Page 29 of V-Day

Chloe considered. She was conscious of Cristián’s mother watching her with close scrutiny. “It may slip my mind,” Chloe admitted.

“As if anything does,” Cristian said to himself.

Isabela threw her hands up in the air in a grandiose Hispanic gesture. “You are as bad as each other!” She lifted her finger toward Cristián. “If you get yourself killed, I will never speak to you again!” She stalked back out from under the tarpaulin.

“I love you, too, Mamá!” Cristián replied, smiling.

She waved away his sentiment, not looking back.

Cristián sighed.

“She’s still adjusting to the fact that Duardo is alive,” Chloe reminded him. “She’ll relax her grip on you, eventually.”

His scowl didn’t disappear. It grew deeper.

Chloe put down her backpack and moved closer. Not close enough to startle him or make him edge away—although to even worry about startling him gave her a measure of the degree of disconnect between the Cristián she knew, and the man who stood before her.

She looked up at him. “We’re alone and there’s seven minutes before we have to meet Parris at the canyon entrance. Do you want to tell me now what you wouldn’t say before?”

Cristián crossed his arms. Chloe wondered if he was aware that he had done exactly what his mother did, a few moments ago. “You will hound me into this, won’t you?” His voice was strained.

“I shouldn’t have to!” she shot back. “You’re usually so ruthlessly honest, Cristián. How can you be honest with the Group, then stand here and be so…so…obtuse!”

“Because Idon’t know!”he ground out.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “You’re a master of self-knowledge. Of course you know. I need to figure out if I made a mistake, coming here. I have to correct my course if I did. Youmusttell me, Cristián.”

He threw out his hands—it wasn’t quite the same grand gesture as his mother, yet it was getting there. “You want to know what is stopping me?”

“Yes!”

“You’restopping me!” he cried.

Chloe stared at him. “What?” Yet her heart was fluttering with unease…and hope.

He lowered his voice. “You, Babylon,” he said roughly. “You’re…perfect!”

“I don’t understand,” Chloe admitted. She wondered how long it was since she had said that, especially to Cristián. They had always understood each other, barely having to explain anything.

“It was different before,” he muttered. “When you weren’t here. When we were talking online.”

“Because there was a screen between us,” Chloe said.

“Twoscreens,” he amended.

“Whatever. Six screens, one screen. That made it nice and safe, didn’t it?” She could feel her mouth curling up in disgust.

“No, that’snotit!”

“Then explain it to me!”

Cristián made a growling sound in the back of his throat. “What have I ever done to deserve you? Nothing! I’m not a general, for fuck’s sake!”

Chloe’s heart ran hard. It had nothing to do with his proximity. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. “Oh my dear sweet lord…” she whispered. “This is about Duardo, isn’t it?”

Cristián’s mouth parted. Then he shut it and scowled. “Not even for a heartbeat.”

“You don’t think you’re good enough for me because you’re not your big fucking brother!”