"Allie." Sofia's voice cracked as she yelled over the music.
Hearing her name laced with such pain caused her to stop. The battle of emotions within made it difficult to function. She didn't want to look, but Allie found it impossible to deny the urge. The image was one she'd never forget—Sofia standing on shaky legs, gripping the table for dear life with Reyna by her side. The river of tears running down Sofia's cheeks softened her resolve. She was already so hooked on this woman.
"Allie, please," Sofia called out again.
God, this woman… She needed time, space, but how could she say no to her? Her eyes squeezed shut as she tipped her head toward the night sky. A deep breath cemented her decision. Her eyes opened and fixated on Sofia as she said, "Walk with me."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Sofia choked back a sob and exhaled a heavy sigh of relief. She nodded feverishly before trotting up and following Allie's lead through the masses. They headed for the shore, walking side by side without a single sound or acknowledgement as Allie processed her feelings. The lack of words left Sofia stewing in her own mind for what seemed like ages before Allie came to a stop and faced her.
"So," Allie started, hesitance dancing between them. "That was a total blindside." She paused and sucked in a breath. "How am I supposed to trust you? Us?"
The crushing weight of the question sat so heavy on Sofia's heart the poor thing could barely beat. "I know. I'm so sorry. I never…it wasn't planned. I mean, Runa's dates were planned, but they weren't a success…or, I guess they were, sort of," she rambled. Good Lord, make it stop. "But not how we intended. It just spiraled quickly and-"
"Breathe, Sofia." Though a storm of uncertainty still brewed in Allie's eyes, the tiniest of smiles teased the corner of her lip.
"Sorry." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her shorts.
"So, you've said." The hint of a grin slid away. "I don't know what to think." Allie turned and faced the waves.
"I wish I could change it, but…"
"Yeah, well…I really, really liked you." She glanced over her shoulder.
Liked. Past tense. It took all Sofia had to keep from crumbling on the spot.
"Just tell me one thing, Sofia."
"Anything."
Turning so they were face to face once again, Allie asked, "If it wasn't a scheme, then why me? The honest truth." Her words came out cold, almost robotic.
Sofia pulled her hands from her pockets and took Allie's hands into her own sweaty, shaking ones, hoping to return some semblance of warmth to the woman before her. The gesture fell flat. Time to go all in. She might not get another chance. "I told you my history and the honest truth is that I haven't felt anything for anyone in a long time. But you? You make me feel, Allie. So much. And I never thought I ever would again. I know it's all a mess, but can you please give me another chance? If you can't trust me, can you trust what you feel? Can you trust the pull that brought us together on the beach that night? That maybe fate knew what it was doing when it dropped us in this mess?"
Silence dragged on for an agonizing amount of time. Allie's stone-face gave nothing away. A soft smile finally broke the sour expression that had held court since they'd started their walk. Her head lobbed side to side in contemplation. "Maybe, but it will take time," she said and looked down at their joined hands. "Wouldn't this make a pretty good TV show?"
Sofia welcomed the moment of levity. She let out a laugh, then replied, "Yeah, it would."
A heartbeat later, Allie's somber mood reappeared. She looked Sofia in the eye for several breaths before asking, "Any more secrets I should know about? I'd rather get it all out right here so we can figure out whether or not we try for more."
The gentle lapping of the waves came at a steady pace that synced with the song playing in the distance. Sofia took notice of the fear in Allie's eyes—fear she'd put there—and the newly created lack of trust hurt in unimaginable ways. Their physical distance may have been mere feet, but emotionally, a chasm as wide as the Atlantic had opened. Still, Allie had invited her to follow, so there had to be hope.
The long wait for a response had a visible effect on Allie. Sofia could practically see her chance fading due to her hesitation. Her options weighed, Sofia grasped the seriousness of the moment and though she didn't want to add any extra stress, she couldn't help an attempt at humor to try and lift the mood. Hopefully, it didn't blow up in her face. "I may have one more thing you should know."
Swallowing hard, Allie pulled her hands free, then nodded for her to continue.
"I uh...know all the lyrics to every Vanilla Ice song."
Allie's brows knitted tight, then her lips curled into a giant grin. Unable to hold in a laugh, the ridiculous confession had done its intended job. Some light returned to Allie's eyes as she smiled and asked, "Is that so?"
"It is." Sofia rolled her eyes, her cheeks filling with the hot rush of embarrassment. It's only going to get worse. Before she could talk herself out of it, she inhaled a deep breath, then rattled off a verse of the lesser known song, "Ice Cold." The millisecond the last syllable fell from her lips, her hand flew to her mouth, cupping it shut to keep more from tumbling out. She dropped her head, as if staring at her feet could turn her invisible. About as effective as an elephant hiding behind a sapling.
She cursed her silly idea. What on earth would Allie think of her now? "Oh God," she mumbled through a wall of closed fingers.
Allie doubled over with laughter. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "That...that was just..." She choked out between gasps for air. "Wow! I wish I had that on video."
Sofia dropped her hand. "You wouldn't!" She searched Allie's eyes for a clear view of her intent and relaxed at the shine of humor dancing in them.
"I might." Allie shrugged. "You don't know."
A grin resurfaced and Sofia said, "Well, now you know all my deep, dark secrets. I'll spare you from the rest of the album."
"Oh boy." Allie fought to regain both her breath and her composure. "That was a doozy too."
"One that will come back to haunt me, I fear."
"You're probably right."
The warmth finally seeped back into those lovely dark brown eyes and Sofia's smile faded. "Allie? Are we all right? I really want us to be." More like, needed to be.
Her arm slowly rose, stretching toward Sofia. "We will be," Allie said, her eyes falling to her vacant hand. "As long as we're honest from here on out." She slid her eyes back up. The dark brown of her irises swam in a pool of hope and offered a silent acknowledgement to move on.
Not another second wasted, Sofia eagerly accepted. A tug brought her in for a warm welcome and she burrowed into the crook of Allie's neck. Allie kissed the side of her head and spoke softly, "Thank you for telling me." In the pause, they squeezed one another tighter and Sofia swore she'd never let go. "I won't lie," Allie continued. "It really hurt. The feeling of betrayal…that everyone was in on this grand scheme to make Runa's crush a reality and that you knew but didn't tell me…I don't ever want to feel that again."
Sofia lifted her head to protest, but Allie shushed her with a gentle kiss on the lips. There was no time to indulge as Allie pulled back and added, "However, I do understand the predicament you were in. In retrospect though, as much as I want to be angry, it really means nothing."
Their eyes locked and the world stopped. Sofia's heart had also fallen victim to the moment and she grew dizzy.
"This thing we have between us, Sofia, you're right, it's not coerced. It's honest and crazy intense. I don't care how we met, I'm just happy we did."
The switch flipped. The world regained its momentum and Sofia's heart took off at a thunderous pace to make up for lost time. The sound of lapping waves once again played in the background. Her smile stretched from ear to ear as she stared into eyes brimming with sincerity. "Me too."
"Good." Allie kissed her again, much too quickly for her liking. "So, if you're up for it, Sofia Delacruz, I would like to see where this goes?"
"I'd like that too, Allie." She slipped her hand down and laced their fingers together.
"Anything I should know about you?" Sofia asked. She didn't want to stir the pot, but they may as well put all their cards on the table.
Allie paused in thought, then said, "Not really. Not like your Vanilla Ice shocker." After a laugh, she added, "I have an addiction to video games. In college I had to sell my X-Box or drop out. That's when I made the decision to focus on my career. I haven't dared to buy another one since."
"Totally understandable."
"Oh, and I went through an anime phase. It was brief, but some of it is still buried in my closet, so be warned."
"Deal breaker," Sofia teased with a laugh.
"Bummer." Allie smiled, but it dimmed again and she grew serious. "So, I don't really have much of interest in the secrets department, but there is one thing I tend to keep to myself."
Sofia held her breath in anticipation. Will it be a good reveal or a devastating one? Either way, she wanted to hear all of Allie's stories. "Okay…"
"My car…it was my dad's. He died of a sudden heart attack during my freshman year of college. Mom gave it to me because she knew how much he and I loved to go for rides together. And my mom…we lost her to cancer a couple years back. We're not close to the few remaining family members. People get crazy when money is on the line, you know? Anyway, Kat's really all I have and we're a package deal. Oh, and I should add, she's a handful." A half-hearted chuckle fluttered out.
"I'm so sorry, Allie." Sofia squeezed her hand. "Thank you for telling me. And don't worry about Kat. I'm sure we'll be fine."
Once again, Allie fell into a silent, contemplative stare. She softened and set free a true and easy smile as she said, "I believe we all will."
Allie's words lifted the last of the dread from Sofia's heart, even if she still had a lingering fear that all hadn't really been forgiven that easily. They continued their stroll, working their way back up to the busy avenue until Allie pulled them to a stop outside an open cafe. The fast-paced Latin sounds had faded, replaced by heartfelt tunes of the fifties that carried a room full of slow dancing seniors. Many of them looked as if they'd been sweethearts forever.
They stopped to admire the joy and love on so many of the couple's faces. Sofia hoped it would be them one day. After several minutes of spectating, a new song came on and Allie took Sofia by the hand, pulling her in to engage in a slow dance of their own as Frankie Avalon's "Venus" filled the night air.
"My mom loved Frankie," Allie spoke softly.
"Yeah?"
"Mhm. She would play this song a lot. It was her favorite of his. This, and all the sixties beach movies with Annette Funicello."
"I love those too."
Allie smiled. "Listening to the words right now, I can't help but think of you."
"Me?" Sofia pulled back, breaking their rhythm.
"Yes, you," Allie stated as if she were crazy for thinking otherwise. "I was ready to find that someone special and then you appeared, like a gift from the heavens with a twinkle in your eyes."
"Oh, Allie." The flush swept into Sofia's cheeks and she dipped her head.
"Cheesy, I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Unable to resist, she searched out those eyes again and fell into the dark brown abyss. "That was beautiful. Thank you."
Sofia pressed her forehead to Allie's and they resumed their sway on the sidewalk until the song came to an end. It was in that moment that Sofia gazed into an expression reflecting such affection she could almost cry. Any remaining doubts were dispelled. Her hand brushed Allie's cheek, then slipped down and angled Allie's chin so her mouth could do what it had been begging to do since their last date. Tenderly, Sofia claimed the soft, supple lips lingering just a whisper away, moving slowly to savor the unique flavor that could only be Allie.
As sure hands pressed flat against her back urging her on, Sofia asked for more, grazing the tip of her tongue along Allie's top lip. Requested and granted. Allie pulled her closer, giving her free reign to explore to her heart's content as they lost themselves, swaying gently in the middle of the sidewalk to a song only they could hear.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Sofia sipped a glass of red wine as she enjoyed the fresh evening air from her patio. The last three weeks had been amazing, but the last few days had been hard. They'd only spoken over the phone or texted. Work had kept them too busy for dates and Sofia missed Allie's presence like crazy. With each interaction, their connection had grown. Being with Allie felt as natural as breathing and Sofia found herself yearning to take more and more breaths.
Today had been a long one void of Allie and as the clock ticked closer to ten p.m., Sofia couldn't bring herself to end the night without hearing the warm, soothing tones of the woman's voice. Just as she reached for her phone, it vibrated. Allie's name lit up the screen with a text, but the display wasn't nearly as luminous as the smile that lit her face. Her cheeks hurt from beaming so bright. She opened the message, her heart pitter-pattering and wishing they were face to face instead.
This has been an agonizingly long day. grrr
Sofia could relate. Uh oh. A frowning Allie is unacceptable. I know how to make it better.
Listening…
Sofia chuckled to herself, then replied: A hot bath with wine and chocolate and imagine me there with you.
Not helping. That has me agonizing over other things.
Allie was definitely not alone. The suggestion had Sofia clenching her own thighs together as her imagination took off. A frustrated groan rumbled in her throat. Sorry. I tried.
So much for that extra special Love Doctor touch :(
A chortle blurted out. Allie pulling the "Love Doctor" card had been unexpected, but she'd happily play along. That would require a private consult. Care to hit the beach for a nighttime swim?
If that's your recommendation, then I should obey doctor's orders.
She could picture Allie's heart-stopping smile on display during their texts and she couldn't wait to witness it in the flesh once again. In 20 mins at our usual spot?
See you there with bells on.
Good Lord! Add that to the list of Allie inspired fantasies. I bet you'd look great in bells ;D
Baby I look great in everything :O :D xo
Their texting had gotten increasingly flirty and Sofia loved it. She bit her lip as she contemplated pushing further. After all, she was dying to see Allie in absolutely nothing. There was no doubt that if and when they made it that far, naked Allie would be magnificent.
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the fantasy that had left her awestruck and hot all over. Her fingers couldn't type her reply fast enough. I would have to agree. Can't wait to see you. xo
She pressed send, then bounded off her bed and towards the woman she'd been aching to see again.
♥♥♥
Allie smiled as she read the last text. Part of her had hoped for a different response, something a little sexier, but seeing Sofia would be so much better than tantalizing words on a screen. She'd had no expectations of a get together tonight, but the meet up would definitely be a giant silver lining on an otherwise overcast day. Same here. See you soon.
In a flash, Allie was off her bed, trading her sleep shorts and tank for her bathing suit and white crocheted tunic cover up. The beach was only a ten-minute drive this time of night, but it was ten minutes longer than she cared to wait. Luckily, she had speed and the blessing of all green lights on the way over, cutting her ride to six minutes. Yeah, she counted, and she wasn't ashamed to admit it.
As she pulled into the lot facing the ocean, she spotted the silhouette of a woman standing near the water with short hair blowing in the wind. With the moon only at a quarter, most details of the person in view were left to the imagination. But she knew it was Sofia. Her body had instantly responded even without visual confirmation complete with racing pulse and fluttering stomach.
A woman on a mission,
Allie threw her car door open and jumped out. Nothing would deter her from reaching the one person who could make the frustration of the day fade into nothingness. She slammed the door behind her and rushed from the concrete to the sand, leaving Sofia no time to react as she pulled her in for a slow, deep kiss. The feeling of finally holding Sofia in her arms, of tasting her again, had the relieving effect of a cool glass of water on a parched throat and she couldn't drink her in fast enough.
Eager limbs searched out ways to press their bodies impossibly closer as they melded together, each happy to give into the relief of being in one another's arms again. Neither rushed the steps of their delicate dance, only pulling away for a quick breath of air before flawlessly falling back into step. Many wonderfully, amazing kisses later, they parted with giddy grins, breathless and basking in the moment.
"Hi," Sofia sputtered between gasps.
Allie chuckled and stood on her tip toes to peck her on the tip of the nose. "Hi."
They fell silent once again, staring into one another's eyes before Allie slid one hand from Sofia's back and brought it around to lace their fingers together.
Sofia smiled and nodded over her shoulder to the water. "Wanna go in?"
"Skinny dip?" Allie waggled her brows suggestively as she released their hands and peeled off her tunic. That would be a dream come true on so many levels. She knew it wouldn't happen, but if she had learned anything in life, it was you never knew until you asked.
"No way." Sofia's head whipped side to side, taking note of several couples walking the beach. "There's people around."
"Damn. That definitely would've turned my frown upside down."
♥♥♥
A hearty laugh roared through Sofia's chest, disguising the flutter in her belly. The temptation was strong, but she wouldn't. At least, not this time. Still, she loved teasing Allie. "Trying to get me naked, huh?"
"Are you saying you don't want to do the same to me?" Allie's brow quirked upward, matching the wicked curl of her lip that could only be seen due to their close proximity.
The Love Doctor Page 17