The toast of destiny

After severe pain and a great scare, Luis José had finally sutured my wound. His voice, kind and comforting, made me feel less vulnerable.

“Okay, we're done. How do you feel?” he asked, as his blue eyes searched mine.

“I think the scare has passed a little. Really, thank you very much. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here. Do I owe you something? I would like to pay you for what you did.” Luis José smiled, and his gaze became more intense.

“Please, how do you think? You even offend me with the question.” His tone was warm, but there was something more in his expression.

“It's just that you've gone to so much trouble that I feel very sorry for you.”

“Well, thinking about it, I think you can pay me one way.”

A sudden fear came over me. I had imagined the worst, and my expression must have given me away because he immediately clarified, “It's not what you're imagining.” His hand brushed mine, and my heart skipped a beat.

“I'm not imagining anything. I was just thinking about how I could repay you for the great favor you've done me.”

“Well, it's nothing more than accepting a drink at the hotel bar. How about that?”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I liked realizing that I had made a mistake by thinking wrong. Plus, I was very attracted to him. It had been a long time since I had felt something like that for someone.

“Of course I accept! The truth is that I could really use a drink after this scare.”

“Let's not waste any more time, come on. I'll help you walk,” said Luis José with determination. His big, strong hands went around my waist, and I hung my arm around his neck. Being close to that stranger caused me a strange mixture of nerves and excitement. Feeling protected in that way was delicious; I even wished the walk to the bar was much longer so I could still be close to him.

(...)

While we shared a few drinks at the bar, my parents were busy preparing for my surprise birthday party. My sister and her husband would be there too, and we would finally have the chance to meet him. Not to mention, my fiancé, Nelson, my father's partner, would also be attending.

At that moment, I still didn't know what was happening. My mother and my sister April were at home.

“Everything is turning out wonderful,” my mother said. “I'm sure your sister will be very surprised when she sees the party we are preparing for her. But what will give her the most pleasure is knowing that you have returned home.”

“Mother, I haven't returned home. I only came to Mexico with my husband because he is at a medical conference in Cancun. But as soon as it's over, we're going back to New York.”

My mother hoped that April would return home. Both my father and she disapproved of her marriage to that man about whom we knew absolutely nothing. The situation became even more tense when they discovered that they were living in a modest rented apartment, since her husband barely earned enough as a resident doctor.

In reality, my sister had grown up surrounded by luxuries and comforts.

“I thought that, after marrying secretly and without our consent, you would at least stay with your real family for a while.”

“Mom, please don't start again. Luis José is also my family now. Besides, when you meet him, I'm sure you'll change your mind.”

“We educated you in the best schools and gave you all the luxuries, and you come to marry a fifth-rate doctor who can't even offer you your own roof.”

My mother always had those kinds of problems with people who did not have the same social and economic level as our family. They never forgave my sister for what she did, and for that reason, they forced me to commit to Nelson. He was one of my father's partners in the firm and, furthermore, one of the most influential lawyers in the country, after my father, of course.

Unlike April, I had to submit to what my parents imposed on me: study law and commit to a man who, deep down, I didn't want.

But returning to my meeting with my unknown savior, we spent hours drinking at the hotel bar.

“Well, I know your name is Ana Paula, but what do you do?” Luis José asked.

“There's really not much to say,” I replied. “I am a lawyer, and I work in my father's law firm.”

At that moment, Luis José received a call on his cell phone. He hesitated for a few seconds before answering it, but finally, he gave me a sign with his fingers.

“Give me a minute; I have to answer this call.”

I stayed sitting at the bar drinking my drink. With the wound on my foot, I couldn't go anywhere without help. He went as far away as he could to answer his call without me being able to hear. I just stood watching him in the distance and wondering who the person was who had called him.

“Hello, honey, what a surprise that you called me! How are you doing with your parents?” Luis José said on the phone.

“Hello, love. Well, to be honest with you, I already want to leave. My mother wants me to stay with them at home. They still don't understand that I am a married woman. And what are you doing, darling? How did the congress go?” she asked, feeling a mixture of curiosity and anxiety to know more about him.

Luis José looked a little nervous. He looked at me and smiled, but his smile was full of nervousness, as if something was worrying him. However, I waited patiently for him to finish speaking. After all, I had just met him, and I didn't know anything about his life: was he married, did he have a girlfriend, or, on the contrary, was he single?

“The congress?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

“Yes, love, the congress. But what's wrong with you? You're kind of nervous. Did I call at the wrong time?”

“No, love, please. How do you say that? Sorry, I was meeting with some colleagues at the hotel bar, and I had to go out to serve you. And answering your question, the congress has been wonderful.”

“That's good, honey! I'm glad for you. I knew that this conference was going to be very useful for you. I can't wait for you to finish quickly so you can come meet my family.”

“Yes, of course, my darling. As soon as the conference is over, we'll meet at your parents' house. I just hope they accept me.”

“Of course they will accept you! Also, I want you to meet my sister. We are preparing a surprise party for her birthday.”

“Very good, honey. I think it's great, but... you know what? I must hang up. I just have to get back to the group. I'm sorry I left them at the bar to take the call.”

“Calm down, darling. I just wanted to say goodnight and tell you that I love you.”

“I love you too. See you, and say hello to your parents for me.”

Luis José hung up the call and approached the bar. He came with a smile as if nothing was happening. He sat down and told me, “I'm sorry I left you alone, but it was important to answer that call.”

“But I notice you're a little nervous. Is everything fine?”

“Yes, all okay. I was just a friend who wanted to know how the conference is going.”

“Hum! A friend? Are you sure she was actually a friend?” I told him jokingly.

“Hahaha, of course! Why would I lie to you?”

“No, I was only asking.”

“Let's better toast to this chance encounter and that you overcame your fear of needles.”

“Cheers!” We raised our glasses, and in that moment, I felt that the world was reduced to the warmth of his gaze. Luis José, my mysterious savior, had me completely impressed.

My friends had called me on my cell phone several times, worried about my delay in returning to the room. However, I explained to them the wonderful meeting I had had with him, and their laughter and good wishes resonated in my mind like an echo of complicity.

That night I drank more than necessary. It had been a long time since I felt so comfortable with someone. My fiancé's missed calls took a backseat; I didn't want anything or anyone to harm this special moment.

Luis José and I shared drinks, and the hours passed without us realizing it. The night became an accomplice in our conversation, and each word of his caught me a little more.

“It's late; it's one in the morning,” I said, feeling the need to go back to my room. “My friends must be asleep.”

“You're right,” Luis José responded. “But honestly, I really enjoyed your company. Let me escort you to your room. Remember that you should not put your foot down too much.”

I clung to him, and together we walked down the hallway. However, upon arriving at my suite, I realized that I had lost the key.

“I don't have the key to the room,” I confessed. “I must have lost it on the beach when I stepped on the glass. And my friends must be fast asleep.”

Luis José reflected for a few seconds and then proposed, “Let's do something. My room is at the end of the hall. Why don't you come in and rest while we find a solution to the problem?”

I was a little drunk, and the wound on my foot was bothering me. But, to be honest, Luis José's presence intoxicated me more than any drink. I didn't want to separate from him. Furthermore, there was only one day left to return home and face my cruel reality: a marriage commitment that I did not agree with and a profession that I had only studied to please my parents.

Maybe after this weekend, I wouldn't have another chance to see Luis José. So I decided to live in the moment and be happy, even if it was just for one night.

(...)

I crossed the threshold of Luis José's room, feeling that my body vibrated as if it had electricity. The dim light of the lamp outlined our faces, and our gazes met in a silence full of desire.

“What are you hiding, Luis José?” I whispered, feeling like I was on the verge of discovering something beyond his charming appearance.

He came closer as I felt his breath brushing against my skin. His eyes were shining, trying to hide a secret he was not willing to reveal.

“I'm not who you think I am, Ana Paula. There's a lot more at stake here,” he murmured, and his lips almost brushed mine.

The mystery thickened in the room while I debated between reason and passion. Who really is Luis José? What dark enigmas does he hide under that captivating smile?

Before I could ask any more questions, he pulled me close, and our lips met in a kiss that set off storms inside me. Time stopped, and I abandoned myself to desire and danger.

But just when passion threatened to consume us, Luis José pulled away, leaving me with hungry lips and my heart on a precipice.

“Tomorrow, Ana Paula. Tomorrow I will tell you everything,” he promises, and his burning gaze passes through me.

And so, with the mystery unsolved and the desire latent, I sink into the sheets of the unknown room. The chance encounter has turned into something deeper, and I know that my life is about to take an unexpected turn.

(...)