“I swear, I never meant for this to turn out the way it did.” Joan looked genuinely apologetic.
Both ladies had been sitting on the bus stop bench for the past twenty minutes, talking about their situation.
Stacy waved it off and removed her glasses. “Nah, it’s nothing,” she said, looking down at her glasses as she ran her fingers on the edge. “He doesn’t like me like that so, it doesn’t matter,” she says, turning to face Joan, a look of pain flashing across her eyes.
Joan’s heart broke to see her in that situation.
“I could always call things off,” Joan suggested.
"Oh, please, no. I was just shocked to find out that way,” she chuckled to ease out the pain. “Guess I needed something to tell me what I thought we had wasn’t real,” she muttered under her breath but Joan heard her.
Joan held her hand and gave them comforting squeeze.
“Will you be fine?” Stacy nods her head, then lets out a sigh.
“Just be careful about... whatever is between you both.” Stacy looked directly into her eyes, they held no conflicting emotions whatsoever. “Santiago is known to be with lots of women and guys like that can’t be trusted,” she warned.
Joan’s brows furrowed. “I am aware of his past but I don’t think that will be a problem for us,” she assured.
Stacy chuckled lightly. “He told you all about his past? Or you are assuming?”
“I sort of googled him and I know a friend of his. He would have told me to run when he knew of our relationship.”
Stacy nodded and stayed quiet, just staring behind Joan. A shake on her arm took her away from her thoughts and she focused her gaze on Joan.
“You’re okay there?” Stacy nods with a smile.
“Sure,” she said, standing to her feet and hugging her purse tighter. Joan noticed how agitated she seemed.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked again to be sure.
Stacy nods again and puts her glasses on. “Just be careful. I’ll see you later.” She gave Joan a quick hug and walked away as fast as she could.
Joan stood to her feet, watching Stacy scurry off like she saw a ghost.
“I hope things turn out well.” She hugged her bag closer to herself and walked towards the bus that just stopped.
…
“Don’t you have work?” Joan asked when Santiago sat on one of the stools in front of the counter.
“I do but I don’t mind missing some hours there to be here with you,” he winked.
She rolled her eyes and moved to her right to attend to a customer that just walked in.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked when she came with the customer’s order.
“Did you?”
Santiago frowned. “I don’t like this attitude.”
Joan turned to look at him, her hands on her hips.
“What attitude”
“Okay, I am sorry about last night. I didn’t mean for it to end up that way. I will talk with Stacy, I promise.”
Joan’s shoulder relaxed and she leaned on the counter. She really likes you, I can tell and if I were in her shoes, I will be so hurt, especially when I find out in such a way.”
“I understand, I am sorry and I mean it,” he said, looking into her eyes. ”
“I just hope she will be fine,” Santiago says, covering her hand with his palm.
“Stacy is a hard girl, she doesn’t let things get to her that easily.”
Joan glared at him.
“Which I will never take for granted,” he said immediately.
She nodded and grabbed the coffee pot. “Usual black?”
“Definitely”
Joan poured him some coffee into a mug, then pushed it to him slightly. He grabbed the handle and took the liquid sip by sip.
“I need us to talk about the wedding,” he said when she settled beside him. “Where’s Camila, by the way?” He looked around with a little frown.
"School,” Joan answered, and the knot in his brows loosened. He nodded his head, then took more sips of his coffee. “I am curious,” Joan began, her brows knotted in a slight frown. “Do you know Camila? And how close are you guys?”
Santiago put down the cup and sighed. He looked at Joan and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“I-”
“You don’t need to elaborate; I just want to connect the dots,” she urged when she saw how reluctant he seemed.
Santiago said no words but just sipped on his coffee.
“Was she an ex?” Joan asked about the one thing that crossed her mind when he didn’t answer.
Santiago nearly choked on the coffee, which attracted some glances thrown their way.
“What? that’s what you can think of?” he asked when he calmed down.
“What are you expecting me to think? Not after what Stacy said to me this morning,” he muttered the last words.
“You talked to her this morning?” his face held a mixture of shock and annoyance. “I said I was going to talk to her already; there is no need to be go behind my back and ta-”
“I didn’t go to her, she came to me.” Joan raised her voice higher than Santiago's in irritation.
No one said anything but just looked at each other.
“I didn’t go behind your back to talk to her; Stacy came to me and we talked.” Joan’s voice was lowered this time.
“About what?” he asked her.
“That’s not the reason for our discussion,” she frowned.
“I asked about our wedding,” he pointed.
“And I asked about your relationship with Camila,” she said, raising an eyebrow with her hands resting on her waist.
Santiago sighed and looked away from her. He pinched the tip of his nose and sighed again.
“I don’t want to fight with you.”
Joan looked away too and let out a sigh. “Me too; I just... I don’t know,” she shrugged.
They sat in silence, just letting themselves get entangled with their thoughts.
Santiago chuckled the nudged Joan, who looked at him.
“Do you think this will work?” he frowned, then turned his entire body to face her. Pointing between them, he continued. “Like, I have this feeling it will be a whole lot for us to try to, you know, be civil with each other without it leading to a huge argument but... I don’t know. We can make it work,” he shrugged.
Joan smiled a little, then faced him too, taking a bit of courage to hold his hands, which drew her closer to himself.
“I think we can make it work; just stop being an ass to me and we’ll be good,” she shrugged.
He chuckled and brought her in for a hug. “This is weird but I think I like it.”
“Me too,” her words were muffled in his chest.
“So, we’re good?”
“Just tell me who Sofia is to you.”
Santiago groaned and let go of her.
“She felt reluctant to tell me and I don’t know w-”
“She’s my cousin,” he cuts her off, leaving her mouth open in shock.