Page 17 of Capicú Summer

I smile. “Thank you. You too.”

An awkward silence stretches between us, the music shifts and the opening beat of “Wiki Wiki,” by Yaviah hits. The sound punches straight into my chest, settling deep in my bones. My breath stutters. That damn song. And if I thought Yael was sending messages before, this only confirms it.

Our song.

The very first song we danced to at the block party years ago. The one that certified him as my forever dance partner. My body was in sync with his. I close my eyes, still picturing the moment, like it happened only yesterday. Yael’s hands possessively on my hips, breath tickling my neck as he moved behind me like he’d been waiting his whole life to dance with me. The memory is almost impossible to push back, not when my body craved to move to the beat of it. Enjoying the delicious tingles spreading through me from the thought alone. Muscle memory waking up like it never died.

Suddenly, I’m seventeen again, standing in the middle of the block party, sweat on my neck, and my eyes on the lights strung across the street like stars pretending to be close.

My body grinds into Estrella, our hips moving in sync, when my eyes find Yael across the street. Leaning against the Cruz Bodega wall, watching me dance with the girls. That lazy and hungry look he always tried to hide is zeroed in on me. Like a predator stalking his prey, prickling my skin. I feel confused… I know that I like Lenny… But Yael…

He’s fire. While Lenny is ice.

I didn’t know what to do. And it only makes it harder when he looks at me like I’m the sky. The song switches, the beat becoming more pressing. More electric. That’s when he pushes off the wall and saunters straight towards me like a man on a mission. Estrella stops mid movement, her eyes brightening, only for the light to die when he stops right in front of me.

“Ven aca,”⁠* he murmurs with a playful smirk, his fingers hooking into the waistband of my shorts, pulling me closer. I should’ve said no. Pushed him away the moment I saw the glare in Estrella’s eyes. I didn’t.

My body melted to his command allowing him to tug me along, until my back is flush against him, his chest warm against my spine. His hand settles low on my hips, guiding me to the beat. The hardness between his legs is impossible not to feel as my ass grinds against it.

“Fuck,” he groans into my neck, the warmth of his breath makes my skin pebbled, his fingers digging into my hips when I fold forward.

My back arches, my body moving on instinct—on want—on him. I make the mistake of looking over my shoulder. And I’m met with danger. Desire. A challenge that burns into his brown eyes. He licks his lips, using his arm to hold me lower, that way my ass is pressed against him as we move as one. Every sway of my hips is matched with one of his own. In his eyes, all I see is a dare—keep up.

And I do.

When the lyrics hit the line about Yaviah ruining her lipstick, Yael turns me toward him. Chest to chest. Grinding against each other until warmth spreads through me like a raging wildfire.

“Asi⁠*,” he whispers, brushing his thumb against my lips, smearing my red lipstick, just like the song, before crashing his mouth into mine. The world blurs around us, the music fading into nothing but a muffled beat. All of it collapsing into the feeling of his hands, his tongue moving against mine. I’m barely breathing when he guides me backward towards the dark alleyway between la bodega and the laundromat. His hands cup my face, mouth still devouring mine, until he finally breaks away. Resting his forehead against mine, the smell of detergent, summer, and fritura fills the air.

“Adri,” he whispers, his voice rough like gravel.

“Yael,” I breathe back, feeling his hand slide lower on my waist, ready to⁠—

“Yo, Adri!” Ruben’s voice snaps me out of the memory, I blink hard. Realizing I’m standing in front of the kitchen and not outside. Everyone looks at me with concern. Embarrassment washes over me, heat spreading through my cheeks, and my pulse climbs higher, making the ringing in my ears grow louder. Ruben waves a hand in front of my face.

“Earth to Adri. You good?”

I force a smile, anchoring myself back to my body.

“Yeah,” I say, slapping playfully on the side of my head. “Solo pensaba,”⁠* I lie, feeling the truth buzz beneath my skin. My head cranes to look behind me, my eyes fixed on the direction of the Cruz bodega.

“Yo, cuz, you good to play?” he taunts.

My lips stretch further, and slowly I turn to Ruben and reply, “Of course.”

That song wasn’t an accident, and Yael knows exactly what he’s doing.

I still have a game to win.

* Ven aca - Come here.

* Asi - like this

* Solo pensaba - I was just thinking.

CHAPTER 6

Yael