I Will Take Hold of You

Chapter Fifteen

Isa got up and took a shower after her father came out. Then put on a navy blue traje de mestiza. Come down and eat. Then said goodbye to the father that she will go for a walk in the orchard.

This is the first time she has visited here. The surroundings are beautiful and it is beautiful to see the mango trees in fruit. Some are just blooming, others can be picked by wholesalers in a few days.

She sat under a big tree. Thinking about the past events less than twenty-four hours. The feeling for her lover is not pounding in her chest. She had no regrets at the end of their relationship. Instead, it was as if something heavy had been taken away from her heart.

The events are funny. Just then, she was thinking that she and Paolo would not be together anymore because she was sure that Thomas would talk to her dad about it. Suddenly, the events were reversed.

"Can I replace what you're thinking with raw mangoes, pretty lady?"

The girl turned around. She saw Paolo, holding a big mango. "Hi," why did her chest heave suddenly? He was only wearing a shirt the same color as her traje and jeans that were torn at the knees. Not because it was intentionally damaged but because it was probably used too often.

The young man sat down next to her. "I saw you walking towards here. I asked Alicia for some salt. I also have a small knife here attached to my key."

"That's sour..." she said, swallowing with a sour taste.

"It's not that much..." Paolo stopped. Suddenly his eyebrows met and he touched her face. "What happened to your cheek?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders. The young woman averted her face but the young man did not let it go.

"Did that guy hurt you earlier?" his jaws growled.

"Let's forget about that, Paolo..."

The young man sighed and let her go. Turned around to face her and then threw himself on the grass with his hands on his knees.

"I hope I don't meet him at your shop because I can't promise you what I'll do..."

"You will never see him again, Paolo..." the young woman answered weakly.

Paolo stared at her. "Excuse me for being so dumb, but what do you mean?"

The girl held out her two hands while shrugging her shoulders. "It's over between us..."

The young man kept staring at her as if trying to understand what she was saying. "What reason?" he asked anyway as he roughly knew why.

The girl raised both legs and hugged them. "He doesn't believe something went wrong with the car. He says all my powder is gone and my dress isn't like this..."

"What did you say?"

Isa did not move. Suppresses her own smile. Turned around so that Polo wouldn't notice but the young man caught it.

"What do those smiles mean?" he said with raised eyebrows.

Isa was about to stand up but the young man quickly stopped her and pulled her back to sitting on the grass.

"Why are you smiling?" repeated the young man in an irritated voice.

Isa smiled again. "Because...because I want to shout the truth in his face about why I lost my powder and why I'm dressed like that." The girl's face turned red at that memory.

Paolo closed his eyes. "Brave girl!"

Isa continued as if Paolo had not spoken. "And I also want to tell him not to worry because nothing happened because you rejected me..."

"Rejected you? You're kidding, honey. I was fighting for self-control! When I make love to you the first time, I don't want to do it in a front seat of a car like a teenager," the young man got up from laying down on the grass and sat in front of her. His hand cupped her face.

"I'd be lying if I said I was sad and because it happened that you and Thomas broke up because I felt the opposite, Isa. I'm glad, really glad that he's now out of your life."

The girl could not immediately answer. Paolo's face was very close and she seemed to be hypnotized by his gaze.

"Me too..." her lips parted.

"I know..." Paolo whispered back and pressed her with a kiss. Again Isa seems to want to melt in Paolo's arms. Little by little, she felt her body laying on the cold grass. When the young man put his hand under her traje, she was slightly startled by the strange feeling it caused. She doesn't even feel the cold dew falling on her face and arms.

When Paolo suddenly stopped kissing her, she almost didn't want to let him go.

"Oh, please, love... don't stop..." she said as if she was dreaming and what she was saying was empty.

Paolo smiled. "Honey, I would have loved to kiss you forever, but it's raining and if we don't hurry home, we might get hit by a heavy downpour," and at the same time he pulled the girl upright.

She wanted to say that even if lahar came, she would not understand as long as she was in his arms. But the young man is already pulling her home because the raindrops are gradually getting stronger.

The next day Isa was filled with happiness. Paolo takes her to the store in the morning but he goes home to take care of the shop and farm. In the afternoon he returns for her.

"I can see the happiness in your eyes, Isa..." Juana teased.

"Oh, I love him, Juana. And I thought I loved Thomas. I didn't know that this is how someone in love feels..." she laughed. "Oh, I had crushes before but no one else made me feel this way except Paolo. And I never believed in love at first sight."

"It's been two weeks since that happened, what are you and Paolo's plans?" asked Juana who handed the customer the bag containing the purchase.

Juana turned to her again when she didn't answer. "Well?"

"Paolo and I didn't talk about anything, Juana," her voice was tinged with insecurity. "He's at home almost every night and we spend one or two hours together but we don't talk about anything about our relationship."

"After all, it's like you two really just got to know each other completely."

Isa didn't move but she was thinking about what Juana said. She thought back to the times she and Paolo spent together. In two weeks, they have been to the town twice. They ate out once before going home. If not, the young man is having dinner with them.

Although the hot scene inside the car was not repeated when the car got broke, she could still clearly see the passion and desire in Paolo's eyes. And she couldn't stop him from sneaking hugs and kisses like he had just this past Sunday when the young man was with them.

She was on the back verandah watering the plants when he hugged her from behind.

"Hmmn... I like your smell..." he said between kissing her neck, hair and ears.

"Hey!" she scolded gently. "You surprised me..." She tried to keep her neck away from it. "Stop it, Paolo. You're tickling me!"

"I meant to turn you on not tickle you..." And he gently caressed her chest.

"Hey, Paolo?" she protested loudly. "Maybe Papa will come out here."

"Feel me, darling..." he whispered as he pressed his body tightly against her back. "This is what you do to me every time I look at you, touch you, or just by being near you..."

The girl couldn't move at that reaction felt by Paolo's body. She feels mixed emotions. Frightening desire to be exact! And Paolo could have made love to her right here and now and she was sure she would not refuse. But always like that, the young man knows when to stop.

And except that he always makes her feel the feverish desire and passion, he doesn't mention anything else. They talk about things, joke, but that's it.

The girl sighed from staring into nothingness. What is her status in Paolo's life? Sometimes he didn't tell her that he loved her. Well, he never fails to call her those endearments 'darling' and 'honey'. But does that mean he love her?

If Juana hadn't asked without thinking, she wouldn't have thought of that. She is satisfied with what the young man shows and let her feels.