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“And ever,” Gabi said.

Aisha frowned. “I don’t have a passport.”

Gabi laughed. “We can stay in Spain until we get you one.”

Aisha smiled. Gabi kissed her, and it was gentle, and soft, and sweet, and she felt the essence of what it meant to be alive return. She kissed Gabi back and wondered if the elms in England were as green as they were around the Alhambra. The somersaults in her stomach tossed around her fears and her wants, and she imagined it would be like that until they settled somewhere, until she was free of the hold her family had on her.

She thought of Old María, and Marta, and Nana, and the many others who she’d never known who had led her to this moment. Without them, and without Lorca’s promise of love, words that she’d committed to her heart, she might not have the strength to walk away.

“We can’t stay here,” Aisha said.

Gabi held her. “I know.”

Aisha nodded.

“What about your family?”

Aisha bit her lip. “I want to leave with their blessing, if I can.”

Gabi lowered her head.

“I want them to know, so they don’t worry about me.”

Gabi kissed her forehead. “You can’t know how they will respond until they do, I guess.”

“Maybe we could stay here, if they were okay with it.” Aisha didn’t know why she’d said that. If she moved in with Gabi and Nana, if that were even possible, they wouldn’t be able to wander around the city together. Aisha wouldn’t be able to dance with the group.

“Is that what you want?”

Aisha lowered her head. “I want to be free.”

“Then we can’t stay here.” Gabi pulled Aisha into her arms and hugged her.

“I love you,” Aisha whispered.

“Is that enough?” Gabi asked.

Aisha eased out of the embrace and wiped her eyes. “Yes.”

“I know how impossible this is for you.”

Aisha found it hard to swallow. Her heart raced, and she went dizzy. “I’m scared,” she said.

“I am too.” She kissed Aisha. “I’m leaving Granada on Friday morning. I can’t just be a friend to you. Do you understand? I want to be with you as a lover. I would marry you if we could.”

Aisha wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Mama keeps stopping me from coming into town. It’s as though she knows I’m trying to get to see you.”

“I’ll be at Matías’s workshop tomorrow afternoon until five. If you can get there, then we can go to the apartment together.”

Aisha nodded and kissed her. The workshop was close to home. She didn’t know if the tears were of sadness, joy, or relief, or a combination of all three. The feeling of lightness that made her suddenly invincible was overwhelming. Whatever it took, she would be there tomorrow, and she would never return home.

27.

“WE CAN HELP YOU get the documentation you need for Aisha,” Juan said.

Gabi nodded. “Thanks.”

“The hotel is booked for three weeks,” Nana said. “It’s not the best in Màlaga because it’s peak season, so it’s a little further out of the main city—”