Curious

44

"I wish you could come with." I pout through the screen on FaceTime. It's been a couple of weeks and Juan is back in Colombia, spending quality alone time with his friends and family, Im doing the same. For the past couple of weeks Juan and I have been inseparable so we thought it would do us both some good to spend time in our own homes for a couple of days.

He smiles sadly. "I know, it sucks that things didn't align the way we would've wanted." he shrugs. "I would've never dared go with you though."

I frown. "Why?"

"With the way my interaction with your father went last time? No thanks." he scoffs, shaking his head. "Besides, this is a family matters thing. I don't think I should've been that closely involved anyway."

"You're like family now." I shrug.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. Well, any last words of encouragement?" I ask, laughing nervously.

"You look gorgeous, as always, you're gonna do great, and no matter what, remember that this is for Joel. Not you, not Oscar, not Mark, it's for Joel. Don't let your feelings get in the way of giving Joel a fair chance of getting to meet his Dad." he winks flirtatiously at me. "And I love you. So much. I cant wait to see you again."

I smile, wishing so badly that he were right next to me at this very moment so that I could give him a hug. "Thanks, babe. I feel a lot better after this conversation. And you're right, I'm not going to let my feelings get in the way of Joel meeting Eduardo." before I can say anything else, my door bell rings. "Juan, I've gotta go, I think Joel is here."

He nods, stretching in his seat. "Yeah, okay. I love you. Good luck. Call me when you get back home, I shouldn't be busy today."

"Okay. Love you too, bye." I quickly shut my laptop and make my way downstairs.

"Hey." I swing the door open and am shocked to see Mark standing next to Joel as well. "You decided to come?" I ask, tilting my head in confusion.

He shakes his head quickly. Mark and Oscar made it very clear that they didn't know how they would react if they had to be in the same room as Eduardo so all three of us decided that I was the best option to go with Joel today. About a week ago, I went to the restaurant where I had seen my Dad a few months before to look for him. Luckily, he was there and very gladly talked with me about meeting Joel. We exchanged numbers, he gave me his address and a date and time that he was free.

"No, I just came to drop him off. He's not too good at the driving himself around thing yet." he shrugs when Joel narrows his eyes at him. Mark pats Joel's back roughly. "And I came to give him a strong good luck hug." they embrace each other strongly, Mark whispers something into our brothers ear, I can't hear what he says but I know that was probably the intention. He then gives me a tight hug, this time whispering something into mine that isn't intended to be heard by Joel. "Don't let that man hurt Joel the way he's hurt us." I nod, kissing his cheek. 

Once it's just Joel and I, I clear my throat uncomfortably. "So, you ready to head out?"

He shakes his head, walking into the kitchen, taking a seat in one of the barstools of the island. "Can I just sit here for a little while?" he looks up at me with scared eyes.

I nod, my lip quivering.

~~~

"We don't have to do this if you don't want. We can come back some other day if you want, or we can not come back." I shrug, parking outside of an apartment building.

His head snaps up at me. "What makes you think I don't want to do this?" his voice comes out muffled from the fact that he's chewing on his nails nervously.

I shove his hand away from his mouth. "You haven't stopped chewing your nails since we left the house. You forget that I've known you your whole life. I know what a nervous Joel looks like." I rough up his hair playfully. "And this is what a nervous Joel looks like."

He quickly smacks my hand away. "Quit it, Adrianna." bringing down the mirror that's on his passenger side, he fixes his hair.

"You look fine, don't worry." I laugh quietly. "Are you trying to look good for him?"

He scoffs. "Come on, and you aren't?" his eyes look over my outfit. "You don't ever looks this professional when we go places."

I shrug. "I decided to go for a different look today."

"How convenient that this 'new look' came on the day we're seeing our Dad." he gives me a curious look. "Why are you trying to impress him?"

I sigh, closing my eyes. "When Juan and I ran into him the first time, he said some shit that made me feel gross. Like I was only with Juan because of his money, I know that's what was probably going through his head. He labeled Juan as a bad guy just because he's rich and famous. I guess I want to look more sophisticated and independent. Like I don't need a man in my life." I open my eyes to see him looking at me, listening closely. "I know it's stilly to try and convey that long ass message through a simple outfit, but it's worth a shot." I laugh quietly, shaking my head.

"Anybody that knows you, knows you would never date someone just for their money or fame." I nod, gulping loudly. "But then again, he doesn't know you. He doesn't know any of us."