Love’s Influence by Tori Alvarez

Chapter 10

I thoughtthis week was only a getaway. The perfect way to begin my summer turned into so much more. I expected wine, food, and shopping, but instead found the man I want to be able to give my heart to. It’s amazing what happens when we stop looking for something. Those things seem to find us in return.

I’m back at home, sitting at my desk, organizing all my thoughts about the trip. I keep typing words and deleting them, none seem to capture the magical experience I had. The blank page is staring back at me. I drop my head to my right shoulder, feeling it crack slightly, then to the left. I roll it back and forth a couple of times, willing the words to come to me.

My phone pings with an incoming text.

I miss you already. Xoxo, L

Tears collect in my eyes; I’m missing him too. We can do this. It’s only about five months. He is only an hour and a half away, but his focus needs to be on his restaurant.

Miss you back. ❤️ O

What are you doing? he responds.

Working on the blog post, I reply.

I can’t wait to read. I’m getting ready for the weekend dinner rush. Good night.

He is busy, and I have my own work to get done. It is the beginning of summer, and I want to ensure I get this promotional blog post out as soon as possible so that they can capitalize for the summer.

I respond with a quick Okay and look back to my blank screen. And so it begins, a text-filled relationship.

I get up and head to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. Maybe that will help calm the anxious feelings beginning to flow and focus on the task. I take a bottle that I brought back with me out of the fridge. The aroma hits my nose as I pour it into my glass, reminding me of our night in the vines. My heart thumps against my chest, and I know I will be crushed if this doesn’t work out.

Taking my seat, glass in hand, I take a few cleansing breaths and clear my mind. A few sips of wine and my fingers begin typing, translating my amazing time into words. I don’t let myself stop, scared if I do, I’ll lose the momentum I created.

This is the perfect place to set aside your schedules and lose yourself in the adventure.

I sit back, grab my glass of wine, and read that last sentence again. A place where time doesn’t mean the same thing it does in the city. I read through the whole article and am proud of how I have represented the resort and Lorenzo’s restaurant. The hard part is done and now to download the pictures and begin the editing.

An image captures my attention when I open the file with the pictures from my camera. Lorenzo captured me beautifully at the river. That picture is the epitome of the trip. The calmness, the beauty, the quiet is all on display. I continue to flip through the pictures, reminiscing.

Over an hour passes, and a couple of glasses of wine later, the blog post is ready for publishing. I schedule its post time and head to bed.

A pingfrom my phone wakes me, so I reach to my nightstand and grab it, noticing a couple of texts from Lorenzo and the one that just came through from a friend wanting to meet for breakfast.

Good morning beautiful. Was the first text from Lorenzo then the next one, Your post was great! Can’t wait for the next one. Xoxo, L

A sense of calm washes over me as I type out a quick message to him.

Good Morning! Thank you! Xoxo, O

Not even a minute passes after I hit send, and my phone begins ringing with his name on the screen. Maybe this will work after all.

“Good morning!” A smile he can’t see spreads across my face as I answer the call.

“Hello, beautiful. I’m in the kitchen and didn’t want the guys in here to see you all sexy in bed in the morning if I FaceTimed you.”

I roll my eyes at his comment. “Right.” I drag out the word.

“You just fucked that up!” I hear loudly in the background.

“What happened?” I ask Lorenzo.

“Looks like a hollandaise disaster. I gotta go.” His voice tenses.

“Go take care of that, super chef. Talk to you later,” I respond before hanging up.

He has his work cut out for him. Being the only restaurant in the small resort, it is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Most restaurants don’t operate that way because of the work each service takes to prep and execute.

I spend the rest of the day planning my summer—restaurants and coffee houses in the city or surrounding areas, a few day trips to local hiking locations, a couple of overnights in northern Texas, and the pièce de resistance, a trip to Marfa to experience the mysterious lights and the Prada Store art installation for myself.

I have always loved my summer breaks. Time to take a breath from the craziness of the regular school year. Slow down, sleep in, spend lazy days at the pool, but now it feels suffocating. All this downtime to dwell on missing Lorenzo and how perfect he seemed to be is unwelcome. If I’m busy enough, maybe I will be able to push those thoughts and feelings aside.