Free Translation of Love by Alice Montalvo-Tribue

my cheeks.
    “No, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I got carried away.”
    “It’s okay. Really, it’s not your fault, it’s mine. I just…”
    “You don’t need to explain, Love,” he whispers as he brings his forehead to mine. He cups my face in his hands and gives me a gentle kiss.
    “I should go. It’s getting late and I’m tired.” My instinct to flee kicks in.
    “Don’t go. Spend the night with me.” I can’t see myself but I’m sure that I look like a dear in headlights. His request leaves me wide eyed and frozen. He knows that if he lets me leave tonight, he may never see me again. He’s not wrong. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”
    I shake my head at him. “Then what is it?”
    “Look, I’m only here for a few days and I just wanna spend as much time with you as I can. I thought you could spend the night then we could go get some breakfast in the morning and spend the day together. I promised you that we would take things slow and I meant it.”
    “You just want to sleep together without…sleeping together?”
    “Yeah. Alright, maybe kiss too,” he says with a boyish grin.
    I’m scared to let myself give in to what he’s asking me but I really want it too. I believe him when he says he won’t do more than kiss me. I like the idea of lying next to him while I go to sleep and seeing his face first thing in the morning. I’m shocked at myself for thinking these things but I decide to go with it. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
    “You will?” I can hear the excitement in his voice.
    I nod once. “But I need to go home in the morning to shower and get a change of clothes.”
    I can see the satisfaction on Victor’s face. He had been preparing himself to convince me. I can tell he’s relieved that I agreed so easily. He holds my hand and kisses my knuckles. “I can make that happen.”
    We stay on the couch together for a while longer, lounging around and watching a movie. He’s sitting upright on one end. I’m not sure how but he’s managed to get me snuggled into his side. I’ve never snuggled up to someone like this before. I had no idea it could be this nice, calming. He runs his fingers through the loose strands of my hair. My mind starts to drift away from the movie playing in front of me and before long I’m asleep.
    I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep but a strong pair of arms lifting me up and carrying me across a darkened room, wakes me up. I remember where I am, with Victor in his hotel room. Instinctively, my arms tighten around his neck.
    “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispers.
    “It’s okay, I can walk,” I say, whispering my reply.
    He shakes his head denying my request. Before I know it, he’s setting me down on the enormous bed. I’ve never seen a bed quite this big before. I feel like I could get lost in it. He kisses my cheek and gives me a small smile that tells me he would like to do a lot more than share a bed with me. “You want one of my t-shirts to sleep in? It might be a little bit more comfortable than what you’re wearing.” Having Victor this close to me makes me dizzy. I almost wish I could let go of all of my fears and let him have his way with me.
    “A t-shirt would be great, thanks.”
    He rummages through his bag, then hands me a t-shirt. “You can change in here. I’ll change in the bathroom to give you some privacy.”
    “Thank you.”
    Once Victor’s gone, I quickly change into the shirt he gave me, hop into bed and pull the covers over me. I’m mentally kicking myself for letting him convince me to spend the night with him. When he’s around me, I find myself agreeing to things I normally wouldn’t.
    The light from the bathroom door opening snaps me out of my thoughts. Victor comes back into the room wearing nothing but a pair of low hanging pajama bottoms. My mouth goes dry and my breathing becomes irregular at the sight of him. I’d felt him underneath his shirt but nothing could prepare me for the sight of his