Page 11 of That Last Summer

“What the hell are you doing?” Jaime asks.

“I’m protecting us from the poisoned darts Alex is throwing at us through his eyes.”

Jaime cracks up with laughter in the very moment the happy couple arrives at our table. And by “happy couple” I mean the redhead (arrogant) and my husband (pissed off, even if he must be the only one who knows the reason why).

“Hello there, brother-in-law,” Alex greets my brother, placing an elbow on his shoulder. “Are we playing or what?”

Excuse me?What the hell? Marcos and Alex are not friends. Marcos and Alex don’t even like each other. Why would Marcos and Alex be playing... whatever game on Earth? I look at my brother, trying to understand what’s happening here. His gaze meets mine, but only for a few seconds, and then slides away immediately.

“Umm...” Marcos hesitates.

“Hello, Queen of the Desert,” Alex says.

Really? I’m “Queen of the Desert” again? I hate being called that. And he knows it. So to hell with all the thinking and politeness, this time I won’t be quiet. “Hello, asshole.”

“Wow!” he says, taken aback by my unusual outburst. “It looks like you came back from Boston with less manners and a fucking bad temper.”

“Alex...” Marcos says in an obvious warning tone.

“It’s fine, don’t worry. Everything is under control,” he assures my brother. Then they share a knowing look I don’t get because, seriously, since when do these two get along this well? I don’t understand what’s happening.

“What the fuck are you doing with the beer menu on your face, Pris?” my brother asks.

“What do you think I’m doing?” I blurt out, angrily. “It’s pretty obvious! I’m shielding myself from his invisible poisoned darts.” I point at Alex with a finger. “I don’t want to go blind!”

And there it is, another one of my jokes, saving my life again. Saving me from bursting into tears right here and right now. Marcos and Pedro let out a smile; Alex snorts and shakes his head. The redhead... I don’t look at the redhead at all.

“I know why you’re here and I—” Alex starts saying.

“Here at the bar you mean?” I say, interrupting. “Well, it’s quite obvious. I’m having an ice cream.”

“No, here in town. I know why you’re here, I just hope we don’t have to cross paths more times than—”

I remember our encounter at Jellyfish Cove and I interrupt him again.

“If you know why I’m here, why did you ask me earlier what brought me back to town?”

Alex thinks about his answer for a few seconds.

“Just checking what your answer would be.”

“What else would I have answered with, other than the truth?”

Our eyes meet and stay hooked for a moment. He’s looking at me differently, not with all that hatred he’s been giving me all day—I can’t define what it is in his eyes now. Then, he looks away. But not before I catch that glimpse of dislike again.

“When it comes to you, one never knows, but it’s obvious you came to attend Marc and Ali’s wedding.”

“So my brother and my friend are getting married, and that’s why I’m back in town... Wow! I forgot how shrewd you could be,” I say, teasing. I need to lower the intensity of this conversation. And it is, indeed, pretty obvious I’m here for my brother’s wedding. Right? Also, Marc and Ali? Really? Since when are they Marc and Ali to him?

Alex looks at me up and down with that indifference he’s always used for the rest of the world, but not for me.

“Wow. I forgot about you. Period.” Alex says coldly. And yes, it hurts. It hurts a lot. “And as for my shrewdness, Marc told me a while ago you were coming to his wedding.”

“And since when do you call my brother Marc?” He looks at me, not understanding what I’m asking. I explain. “It’s always been Marcos to you. You two have never crossed more than two sentences in a row. You’re not close.”

“I’m afraid you missed a thing or two in all these years. But hey, now that you deigned to come back, I’ll try to make the most of you being here and I’ll give you the papers.”

“What papers?”