Chapter 6 First Date

I dressed pretty sexy—so much so that my parents gave me a strange look. “I have

a date,

” I told them with a smile I couldn’t help but give. “With

the doctor you introduced me to this morning?

” asked my dear father.

“Yes, he’s Facundo’s brother.” “I liked him

,” said Teresa, my mother.

“I still

need to meet him.” “Don’t

stick your nose in!” “If everything goes well, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know him… don’t worry if I’m late,

” I told them, feeling a little uncomfortable.

I’m not a little girl, and I live alone in another country, but living with my parents—even if it’s just for vacation—made me feel a bit shy about telling them I wouldn’t be coming back to sleep at home.

I wasn’t actually sure if that was going to happen, but I didn’t want to kid myself either.

I might end up spending the night in a hotel with Ramiro—nothing like that has ever happened to me before, and I didn’t wait a whole year to have sex either—but I definitely never did what I did the night before, much less planned to sleep with someone the second time I saw him…

Although technically it would be the fourth time, if I count that I met him yesterday afternoon, saw him in a different setting that night, and this morning was different… We even worked together!

I’m definitely crazy about that man, and I want to make excuses. I’m

not one to go on a lot of dates—I don’t even go out that much. I really don’t have time; I study and work, and my career takes time and dedication—hours and hours of reading and research.

Before I left my parents’ house, Gabriel called me to see how I was doing. I told him that I’d helped out at the town clinic that morning because there had been a major accident and they didn’t have enough doctors.

“As long as they don’t rob you, it’s no problem,

” he said jokingly. “I miss you

,

” he whispered. “Me

too, Gaby. I’ll be over there soon.” “I’m

counting the days…”

he replied.

I know he’s in love with me, though I don’t want him to get his hopes up.

I’m not in love with him. I care about him deeply; I admire him as I’ve admired few others in my life; I consider him a god of medicine—but I don’t love him.

I ended the call as quickly as I could—I don’t want to be rude either; he doesn’t deserve that.

I always count on him; he’s even provided me with reports for college.

Every so often we go out to dinner, but always with other colleagues.

I want to avoid any intimacy.

He’s my boss.

He’s my friend.

I’ve decided to focus on myself.

I look in the mirror and I’m happy with how I look.

I’m a confident woman, though I don’t think I’m the most beautiful in the world, and I firmly believe that men often cheat for no apparent reason. I see it in coworkers who have beautiful women by their side yet chase after anyone—and the more attractive they are, the more that infidelity increases.

I experienced this firsthand when I was a teenager. It’s true that we were practically children, and Charo—yes, the very same one who today is offering herself to Ramiro on a silver platter—barge into my relationship, wrapped in gift wrap and sporting a giant bow. I hope the relationship will be different now that we’re adults; I’ve never felt such a powerful attraction to anyone before.

I’ve had a few partners I didn’t last long with; I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for in a man.

I think I’m looking for all the qualities I see in Gabriel while also feeling the attraction I feel for Ramiro.

Yes, I’ve just figured out exactly what that is:

a fusion of the two.

My cell phone rings—it’s Ramiro, letting me know he’s at the door.

He didn’t ring the doorbell; I think he doesn’t want to go through the awkwardness of my mom or dad answering the door.

It’s our first date, and I don’t know if there’ll be another one, so I think his attitude is appropriate.

I say goodbye to my parents and remind them not to worry about me.

Ramiro had gotten out of his truck and was waiting for me, leaning against it.

When I saw him, I have to admit I was breathless.

I don’t understand this attraction I feel for him—it felt like the ground had shifted beneath me.

His smile shone brighter than the mercury lights illuminating the street. “Hi

, you look beautiful,

” he said, kissing me on the lips—it wasn’t deep, but it wasn’t very chaste either.

-I was counting down the minutes until I saw you.

This man is waiting for me to fall at his feet, and I think it won’t be long before that happens.

Very gallantly, he opened the door of his truck for me to get in.

I didn’t know what to say—I’m usually very eloquent when I speak; I really have a way with words—but when I look at him, my mind goes blank.

I’m head over heels for this man, and even I think it’s a bit over the top.

I asked him about the restaurant’s hours. “We

don’t have set hours—the table is ours,

” he said very smugly.

I remembered that the owner is a friend of Facu’s.

I ended up laughing.

Then I asked him about his nephew.

“You know how a bronchospasm is—it goes away with an antihistamine.” “Yes

, that’s true, but it breaks my heart to hear him cough.” “Do you

like pediatrics?

” Many doctors assume that pediatrics is the first choice for a female doctor; sometimes that sounds a bit sexist—perhaps it’s considered so because people think women are more sensitive than men. I don’t know what Ramiro’s case was.—I

do like it, yes, but I didn’t consider becoming a pediatrician, even though my two options are broad and have nothing to do with the patients’ ages.

He looks at me, raising an eyebrow, as if to encourage me to keep talking.—I

feel more useful in the intensive care unit, and I’m fascinated by studying different infections. It’s very complex, and new infections are always emerging—or at least being discovered—though many are related to existing ones.—

Yes, that’s true. I’m a cardiologist and a surgeon.—

Yes, I heard you talking to Bautista.

-“It’s strange that, since you get along so well with him, you don’t work here.”-“I couldn’t

stand spending too much time in a small town—I don’t know, I think I learn more in a big city

.”-“That’s true.”

-“On the other hand, I still have a year and a half left to finish my residency.”-“That’s not

that long—you graduated very young.”-“Yes

, my parents paid for my degree and all my expenses, although I work because I think it’s necessary to do so.”-“Yes

, and it’s a way to gain more experience.”

The conversation turned to topics related to medicine.

I think we were both fascinated to discover that we could talk about certain subjects without boring each other.

We were entering the restaurant through the door leading to the parking lot when a young boy selling roses approached us. He immediately bought all the roses the boy had and asked him who he was with. When the boy said he was with his little sister, he told him not to leave, that they were going to bring food for both of them.

That gesture really moved me.

He called the maître d’ and told him to charge a dinner for those two children to his tab, emphasizing that they shouldn’t be kept waiting.

Then he gave me the flowers, with that incredibly sexy smile of his that melts me and brings down all my defenses.

I don’t think he treated those little ones to dinner to impress me, although when I saw him on the beach, he didn’t strike me as the kind of man who’d have empathy for children like that. Nor could I have guessed he was a doctor—I had no clues at all. I was just trying not to be overwhelmed by Ramiro’s sensuality and couldn’t see anything beyond the tip of my nose.

I was way off about him—his attractiveness stirs feelings in me that I’ve never felt before, and that I’m afraid to feel.

We had a quiet dinner, and at one point Ramiro asked the waiter if those kids had eaten. “I’d really

like to have a foundation or something like that, to help children living on the streets,

” ” he said, looking distressed and setting aside his sexy smile. “I think

, on one hand, I feel selfish, because I didn’t choose pediatrics so I wouldn’t get emotionally involved with children who have no family or close support of any kind.”

I confessed to him. “But

you yourself said that age doesn’t matter in therapy.” “That’s

true, but minors or the very young are usually in other rooms.”

“True…”

Then the conversation turned to the ages of his nephews.

“Karen became a mother very young,

” Ramiro said.

“Yes, it was a mistake—it can happen.”

“It’s true; my brother fell deeply in love with her, and I think he wasn’t thinking straight.”

We ended up laughing.

Then we had some coffee and an exquisite dessert, which was the house specialty.—“Want

to go for a walk?

” Ramiro said, as if offhand.

I couldn’t help but smile, and he winked at me.

We ended up having a drink at a bar near the beach; it was quite intimate and dimly lit.

Ramiro seemed to be setting the mood for what was to come, and I loved the way he was doing it.

At the bar, we sat in an armchair with a small coffee table in front of it—it was a sort of private booth. Although it was intimate and dimly lit, we were surrounded by couples; of course, no one was paying attention to what the others were doing. “I

really like you,

” He said, leaning toward my mouth. He stopped a few centimeters away and looked me in the eyes—his gaze radiated fire, heat, desire… “I won’t

be able to stop if I kiss you.”

He traced the outline of my lips with a finger, and then, yes, he kissed me—gently, as if he were trying to control the situation or control himself.

“Say yes…”

He said this as his hands traced my legs—but always appropriately.—"I want to make love to

you until dawn," he

said very softly, in a very hoarse voice.

I nodded yes, and he moaned in my ear.—"

Come on… I can't take it anymore,

" he confessed, and I was pretty much on the same page.