Page 82 of That Last Summer

“No!” I start coughing at the mere suggestion. “I don’t think we have to go to those extremes; I’ll settle for behaving in such a way that my father is happy and enjoys his day. I don’t want to ruin it for him,” I admit.

“To make your father happy we really should behave like husband and wife. Trust me.” I don’t miss how he emphasizes “behave.”

I know that, of course I do, but it’s not possible. Not for me, and not for Alex.

“Can we just try to be... civilized?”

“Okay,” he says, offering me his hand. “But don’t get too close to me.”

“Don’t worry,” I reply, quickly withdrawing my hand from his.

His touch... The way touching him makes me feel... Did you feel it, Alex? I ask him with my eyes. In answer, he pushes me out of his way—quite tactfully, at least—and rejoins his family and mine. All very civilized.

Brilliant. It’s going to be an amazing day. One to remember.

“Come on, little sis,” Adrián says, one arm around my shoulders. “Breakfast on me. A full one, I think you need it.”

I fortify myself with super strong coffee, orange juice, and two—okay, three—sugar donuts while my dad and Alex’s take the wheel and start the engine; our moms go with them, and the rest of my brothers—along with Jaime, Alex and my two sisters-in-law—enjoy the views of the sea we’re navigating. I don’t know how many hours I’ve spent contemplating these waters, but I can never get enough. I have the Mediterranean Sea in my system, running through my veins. It’s a part of me.

We spend two hours sailing around and another one reaching the little cove we’re heading to, my dad’s favorite. We stop the yacht near the shore and, needing the cool of the sea, we all—except for the parents—jump in without a second thought.

Once we’re in the water, Jaime and I break away from the rest to find some privacy. It’s not that we don’t want to be part of the group, but sometimes we just want to be alone. I’ve done this, swum here with my brothers, millions of times, but never before with Jaime. And one of the things that excited us most about this trip was experiencing together every adventure I’d shared with him about my hometown. Although I guess he’s not enjoying the moment as much as he should, not after the jellyfish incident.

“Are you aware of all the things that could be under us right now?” he says, pointing at our feet through the water.

“It’s not even half a mile from here to the beach, we’re not too deep, so probably under us,” I say, pointing to the sea floor as he had a minute before. “There’s just some fish and little else.”

“Do you know how many creatures are covered by the word ‘fish’? From a three-inch clownfish to a forty-foot whale shark. Hey, you think you could touch the bottom?” he asks me, a shout of joy from one of the guys cutting over him. Hugo, probably.

We both turn and watch as Alex and most of my brothers do head jumps from the stern of the yacht to see who gets the farthest while Alicia cheers them on from the water. I don’t see River and Catalina. They’ll be arguing somewhere. Or drowning each other.

I look at Jaime again; he’s waiting for me to answer his question. Honestly, I don’t know if I could reach the bottom or not. We’ve been in this cove plenty of times—every time we sail, we come here—but I think today we’re somewhat further from the shore.

“Let’s check it out. And... Jaime,” I add, “don’t say things like ‘whale shark’ while we’re in the open sea.”

I take a breath and immerse myself in the water, preparing to dive down to the sea floor. But as hard as I try, as far down as I go, I run out of breath before I get there and have to come up again.

“Did you touch it?” Jaime asks me as soon as I emerge.

“Almost.”

“Fuck, that’s a no to what I’m guessing was a pretty long shot—I’m getting on the boat, I don’t trust these big little fish that may be surrounding us right now. And look at that lot! Enjoying themselves as if their lives aren’t at risk,” he says, pointing to my brothers. “You’re all so irresponsible.”

Such a drama queen! I follow him, laughing as we duck each other. We climb back on board and sunbathe for a bit, just enough to dry off.

The rest of the troop appears shortly after—River and Catalina included—and we all help our parents to set the table and get lunch ready. I steal a couple of olives from the salad as I take the bowl to the table. I love olives.

When all is ready, we sit and eat together, the atmosphere incredibly friendly and familiar. My mother-in-law’s anchovies are more delicious than I remembered, and my father’s gazpacho even manages to get a moan out of me. Food and bottles of wine roll around the table as we talk about the wedding plans, laughing at how lost Marcos looks.

When the meal is over, River suggests a game of cards.

“I’m not a fan of cards but if I have to...” says my sister-in-law as we get up and take our plates to the small kitchen where our parents are already taking care of the dishes. To be honest, she doesn’t look or sound upset. It’s like her only purpose was to be contrary.

“Count me out. I don’t know if I’ll survive a Cabana card game,” Jaime says. Then he goes after Adrián and blatantly ogles his ass. “Hey, blondie, your butt looks amazing in that swimsuit but you know, I have no problem if you decide to sunbathe the nudist way.”

“Hey brunette, I bet you don’t have the balls to get into the bathroom with me and take it off?” My brother challenges him, just as blatantly.

Excuse me?