LOGINASHLEY “Good morning, dear,” Mrs Isabelle says, her smile bright as I reach the living room.My eyes flicker to Jeremías who is sitting beside her on the sofa, having a conversation with his mom. There's no smile on his face when he sees me, just a plain look. I quickly move my gaze back to Mrs Isabelle. “Good morning,” I say, pulling my hands out from my jacket pockets. “How was your night, dear?” She asks, her brows lowering in concern. “You don't look like you've had enough of the sleep you need.”I shake my head. “I'm alright.” I pause, licking my lips. I don't dare flicker my eyes towards Jeremías again. “Mrs Isabelle, do you know if there's a nearby art gallery? Thought I would go for a walk.”Her face lights up. “Oh, that's a lovely idea. I'm not sure I know if any good one. Why don't you tell Caleb about it? He knows the best spots in town and he can surely take you there.”I force a stiff smile on my face, squeezing my fingers together as I continue to look at her. I feel
ASHLEY My eyes widen, shock freezing me in place as Caleb's lips press against mine. No. Absolutely not.I try to pull away, my hands pressing against his chest, hard, but it's in vain. Caleb's arm which had been draped around my shoulders has moved to the back of my neck. His grip is tight, keeping me in place as he uses his arm to pull me closer. I try to move my head back to glance at Jeremías, to see if he is witnessing this madness, but my back is turned to him. The kiss—the damn kiss I had craved from him for years—now feels less like a real love and more like an act of war. With anger rising in me, I use every ounce of strength I have in me to shove him backwards.He falls back on the sofa, his grip loosening just enough for me to abruptly stand to my feet. I quickly turn, my eyes snapping to Jeremías.A huge mistake has just happened, yet, all I think about is Jeremías and how bad his feelings must be hurt and how furious he must be.Screw this. He probably doesn't even ca
ASHLEY “What the fuck was that?” He asks with a sharp exhale, his voice low and dangerous. “He just kisses you, is that it? Is that the new resolution? He now kisses you as a best friend or something more?” I furrow my brows, staring at him. The earlier fear is now replaced with frustration. I'm already mad at Caleb. Now, him? They're both acting like they own the ground I walk on and my entire body. I have a mind of my own, they know.Hell. I can't deal with both of them. “You Cruz brothers make me hate everything about Spain and my choices,” I say, anger boiling all over. “You both act like my life is just territory to be claimed. It's fucking not.”“You can't pretend that you didn't like his kiss. You've been craving it for far too long, Krisoff. Don't fucking lie to me.”I look at him, seeing the tension around us. I want to tell him it's not true. That none of what he's insinuating is true and the feelings are not there anymore. But I don't. Because I'm not even sure.My hear
ASHLEY “What the fuck was that?” He asks with a sharp exhale, his voice low and dangerous. “He just kisses you, is that it? Is that the new resolution? He now kisses you as a best friend or something more?” I furrow my brows, staring at him. The earlier fear is now replaced with frustration. I'm already mad at Caleb. Now, him? They're both acting like they own the ground I walk on and my entire body. I have a mind of my own, they know.Hell. I can't deal with both of them. “You Cruz brothers make me hate everything about Spain and my choices,” I say, anger boiling all over. “You both act like my life is just territory to be claimed. It's fucking not.”“You can't pretend that you didn't like his kiss. You've been craving it for far too long, Krisoff. Don't fucking lie to me.”I look at him, seeing the tension around us. I want to tell him it's not true. That none of what he's insinuating is true and the feelings are not there anymore. But I don't. Because I'm not even sure.My hear
ASHLEY My eyes widen, shock freezing me in place as Caleb's lips press against mine. No. Absolutely not. I try to pull away, my hands pressing against his chest, hard, but it's in vain. Caleb's arm which had been draped around my shoulders has moved to the back of my neck. His grip is tight, keeping me in place as he uses his arm to pull me closer. I try to move my head back to glance at Jeremías, to see if he is witnessing this madness, but my back is turned to him. The kiss—the damn kiss I had craved from him for years—now feels less like a real love and more like an act of war. With anger rising in me, I use every ounce of strength I have in me to shove him backwards. He falls back on the sofa, his grip loosening just enough for me to abruptly stand to my feet. I quickly turn, my eyes snapping to Jeremías. A huge mistake has just happened, yet, all I think about is Jeremías and how bad his feelings must be hurt and how furious he must be. Screw this. He probably doesn't
CALEB Ashley sits beside me on the sofa, trying to pronounce some words Mrs Isabelle was teaching her. “No. Querida, roll the ‘r’. Like this,” Mrs Isabelle encourages, smiling. She is still on the cream armchair across from us, holding a glass of scotch. I chuckle as my eyes move to Ash. “You're honestly better at this than I ever was, Ash,” I say, looking at her. “I never bothered learning Spanish because I knew I would never spend up to five months in this country before returning to NYC.” Ashley smiles faintly, her eyes wandering back to the Spanish textbook she's holding. “You were always too lazy to learn new things, Caleb,” Mrs Isabelle says, her voice warm. Ashley nods, her eyes still fixed on the book. She's always ready to expose my truth. “Everything I needed to know, I already spoke in English,” I say, raising my hands like I'm surrendering to them. “No judging over here.” Suddenly, the calm atmosphere is ruined. The aggressive roar of a Jeep engine shattered the s
ASHLEY “Caleb!” What the hell? After all the ‘thinking about it’ and needing just closure, I find him inside a pool, tongue in tongue with a Spanish that ghosts him. I wish he doesn't know how to swim. I can just push them far apart and watch him struggle to get to her. He jerks his head arou
JEREMÍAS I surely didn't expect Caleb to bring anyone with him as he was coming, and especially not her. I knew they were best friends but I didn't know she was far different from how Caleb had described her the last time he visited alone. But she? She's pretty and delicate, in a way that make
ASHLEY Ohhh. So, he's the distant first Cruz brother in the family. Caleb never really talked about him, but whenever his mum suggested he was going to visit his brother in Spain, he would refuse, saying that he likes how they barely know each other. “Your name.” “Huh?” “What's the name, los
ASHLEY I swallow hard, my cheeks flushing red. My hands are resting on Caleb's warm chest muscle. “Yes. Definitely you and I,” he says, his smile sheepish. “If you want, it can happen now. I can quickly call up Josh for you while I have my share of fun with Mirabel. My face quickly stiffens an







