Balloon Animals (Girl Power Series)

Chapter 28 - Cuban Passion

As I return back to the kitchen, I let out a relief sigh. Peyton smiles at me as she puts the scissors away in a drawer.

"Thank you so much for helping me, half of the people here had no clue on where to begin. Yet I feel as if I ruined your plans."

"Plans? Chinese food and sex aren't real plans. It was lucky we were driving close by on the way to Cutie's place. Being both Jewish, we didn't have any plans to meet with family."

"I'm gonna miss you," I say while hugging her. "I know you are only two hours away from here, but it won't be the same without you in the house."

"I'll miss you too, but that job offer was hard to resist. What about getting a new roommate?"

"It's an option since Devin and I are still, you know, starting."

Peyton snorts. "Longest start ever. Has it ever crossed your mind to move in together?"

"Sometimes. Now with Roxy around, I think we should take things slowly and see how it works out."

"The taking things slowly got sped up for me with that new job. Cutie is coming along and we'll try the living together thing."

"Will you ever call him Mark?" I laugh.

Mark's currently entertaining the little kids in the family with some coin and card tricks. One of the boys packs a coin and tries to repeat the trick without success and then Mark pulls it from his ear to his complete surprise.

I will miss Peyton's love adventures and it makes me feel nostalgic already even though she won't leave until February. My eyes fill with tears and Peyton's do too, she's my soul sister after all.

"Aren't we two sentimental idiots?" She takes out a compact mirror from her purse and pinks away a bit of her ruined makeup. "Is everything ready?"

"As ready as it can be under 30 minutes. He should be here soon."

Peyton and Mark say goodbye, even after we insist they stay. I guess Chinese food and sex still sounded more promising than spending Christmas with an overwhelming Cuban family. After helping my mom to bring some food outside, I check my watch and at that moment, Devin walks through the main entrance.

"The guest of honor, who doesn't know he's the guest of honor, is here," my mom whispers in sing song.

"Promise you'll manage them to keep their mouths shut," I point with my nose to the crowd in the backyard.

"No worries, all is under control," she grins as Devin joins us in the kitchen. "Merry Christmas! How are you doing in your- this special day?"

My eyes roll involuntarily at the slip. So much for having things under control.

"All is well. It's busier in here than the last time. Where's Roxy?"

I point to the bunch of kids surrounding the son of one of my cousins trying to replicate Mark's tricks, and how his daughter watches everything he's doing with an incredulous face. She notices her father is in the house and leaves the group to give him a hug.

"Are you having fun?" He asks her.

"Yeah, and I have an abuelita!" Roxy grins at my mom.

"Who wouldn't want to be your grandma?" My mother coos at her and squeezes her in a hug. "I'm the only one here without grand-kids. Not that I mind a lot. It keeps me young, you know?"

I burst out in laughter, because if there's someone who's been whining about not having grandchildren since I went to college, that is my mom.

"I see the usual suspects in the backyard, but I want to talk with you first," Devin says to me while my mom offers some grandma wisdom to Roxy about the proper way to stir a pot of natilla.