Second Lap

Escapémonos

Y/N's POV - Saturday, September 9th

               Carlos had decided he wanted to celebrate his birthday at his place. He wanted only his close friends and family, something everyone could properly enjoy. He had ordered the food from some fancy caterer, but I reminded him I would be the one baking the cake. I had decided on a raspberry and lemon cake with a red frosting on top. I had also offered to help set everything up so Ben could spend some time with Carlos. So, by the time the first guests arrived, I was already there and ready.

"Hey, come here for a minute.", Carlos motioned to me before he headed to the door.

"What?"

"Your necklace is on backwards... let me adjust it."

"Okay..."

               Carlos stepped closer to me, touching my neck to adjust my necklace, his face dangerously close to mine. This made it easy to study his features. His chiseled jaw and captivating brown eyes daring me in like they did five years ago.

"Your eyes shine up when you look at me, am I that attractive?", he teased when he finished adjusting my necklace.

"No, uhm, it's just that you should wear this shirt more often, that's it.", I mumbled, embarrassed I had been caught red handed.

"Right...", he smirked.

"You should go open the door...", I mumbled.

                   The guests started arriving and the party started. Everything went on smoothly, even though people were surprised to see me there and even more surprised when they found out who I really was. I gladly explained who I was and my path till here. I always loved talking about my experience as a woman in STEM as it was the perfect opportunity to encourage other women to follow the same path. However, these were Carlos' friends, so I looked at him for any signs I was doing something wrong, only to find out he was already looking at me. There was something intense about his expression. There was a faint smile on his lip. I had no idea what he was smiling about. But I liked it.

Carlos' POV

            Listening to Via talk about her career was always exhilarating and I just couldn't understand how or why she could bring me so much warmth and comfort with such a simple thing. Look at her, she's amazing! Why did you leave her five years ago, you idiot?!?

Carlos' POV - later that night

                 Via and I were currently throwing the last of the garbage away after she offered to stay and help. Everyone had already left and Ben was already tucked in for the night. The party went on smoothly and everyone loved Ben and Via. Thankfully they were all very sympathetic and understood our wishes to respect Via and her privacy.

"Hey, you don't need to leave so soon. You could stay and we could watch a movie, if you'd like.", I suggested as we finished tidying up.

"I don't know... I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"It's just a movie... you've helped me the entire night, you deserve to sit down and relax."

"Carlos, I...", she said as she sighed, "Fine, what movie did you have in mind?"

"I don't know, you go ahead and choose."