by Mei Silk
“You’re kidding.” Sara knew she had to move, but her brain seems to have stop firing at her synapses and she was frozen in place, her breathing heavy, her eyes glued to his.
She felt his breath next to her ear, on her cheek, and over her lips. Her heart beat in rapid succession and her brain seemed to unfreeze as his breath whispered across her skin, and she dashed into the water.
Mateo followed close behind her. She could feel him trying to grab hold of her legs, but she was faster and she knew her legs were slippery in the water. She kicked her foot down in the water, hard, and grinned as she heard him splutter from the force of the splash.
* * *
Before long, they had swum across the pool and they were in the last lane against the wall.
Now she had nowhere to run. After following her for a couple laps, he dived under her and held her waist from below and quickly rose above the water with her.
“Let go of me,” she screamed and giggled.
“No way.” He took her to the shallower part and pinned her against the wall.
He could feel her heart pounding against his own chest, echoing his own heartbeat.
“Don’t fly away from me, butterfly,” he whispered at her ear.
She trembled at his words, and he smiled, a surge of satisfaction roiling through him. He was the cause of that tremble, he was the cause of her quick, shallow breaths, the cause of her heaving breasts pressed so tightly against him and begging for attention. Mateo removed her swim cap, and let her long hair fall on her shoulders. He kissed her neck, and nibbled on her shoulder. He gently ran his thumb over her nipple through her swimsuit, and it puckered tighter under his touch.
He heard a tiny whimper leave her lips, and decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He swooped down, capturing her half-parted lips between his.
Her lips were hot and soft, so soft, and Mateo wanted to get lost in them. He slipped his tongue between her lips, slowly, gently, exploring her lips and her teeth, before flicking it against her own. He heard her moan, and he dove in, devouring her mouth with his.
“Oh, Mateo,” she whispered when his lips left hers. “I want more.”
“Okay, sweetheart, you’ll have more.” Mateo kissed her earlobe before going back to her lips. Then his lips moved down to her neck and her shoulder. Her strap slipped and his tongue traveled lower, reaching the sensitive peak of breast, making her moan and squirm.
He looked up at her, the want and desire so clear on her face, but her eyes flashed with hesitation. He wanted to erase that hesitation and he dove down to catch her breast in his mouth again. She tugged at his hair, pulling his face back up to hers.
* * *
“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered.
“Sure,” he answered, but he didn’t let go.
“Let’s go to my place.”
“Do you want to wait that long?”
“Why not? Oh,” she panted as she felt his finger between her legs.
No, she definitely couldn’t wait that long. Closing her eyes, she immersed herself in that delicious feeling as Mateo’s finger rubbed against her. God, he was skillful at that.
Suddenly, she heard a clanking of some sort of metal in the gym area and her eyes flew open. She stood frozen and Mateo quickly released her. They heard the passing of a truck on the street and felt the shaking of the entire building. That explained the dropping of objects.
Sara let out a sigh of relief. For a moment, she’d thought Julia had been outside, watching.
Shame swirled in her belly. What had gotten into her? What if someone was really here? This was a public place!
Quickly, she climbed out of water and ran to the shower, ignoring Mateo’s desperate calls echoing behind her.
* * *
He was waiting for her at the door when she got out of the gym.
“Let me buy you dinner. You must be hungry.”
“No, I’m not,” she muttered as he hurried away
from him.
“Sara, please don’t leave me like this,” he pleaded.
She softened at his voice but quickly toughened up. She had to get hold of herself. She walked faster and practically ran to her car.
Chapter 9
Sara had a sleepless night. She felt Mateo’s hands and lips on her body every time she closed her eyes, and she felt it when she opened her eyes.
The first thing she thought of doing on Tuesday morning was call the Y and tell the receptionist that she had to be excused from the swimming class in the afternoon. She would do that after breakfast. The second thing she had to do was to call the LA Fitness on Atlantic and ask about their membership programs.
While she was having her breakfast, uncertainty rang through her. She’d been a swim teacher since she was fifteen, and she had never made up excuses to be absent. It was irresponsible, but she had to stop seeing Mateo. He weakened her, cut through all her barriers. Even now when he wasn’t in sight, her stomach tingled just from thinking of him.
Just before she was about to leave, she picked up the phone and dialed the Y’s number. Stephanie, the receptionist, answered it, and took her excuse seriously.
“Oh, god, are you okay? You sound terrible.”
Sara indeed sounded horrible, but that was from the lack of sleep. She felt a twinge of guilt for deceiving the girl.
“It’s not a big deal, but I don’t think it would be wise to get in the water. Tell Mateo that I’m sorry.”
“Would you like to call him yourself? I could give you his cell phone number.”
“Uh, that won’t be necessary. But thanks.”
When Sara got out of class, she checked her cell phone. Mateo had called her, not once, not twice, but three times, and left a message.
“Sara, how’re you feeling? I’m coming over. I guess you aren’t going to school either.”
“Sara, I guess you’re resting. Call me when you’re awake, or I’ll call again later.”
Sara felt a lump in her throat. From the way Mateo sounded, she could tell that he was really worried about her. She felt really bad about her feigned sickness, even though he was the reason why she was doing it. She sat motionlessly in her office, trying to decide what to do. She should call him and tell him the truth. But she was afraid that her determination wouldn’t stand a chance once she spoke to him. After sitting in front of her desk for fifteen minutes and doing nothing else but debating, she dialed Mateo’s cell phone number.
He picked it up after three rings. “Hi, Sara!” he sounded out of breath. “I’m sorry, I was in the middle of meeting with a client.”
“Oh,” Sara said, “should I call you later?”
“No. I’m fine. I’ve excused myself. How are you feeling, better?”
Sara bit her lip. “Mateo, I’m, uh, I’m sorry. I’m not sick. I just can’t work for you anymore.”
She squeezed her eyes tightly, nausea settling in her stomach, knowing that it must have made him feel terrible. There was a long silence at the other end of the line.
Then she heard his soft voice. “Why? Because of last night?”
The mere mention of last night made her blush.
“Yes,” she murmured.
“I thought you enjoyed it.” The dejection in his voice made her want to cry.
“I did,” she blurted out and instantly regretted it. “But I shouldn’t have.”
“Why not?”
“Because.” She tried to think of a reason that wouldn’t hurt his feelings. “I’m not ready for a relationship like that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s hard for me to explain it on the phone. Anyway, I just shouldn’t see you anymore, at least not for a while.”
Another long pause.
Finally, Mateo said, “All right, if that’s what you want. I would like you to keep coming to the Y. I’ll keep out of your sight. The camp at Big Bear needs a leader, and I need a vacation. I wasn’t going to go until next month, but I’ll change my plans and go
on Thursday. So, be here on Thursday, please?”
“You don’t have to do that, Mateo. You could find another teacher and I can find another gym. It’s not that hard.”
“It isn’t. But you belong to the Y. It’s your second home. You told me that yourself.”
“But—”
“No buts. At least wait until I come back from the camp. A week should be enough for you to make up your mind, right?”
“Fine,” Sara yielded, “have a good time at the camp.”
“I will. I go there every summer. I was going to ask you to go along, but I guess it’s out of the question.”
Sara was stirred by that suggestion. She had missed the camp. But she kept her silence.
* * *
What Sara loved the most about being a college professor was that she didn’t have to lecture on Fridays. She graded the midterms in the garden, under the Jade Orchid tree next to the roses, which were still blooming madly. It was relaxing, and her mind wandered. What was Mateo doing at the camp? Her pen stopped moving, and she considered. From her own camp experience, she guessed he would be leading the kids for all sorts of fun activities: rock climbing, canoeing, scouting . . . There was no doubt that he was a great leader. She would love to see him doing those things. She could have been there with him! If only she hadn’t . . . Oh, what was she thinking? Mateo was still a kid! After making a series of errors on her grading, she put aside the exams and got up. She had to do something to distract herself.
It was around noon. Her dad would be having lunch in the shop.
She dialed his number on the phone and it was soon answered.
“Yes, Yingying, what have you been doing? Is school all right?”
“It is. What about you, Dad? Busy?”
“Not yet. It gets busy in the afternoon, though.”
“Do you need help?”
“No, I’m fine. But if you feel like coming over, you’re welcome to.”
“I’ll be there. Would you like me to bring some lunch over?”
“No, Aunt Liu gave me a couple of rice dumplings with red beans and meat, and I’ve brought some leftovers from last night’s dinner. Why don’t you have the dumplings?”
“Perfect,” Sara said.
“By the way,” Derek said, “Aunt Liu keeps asking when you’re free for dim sum.”
“Really? That’s nice of her. I’m free on Saturdays. But are you sure she isn’t asking you for a date?”
“I’m sure she isn’t. She says that it’s a welcome meal for you.”
“Oh! In that case, this Saturday will be fine.”
* * *
The sight of Ocean Star brought Sara joy. She’d always looked forward to going there when she was a child. She was surprised that it had survived so long, despite the flood of new developments in the area. And she was impressed when she saw the undiminished weekend crowds at its entrance waiting to be seated.
Aunt Liu was waiting for them in the waiting area of the restaurant.
“Just in time,” she said. “I got us a table a minute ago so you wouldn’t have to wait.”
“Thanks, Aunt Liu. That’s very thoughtful of you!” Sara exclaimed.
“Don’t thank me. Actually, it was Peter’s idea,” she said.
“Peter? Who’s Peter?”
“You’ll see in a minute. It’s the man I would like you to meet.”
Sara’s feet glued to the carpet as she heard that. “Is this a blind date?”
Aunt Liu and Derek stopped, looked at her and then looked at each other.
“You didn’t tell her?” Aunt Liu asked Derek.
Derek shrugged. “Do you think she would have come if I did?”
Aunt Liu considered and took Sara’s arm. “Yingying, it wouldn’t hurt to make a new friend. There are no obligations. I promise, you’ll like Peter. He’s the son of Dr. Chan. You know? The famous dentist? Oh, there he is, see? Waving at us.”
Dr. Chan was the only dentist that her parents saw. In fact, she had regularly seen Dr. Chan as a child. But she didn’t want to meet any guys at all, not when she was still struggling to recover from her nightmarish marriage with Bill and trying to avoid entanglement with Mat—well, she’d better not recall that name. What was she going to do? She couldn’t just leave like that. It was rude. Sara saw the man waving eagerly at them tables away. Perhaps, like Aunt Liu said, it would be just a meeting with old family friends. She sighed and let Aunt Liu guide her towards the destined table.
Peter Chan was a good-looking Chinese American in his early forties. He was slender and pale. His pale skin, however, might have come from being indoors all the time.
“Ah, Aunt Liu, you’re looking younger than I last saw you!” Peter Chan said as soon as they got to the table.
Aunt Liu giggled. “Oh, you rascal. Making fun of an old lady. Now meet Yingying, Uncle Wang’s talented math professor daughter.”
“Hi, Yingying. Nice to meet you.” Peter Chan smiled eagerly as he extended a hand to Sara. “Aunt Liu spoke of you a lot, and I finally get to meet you.”
Sara was embarrassed. She hated blind dates. She heard herself mumbling, “Same here!” and shook hands with Peter.
Peter had already ordered a table full of finger food. When they sat down, he spoke to Derek, “Uncle Wang, I’m sorry my father is unable to be here.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Aunt Liu said to him. “We know how good your business is. By the way, aren’t you going to open a branch?”
“No,” Peter said. “We thought about it, but if we do then we’ll have to hire other people to work and they might not be as responsible.”
“Good thinking.” Derek nodded. “I have the same concern. That’s why I would rather stay where I am than expand the business.”
“But then, what is the point to advertise yourself so madly? Aunt Liu asked. “Your ads are everywhere, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Chinese Daily, channel 18, and the radio, too.”
“That’s just to stay where we are. The competition is fierce with lots of Chinese immigrants and the economy going down. Chinese people tend to ignore dental health because it’s simply not part of our culture . . .”
Sara recalled the ads of Chan’s Dentist that she had seen from the papers. They used to put gruesome pictures of teeth in the newspaper to get people’s attention, with Dr. Chan’s picture right next to it. She couldn’t help but feel gross about the doctor himself.
While listening to their conversations, Sara took a few sneaking glances at Peter and thought that he could be an ideal husband, according to Chinese standards. Financially stable, amicable personality—at least it looked like it. She would be tempted if she were not in her current mess, would she? Probably not. Perhaps if he were a few years younger, with a bit tan on his skin, broader shoulders, some arm muscles, and enjoyed gardening . . . Why did it matter whether he enjoyed gardening or not? She shouldn’t let Mateo mess up her standards of men!
She heard Peter addressing her, “I believe we’ve met before. Yingying sounds familiar.”
Sara recollected herself. “I used to go to your dad’s office.”
“I don’t mean that. I didn’t spend all my life in the dental office, at least not until recently. ”
“Oh, maybe we went to the same high school? Did you go to Ynez High?”
“No.”
“Maybe I look like someone else.”
“Could be.”
It turned out that Peter had a previous marriage as well. He and his ex-wife had gotten married while still in college, but the wife refused to quit her job and go home with him to LA in order to inherit his dad’s dental business. Their two kids were living with their mother in San Francisco.
“I drive down there once a month to see the kids,” he said.
And that piece of information aroused a considerable amount of sympathy in the women. Both Aunt Liu and Sara voiced their appreciation for the fatherly gesture.
“I’m just trying to do a father’s duty.”
While Aunt Liu was complimenting more on that, Sara started to wonder why on earth the dental business was more important than his marriage.
In the middle of the eating and conversation, Aunt Liu exchanged a look with Derek and said to them, “We’ll have to go to open our shops. The two of you should stay and chat and get to know each other. It’s not easy to make friends nowadays, even among young people.”
Sara felt reluctant to stay, but her politeness won out and she stayed.
Chapter 10
At the end of Thursday’s swim lesson, Elena asked Sara whether she would be coming for the fund-raising on Sunday. During the past weeks’ cooperation, Elena’s initial animosity towards Sara had changed into admiration for her patience and skills.
“I’m not sure,” Sara considered. She had seen the fliers and wanted to come.
“It would be great if you could come. There’ll be a swim-a-thon, and we’ll raise money for the Y.”
“Really? That sounds fun.”
“Last year we raised a couple thousand bucks from the swim-a-thon alone. Mateo swam two hundred laps, and I did fifty.”
The mention of Mateo put Sara in check. “Is Mateo going to be here, too?”
“He is, but not until the afternoon. I called him earlier and he said he needed to lead a morning activity in the camp.”
“Oh,” Sara said. Then she could get here early tomorrow, swim a few laps for the swim-a-thon, and take off at noon, before Mateo got here.
* * *
When Sara got to the Y at ten to nine the next day, the parking lot was already crowded with cars and people. The smell of pancakes caused her stomach to rumble even though she’d had some oatmeal at home. The pancake breakfast was in the back parking lot. Sara saw colorful balloons surrounding the roof of a white tent. A tall, young man wearing a chef’s hat and a blue apron made pancakes over a picnic stove with a group of elderly ladies. When she almost got to the tent she halted. It was Mateo. He was so focused on the pancakes, that he didn’t see her coming. Sara’s heart raced at the surprise. She was going to turn away, but Julia spotted her.