“Mom, I need to tell you something.” I clear my throat, sitting on the kitchen table. “Can you sit down for a second?”
She frowns but sits across the table from me.
“You’re scaring me,” she says. I let out a long breath.
“I know I’ve told you I’ve been hanging out with Ares as friends these past couple of months,” I start, and she sips her coffee. “Ares and I . . .”
“You’re dating,” she finishes with a calm expression.
“You knew?”
“Sweetie, I’m your mother, and this is a small town. I’ve heard it all from different people. How you guys are all working together at Dream Burgers, how happy you seem.” I hesitate because her expression isn’t angry, but it’s not happy either.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask.
“I wanted you to tell me. I’ve been waiting for a while,” she replies. The trust and communication between us fractured when the thing with Yoshi happened, and yet she was giving me time to tell her, to trust her. She was closing the chapter and opening a new one. It makes me feel like she should have found out from me.
“I’m sorry, Mom, I should have said something sooner. I—”
“Raquel,” she interrupts.
“No, let me say this. I haven’t handled this the right way, and I’m really sorry about that. You’ve been a great mom, and I just . . . I keep messing up.” For some reason, I’m getting emotional, and tears blur my vision. Mom sighs and extends her hand to hold mine on the table.
“Sweetie, no tears. There’s no need for those. It’s your birthday. We’re okay, Raquel. You’re not a kid; you’re nineteen now.” She squeezes my hand. “My only questions for you would be: Is he treating you well? Are you happy?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s all I need to know.” She pauses for a second. “Oh, are you being . . . you know, careful?” I know what she means.
“Mom!”
“Hey, I’m not ready to be a grandma, and you’re not ready to have a kid.” I laugh a little and she gets up to walk around the table. She leans in for a hug. “We’re a team, no secrets, okay?”
“Okay, Mom.” I wrap my arms around her waist.
“Now, let’s get ready for the party.”
“Then I said, ‘Of course not, silly, you’re too ugly to go out with me,’ and he was kind of shocked, so I just gave him a dirty look and left. The whole school talked about it for months.”
Dani and I share a look while listening to Cecilia, my least favorite cousin, and I think with her little speech about rejecting a boy you can imagine why. I used to like her before my uncle started making good money, which made her, her sister Camila, and my aunt Carmen unbearably arrogant. Now they think they’re better than all of us since they’re the only wealthy ones in our family. My uncle is the only one who’s still the same.
The party preparations are ready. Mom has decorated the backyard with white Christmas lights and balloons that match the floral dress I’m wearing. Everything looks nicer than I expected.
Cecilia is about to continue talking when I see Joshua walk in.
“Yoshi!” I cry, walking away from my chatty cousin. He gives me one of his big smiles.
“Rochi, happy birthday.” He hugs me tightly, and when we break apart, he hands me a small gift box.
“Thank you.” I turn to greet Joana, the girl he’s been dating for the past month, who he met in his therapy group. “Hello, welcome to the madhouse.”
“Joshua said you would say that as a welcome.” She giggles.
I shake my head. “He knows me too well.”
Joshua glances behind me at the group of cousins.
“Oh, I see they all came. This’ll be interesting.”
The place fills up quickly and, truth be told, it’s not that difficult given the size of the backyard. A few friends from school, some neighbors, and my aunts and cousins are enough to fill it.
I glance at my phone and there’s no message from Ares, but I’m not worried. I saw him last night for a few minutes before Dani arrived for the sleepover. He told me that he’d let me have the day to share with my family, but that after the party I’d be his. He’s coming to the party with Apolo. I also sent invitations to Artemis and Claudia as a courtesy, but I don’t think they’ll come.
I’m about to answer a question one of my cousins asked me when everyone’s gaze moves toward the entrance to the backyard. I slowly turn around.
You know those slow-motion moments in movies? That’s what I’m experiencing right now, and I’m not the only one. The whole party seems to have come to a standstill as the Hidalgo brothers walk toward us. Artemis is wearing a black suit without a tie and the first buttons of his shirt are unbuttoned, his hair is combed back perfectly, and he has a slight beard adorning his manly face. Apolo smiles broadly, his pretty face lighting up, his damp hair caressing his ears and forehead. He’s wearing a dark blue shirt with jeans. And Ares . . .
Ares is in the middle, walking as if the world belongs to him, like the fucking Greek god he is. The sleeves of his black shirt are rolled up to his elbows, revealing a beautiful black watch, and he keeps running his fingers through his messy hair. That dazzling face gives me a crooked smile, and his blue eyes sparkle, taking my breath away.
Virgin of Abdominals . . .
“Holy Mother of God.” I hear Cecilia exclaim behind me. My aunt’s mouth is literally hanging open. “Where did those guys come from?”
Everyone watches them in absolute silence as they approach me. Artemis is the first to speak.
“Good evening.”
Ares gives me a mischievous smile, and leans into me, giving me a short kiss.
“Happy birthday, Witch.”
How to leave a party in absolute silence?
Just invite three Greek gods, it works perfectly. Even the music has stopped, but don’t think it’s some magic trick or something. No, it’s just that my aunt Helena is in charge of the music, and she’s dazzled by the three guys in front of me.
The truth is, I understand what my relatives are feeling. It takes time to get used to the Hidalgos. I feel the need to break the silence.
“Thanks for coming, guys,” I tell them from the bottom of my heart. I can’t deny that I’m surprised to see Artemis here. I never imagined he would come. Apolo gives me a sweet smile, and I hear Camila sigh behind me.
“You don’t have to thank us for anything,” Apolo says. “Thanks to you for inviting us.”
My aunt Carmen, of course, cannot keep quiet.
“Raquel, baby, where are your manners?”
And so begins that awkward moment when you have to introduce your beautiful boyfriend and his siblings to your family.
“Apolo, Ares, and Artemis, these are my aunts Carmen and Maria, and my cousins: Cecilia, Camila, Yenny, Vanessa, Lilia, and Esther.”
After all the protocol, and my cousins half fainting, the Hidalgos cross over to a group where Dean and other guys are talking.
My cousin lets out a shriek.
“Oh my God, Raquel!” Camila exclaims. “Your boyfriend is . . . I can’t explain it.” Cecilia is mute. My aunt Carmen says nothing either. My aunts wander off to talk, leaving me to the large group of girls alone.
“Apolo. . . . Even his name is pretty.” Camila sighs, grabbing my shoulders. “Does he have a girlfriend?”
My eyes meet Dani’s. She seems pretty annoyed at Camila’s interest.
“Oh, I think he does have a girlfriend,” Dani interjects.
“Oh no.” Camilla pouts. “Of course he has a girlfriend. How could that cute, beautiful thing not have a girlfriend?” she asks, staring at Apolo.
Yenny takes a sip of the lightly spiked fruit drink we prepared.
“Fuck relationships, I’d give anything to fuck the oldest brother.”
“Yenny!” Cecilia spits out her drink. I can’t help but smile. Vanessa gives Yenny a high five.
“You read my mind. One night is all I ask of any of those guys,” says Vanessa. I raise an eyebrow, and she laughs. “Take it easy, not yours, the other two.”
“Apolo also has a girlfriend,” Dani intervenes. “Remember?”
“So?” Vanessa looks at her, and Dani can’t hide her annoyance.
“So? Would you mess with a guy who has a girlfriend?”