Adulting Requires Cheesecake (Book 4, Lonstino & Greenwood Series)

Chapter 29 - Soledad

MICHAEL

In the last days, the feedback I've received from everyone who has read my manuscripts has been taking shape in my head. Communicating about feelings, myself or through a character, has never been my strength. In my view, it's not a weakness, but an open door for someone to hurt you. The conversation with Luke before Christmas left me a bit rattled. It's that why I always run away when relationships get serious? Before I met Mateo, I was in a relationship with Bennett. He was all in, and suddenly he was talking about moving together, and meeting his family. The level of commitment suffocated me and I started looking for ways to leave, and that's when the idea of my trip happened. Back then I felt free, no one dictating the course of my life. Then I met Mateo and something shifted...

During those weeks living together in a small space, I tried to capture every single detail of everything surrounding us in my notes because I didn't want to forget how it felt. And then I felt too much. I asked him to join me in my travels, because for the first time in my life, I didn't want to run away. When he declined, it broke my heart, proving me right. I opened about my feelings and I got hurt.

After that, I lost interest in creating memories and besides remembering the woman who offered me a pack of tissues on the bus, everything else during that ride to my next destination was a blur. Eventually, I arrived at a busy city, and only because someone shook me awake to tell me we were there. I got off the bus and looked at the address I needed. As I walked around, faces, buildings, and everything else blended into others. 

According to the internet, the hostel wasn't too far away from the bus station and, dragging my feet, I started walking. The door of the hostel was almost hidden behind a rack of t-shirts with rude messages intended to be sold to tourists. After struggling to get my bulky backpack up the narrow staircase, I found a plump man sitting at the reception, who looked at me over his reading glasses. I showed him the reservation in my phone and he handed me a greasy key. Accidentally, I clicked on the photo gallery while locking my phone and it showed me a picture of Mateo and I. Smiling while sharing his bed. I didn't delete the photo, but my heart felt as if it was bleeding.

"I'm ready for you," Mateo says as he comes back from the bathroom. "Can't wait to find out what happened next."

"I'm nervous. I've tried to incorporate everything, but I still think it's not good enough."

"Let me be the judge of that," he says as I hand him the stack of papers. He nests on the couch and holds the papers a bit higher. "The room was no bigger than a clo-"

"Are you going to read out loud?" I feel alarmed and vulnerable since he always reads to himself.

"I read that reading out loud helps to catch inconsistencies or places where things don't flow well."

"Oh, God... Okay, go ahead..."

"The room was no bigger than a closet but it was clean and had a window that faced the street filled with dusty and sweaty tourists like himself. After a shower in the shared bathroom, Austin felt slightly energized. The rumble in his stomach reminded him that he had eaten nothing since he left in the middle of the night. And he still doubted his heart full of sorrow would let him take a bite of anything. A small café nearby was still serving lunch, even though it was late enough it could have been dinner. He sat at a table outside and ordered the day menu and a beer. If he couldn't eat, at least he would drown his sorrows. Plus, it was the only word he knew how to say in every language."

"I'm resourceful like that," I say, and Mateo laughs.

"The portion of paella was large enough for two persons and Austin dared to take a bite. It was flavorful and warm. His body thanked him for the nourishment as he continued eating and just as he finished his first beer, he saw her." Mateo gives me a curious look.