you’ll be safe with me. We jump next Friday after I get back from Los Angeles.”

  Elena’s eyes widened. “What? I haven’t even purchased the equipment yet or gotten it inspected, or all the other paperwork needed to get it started.” Elena was starting to have a mini panic attack; she wasn’t ready to jump out of a plane yet. She needed time to get used to the idea.

  “That can wait,” Daniel said. “From what he told me, we’ll be doing the jump from another site in Seattle. He wants to get the recording and promo done before the rain starts.”

  Elena slumped in her chair. Her and her big ideas—she needed to learn how to keep her mouth shut. “How will it be recorded?”

  “One of the pilots at the site will jump with us. They’ll have a camera on their helmet to record it.” Daniel grabbed another chocolate from the tray. “See you next Friday,” he said as he unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth.

  “How will I know what to do?” Elena asked in a panic.

  “An hour before the jump, I’ll go over everything with you.”

  Elena’s mouth dropped. “An hour?” Getting her hair dyed at the salon took longer than that. “Only an hour to practice jumping out of an airplane?” Surely they would need more time?

  “Well, we can make it a whole day if you want to spend some more one-on-one time with me,” he suggested.

  Elena rolled her eyes. “I guess an hour is plenty.”

  Daniel’s laugh as he walked away didn’t make her feel any better. The only bright side to this was she could use this experience for a future book if she didn’t die of a heart attack first. She logged back into her computer, hoping work would distract her from the anxiety building up inside her. As she went to open up her email, her instant messenger window started blinking. Since she installed the software on everyone’s computer a month ago, it had been a hit. Everyone was communicating more frequently because it was literally at the tip of their fingers. Elena clicked on the blinking window, and Alex’s picture from his profile showed up. “Good morning.”

  Elena felt a warm glow course through her. “Good morning. Thank you for the flowers; they are beautiful.”

  “You’re welcome. Anything to see that pretty smile.”

  Elena felt naughty talking to him at work through instant message. She had never dated a Latin guy before and was taken by surprise by his assertiveness.

  “Would you like to join me for lunch?” he asked.

  Elena wondered if she should decline and ask for a raincheck. She knew this was going too fast. She had only met the man yesterday, and the way he acted was like they had been dating for months. He was so sure of himself, and what he wanted, it intimidated her a bit. She was flattered by all his compliments and how romantic he had been so far, but she was afraid of giving in and feeling too much. Her dating life, if it could even be called that, had been a total failure. All the men she had dated were looking for something in her that she would never be. She would never be the girl who would sit there and get excited about watching a football game. She had never been able to finish a whole beer and had been kicked off any sports team she had tried to join. She didn’t know about many of the songs or shows most people watched growing up because she had grown up in a different country. Her life had been simple yet adventurous. Her mother had raised her to be a mother and wife, grooming her in all aspects of house cleaning, cooking and most of all love and compromise. Her father had taught her to be tough and independent and how to survive against all the odds. It seemed, however, despite her many attributes, she had yet to find someone who would appreciate her diversity and die-hard romantic nature.

  She looked back at her computer and Alex’s message. Maybe he would be different. They both had similar upbringings so he would appreciate her traits and qualities, but part of her was leery of the expectation most Hispanic men held about a woman’s role in the household, which they considered to be domestic. Elena had different plans for her life, and she had to find someone who would support her in her goals no matter how unrealistic they may seem at times. Elena dreamed about being able to influence change; she wanted the world to read her stories and be inspired by the message she delivered. She wanted that special love you only read about in books or watch in movies, and she refused to give up on her dream.

  Maybe Daniel was right after all; maybe destiny did play a role in her life. She just needed to learn to accept what was being put in front of her.

  “That would be nice,” she replied.

  * * *

  Alex parked the car by the harbor, and they walked to a small cafe known for their delicious homemade paninis and organic coffee. They both ordered their lunch and decided to eat it on the grass by the water since it was such a nice day.

  “So, I heard you’re going to be doing a tandem jump next Friday.”

  Elena laid her purse next to her. “Yes, I can’t believe I agreed to it.” In all the things she had wanted to do in her lifetime, jumping out of a plane had never crossed her mind.

  Alex reached into the brown bag and handed Elena her sandwich. “You will like it; it’s fun and freeing.”

  “Do you have experience skydiving?”

  “I’ve done my fair share of jumps. You know one thing about being a pilot is that you always want to make sure you can get
out of it if something happens.”

  “How was your first jump? Were you nervous?” Elena was curious to find out if he was someone who took big risks or if he liked adventure.

  “Oh, of course, I was nervous. You jump out of a plane into nothing.” He looked over at her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He smiled apologetically.

  At least he was honest, Elena thought. Daniel had brushed aside her worries like they were just going for a ride on his motorcycle again, but she knew Daniel thrived on high speed and risking his neck. “Believe me you’re not scaring me any more than I already am.”

  “Once I jumped out it was fun. I think the biggest part was actually jumping out of the plane; the rest was easy.”

  Elena wondered if she would actually have the courage to do it or if she would chicken out of it and lose the opportunity for the marketing position. She had never been one to back out of anything, but her level of risk-taking had its limits.

  “So, Daniel is the one jumping with you?” Alex asked, taking a bite of his panini.

  “Yes, he’s a certified skydiver.”

  Alex didn’t seem very impressed by this. “I heard you were stationed together in the military.”

  She was sure Daniel had been quick to tell Alex about their history together. “Yes, seven years ago in Japan.”

  Alex nodded his head. “To be honest, I don’t think he likes me very much.”

  This wasn’t news to Elena; Daniel didn’t get along with most of the pilots in the squadron when they were in the military. She would often hear them complain that he was too rogue and didn’t like to follow protocol and in many instances, they called him a “show-off.” Sometimes she thought they complained because they were a little jealous of him. Despite Daniel being the biggest jerk she had ever met, he was talented at his skill. “Daniel can be difficult to work with at times, but he is truly good at what he does.”

  “Oh, I don't doubt that.” He glanced over her way. “Do you feel comfortable jumping with him?” he questioned.

  “Yes.” Elena was surprised she didn’t hesitate in her answer. Knowing she was jumping with Daniel was the only thing that had brought her any peace of mind with this entire ordeal. With him, although annoying, she knew she was safe. She liked the fact that he was very secure in himself and confident, if not cocky, about his ability.

  “So my turn,” Alex said, taking a bite of his sandwich. “What brought you to Washington?”

  Elena took a deep breath. She remembered her dilemma when she decided to separate from the military. After twelve years of traveling the world, she had no place to call home. She had applied for jobs in multiple states but had no real plan in place on where to settle. “I was getting ready to separate from the Air Force, and I wasn’t sure where I was going to go. My best friend lives here, and she suggested I just move here.” Elena had never been to Washington before, and all she knew about it was what she had seen in movies or read in her vampire romance novels and decided there and then that is where she would start out her new life.

  “And do you like it so far?”

  Elena thought about it for a second. She loved the town and was getting used to the weather. She loved the fact Kat was here, and there was a large romance writer community, but then she thought about how fate had delivered Daniel back into her life, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that yet.

  “I guess I’m still trying to find that out,” she admitted. “How about you—what do you think about it so far?”

  Alex looked at the ground thinking about his answer. After a pause, he looked back up at her and stared intently into her eyes. “I think coming here has been the best decision I have ever made.”

  In that moment, Elena felt like the whole world had disappeared and it was just the two of them sitting there under the sun uncovering something that was about to engulf them both. Elena lowered her lashes and looked at the water. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.”

  She could see his grin through her peripheral vision. She smiled too.

  The next two weeks passed in what seemed like a blur. She had spent every waking moment with Alex, from just talking about growing up in a different country to discovering what they wanted for the future. Elena learned that despite being a pilot, he didn’t really like to travel and preferred the comforts of home. “I’m always in the sky, and when I’m not at work, I like to be able to enjoy being at home,” he said. Elena had been a little disappointed because she loved to travel and explore the world. Even if she had kids one day, she wanted travel to be part of their education growing up. She had also learned Alex wasn’t much of a reader but a huge soccer fan, or football as they called it in Argentina, and despite spending the last two weeks together since she had met him, they had yet to kiss. She was starting to wonder if he was changing his mind about her.

  “So, you leave for your first solo flight tomorrow?” Elena was looking through the picture frames of Alex’s family that were placed on a table by the wall. Since the moment she had entered his apartment, she had been awed by how immaculate it was. This guy had some serious decoration and organization skills. The black and gray theme he had going on was definitely masculine, but she had never met such a neat person before.

  “Yeah, I leave tomorrow morning,” he answered from the kitchen where he was cooking dinner for both of them. “I wish I could be here to see your first skydive.”

  Elena shuddered at the thought of having to jump out of plane tomorrow. “First and last,” Elena mumbled. She walked over to the kitchen where the aroma of what he was cooking drew her in. Alex was wearing a pair of jeans with a light blue V-neck sweater with the sleeves rolled up. He had a five o’clock shadow on his face, and his strong jawline was just screaming for Elena to reach out and run her fingers across it. She couldn’t believe how fast she was falling for this guy. A part of him seemed too good to be true, and she was hesitant in trusting her emotions. Her guard was still up; she was afraid to fall hard for him and risk being taken advantage of and made a fool of again. “Whatever you are cooking, it smells delicious.”

  “It’s called matambre.” Alex placed a small piece of meat on a plate with a green sauce for Elena to try.

  Elena grabbed the small fork and tried the delicacy that had been making her stomach grumble the last thirty minutes. “Wow, this is delicious.” Elena ate the last piece, savoring the different flavors that complemented the seasoning of the meat. “A man who can cook—what else do you have up your sleeve?”

  Alex grinned. “Well, that’s about it,” he said.

  “So he cooks.” Elena pointed toward the pan. “He keeps an immaculate house, is a perfect gentleman, and can fly a plane,” she added. “Sounds pretty impressive to me.”

  “I try.” He grinned.

  “So there is one more questions to be asked.” The ultimate test, Elena thought.

  “Shoot,” he said, as he flipped the meat on the pan.

  “Can you dance?” Elena asked as a challenge.

  “Por supuesto…of course,” he answered with an air of confidence. He grabbed her hand and swirled her around and in one quick move, brought her body close to his. “Maybe I can show you more of my moves after dinner?” He looked at her, and the double meaning of his gaze was very obvious.

  Elena bit her lower lip. “We’ll see what you got,” she toyed back at him.

  Alex took their plates to the table and poured Elena a glass of red wine. “Can I be honest with you?” Elena asked.

  “Of course.”

  “I’ve never met a Spanish man that could cook and clean as well as you do.”

  Alex laughed. “My mother is an excellent cook and made sure I knew how to cook so I wouldn’t starve when I was on my own. Let me tell you I wasn’t always in favor of it, especially growing up when my friends would make fun of me when I had to leave early to go home and prepare dinner.”

  Elena laughed so hard her stomach was hurting.

  “Now, can I be honest with you?”
he asked.

  “Of course,” Elena mimicked.

  “I hired someone to come clean the house today,” he confessed, his face turning red.

  “I knew it was too good to be true,” she said.

  They laughed together.

  After dinner, Alex put on some candles and music. He walked over to Elena who was sitting comfortably on his couch enjoying the wine that was making her a little more relaxed and mellow by the minute. He sat down next to her and smoothly put his arm around her. “Can I make another confession?” he asked.

  Elena appraised his handsome face. “Well, this seems to be the night for it, so go ahead.”

  He leaned in closer. “Earlier you said I was the perfect gentlemen.”

  Elena’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes, but don’t let it go to your head,” she teased.

  He grinned. “The truth is, it’s taken all the self-control I’ve got to behave around you.”

  Elena took a deep breath, her chest rising and his eyes taking her in. “Then don’t,” she said.

  Chapter 18

  Spending the night with Alex had been wonderful. He was gentle, kind and just perfect. Elena hadn’t been with a man for such a long time, and being with him made the wait worth it. She had woken up to find him gone with a note next to her pillow.

  Didn’t want to wake you. I had to leave early for my flight. Have fun today and be safe.

  Talk to you later, beautiful.

  P.S: I had a wonderful time last night.

  Elena lay back on the bed. She turned and looked over at his side and smelled the pillow. It smelled just like him, and she was starting to like that. As much as she wanted to stay and sleep for a couple more hours, she had to muster the courage to go back to her apartment and get ready to meet Daniel in Seattle.

  “Elena, are you listening?” Daniel asked, irritated.

  “What? Yes, I’m listening.”

  “No you’re not,” he accused. “This is important, and you have to pay attention. Your harness is going to be connected to me at four points. One at each of my shoulders and at the hips. Once I deploy the chute, I will release the lower hooks so you can be more comfortable. It will be like hanging from an infant carrier.”