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“I’m fine. Keep driving.” She closed her eyes and shut out the sound and smell of the men around her. Sweet Gabi. When Gabi had stepped closer, Aisha had thought she was going to kiss her. She’d dreamed of the softness of her lips and the tenderness of her touch, and Gabi’s body touching hers. Gabi appeared now in her imagination, on the outside of the cage, and although Aisha stretched her arms through to try to get to her, Gabi was unreachable. Why had she bothered to make a wish when those around her had the power to destroy it in a heartbeat?
The music might not bring life to her wishes, but it would soothe her soul. She would dance for Gabi, with Gabi in her heart, and she would dream, because dreaming was safe.
The van came to a halt, and the back doors opened. Nicolás looked her up and down and held out his hand.
“Let’s make this town sing.” She stepped out of the van and took a deep breath. She smiled, and his frown disappeared.
“I was worried about you,” he said.
“There’s nothing to worry about.” She headed towards the fountain and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Gabi sitting on the wall with her legs outstretched and her feet crossed at the ankles.
“Hi,” Gabi said.
She smiled and warmth filled her. “I didn’t expect to see you this early.”
Gabi raised her hands. “I didn’t want to miss a dance.”
Aisha looked back towards the van. Nicolás approached with his guitar, behind him the others with the board and drum. She wished she could run into the night with Gabi. “I will be busy until late,” she said.
“You don’t mind if I stay here all evening, do you?”
Aisha laughed. “It would be impossible to stop you. And, no, I don’t.”
Gabi leaned back, and Aisha felt assessed and admired as they set up their stage and started to dance. Every time she caught Gabi smiling, it was the most delicious feeling and soon, it numbed her troubled thoughts and allowed her dreams of love to set her free. And for those few hours, where her imagination ignited every movement, every sensation her body desired, she knew what it would be like to be touched by Gabi.
As they packed away, Gabi approached. “Will you come for a drink with me?” she asked.
Aisha turned towards Nicolás. He was watching her. Fuck him. She smiled. “We’re going to Casa Torra.”
Gabi looked towards the men and back at Aisha. “Okay, maybe another time.”
Perhaps Aisha should be more cautious with Nicolás around, but she wasn’t ready to say goodnight to Gabi. Surely, there was no harm in a conversation, and especially since Mama had invited Gabi to the Fiesta celebrations and was therefore familiar with who Gabi was should he decide to say something to Mama. “Meet us there.”
Gabi shoved her hands in her pockets, shuffled her feet, and glanced around. “I don’t know. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“Follow the road past the church.” Aisha pointed. “Take the first left and it’s the first bar you come to. It’s easy to find. Casa Torra. We’ll be there soon. Please say you’ll come.”
Gabi nodded. Aisha stole glances in Gabi’s direction as they packed away.
“Who is that?” Nicolás asked.
Aisha had to quash any inquisition, and there was only one way to do that. “She’s a friend. Mama has invited her and her nana to our house.”
Nicolás raised his eyebrows. “Why?”
“Because they are good people, our people,” she said. Aisha couldn’t be sure of the truth, but Estrella had talked about spending time with a man called Juan, panning for gold in the river, and he was most likely to have been a gitano.
He nodded his head and slowly smiled.
“Gabi is going to come for a drink.”
He laughed. “I have no wish to indulge in women’s talk tonight. I feel like celebrating.”
He was high on their future engagement. The line that had separated her from Nicolás before, as friends, had been clear. Being promised to him, the line had shifted, and she was more accountable to him. If she married him, which she had no intention of doing, there would be no line at all, and she would be bound by his word until death parted them. “You promised,” she said.
“Our secret,” he whispered. He pressed his finger to his lips.
Aisha shuddered at the thought of him. She walked through the street thinking about Gabi. She spied her as they entered the bar and went straight to her table. The men went to the bar, laughing and talking, and she was glad to be rid of them.
