A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

by Laura Taylor Namey

She pulled out Abuela.

oh no.

Yell it at impressive volumes from windows to children eating Popsicles on Little Havana streets.

slide my fingers along the cherry wood grain.

jaunty crop of graying black hair, smiling over her simple breakfast of café con leche and pan tostado.

Their little trio of oversharing went around and over the top, even right through the apparently invisible me.

“Orion Maxwell.”

~the love intrest has been introduced~

Orion’s house feels extra cozy.

hmm

Orion’s old enough to buy alcohol here.

!18!

A miniature planet inside the tight gravity of his hold.

cute

moments away from kissing. But we’re not. We are Lila Reyes from Miami and Orion Maxwell from Winchester.

girl you know its going to happen anyways...or at least close to it.

Orion grins. “Brilliant.”

So BRILLIANT

“Look at that.” He tightens his shoelaces. “I pissed you off right into Spanish. Bet that was a curse. I’ll need to learn those.” He gets my best side-eye. “Keep mentioning Polly.”

Awwww this is one of their best moments

“If you appreciate rituals, just wait until I make you some of the Asian green teas. Or oolong.”

yummy...

This he says like that’s both plenty and not nearly enough time.

you already know y'alll

But I’ve never been on a motorcycle, which ranks at number five thousand on my top-ten list of must-dos.

istg i hate stupid shared situation tropes

A night wind comes through, blowing through all the heaviness and swirling our empty plastic cups down the hill.

dang all of that litter...and they just dont care???

tucking a stray hair behind my ear.

<3

Our chatting and drinking makes the space between us light and easy, the way the milk settles the strong Assam in our cups.

She’ll need to make him sandwiches. I jog through St. Cross, and not normal jogging—the kind where I run like a wildfire and hope the running leaves me hollow and sweated clean out like a tamal husk.

I see the face clearly. But… “You?”

I bet its flora or one of lilas friends

Flora. “It’s you,” I repeat unnecessarily. For months, Flora Maxwell’s had her brother and half the town merchants on a useless chase. Roth and his gang and their bullying, my ass.

Im too good. I couldnt have picked a more basic plotline (sorry not sorry)

I dissolve into Orion Maxwell like sugar into butter, eggs, and vanilla.

<3

Rain and apples and his natural soapy spice.

<333

Wednesday calls for fruit empanadas.

Yumm

I wrap the gray cabled wool over my tank top. There’s too much heat in this city, too much for England sweaters. But this one warms a shivering heart.

Im sorry thats waaayyy too cheezy for me

I couldn’t ask you to leave your family, your business, your country, just for me.” He rubs my shoulder. “So I wanted you to choose a future that’s first and foremost yours alone. Not to belong to me. I want you to belong with me.

Ok....now thats really cool of him...