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“Of course. Thank you for the insight. I’ll take it under advisement.”
“Yes, do that.” Aaron clinks his glass with my empty one just out of my reach, then leans in and kisses Nico’s cheek. “Make sure you call me before you head back across the pond, okay?”
“I will, darling. Tell your fiancée hello.” He smiles at her before walking away and blending back into the crowd. “What was that about? Aaron is usually all smiles.”
“It’s nothing. He was offering an opinion to me on something.”
“It didn’t look like nothing,” she responds.
“Nico, please. I’m already at my rope’s end. Let’s do what you said. Julian and Alexandra look open for conversation. One more conversation with them, a few more photo ops, and then I want to leave.”
“Fine. Then we talk.”
I have a chat with Julian. He’s a complete straight shooter. He knows what he wants and is very clear about his vision and expectations. We agreed on another meeting for tomorrow morning. Once the music starts, Alexandra asks me for a dance. With Julian’s permission, I oblige. She also knows Ava. Maybe I can gain something in polite conversation. I guide her carefully to the dance floor. She selects a quiet corner for me to lead.
“Thank you for agreeing to dance. I have a feeling this might be one of my last waltzes before our daughter arrives.” She smiles.
“It’s a girl? That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
“If you ask her older brother, it’s gross,” she laughs. “I’m sure he’ll think differently when she’s here. It’s hard to know what will happen until you’re faced with a situation, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I suppose it is.”
I’m trying so hard to invest in what she’s saying, then I truly focus on the music. It’s an instrumental version of the song Ava and I danced to on the lanai back in our island bubble. The body I’m holding becomes hers. The delicate fingers in my hand are hers. Everything about this moment goes back to her.
Alexandra’s gentle hand squeezes my forearm as we sway. My focus comes back to her. “Hey. May I call you Rafael? I’m about to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong and I can’t do that if we’re super formal.”
I chuckle for the first time tonight. “Fair enough. I’ve been catching hell on and off all evening. Let’s hear it.”
“I saw Ava before she left.”
“You did? When? What happened?”
She takes a deep breath, then lets it go. “You just answered several questions for me with five words. She was crying in the ladies’ room. I knew something was going on before that. We aren’t best friends, but I also know the look of someone in love then hurt.”
It’s my turn to exhale. “I’m certain this is the part where you give me hell.”
“Rafael, this is the part where I tell you if she’s important to you, don’t let her go.” The look of confusion I have must be overwhelming, because all five foot three of her spins all six foot three of me so my face is not on display for the entire room. “It’s none of my business what your relationship is with either Nicolette or Ava, but I see the difference. I know the difference. Let’s just say I know all too well where Ava is coming from.”
I adjust my grasp around her hand as a way to alleviate an ounce of the tension in my body. “How do I hold on when she’s made it clear she’s let me go?”
Her eyes widen a bit as her grip on my arm becomes even more firm. She wants to make certain she has my full attention. “You explain, and explain, and explain again what your situation is, how you got here, and what you’re willing to do to fix it. Is that what you want?”
I ponder her question for a moment before I answer. “It is. More than I even knew before seeing her then having her see me. I’m ashamed of myself.”
“Good. You should be. Again, I don’t know what your relationship is with Nicolette, and I don’t know what you’ve promised Ava. You need to make it right with both of them and yourself.”
Alexandra stands with me strong until I can find words to respond that are even remotely coherent. “You said you know where Ava is coming from. Do you know how it ends?”
“I can’t make any promises, but if you fight, and fight hard, I can see you both getting what you want.” She quietly pats the lapel of my tuxedo jacket over my heart. “You already know what you want. Make it happen.”
Nicolette is nothing if not completely true to her word. After a few more pictures, we make our graceful exit and find ourselves in the back of a Lyft on the return trip to our hotel. We’re dropped off on the charcoal carpet outside of the hotel. I hold the door for Nico as we step out of the humidity of the night into the chill of the lobby.
The elevator ride up to our floor is silent, except for our breath. She takes the first step off the car and I follow close behind. I check my phone again, even though I know it’s in vain. As she opens the hotel room door, she stops with the door handle in her hand and looks back to me. “Are you ready to talk?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath while pulling on my bow tie. “Does it matter?”
“I don’t like this side of you very much, Rafi.” Nico pushes through the door, tossing her handbag on the round dining table just inside the doorway. “You need to tell me where it’s coming from. I have a feeling I know; I just need to hear you say it.”
