American Fairytale (Dreamers)

by Adriana Herrera

  I really hoped I could get through this meal without letting my temper get the best of me.

  Once the wine and the food came we all dug in, and like he promised everything was excellent. The grilled octopus was tender and there were these zucchini blossoms stuffed with mozzarella which were so good I almost swooned. My mom was having some kind of religious experience with whatever she was putting in her mouth, so again, I tried to roll with it.

  When the server came back and announced more food was on its way, I was a little confused, since we still hadn’t looked at a menu.

  Tom must have seen the expression on my face. He cleared his throat, looking like he was about to give me another explanation I didn’t want to hear. “So I pre-arranged to have the Chef’s Table menu for the rest of the meal. I hope that’s okay.”

  My face must have been more pissed off looking than I thought, because his eyebrows dipped and his face blanched a bit. He seemed worried, and he fucking should be too.

  Nothing pisses me off more than people making decisions for me. And today Tom seemed to be hell-bent on making even the most trivial ones for me tonight.

  I looked at my mom, who was totally clueless and having the best time ever sipping three hundred dollar champagne, before giving him a very chilly answer.

  “That’s fine.” I turned around and fished the wine from the ice bucket thing it was in and topped off my glass.

  The rest of the food started coming soon. Everything smelled and look great, but I was so annoyed at Tom I could barely taste what I was eating. He tried multiple times to engage me in conversation, but all I gave were one or two word answers. My mom seemed a little worried about my silence, but I had zero fucks to give at this point.

  Tom wanted to hijack the night so he could show off all his money? Then he could deal with me not being happy about it.

  I kept pouring wine in my glass and staring at the wall until dinner ended. I knew I was acting like a brat, but I could not for the life of me turn my mood around. So, of course I drank too much, which made me feel messy and stupid.

  Did I stop? No.

  At this point I was committed to being shitty to Tom, no matter how badly things ended. I felt reckless and resentful as I watched him chatting with my mom. He was sitting there in his Tom Ford suit looking like Mr. “I Have Life by the Balls 24/7,” meanwhile I was the hot mess getting wasted on the wine he was paying for. The only thing keeping me from telling him off and leaving was the fact that my mom was there, and she’d raised me better than that.

  Once dinner was over we all walked out together, and it was clear the earlier mood was long gone. We got in the car and drove the short distance to my mom’s building in complete silence. Before she got out she went around to give Tom a hug and big thank-you for the amazing night. I thawed a bit at this, but not nearly enough to take Tom off my shit list. As I walked my mom to her door she took my hand and looked up at me with worry.

  “Camilo, why are you so upset?”

  I looked up at the sky, hoping I’d find a fresh batch of patience there, because I was all out. I was a little drunk and upset, but I really didn’t want to completely mess up this night for my mother.

  I shrugged, as she stood there waiting for an answer. “Nada, Ma. I’m just tired and I’m a little annoyed at how Tom made all the decisions for us at dinner. I felt handled and I don’t like that.”

  She nodded, knowing all too well how that type of shit went over with me. “I know, papi. I think he was just trying to show us a nice night out. Give him the benefit of the doubt, Milito. He may have gone a little overboard, but we still had a good evening.”

  I exhaled, still struggling with how frustrated I felt. “You’re right. It was nice and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

  “I did. I’m going up now, so we don’t keep him waiting too long. Go easy on him okay, papi?”

  I smiled at that. “Okay, Mama, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I went back to the car once she was in the building, trying to let go of some of my bad mood. My mother was right. Tom had been trying to be nice. Even though he pissed me off, I could at least acknowledge he was coming from a good place.

  We drove off and were on the road for a while before Tom flashed me a worried look.

  “Camilo, did I do something wrong?”

  I looked out the window and tried to organize my thoughts, so I didn’t jump down his throat. The alcohol from dinner had gone to my head, and I knew how nasty I could get when I was drunk and pissed.

  I sighed, trying to center myself, afraid I’d cross the line and say something I could not take back. “I understand you were trying to show my mom a nice evening, and she did have a lovely time, so thank you for that. However, I don’t appreciate what you did tonight.”

  He didn’t respond right away and I could tell he was trying to figure out where he’d fucked up.

  “You mean the tickets? I’m sorry I got those without asking, but I figured it would be nice for all of us to sit together. In the end it turned out to be such a great show.”

  Okay. He was missing the point, so I was just going to have to explain it.

  “The seats were great and the food was delicious. What I didn’t like was the fact you made decisions for me all night long,” I said in the calmest tone I could manage. “You even decided what I was going to eat and drink for fuck’s sake. I know how to read a menu and order my own damn meal, Tom.”

  His face got serious, like he was getting pissed off too. This wasn’t going to end well.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what is so bad about me planning a nice evening for us.” He was careful to use a neutral tone, but I could hear the frustration beneath it. “Sure, I did make some decisions without consulting you, but it worked out in the end. Right? Dinorah had a nice time.”

  I gripped my hands together on my lap, so I wouldn’t start waving them all over the car.

  “That’s not the point though,” I said leaning into the space between our seats. “The issue is that all of it could have still been amazing, if you’d asked me whether I wanted whatever fucking meal that isn’t even on the menu you decided we would eat.”

  His face was stony, but I was on a roll and there was no stopping me now. “I don’t like people making decisions for me, Tom. I don’t like people taking away my choices.” I tapped my chest as I spoke. “That is my problem, not the fucking grilled octopus you ordered.”

  “Okay.” He said it like he was trying to talk down a raging tiger. “I understand. In the future I’ll try to be mindful of that.”

  Tom stayed quiet for a minute like he was deciding whether or not he should say whatever he was thinking. We stayed like that for a few minutes until we were at the garage by his house. We parked and got out of the car with a heavy silence between us. Neither of us had spoken a word by the time we came up to his house.

  “You could have said something at the restaurant, Camilo.”

  I stopped so I could look at him. Because if he wasn’t done, if he wanted to do this here, on the sidewalk...okay we’d do it here.

  “Said what?” I snarled at him, “Don’t order my food for me because I’m an adult and I can read? I thought that was pretty fucking obvious.”

  He put his hands up, exasperation clear on his face. “Okay I think we should probably have this conversation at another time when we’re both in a better place. I’m tired and we had some wine—”

  Oh he did not just fucking imply this was about me being a drunken mess. That “we” sounded a lot like he meant to say “you” and I was so close to losing my patience. I forced myself to stay where I was instead of getting right up on his damn face like I wanted to.

  “So now you’re gaslighting me and making it about me being a shitty drunk? You know what, Tom? I think you’re right. I think we just need to call this a night. Nothing good is going to com
e out of this conversation.” I turned to go get myself a cab home.

  “Camilo, that’s not what I meant.” He sounded so desperate I stopped to look at him, the panic on his face making it seem like he finally realized how bad he was fucking up with me. “I wanted this night to be perfect and I clearly missed the mark. I’m sorry I didn’t consider how you’d feel about me making all these arrangements without asking.”

  The genuine concern in his voice and the way he cautiously held back from touching me diffused my anger a little bit. I was still frustrated, but at least I felt like he was finally hearing me. I was about to suggest we go in when his phone rang with Maxwell’s ringtone.

  He looked annoyed as he pulled it out of his suit jacket.

  “I’m sorry but it could be about Libe.”

  I just waved my hand and turned to go up the steps to his house.

  “Is something wrong, Maxwell?” he snapped out, his face looking more pissed by the second as he heard the answer.

  “Then we can talk about it tomorrow, good night.” He ended the call without another word and quickly ran up the steps to meet me at the front door. I could tell he wasn’t sure if I was going to go in or not, but I glanced up at him and then nodded. He let go of a long breath that was pure relief as he went to open the door.

  As soon as we stepped inside he grabbed me by the waist and bent his head so his mouth was against my neck. My body immediately softened to his touch, like the traitorous bitch it was when it came to Tom Hughes.

  “I’m sorry, mi vida.” He lifted his mouth to kiss me, and I let him because he was my kryptonite. How the fuck was I supposed to stay mad when he was calling me his life? Also after feeling pissed and scared things would blow up between us, I was feeling needy as fuck.

  I pulled back after a moment, already pliable as putty in his hands. “I’m still pissed at you, and I’m dead tired of Maxwell interrupting shit for no good reason.”

  I could tell he was trying not to laugh as he nodded and nuzzled my neck. “I’ll talk to him. He needs to know things are different now. I have someone in my life. I’m not available all the time like I used to be.” He shook his head then, and I could see how spooked he was about our fight. “I don’t want to do anything to mess with this, Camilo. I’m crazy about you. Even though I was off base by a mile tonight, what I wanted was for you and your mom to be able to enjoy yourselves without worrying about anything.”

  He grimaced at that, his eyes full of regret. “I hate that instead I made you feel uncomfortable.” He looked so fucked up, like the fact that he’d done anything to upset me was physically paining him, and with that the last little bit of annoyance I was holding on to went completely out the window.

  “You don’t ever need to use your money to show me you care, Tom.” I put my hand on his face, trying to smooth out the worry lines there. “I don’t need that. What I want is you and your company, your presence and support. I can take care of myself. And even if I can’t afford orchestra seats or the chef’s table at a fancy restaurant, I’m still capable of going to a show and having a nice dinner.” He hung his head then.

  “I’m so sorry, mi vida.”

  “I know.” I shook my head again, trying to gently press my point one last time. “I’m just not impressed by stuff like that.” I hugged him tight and pushed up for a kiss. “This, you and me, is what I’m here for. Nothing else.”

  He nodded and gave me that rueful smile I knew only happened for me.

  “Me too. This is all I want.”

  I tightened my arms around his neck and put my mouth close to his ear. “Let’s get to bed then, but first I need water and some ibuprofen. Because I did have too much wine and don’t want to wake up with a headache.”

  He laughed but at least had enough of a self-preservation instinct to refrain from saying “I told you so” as he followed me up the stairs.

  “Water and Advil first, then maybe we could make up properly?”

  I looked over my shoulder, trying and failing to give him a serious expression.

  “Don’t push your luck, Tom Hughes, you’re still on thin ice.”

  The look he gave me let me know he was one-hundred-percent sure how solid the ground he stood on with me was.

  Damn if I had it in me to argue.

  Chapter Twenty

  Tom

  “How bad did you piss him off?”

  I looked down at Priya, who was sitting like the Madonna with her new baby in her arms, before turning to roll my eyes at Sanjay.

  “How did you already tell her about last night? I told you three minutes ago.”

  I’d come over to Sanjay and Priya’s for lunch after Camilo went over to his mom’s house. I’d only been here for ten minutes, and in that time Sanjay had somehow ratted me out to Priya.

  He held his hands up in defeat. “She asked how the show went, when I brought her the tea.”

  “So you told her how I fucked up with Camilo instead? You were up here for like thirty seconds!”

  Priya just looked on quietly, seemingly having a hell of a time watching us argue. When she finally spoke I could tell she was barely containing a laugh. “He didn’t need to say anything. He told me with his eyes.”

  I rolled mine at this bald-faced lie, then spilled my guts anyways because she had the same effect on all three of us. “For your information we resolved the issue last night. He was upset because I bought tickets for him and his mom, so they could sit with me. And I get they already had tickets and it was a bit presumptuous of me to just get other ones.” I felt like I wanted to hang my head for the next part, but resisted. I hadn’t built a billion dollar company from nothing by cowering under pressure. “Then at dinner I pre-ordered the chef’s table and he didn’t like that either. Which now that I think about it, may have been a little heavy-handed, but I really didn’t expect him to be that pissed.”

  All three of them gave me varying versions of exasperated sighs.

  Henock was the first one to speak. “I don’t think you’re actually this clueless. You must know it can be a bit much when you do that.”

  Do what?

  They must have seen the confusion on my face. Heni opened his mouth then closed it again like he wasn’t sure where to start. When he did speak he was holding up both hands in a “calming down the angry lion” gesture. “It’s just sometimes you forget to ask for people’s opinions when you decide on a course of action. It’s been useful when we needed to push hard in business, but in relationships it can be problematic.” He averted his eyes as he finished that last part.

  “How is this only coming up now?” I asked, flustered.

  Since when was taking care of the people I loved an issue?

  Heni pressed the palm of his hand on his forehead like he was trying to figure out why he even brought it up.

  “Because so far, in business it was fine, and with Maxwell—”

  Three throats cleared at once, and now I was sure I was going to hear something that would make me feel like an ass.

  “What?” I hissed as they all avoided eye contact. “What happened with Maxwell?”

  I was feeling self-conscious and that usually led to me overthinking and overdoing. Heni and Sanjay were looking a little panicked probably afraid I was going to get into my feelings again and they would have to deal with it. Priya on the other hand looked ready to read me for filth.

  “Tom, I expect this level of emotional mediocrity from these two.” She flipped her hand towards Heni and Sanjay without even looking at them. They both balked, but she ignored them and kept talking. “But you’re not this hopeless. You know you can be overbearing, especially when you get all protective.”

  “Well thanks for pointing out this major character flaw,” I said in an aggrieved tone. “We’ve known each other for fifteen years, it could have come up sooner.”

  Priya r
olled her eyes at my dramatic response. “Honestly for the most part, it’s not an issue. You’re such a level-headed and utterly decent human it rarely comes up.” She smiled at me and then at Sanjay. “You’re a protector. You take care of the people you love, and sometimes you can go a bit overboard. With Maxwell it wasn’t a problem. He loved being taken care of.”

  She smiled again and this time there was a hint of pity in there, and it made me squirm.

  “You guys worked longer than you should have, because you like to be the savior and Maxwell loved to be saved.” She said this as if stating a well-known fact. The other two just nodded, so I guess this was common knowledge. “It sounds like with Camilo, you’ve met your match.”

  Despite the many levels of discomfort this conversation was bringing on I had to smile at the impressed way she said that.

  “You need to give him space and not come on too strong. He wants to want you, not need you.”

  Both Sanjay and Henock nodded in agreement, but Henock spoke first.

  “Just make sure you don’t steamroll Camilo, even if your intentions are good.”

  I tried to laugh it off, but I still felt like an ass. “Okay I’ll try and refrain from acting like too much of an overbearing asshole.”

  “We didn’t say you were an asshole.” Sanjay thought he was a fucking riot.

  I leveled a finger in his direction. “You’re not funny. But thanks for the advice. It is true I get carried away. I will try to dial it down when it comes to Camilo.”

  Priya stood up then, put the sleeping bundle in the bassinet by her bed and came over to squeeze my shoulder. “You’re fine.”

  “Am I though?” I asked, genuinely worried that so far I’d completely misjudged what Camilo wanted from me. “I mean, this is my problem. This is how my marriage ended. I don’t pay attention.” I sat down on one of the armchairs in the room and Priya sat next to me. Sanjay and Henock sat on the small loveseat across from us.