Chapter 5

Shane waited, and waited, and waited another little bit. She was nervous and full of expectations and couldn’t take her eyes off the closed door Carmen had disappeared behind.

Walking away, Carmen had swayed her hips in that particular way Shane considered as the sexiest way on Earth. Her high heels had ticked on the perfectly clean floor, and she had disappeared. And yet she was there, just a few feet away from Shane.

And Shane waited and waited.

And time seemed to stop when Carmen opened the door and stayed still for and endless moment, her tanned shoulder leaned against the doorframe. She just stayed still and quiet for the longest time and stared at Shane with a look –

– oh, such a look

into her beautiful dark eyes, such a look, that Shane melted. She just… melted, and felt like her whole body was fluttering in the air, and for a second

– but just for a second

she didn’t feel her limbs anymore, she didn’t feel her knees, her feet, her arms, her hands anymore.

She was there, almost sitting on the table, that feline body of hers all relaxed and apparently not tensed at all. She was there holding a smoke between index and medium finger, a white tank top, black boy shorts, nothing else.

Carmen stared at her attentively, as if she was meditating, reflecting, caught into a philosophical attitude that suited her, and flapped her long eyelashes. Slowly slowly slowly.

Shane swallowed but didn’t lose her cool face.

And she ignored her heartbeat. Rapid and furious into her chest because Carmen

– Carmen

had turned back time and they were back at that day, at that late afternoon after the Quinceañera.

Carmen wore that same dress, that same floral dress and those same red high heels, and

– Shane imaged

that same black garter belt.

She was stunning, astonishing, eye-catching, striking, dazzling, spectacular. Gorgeous.

Probably, she was even more beautiful than she had ever been.

“Wha-?”, Shane ventured.

Carmen folded her arms and repressed an amused smirk. She just shook her head, slightly, and didn’t move.

Shane stood up.

“Stay”, Carmen ordered, and Shane obeyed. She leaned against the table one more time and tried hard to keep her cool. She opted for her cigarette – she was pretty sure that that would be supercool – and took a drag.