My Friend's Arrogant Brother

a's

e felt longe

he dusty path that stretched through the heart of our munic

fruit-bearing plants waved gently in the breeze, glis

d or dotted with towering buildings,

pliers of pineapples, cacao, ba

s, it's the beating

ing haciendas where millionaires-and even billionaires-

from the two-kilometer walk after graduation, but becau

purr of a high-end engin

my head a

sliced through the sunlig

arted slig

thing about this one made it hard to ignore-slee

d and pulled

r opened, and a w

ant, and impo

ke silk, and her designer clothes hugged her figure with t

her immedia

my

oice was light and musica

changed, in such a good way!" I bl

loser, her ey

especially there." She gigg

'd be unstoppable!" I let out a

ight, and I melted into it wi

so much, Maya!

My voice was soft,

o see her today-not

e that much," I

eautiful, sophisticated woman." A

too humble for

lity can sound like fal

beautifu

d thud interru

shut, and out stepped someone

on

lone was l

towering presence, at least 185 centimeters,

boyish, had become s

, darker, like ripe cherries-and I hated

s wrong

back of everything he'd s

ding, but still smooth, like the late-night FM

ack to

ng to her in the

d I want to slee

ing had

ttractive, but the arrog

tone stabbed thro

e, he still looked at m

lway

ister, Adonis had made it his personal mi

h all

e me, whether with sharp words or icy glar

ld built on old money, manicured la

go, he ensured I wo

ngly beautiful, soulless eyes-and told m

e sky above, followed closely

e me, instinctively r

raid of storms, ever

lackout at the hacienda, her fingers trembl

as no warmt

rain and c

Adonis barked, impatience

a two-seater, and she's

ste your

all." His voice rang

wasn't just

how he

the roadside, pitied for a

ter in the grand na

e the rain-sudden, s

me with guilt sw

sorry

er, okay?" All I

en slowly climbed

aid she didn't agree with her brothe

gravel and dust, leaving me standing motionless in the m

realized-I hadn'

year that Adonis Monleon

rown stron

he memory of a boy who

he skin and stung by his words,

it sti

had tha

liated

ly as b

was the memory of the ki

felt like a dream-his touch, his warm

it meant

t maybe, beneath the

was all

be

ess dare betwee

iss t

ss to

l, I let mysel

ve in

upposed to

duatio

ve been c

inally made it, but instead, I was walking the long road a

ty now-Adoni

lder, two w

biting the same pain

much, but we

ey could to give Mary and me a good l

was a toddler, and Grandpa to

n knew my f

t all, I neve

r, but we wal

hands and earn ou

-something the Monleons

nleon is diff

is's grandfathe

ero

i

n the Monleon estate and alw

he thinks of the way his

he land, and the business, but he'

dness doesn't pa

cho

state every summer since I w

stay at the Esmeralda F

hy, yes-but kind in a wa

ch... he's noth

is

mb

ne-laborers, driver

eels small in

feel at peace in

ilence, the scent of blos

blooms desp

forget the things

here again

elf in petals

Adonis at

truth-no one truly outruns their past, especially

that terrif

that my past

that

s is

ictable, like a storm on the edge of breaking-and his mouth