Before That Moment

She had some kind of superhuman concentration. There was no way that this was a normal quality of any human, let alone a college student on spring break. I mean, truly, it was fascinating to watch. We’d been here a matter of hours, and I haven’t seen her put the book down once. Of course, I know she had to at some point because she wasn’t in her sweatpants from the airport anymore. She had changed in the half hour that she was out of sight in the house we had rented across the street from the beach, and was now in a swimsuit with jean shorts that were folded over along her waist. 

When I came out of my room, I found her on the couch with a pencil between her lips, scribbling in the margins and giggling along at random points. Not once had she looked up after we were all introduced at the gate before the flight. And I didn’t know her name. Matt had just introduced me in the exchange without going over the names of everyone else. 

She had smiled and waved before going back to her conversation with Nadia. I only knew Matt, Ben, and Nadia, who had been Matt’s long-term girlfriend for the last few years. They’d had a spare ticket after a mutual friend of theirs had to cancel at the last minute to go home. I didn’t know the specifics and, frankly, I didn’t care. A free flight to Mexico was a free flight to Mexico, and that’s all I cared to know. 

That, and now, this superhuman girl’s name. 

I asked Matt on the drive here, but he said he wasn’t sure. Her friends called her ‘Ace,’ and that’s all he knew her by. If they had used her given name, he wouldn’t recognize it as hers. “Ace was Ace,” he’d said. He wasn’t even sure if it was short for something or not. 

Useless. 

But it didn’t matter anyway. I’d rather learn it from her. 

“Hey E, did you bring more than one pair of trunks?” Matt walked out with the look he wore all too often—lost and confused. Ben was right on his heels, his expression annoyed, as he often was with Matt. 

I pulled my gaze from Ms.Hot-Bookworn and hoped Matt hadn’t noticed. The guy was so clueless he’d probably expose me and ask why I won’t just go talk to her too loudly. Although I’m not entirely sure she’d even register it, either way. 

“Uh, yeah…? It’s the beach and we’re here for a week, Matt.”

“See. Some people have common sense, Matteo.” Ben opened the fridge as if there would be something inside—we literally just got here. We haven’t even gone to the store.

The house was an absolute steal for what we ended up paying for it. Matt had shown me pictures on his phone when he’d invited me, and I’d sent him my share of the payment for the rental. It was a little dated on the outside, but the inside design and layout really made up for its first impression. Where the outside seemed to be running down, the inside was like skipping to the ending of an episode of ‘Fixer Upper’. It was all the beach vibes anyone needed, with different shades of blue and green to accent the beige and white walls and furniture. The living/dining/kitchen area was all an open concept, so you were able to have a conversation with anyone anywhere in the general space. 

So if Matt had noticed me staring and opened his mouth, she potentially could have heard it, even if she wasn’t actually listening. Kinda like she seems to be doing now.

“Whatever, man! I brought one pair, and so what? I’ll leave it out to dry overnight or pop it in the dryer to use again the next day! Simple!”

Ben turned around with a bored glare, seemingly over the discussion I’m sure they started having in the room. “That’s not simple, Matt, that’s gross.”

“Yeah, okay, Pretty Boy! I’ll remember that when you walk out with your pink palm-tree trunks.”

“They’re not pink! They’re peach!”

I zoned out again, looking over at Ms.Hot-Bookworn to see if she’d been distracted by our pointless discussion. She’d shifted to have her legs over the armrest of the couch-chair she was sitting on—her back still to the kitchen where we were. Her hair fell down her back in long, tight chocolate waves that looked like they were made out of silk. 

I really wanted to run my hands through it and—

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

I looked over at Matt, who had moved to sit in front of me across the island, a little off to the side where Ms.Hot-Bookworn-with-the-silky-hair sat. “What?”

“You’re looking at me all funny. It’s making me nervous.” Matt shifted in his seat and started munching on the chips he’d bought on our way out of the airport. 

Ben stood next to me, “Aw, is Ethan making you nervous, Matty-Poo?”

“I’m not staring at you,” I answered, ignoring Ben, though that didn’t stop him from continuing with his torment.

“Does he make you blush? You got butterflies swarming around your tummy?” He leaned on the counter with his head resting on his hands, fluttering his lashes at Matt. 

“Shut it, Price! You’re asking for it!”

Completely unfazed, Ben made kissy faces at Matt, winking at him before standing straight again and looking over at me all proud. I shook my head and arms crossed, hiding the smirk that threatened to indulge him. Thank god Andy hadn’t been able to come, because he and Ben together were insufferable.

Funny, but insufferable. 

“You ladies ready to hit the water, or are ya gonna keep flirting with each other a little longer?” Nadia, Mia, and Steffanie were all now standing over by Ms.Hot-Bookworn, who was also suddenly standing and laughing along with the girls. I don’t know how the hell we didn’t notice them walk into the space, but there they were. Bags and towels in hand, with sunglasses high on top of each of their heads. 

“Finally!” Matt answered, also ignoring his girlfriend's joke, and getting up from the stool. “What took you guys so long?”

“No empieces, Matteo! Unless you wanna talk about how I basically caught you cheating on me with your best friend just now.”

Matt and Nadia had met in their freshman year at a frat party. He was head over heels the minute they had danced together to the one Spanish song the house had played. He wouldn’t shut up about how he’d never go out with another white girl again after her. He (and I quote) “Missed the seasoning of his people.”

I do have to disclose, though, that Matt also eats his chicken nuggets with mayo, but that’s another story. 

Ever since then, Nadia has been the only person Matt won’t challenge. He says he wasn’t raised by women to contradict or challenge them. His sisters had made sure to raise him right along with his saint of a mother, who, I can attest, is an actual saint. Mama Sofia never let you leave her house with an empty stomach, not that you’d want to anyway—her enchiladas verdes were the things dreams were made of. 

Matt’s mom and sisters had treated me like family the minute I met them, and Matt really was like my brother now. We’d been roommates randomly assigned our freshman year, but we’d gotten along really well from the start and continued living together off-campus ever since. 

Matt pulled Nadia in by the waist and shamelessly simped in front of all of us. With them, it was always like there was no one else in the room but them. “Amor, no! Not you too.” 

Nadia just grinned at Matt, ignoring his whining and wrapping an arm around his neck. I couldn’t help but notice that Ms.Hot-Bookworn was watching with appreciation as they interacted, a small smile on her face. 

“You dropped your balls, man.” Ben chimed in next to me, pulling me from my focus yet again. Everyone knew it was his envy talking. It was harmless, but it was there. He hadn’t had any luck in the girlfriend department lately, and it was starting to get to him. Nadia shut him up with a single look, though. She was the only person I had ever seen Ben shut up for. The idiot was afraid of her, and honestly, I didn’t blame him. Nadia could be scary if she wanted.

She’s always been really nice and sweet to me, but then again, I’m not Ben. 

He squirmed nervously from her glare, before looking away and walking back into the room to “grab his towel,” which was really just code for hiding. 

I laughed and shook my head again as he walked away with his tail between his legs. 

“You ready to go, Ace?” Mia asked. I really needed to find out her name. 

“Yeah, I’m set.” Ms.Hot-Bookworn answered, picking up her bag from the ground and holding her book to her chest. 

They all headed for the door, and I picked up my towel from the counter to follow. Matt had his arm around Nadia as they walked, with Mia and Steffanie holding their own conversation next to them. Ms.Hot-Bookworn followed closely behind the group, and I, a few paces behind her to the left. 

As soon as we walked down the porch she opened her book back up, pen behind her ear. She was walking and reading. 

I repeat, walking and reading! 

She wouldn’t look up. At all. She had one hand wrapped around her stomach supporting her, while the other held her book from the top, shifting only to flip the page—never looking at where she was going. Not once. 

She relied either entirely on instinct or her peripheral vision. 

I noticed her falling behind a bit from the rest of the group. The four stooges also never looked back to check on her or warn her that we were nearing the street we had to cross to get to the beach. Instead, they did their due diligence, looked both ways, and ran across the four-lane main road that didn’t have a crosswalk. 

The traffic was steady enough that they could cross safely if they timed it right, but it was definitely at a jog, not a stroll. Ms. Street-Hazard-Bookworm, however, had stopped at the curb and quickly looked up to check traffic before stepping off and walking across, STILL READING HER BOOK. 

My heart was going a beat a second as I rushed to catch up with her. I looked frantically left and right to make sure she wouldn’t get hit. A car behind us had beeped its horn, probably cursing her out for not looking where she was going despite not being anywhere close to hitting us. Of course, they had a point, but I flipped them off anyway, still breaking my neck as I looked back and forth. 

When we finally made it across, she stepped up on the curb—still not looking up—and I tripped on the edge, barely catching myself before eating absolute shit on the sand. 

“Ace! Honey, please look up from that book and watch where you’re going!” Mia shouted from a few feet ahead. 

Oh sure! Now they check on her.

“I got it, M!” Ms.Death-wish-Bookworm responded, not making eye contact. 

I got up from the ground, shaking off the sand on my front and hands, and looked up at the sky with a silent thank you prayer to whoever was listening because that might be the closest I have ever come to death—and I mean the heart attack I just nearly had and not the actually walking through open traffic bit. 

She, however, was completely unbothered and had finally set her book down to lay out a towel on the sand, before taking off her shorts and resting on her stomach with her feet in the air. She was faced toward the beach with her book next to her. Everyone else was setting their things down, talking as they also stripped to their bathing suits and rushed off to the cabana bar nearby. 

Her bathing suit was a lime green that looked even brighter over her olive skin tone. Her toes in the air were painted white, with her jean shorts and sandals on the ground next to her.  

“Hey E! What are you doing still standing there!” Matt called. I hadn’t moved from the edge of the curb yet. Ms. Hot-Bookworm looked back with everyone else, following Matt's eye line. 

“I’ll catch up!” I yelled back without further explanation. Ms. Hot-Bookworm and I made eye contact then, just for a second, before looking away, saying her quick goodbyes to everyone, and returning to her book. 

I headed towards her general direction as everyone else walked away. She was a thing of dreams. A siren calling out, drawing me in without ever having to open her mouth to sing. I couldn’t hear or think about anything else. Not the waves that crashed on the shore, not the music that blasted nearby, or the already drunk college students scattered around the water. 

I couldn’t wait anymore. 

I had to know her name. 

I had to know what was so interesting in that book that it demanded her complete attention and concentration.

I sat a few feet from her and set my towel down, taking off my shirt and wishing I had done a few push-ups before. I wasn’t buff, but I wasn’t scrawny either. I worked out a few times a week and stayed fit, but I was also not a gym rat by any means. At this moment, though, I really regret skipping my last two gym sessions to study. 

Might’ve come in handy. 

She hadn’t acknowledged me since sitting down. Though now that I think about it, I hadn’t acknowledged her either. That was rude, right? I should say something? But she was still reading. Her head was on her right palm, with her book open in front of her—her left hand fiddling with the pen she carried. I honestly don’t even think she’s noticed that I’ve sat down next to her, or that I had scooted a little closer to take a peek at her book. 

The top of the left page had the title, and the right had the author: “A Moment Just You & Me” by Alicia Vides. Nice! A romance! Maybe I’ve got a shot!

I gathered the nerve to try and take her attention for a bit. I leaned back on my arms and stretched out one of my legs in front of me, hoping the movement would alert her to my presence before speaking so she wouldn’t completely freak out. I thought maybe she’d be shy, only interacting with the characters of her book. 

“What’s it about?” I asked, hoping to relate to something she was interested in and spark conversation. 

Without missing a beat, or even looking up at me, “A boy who interrupted a girl while reading her book.” 

My palms started sweating immediately. Okay, not shy. Noted. New strategy. I swallowed the ball in my throat. “What’s the girl’s name?” I asked, playing along.

It seemed that piqued her attention because she was suddenly making eye contact. She had these big, light grey eyes that made me feel like I had never hated color more. Hers were the perfect shade of grey—calm yet intense. They looked either surprised or annoyed; I really couldn’t tell. 

I could drown in the gray of her eyes, never needing any other color to see again.

“Who wants to know?”

“Ethan. Ethan Montero.” I extended my hand with a small smile, hoping she’d play along and shake it, instantly regretting it because I remembered my palms were sweaty. But I couldn’t take it back after already extending my hand.

She stared at it in the space between us and laughed a little before extending her own with a tiny smirk, shaking mine, “Adrian Villareal.”

Adrian. Adrian. Adrian. I want to kiss you, Adrian. 

“So,” I said, still feeling the electricity running up and down my arm, “does this guy have a chance? Or is it a mortal sin to interrupt a girl while she’s in the middle of reading?” 

I am never this forward. Usually, I have a bit more conversation before hitting on a girl to test whether or not we have any chemistry. But I don’t know if it was the Cancun Spring Break Air, a momentary lapse in judgment, or simply a gut feeling, but I knew I wanted to talk to her and never stop talking to her again. 

“She hasn’t decided yet—and neither have I.”

Adrian Villarreal, I’m going to marry you one day. 

“Well, maybe before you decide, you’ll let me take you out on a date. Maybe a walk on the beach if it’s not too cheesy for you. I’d like to hear more about whoever is keeping your attention so intently—scope out any competition.” I jutted out my chin a bit, signaling to the book she still hadn’t gone back to. 

That’s a good sign, right?

She maintained eye contact for a second before sitting up on her knees with her hands on her thighs. “Alright, let’s go.”

I sat up a bit straighter, heart in full swing with a repeat of the heart attack I had just had a few minutes ago. “Right now?” I asked, sure she was about to laugh in my face or go back to her book. 

“Yeah,” she said, reaching for her sandals and her shorts. “You’ve already interrupted, so if this isn’t worth it, I’d like to go back to my book as soon as possible. I have another I want to start tomorrow, and I’m a bit ahead of schedule, so I can spare a walk.”

She stood up to pull on her shorts, “Or what, you’ve been watching me out of mere curiosity since the house?”

You know, I think Adrian Montero has a really nice ring to it. 

I picked up my jaw from the floor and got up, brushing off the sand from my hands, “Nope, just making sure you weren’t gonna fall on your face. Wouldn’t want ya to miss something right in front of you.”

She grinned this time. Full grin. Best thing I’ve ever accomplished in my life up to this point. 

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, sticking her hands in her back pockets as we headed closer to the edge of the shore, “I’ve had years of practice. I’m perfectly capable of noticing when a cute guy is staring at me without ever looking up.”  

“So you’re always one step ahead. The card people always forget is in play until it's too late—the ace in the game.”

She looked over at me, one eyebrow higher than the other in surprise that I’d caught on, “Careful, now. Keep talking like that, and you might start sounding like you actually know how to play.”

I wonder what shaped diamond she’d prefer.