Chapter 22
Jamie’s hands dropped from her face as Gema backed away from him, her eyes still closed, fighting the overwhelming urge to whip around just at the sound of that voice. Straightening her shoulders and composing herself, Gema turned around slowly and her eyes connected with caramel colored pools. Her breath stilled just with that one look, and she was instantly transported back to the last time she had seen Vistos, his hair disheveled from her hands running through it, his shirt half undone, a satisfied gleam to his eyes. Gema shook herself, coming back to the present.
“Hello…Vistos.”
“Gema.” Vistos’ expression was guarded, and his eyes were trained on Jamie instead of Gema now, and her cheeks flamed thinking about how he had interrupted them.
“Um-”
“Hey man, I’m Jamie.” Jamie offered his hand to Vistos, who shook it firmly.
“Vistos.”
Gema glanced between the two, then looked at her feet, fidgeting nervously. What was he doing here?! Oh God, this can not be happening.
“Doing well?” Vistos asked Gema briskly, who nodded.
“Yes, doing just fine. Yourself?”
“Fine.” He replied, just as brisk, and then they stood there awkwardly, Vistos studying Jamie, Jamie studying Gema, and Gema studying her shoes.
“Ah, Gem, we gotta go.” Jamie finally prompted, and Gema looked away from her shoes to glance at her watch.
“Oh right, of course, um,” She meant to glance at Vistos, but got caught in his eyes again. He looks older, she thought, noting the lines at the corners of his eyes, and the most pronounced lines around his mouth. Still as gorgeous as ever, though, she added grudgingly, noting his clean shaven, strong jaw line and sharp features. “it was nice seeing you again.”
“You as well.” Vistos responded, his eyes dragging down her body slowly, and she could feel them branding her, and she repressed a shiver. Jamie opened the car door for her and Gema slid onto the seat, buckling her seatbelt with trembling hands, and forcing herself not to look out the window, no matter how much she wanted to.
The whole ride back to her place, Gema kept waiting for Jamie to ask. To say, oh hey, who was that guy? Or demand to know if they’d ever dated, but he didn’t say anything. Asides from humming occasionally to the radio, Jamie was silent on the ride back. But what about Vistos? She was surprised he’d even acted slightly civil towards her. Gema had pictured the moment a thousand times before in her head, running into Vistos one day. Sometimes she dreamt that he yelled for everyone to hear that she was a heartless slut. Other times he begged her to take him back and swore how sorry he was on his knees in front of hundreds of people. But indifference? Civility? No, Gema had never dreamt up that one. What is he doing in London? Sure, he sometimes did business here, but had he somehow come looking for her? Gema squashed the loom of hope in her chest quickly. Of course not, that’s ridiculous. It’s been almost four years, why would he have something to say now? But why else would he appear, out of the blue?
“Gema, you in there?” Gema snapped out of it, looking up to find them pulled up outside of her townhouse, Jamie standing next to her with her door open, waiting for her to exit.
“Sorry.” She mumbled, hurrying out of the car and walking to the door as she got out her keys. “This was fun,” She said with a forced smile, and Jamie studied her carefully as he replied.
“Yeah, it was great. So, I’ll see you again?”
“Yeah, sure, come by the studio.” She replied over her shoulder as she fit her key in the lock.
YOU ARE READING
An Unexpected Romance
General Fiction“Mio dio, I love the way you say my name” His voice was a husky whisper, and Gema took a step back, caught off guard. He stared at her intently, shoving his hands into his pockets. “What do you want” he snapped at her, and Gema hesitated. “Well I…...
