Translation of Love (23 page)

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Can you close the door behind you.” I do as she asks and take a seat across from her. “So, is there anything you want to tell me?” I can hear a hint of excitement in her voice.

I tilt my head and stare at her. “Uh, no. Did someone complain about me?”

“Ughhh, Elle!” she grunts.

I shake my head at her. “Jacinda, you’re scaring me. What?”

“This!” she says turning her computer monitor so that we can both see it. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” On the screen is a picture of Victor and I coming out of his apartment. I stare at the screen in horror. How was this even taken? We were outside for less than ten seconds before we got in the car and drove away.

“Oh my God. Where did you get that?” I say, panic in my voice. I try to breathe through the feeling, knowing that this is the last place I need to have a panic attack. My picture is on the Internet for the whole world to see. I don’t know how I feel about that.

“It’s on a Spanish language gossip site.”

“Oh my God,” I repeat, not knowing what else to say.

“Elle! Oh my God, is right. You and Victor Garza? How did this happen?”

Maybe this isn’t such a terrible thing. It’s not like we ever said we were gonna keep our relationship a secret. “I met him on that day that he was here for the book signing. I happened to be in the store looking for a book and I ran into him. I had no idea who he was at the time.”

“So you guys are together? You’re actually dating him?” she squeals.

I smile at her and nod. “Yes, we’re together. I was at his house this past weekend and the paparazzi must have snapped our picture somehow.”

“This is so exciting! What’s he like?”

She sounds like a crazed fan at the moment and I can’t help but smile. “He’s wonderful. He’s just a good guy, Jacinda. He’s so amazing.”

“Elle, I’m really happy for you. I have to tell you though, this isn’t the only picture on here, and some of the things that are being said aren’t so nice. I just want you to be prepared for what’s out there.”

“What do you mean? What other pictures are there?”

“These of you at a restaurant. His ex girlfriend is standing at your table and she looks livid.” She shows me the pictures taken during the confrontation with Christina. “People are saying that you’re the reason they broke up. There’s a picture of the two of them at a restaurant earlier in the week where it looks like they’ve gotten back together and then a few days later he’s out with you. People are calling you a home wrecker.”

“Me? They broke up over a year ago, Jacinda. She called him up and asked him out for lunch because she wanted to get an interview from him, which he declined. That’s the extent of their reunion. We were out to dinner with his brother and she just showed up out of nowhere and caused a scene. Whatever they had is over. You know I would never break anyone up.”

“I know that, sweetie,” she says sympathetically. “I just wanted you to know what’s out there.” My phone vibrates to alert me that there’s a phone call before I can respond to Jacinda. I glance down and see that it’s Victor calling. “Is that him?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Answer it.” She sounds like a silly school girl. I giggle at her and answer my phone.

“Hi, Babe,” I say softly.

“Hi, Love.” I can hear in his voice that he’s smiling. “Whatcha doin?”

“I’m sitting in Jacinda’s office. You remember I told you about her?” I look up and Jacinda is beaming at the fact that I’ve spoken to Victor about her.

“The girl who came to the autograph signing?”

“Yes, she just showed me something that’s kind of upsetting.”

“What?”

“There are pictures of you and I at dinner the other night and Christina confronting us. The website makes it seem like I’m some home wrecker that broke the two of you up.”

“Aww, Baby, don’t read that stuff. Please, it will only drive you crazy. They make up stories, and call it news. If it starts to get out of control, I’ll have my publicist release a statement. I don’t want you worrying about the stupid shit that people write about.”

“I’ll try not to read it.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll let you get back to work. Call me later?”

“Alright, Baby.” He disconnects. I lift my head to see Jacinda grinning at me.

“Oh wow. You guys are so cute.”

I giggle. “Can I go back to work now?”

“Sure. Wanna grab lunch later?”

“Sounds good,” I say as I leave her office. It was strange to see myself on those websites with Victor. Not because we didn’t look good together but because he’s a celebrity. If I’m being honest about it, he’s so out of my league and yet I managed to get him. Can I really deal with people taking our picture all the time? Then again, we’ve spent every weekend together for weeks and it only happened when we were in New York. I remember him telling me that the beauty of singing Latin music for him is that he still gets to lead a normal life. I decide that it doesn’t really matter whether my pictures end up on a blog on some random Internet site. It doesn’t change how I feel about Victor and I’m just not willing to give him up.

The next several weeks pass by in a blur. Most of my free time is spent with Victor, either at his penthouse in New York, or at my house. We’ve spent every weekend together, enjoying the beach, catching movies, going out to dinners and making love. We’ve become a real couple. This is the first normal relationship that I’ve ever had. Victor has managed to form bonds with everyone that is important in my life. I love knowing that my family and friends approve of my boyfriend and I don’t have to sneak around behind their backs or alienate myself from them. My relationships with his family remains complicated. Alex has become like an older brother to me, his mother on the other hand is still against our relationship. Victor has finished working on his new album and is debuting the first single so he is doing a string of promotional interviews on a few Spanish language television shows based in Miami. He’s been gone for three days. I couldn’t take much time off of work but I promised that I would fly down there and spend a few days with him. The only downside is that his mom will be on this trip so there’s no doubt I will have to spend time with her.

I make it down to baggage claim and immediately spot Rob waiting for me by the baggage carousel. Rob has really become a good friend, always making sure that I’m taken care of and that Victor is protected. I make it to him and give him a quick hug. “Hey, Rob. Thanks for picking me up.”

“Of course, I’m glad you made it.” He smiles down at me. “Your boy is missing you.”

It makes me happy to know that Victor misses me as much as I miss him. “I can’t wait to see him. Is he at the hotel?”

“Yup, he’s got the rest of the night off and tomorrow, he made sure of it.” We grab my bag from the carousel and make our way to short term parking. Once we’re on the road, my excitement level goes through the roof. I know that I’m that much closer to being with Victor again.

“Rob, how has it been between Victor and his mom?” I feel like I need to prepare myself for the worst.

“It’s been tough. She refuses to believe this is the last time he’s gonna be doing all of this. I don’t wanna scare you, Elle, but she’s not happy that you’re coming.”

“Yeah,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I figured as much.” My phone vibrates, alerting me to an incoming call. I notice that it’s an unlisted number and I ignore it. I’ve been getting more and more calls from unlisted numbers lately and whoever it is always hangs up when I pick up. I’ve actually considered changing my number, thinking that it might be one of Victor’s fans that has gotten a hold of my number somehow.

We arrive at the hotel situated right on Ocean Drive. The sun is setting right over the beach, the sight of the water gives me a sense of tranquility. When the car comes to a halt, excitement starts to take over. I know Victor is just an elevator ride away and I can’t wait to be in his arms. As I exit the car, Rob looks at me and laughs. He pulls a key card out of his pocket and hands it over to me. “Room 1504, go, I’ll take care of the bags.”

“I love you,” I say, standing on my tippy toes and kissing him on the cheek. I turn toward the hotel and bolt through the lobby. I press the call button outside of the elevators and wait. Moments later, elevator doors open up in front of me. I enter quickly and press the button for the fifteenth floor. The butterflies are forming in my stomach. You would think we haven’t seen each other for months even though it’s only been a few days but every time Victor and I come together, it feels like we’re meeting for the first time. I can’t get enough of him. It’s both wonderful and scary.

The elevator doors slide open and I make my way down the hallway to our room. I slide the card in the slot and the light turns green, alerting me that the door is unlocked. I enter the room and catch my breath. Victor’s back is to me. He’s leaning against the window, arms crossed and staring at the view, perhaps the sunset. Whatever scene he’s staring at, I know that he’s lost in it because he didn’t hear me come in. I walk to him, put my hands around his waist and bring my forehead down to his back. He jumps slightly then realizes it’s me and turns in my arms until we’re face to face. I blink up at him, and he looks down at me, a hint of a smile on his face. No words are spoken but he gives me the kiss that I’ve been craving since I opened my eyes this morning.

I’m breathless when we finally break apart. Victor cups my face in his hands, his eyes hungry for more. He kisses the tip of my nose. “I missed you,” he says softly.

“I missed you too. I didn’t even wait for Rob. He gave me the key and I just ran up here,” I say giggling.

He smiles. “Why does it feel like I haven’t seen you in forever?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know, but I feel the same way. I couldn’t wait to see you.”

He gives me a wicked grin. “I can’t wait to see you naked.”

I slap his chest. “Is that all you think about?”

“Fuck yes, Baby!” he says, grazing my lips with his. “I’m kidding, I think about lots of things, but right now, I’m just thinking about you naked.”

“I guess I wouldn’t mind seeing you naked either,” I say, pulling myself out of his arms and grabbing the hem of his shirt. He raises his hands so that I can pull it off. He reciprocates by helping me remove my shirt.

“You’re so beautiful, Ellie.” The words make my heart swell with love for this man. When most guys would have walked away thinking that I wasn’t worth the effort, Victor showed nothing but patience and understanding. I reach out for his jeans, undoing the button and lowering the zipper. I tug them down until they fall around his ankles. He steps out of them, then helps me out of my pants. His hands find their place on my hips and he starts walking me backwards until we hit the bed. He reaches around and unhooks my bra, letting it slide down my arms to the floor. My panties are next to go.

I stand there naked, illuminated only by the light of the moon flooding through the windows. It hits me that, for the first time in such a long time, I feel beautiful. It’s a feeling that Victor has given back to me. A piece of myself that I lost in a much uglier time of my life. Now, with him in my life, I’m surrounded by nothing but beauty. It’s a precious gift, and receiving it makes my heart fill with love. I can’t find the words to tell him. All I can do is show him. I pull at his boxers, dragging them down his legs until they’re gone. Standing on the balls of my feet, I kiss him. I kiss him with everything that I am. With all of the emotion that I have and pray that it conveys what I’m trying to express.

I sit on the edge of the bed and push myself up as far as I can go. Victor follows until he’s hovering over me, our lips just inches apart. He strokes my hair and grazes his lips on mine. He looks down at me, and I swear I can see a bit of hesitation in his eyes. He opens his mouth, then closes it, I can tell he wants to say something but what I don’t know. He places a kiss on my forehead then finally he speaks. “Te amo mi amor,” he whispers in my ear.

I blink up at him and smile. “What does that mean?” I whisper back. He’s never really spoken to me in Spanish before.

He hesitates, but only for a moment. “It’s the translation of love.”

My breath catches. I can feel the muscles in my chest expanding and the tears pooling in my eyes. “What?” I ask, barely above a whisper.

“I wanted to say the words in a way that I thought you’d be okay hearing them.”