“Nice,” I say with a laugh, tugging her into the room. “Is this what you wore in front of your sister?”
Nova throws her head back with a boisterous laugh. “No, I changed just for you.”
We come together for a kiss, our arms wrapped around one another. “Merry Christmas.” My lips move over hers.
“Merry Christmas.”
We make our way farther inside, and she drops her duffle bag at the foot of the bed before turning to see the tree.
“Oh my gosh! Look at our little tree,” she squeals, rushing for it. “And presents!” Nova spins to face me, her eyes lit up with so much happiness.
She heads back to her bag, rips open the zipper, and pulls out a few small presents. After arranging them next to the ones I got for her, she twirls around and smiles.
“I’m so happy you’re here. I’m so happy we’re doing this.”
“Me too,” I respond with a grin, stepping close to her and wrapping my arms around her waist.
“We have to always have tiny Christmas trees,” she says.
“We will.”
“And sex. Christmas sex is a must.”
I lift her up. “Most definitely. Let’s start that tradition right now.”
49
New Year’s Eve
“Where the hell are you going tonight?” Gia yells from the living room.
“I have plans!”
I look myself over in the mirror, loving this black dress I found for tonight. It hugs my curves without being too tight, and stops above my knees, but most importantly, it shimmers.
“Plans doing what? With who?” My sister makes her way into my room, still moving at a slow pace, but at least capable of walking without crutches.
“A friend. Some friends,” I amend, turning away from her to grab my makeup bag.
“All right, now I know you’re lying.”
“What? I have friends.”
“What friends? Who? Because you’ve yet to tell me a story about Janelle. I haven’t heard what’s going on with Meli. I don’t know if you’re still talking to Dorian or not. Because you keep going out with these ‘friends’ but you never have anything to say about them or what y’all are doing. So, be straight with me.”
She makes her way to my bed and sits on the end while I move back to the mirror to fix my makeup.
“You have a boyfriend or something?” she questions. “Why won’t you tell me about him? Is he a criminal?”
“What? No.”
“I hear you on the phone, you know.”
My eyes bug out. “You listen to my phone conversations?”
“It’s not like I mean to! This house isn’t all that big, and your voice carries. I’m not saying I know what you’re talking about, but I know you’re talking to someone at all hours of the night. And now all this sleeping over somewhere else. Come on, Nov,” she says, staring at me through the reflection in the mirror. “Why can’t you tell me?”
I let out a breath and turn around. “Okay, I have a boyfriend.”
She nods, her dark curls shifting with the movement. “And?”
“And I’m spending time with him.”
“Okay, and what’s his name?”
“Elijah.”
“And what does Elijah do? Where did you meet him? Why are you being so weird? We always talk to each other about guys.”
“Hey!” Greg calls from the other room, proving how small it is.
“Before you, Papi,” Gia responds.
I laugh and shake my head. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but you can’t talk shit or be all weird about it. Let me explain before you open your mouth,” I say with wide eyes, pointing my finger at her.
She twists her mouth at me. “Mhm. Okay. Go.”
“Elijah’s really nice. I’m so happy with him. He isn’t like anybody I’ve met. G, you’d love him. His heart is always in the right place. He’s extremely smart, he loves his family, and he really cares about me.”
“He sounds great, Nova. Why couldn’t you tell me this?” she says with a smile. “I just want you to be happy.”
I chew on my nail. “Well, there’s more.”
She tenses up. “Oh lord. What?”
“I met Elijah in Gaspar.” Her head tilts to the side. “He’s a teacher.” Her brows furrow. “A professor, actually.”
“Nova Cristine Rivera. I know this is not the same professor you were talking about being so hot.”
I bring my shoulders up in a stiff shrug, a grin that says busted written on my face. “Umm. No?”
“Oh my God! It is! You slept with your professor?”
“Okay, look. Don’t get all crazy. Let me explain how everything went down.”
I tell her everything. About how I met and slept with him before I knew he was my professor. I tell him we didn’t do anything for a little while. I explain that I was the one who kept trying and that he attempted to stick to the rules. I tell Gia how much he means to me and that it’s not some stupid fling. I go over what he did for me when we thought Mario was in town, and again when I left to come back home.
“G, he’s a really good guy.”
“A grown man.”
“Yes, he’s grown, but that isn’t bad. I’m a woman, not a child.” I sit next to her on the bed and hold her hands. “He’s been through a lot, too. He also lost both of his parents at the same time. He took care of his brothers just like you take care of me. He’s the most selfless man in the world. He’s the best, G.”
“And he’s here? In Florida?”
“We wanted to see each other.”
“And you’ve been keeping him hidden in a hotel room?”
“I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“How old is he?”
“Thirty-five.”
“Thirty-five,” she repeats. “He’s older than me.”
“I know, but I…I really like him, G.”
“What are you planning on doing? Are you gonna move back? Is he gonna move here? How do you see this working?”
I let go of her hands and let my shoulders drop. “I don’t know. We’ve just been taking it one day at a time. I love being here with you, but he has his brothers back in Ohio, and I don’t see him
