A Waltz With Wolves (Book II in The Harrison Inc. Series) | ✓

Chapter Twenty-Five: Leap of Faith

**

Day five in Barcelona and Alejandro and I haven't spoken since "that night" outside of my bedroom.

It isn't animosity, but merely me being cautious on how I approach him. He knows what I'm doing and has decided to play along. Whenever I would go out into the courtyard to read, I would sometimes see him there talking on the phone. He would stop his conversation and just smile and wave at me. Not a nice smile and wave, but the "keep playing this little game with me" smile-wave combo.

"Give it a little more time," Lupita advised me while we went shopping a couple of days ago. "He wants you to give in first. Let him be the one to give up first."

Lupita seemed confident in her advice, so I continued to follow it. Yesterday, a day after her words of wisdom, I caught Alejandro while I got back from sight-seeing. Like the klutz I am, I ended up dropping my bag on accident in the foyer.

"Shit," I mumbled before bending down to pick everything up. Someone began helping me sort my items, and I thanked them before looking up and seeing who it was.

"You're carrying too many things on your own," Alejandro pointed out. Truthfully, I was—I had a couple of books and souvenirs that I got while I was out.

I picked up my bag, "I can manage," I said to him. Intentionally, I looked away. I couldn't stand looking into those deep brown eyes and remembering what we did; what we didn't finish.

We stood and just stared at each other for an extended period of time. He was very dressed down—loose shirt and jeans. His hair wasn't slicked back, either; I liked it better that way, unruly and curling by his eyes.

"Okay," he finally said. I nodded once and pivoted to leave, but suddenly his hand lightly grabbed a hold of my arm. My heart jumped; is he giving in?

"What's the matter?" I asked when I faced him again.

He laughed a bit. "Are you ignoring me, Leslie?"

Yes.

"No." I shook my head. "Why would you think that?"

"Ever since I took you out several days ago, you've been ignoring me."

"It's not that. It's just...you're always busy or out doing something."

"But when I'm not busy or out doing something, you're ignoring me. Sí o no?"

I really didn't know how to answer that question. He would see through my lie, but telling him the truth would mean explaining myself, and I didn't want him to know my intentions just yet; not until I knew his.

Alejandro opened his mouth to say something else, but Paisa rounded the corner and met up with him before he could say it.

"Leslie!" Paisa exclaimed. "I hear Alejandro taught you how to dance Salsa, yes?"

Thank God Paisa always succeeded at making things less awkward, but even then, I could tell that Alejandro was becoming quite restless with me. Paisa took my hand and practiced some dance steps with me, but Alejandro wasn't amused; he looked confused and tangled in a web of thought. After that, I didn't see him again that day. I sat on my bed and decided to call Beth and Paul and tell them what happened. Despite the time difference (it was night in California when I called) they were still invested.

"Why didn't you sleep with him!?" Was the first thing that Paul asked when I detailed the events that occurred outside my bedroom door.

"I don't know." I sighed. "I mean, I like him. A lot. He's sweet and funny and romantic. Sexy, too; it's alluring, being around him. But he's also really mysterious. And after that night at the club, I wonder if he's just trying to finish what he started with me. I don't want to go through something like that again; he probably tries this act with women all the time."