Handsome Asshole: Heading over to meet Vin at the gym now. I’ll give you a call when I get out?1 missed call from Handsome AssholeHandsome Asshole: ...ust got out. Sorry, running a little late. Everything okay?Alaina tapped out another reply. At least he’s not here already. Fuck, what am I even going to wear? This feels so pointless. I just want to stay and be here for Laura now.She started picking through her closet. Argh! I still like Will a lot. I need to be there for him, too. Need something. They speak in Arabic and she looks out the window. The palm trees look lovely. She touches the back of his head with her hand and he he grabs her hand and she giggles. They turn up the Arabic rap music and she sits back and tries to imagine Aman's lips on hers again. They drive some time before they pull up to a big apartment building. It looks older than the one they stayed at last year. His friend helps them with her luggage and Aman shakes his hand and says goodnight. Alone they stand facing. Dad had tuned up my truck, a ’47 Ford pickup, and put new tires on it. I drove straight from Pecos to Pablo’s ranch. I timed it so I got there a day before the party was to start. I wanted to spend some time with María … and Pablo, of course. I stopped overnight in Taos and pulled into the ranch around ten on a hot, sunny Friday morning in mid-September. I knocked on the door and María unexpectedly opened it. She looked stunned and I just … acted. I threw my arms around her and kissed her with. "Lie on the bed," I said. She lay down. "Don't speak for one hour," I said. This was my great test of her. If the ring really had no powers she would have resisted that one. It would rile her to be told not to speak by a man. But she said nothing. I began to unbutton her pyjama top. She pushed my hands away but said nothing. "Let me take your tits out," I whispered. I reached for her shirt buttons and sure enough this time she let me undo the buttons. I slowly pushed aside her pyjama top to.