Love on the Malecon

by Aubrey Parr

  “Did you hear from Gael?” she said with a worried sound in her voice.

  “No, love, nothing like that.” He hesitated for a moment. “I’d like to talk to you about the situation with the Maybe Boyfriend at home.”

  “I’ve done a lot of thinking about that,” she said. He liked that she had already thought about it. And, he hoped that since they were here in Nuevo Vallarta together, that she had chosen him and not the Maybe Boyfriend.

  “Did you come to any decisions? Because I don’t think I can handle knowing you’re going home to this Maybe Boyfriend. I know I sound insane but you’re worth that risk.” He waited for her answer with baited breath, trying to keep a calm composure.

  She smiled at him sweetly. “This trip has made me discover that Andrew (that’s his name by the way) is not the right person for me.”

  Honestly, he hated even knowing his name. He didn’t like thinking of anything that made him seem more like a real person. And now he had a name. Derek was annoying himself with his reaction; what the hell was she going to think? “That is a relief.” He tried to relax his body just a bit. He knew himself well enough to know that they were going to need to talk more about this. Nicole must have men hitting on her every day. If she went home a single woman, she’d quickly end up on a date or with another boyfriend. He wasn’t kidding when he said he couldn’t handle it. He wasn’t sure how to tell her everything he was thinking.

  “Were you planning on telling him when you got home?” He tested the waters.

  “I hadn’t thought of when I’d tell him,” she admitted.

  He was searching his brain for a suave way of handling this, but ultimately, he knew that he would fall short. What the hell, he thought to himself and continued, “Will you hear me out about some things?” He waited for her to reply.

  “Of course.”

  “I hope that this thing between us seems as serious to you as it does to me. As you can tell, I am somewhat of a protective and jealous man. I don’t want you waiting until you’re home to tell him. I’d love for you to tell him now so that we can spend the rest of your time together without him hanging in the background. I want you to go home in a committed relationship with me. Somehow, we’ll make this work. Nicole, I know that I am in love with you.” When he finished, he took a deep breath and tried to figure out what she was thinking. Nicole had a pretty good poker face. Was she getting nervous about his jealousy issues?

  “Derek, I love you too. I know this is fast, but it feels like love.” She smiled and pushed herself back and forth on the swing a few times. He didn’t respond yet; she seemed to have more to say. “Hmmmm, tell him over the phone?”

  “Yes,” he stated simply.

  “That seems kind of rude, after three years, not to tell him in person.” He wasn’t sure if she was asking him to change his mind. He couldn’t help himself. Crazy or not, he wasn’t going to.

  “Yes, normally I would agree. But, after three years, he may have let you get on airplane with no idea where you were going,” he pointed out.

  She looked like she was considered that point, “That is true.”

  “Has he tried to contact you at all since you’ve been here?” He figured at this point he shouldn’t be worried about overstepping his bounds.

  “He left me one message the second or third night I was here. He said that he had avoided calls from Kate when she was worried and he asked if I was ready to tell him where I was.” The fact that she heard his voice, even on a message, drove him nuts. He realized his fists were clenched and he had ripped up the napkin that was in front of him. Good lord, he was losing it. He could tell she noticed his reaction. “What is it?” She didn’t sound mad, more confused.

  “So he didn’t know where you were going. I can’t describe it completely; I don’t like the idea of you talking to him at all. I already think of you as my girlfriend, not his.” He tried to relax his hands “If you’d let me, I’ll hire a moving company and get you a condo so that you can go straight home to a new place. Any chance you’d take me up on that?”

  “Derek, I love you. But I’m not comfortable living somewhere I haven’t seen,” she said, “That’s too weird for me.”

  “Where will you go when you get back?” he asked seriously.

  “I’m sure I can stay with Kate till I find a place. I don’t think friends should live together long term but she’d put me up for a few weeks.” She was trying to make him feel better, but it wasn’t helping.

  “Will you please call him and break it off here? I know I sound a bit psychotic, but after this morning I don’t like that I won’t be there to protect you if he gets mad.” He was serious.

  “He wouldn’t do something like that Derek.” Was she defending him now?

  “You don’t know that for sure. I would have never thought Silvia would do that either.” He honestly never thought she would have. He wasn’t prepared to now trust this man he’d never met. “Nicole, this is important to me. I would like to have dinner with you tonight as my girlfriend. I would like to make love to you tonight in our bed with no one thinking you’re coming back to them in Chicago.”

  Something was going through that gorgeous head and he couldn’t figure out what. Without another thought, he pulled her off of her swing and sat her on his lap. He put his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He loved the way she smelled. He kissed her gently and he didn’t care if he sounded like he was begging as he asked again, “Please.”

  “How could I say no to that?” She kissed him again. He was so relieved. He let out a huge breath that he didn’t know he had been holding in.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  As they walked back to the room, Nicole couldn’t believe she was about to make the phone call. Overall, she was not good with confrontation, so maybe the nudge was a good thing. If she had to tell Andrew when she got home, then she may have put off the inevitable for too long. And that wouldn’t be fair to anyone.

  She wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to say. Was she going to tell him about Derek or leave him out of it? She felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to call Kate first. Kate could always calm her down and remind her of what she needed to do.

  She walked into Derek’s apartment and went to sit on the couch, trying not to look worried. She didn’t want him to misread her emotions. She really wasn’t scared for it to be over with Andrew, but she was scared to tell Andrew that. Derek walked over to her and knelt on the floor in front of her so that they were almost eye to eye with each other.

  “Do you want this? Do you want me?” Even when he was in a very vulnerable state, he still looked tough. That made him even sexier. Somehow he pulled off both at the same time and it made her want to drag him into the bedroom… Oh, this man.

  “I really do Derek. I don’t like confrontation, is all.” She rested her arms on his shoulders and this time she put her forehead against his. “I’ve never had a long distance relationship before, but we’ll figure it out.”

  He kissed her and put her phone in her hand. “I’m going to give you some privacy. I won’t be far.”

  “Thank you. I may call Kate first, so give me some time.” She tried to smile, but her nerves had taken over again. He kissed her cheek and left the apartment.

  When she turned on her phone, she realized that maybe Andrew would have tried to reach her again. It would be harder if he had. When her phone came to life, she had two text message and no voicemails. The first was from Kate, telling her that she wanted to hear all about the ex-girlfriend when they talked again.

  The second was from Andrew. All it read was, “Where are you?” That was it. There was no apology, no please, not even a phone call. Was he worried? Was he annoyed? She couldn’t tell anything from those three stupid words. One thing she knew was that she was now annoyed.

  She dialed Kate’s number. It was a Thursday afternoon; Kate would be at work. She was a divorce attorney, of all things. That was how Nicole had met Andrew originally, through Kate’s c
ircle of lawyer friends. As long as she wasn’t with a client or in court, Kate would answer the phone.

  Kate picked up quickly with, “Nic, how are you?”

  “Hi,” Nicole responded, “this hotel is fabulous as well. I’ll tell you all about the ex-girlfriend fiasco another time. I want your advice.”

  “Sure, honey,” was all Kate said.

  “I need to call Andrew and break it off. Derek doesn’t want me to wait till I’m home. Is that bad?” Her voice practically cracked as it went up an octave.

  “Oh lord, I guess it depends on if you want to break it off or if he’s pressuring you?”

  “I do want to break it off,” she told her, “You know me; I don’t like confrontation. I probably wouldn’t do it over the phone, but maybe I need the push to do it at all.”

  “That’s a good point. Nic, I see more emotions and fight in the people I represent getting divorced. If there hasn’t been that level of emotion with you and Andrew in three years, I’m not sure it’ll come. As long as this is what you want to do, I don’t think he’s wrong to ask for it now. You’re sleeping with him, right? Would you want him to have a girlfriend waiting at home?”

  “God, no I wouldn’t. Thank you, that’s what I needed to hear. Love you and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

  “Love you, too.” And she was gone. Nicole sat there staring at her phone in her hand. What was she going to say? She leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see Derek’s apartment while she was talking to Andrew. She opened her eyes long enough to call Andrew and closed them quickly again.

  “Hello, Stranger.” Andrew’s voice sounded normal. Not worried, not relieved, not even mad. She got more emotions from her friend than from her “boyfriend.” His tone empowered her a bit.

  “Hey, we need to talk,” was all she could think to say.

  “Where are you?”

  “Kate knew.”

  “So, you’ve talked to Kate but not me.” Now he started sounding annoyed.

  “Yes, pretty much,” she snapped back.

  “I don’t remember all of the God damned places that your father traveled. He was all over the globe, Nicole. Where are you?!” She didn’t like how he was ordering her to tell him. He must have realized how he sounded because she heard a deep breath on the other end of the phone and he continued, “Nicole, I love you. When are you coming home?” Ugh, that made it a little harder, hearing him refer to their home together. Still, she was determined to do this. She couldn’t face Derek and tell him she didn’t have the guts to end it.

  “I’m in Puerto Vallarta, Dad’s heaven on Earth, remember?” She paused, but he didn’t answer, so she continued, “Andrew, you left without knowing where I was going. You stayed gone until I had to leave for the airport. That speaks volumes to me. It’s been three years and we’re not moving forward. I’m okay with that because I don’t think we’re supposed to.” She took the deep breath this time. “I’m going to stay with Kate for a while when I get back. This isn’t going to work with us anymore.”

  “Your dad just died. You’re not thinking clearly.”

  “Exactly, Andrew, my dad just died and you let me board a plane alone. You didn’t want to inconvenience your life enough to come with me and give me support.”

  “I will come this weekend,” Andrew replied, “I have a meeting tomorrow, but I’ll book a flight for just after that. I can get there tomorrow night. What hotel are you in?”

  Oh no, she was going to have to tell him about Derek. She had hoped to keep him out of it. She wasn’t about to tell him where she was staying. They already had to deal with the Little Bitch and she hadn’t even been found yet. She didn’t want to add to their drama. “There isn’t any point, Andrew.”

  “Yes, there is. I will make this up to you and show you how much I love you.” It was a sweet gesture, but she had already seen his true colors. When it came down to it, she lost her father and he wasn’t there for her.

  “Don’t come here. I met someone and he’s been taking care of me in your absence.” She knew it was a bitchy thing to say, but she just couldn’t help herself. At first, she thought that she was mad that he didn’t know where she was going. Maybe it was being with a man like Derek, but she wanted more concern and protection now. She craved that type of a man and Andrew wasn’t one of them. Now she was even more angry that he hadn’t come with her. She didn’t want him here anymore. But she had known it was over since she had boarded the plane alone.

  “What? Have you fucked him? You have, haven’t you?” Andrew rarely swore. It was how she knew he was really mad, when he dropped the f-bomb. Again, he rethought his approach. “I’m sorry, Nicole, I shouldn’t have said that. This guy is taking advantage of you in your emotional state. I will come and spend the rest of the trip with you. We will get through this.”

  “If he were taking advantage of me, which he’s not, you weren’t here to protect me from his advances!” She realized she was yelling. She hoped that Derek wasn’t sitting outside of the door because he would have heard that for sure. At least he’d know that she was standing up for him. She was so angry, but the thought of Derek melted her heart in that moment. She didn’t notice she had opened her eyes while she yelled. She closed them again and saw Derek’s gorgeous eyes and strong face. She imagined his strong arms wrapped around her and her body felt his kisses all over her. That was love. This was not. “Andrew, it’s over.”

  And she hung up the phone.

  Thank God she hadn’t told him where she was staying. Then again, she didn’t think he really had it in him to come there knowing she was fucking another man. She wished she had told him that they had, in fact, fucked and they had also made love, with more passion that she ever had with Andrew. Nicole knew deep down that she hadn’t said that to him because it would have been mean. She honestly didn’t want to hurt him; she just wanted it to be over. She wanted to be free of that relationship so that she could focus on one with Derek.

  Now that she could do that, she wondered how they would make this work. Could she be in a long-distance relationship? She couldn’t imagine being away from him now, but maybe she would get used to it. Maybe they could take turns visiting each other. She’d love to see all of his different hotels. What a fun way to date.

  Just then, she realized that she had told Andrew she’d be staying with Kate. She should probably ask her. She looked around for the phone and found it across the couch. She must have thrown it across the room when she hung up on Andrew. He hadn’t tried to call back, not that she expected him to after these past few days. She dialed Kate again.

  “Three times in one day. I’m a lucky girl,” Kate joked when she answered the phone.

  “Yes, you are my dear. And you’re about to get even luckier. You’re going to have a roommate until I can find an apartment,” she joked back and then got serious before her friend could respond, “I did it, Kate. I broke it off. Could I stay with you for a few weeks? I promise I’ll find somewhere fast, maybe somewhere in your building? How fun would that be?!”

  “Of course you can. That would be fun. We wouldn’t have to freeze our asses off in the winter to get to each other’s places. Can I pick up some of your stuff for you?”

  Damn it. “Ugh, I hadn’t thought about that,” Nicole admitted, “I really don’t want to see him. I have my things from this trip. If you could help me grab some things while he’s at work, I’d wait on the big stuff till I find a place.” Things were actually coming together. “Derek did offer to get me a condo and have everything moved in before I get home. But that’s too crazy.”

  “Holy shit, Nic, who is this guy?” She laughed when she said it but Nicole was pretty sure she was serious about the question.

  “Remember I told you he was a UFC fighter way back when? Well apparently, he was pretty good. He invested his money and started this company and now he is involved in all these hotels everywhere. He lives in them, too. I think he’s pretty rich, Kate. But he’s li
ke my dad. If you met him, you’d never guess.”

  “Wow. But I agree. Stay with me for a few weeks. Gotta get back to work, talk to you tomorrow.” Nicole could hear her talking to someone in her office as she hung up the phone.

  She had done it; everything was settled. She rummaged through the kitchen cabinets until she found the alcohol, contemplating what would be the appropriate celebratory drink. She settled on a bottle of fine bourbon. She liked the brand and figured this had to be a good bottle. It wasn’t opened, but Derek wouldn’t mind. He’d be proud of her for calling. She grabbed two glasses and filled them with ice and whisky, almost to the top. Balancing them in one hand, she opened the door and went searching for him.

  Of course he hadn’t gone far. She saw him before he even noticed she was out there. He was typing on his phone and she could tell he was concentrating. Silvia popped into her head, but her news was more important. She knew Derek would protect her from anything Silvia could throw at them. They would fight her together. Right now, she wanted to have a drink with her boyfriend. God, she liked the sound of that.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Derek thought he heard Nicole yell at one point, but he was determined to let her handle it. She had agreed to call Andrew, so now he needed to give her the space to do it. And yelling was good. At least she wasn’t talking dirty him. The thought made him sick. In the past, he never particularly liked the idea of being the other man. But when he had known a woman was cheating on her boyfriend with him while on vacation, it never bothered him when she returned home to the man’s bed.

  Nicole was an entirely different story. He tried to focus on business to keep his mind off of the conversation. It wasn’t working; he had read the same line in an email at least ten times. He strained his ears to listen and, knowing he’d do that, had sat far enough away to give her privacy. He hated thinking of her having any contact with Andrew, even if it was to break it off. He hated even knowing the man’s name. He hated a lot of things in that moment.