60. Complicated

Genre:Drama, Romance
Characters: Cian, Ramone, Wilson
Prompt: 60. Complicated
Word Count: 1,411
Rating: G
Type: series
Summary: Ramone puts in his bid
Warnings: LARGE pictures!.........................................................................................................................

“Twenty-four hours…” She repeated for the fifth time in a row. She agreed to it, feeling the guilt of instant pain she was sure she’d caused him, and also caused herself. The need to have more than his friendship was as strong as the desire to feel his touch but the fear of what people would think was even stronger. Things would never work. She knew this. Knew this the very moment he asked to see her again and for a second, she’d allowed her mind to be clouded with lust over logic, seduction over her sanity but wasn’t sure if she really regretted it or wanted it to end.
Three hard knocks at the front door startled her, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin as she absently pulled through her refrigerator. Standing on her toes to get a good view out the peep hole, she gasped, turning her back toward the door, throwing her hand over her mouth. She was a mess. Cian adjusted her plain ponytail quickly before opening the door holding back a smile.

“Cian,” His eyes revealed excitement as he looked her from head to toe, “I um…I’m…” He chuckled, nervously rubbing his neck. “I’m sorry for staring!” He shook his head with laughter. “I don’t mean to just pop up on you like this but Eric asked me to drop off his ticket to the game tomorrow night but they aren’t answering the door.”
“They just left a few minutes ago.” Cian smirked, leaning to the side with her hand on her hip. They set me up! She thought immediately of their sudden disappearance. They’d purposely asked him to drop off this ticket and left knowing he wouldn’t slide something so expensive underneath the door. He would have no other choice but to give it to her.
“I would have called first if I had your number.” He added a sly smile with a small dose of flirtation. That wouldn’t have mattered anyway since I lost my damn phone! She thought to herself in an awkward silence. “Forgive me for being rude! You want to come in?” She held the door open wider. “Can I get you some coffee or something?” She nervously disappeared into the kitchen with him close behind. “No thanks. I have a long drive ahead of me. Less drinks, less stops.”
“Understood! You have an accent; you weren’t born here, were you?”
“I was.” He leaned his shoulder against the wall, “We just spent so much time in Mexico with my grandparents who sometimes refuse to speak in English that I guess I picked up a slight accent.”
“We?” She asked curiously.
“My sister Angel and I.” He smiled at the thought, “You’d like my grandfather! He calls himself amor maestro, a love teacher. He began to school me at a very young age on how to properly court a woman, just as he did with my dad.”

“Oh really?” Cian tried to steady her hand as she poured the piping hot coffee into her mug. A man with an accent had always been a weak point for her so a man that could speak another language took it to a whole new level.
“Si, he said it all begins with a dance and three keys elements. Closeness, contact, confidence. Come, I’ll show you.”

Cian nearly dropped the glass pot on the floor, “Umm, I’m not a good dancer!”
“Well, then that’s even more of a reason for me to show you!” He began to close the gap between them. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he turned her, sliding the mug out of her hand. “Just follow my steps,” He locked his eyes on hers as they took several steps, “just like…this.” He dipped her back, placing a gentle kiss on the base of her neck. Releasing her from his embrace, he remained close, his eyes still locked on hers.

Sensing he was about to move in for a kiss, she ran her hands across the counter until she found her mug and brought it to her lips. Smiling into her mug with her eyes closed tightly, she tried to steady her hand once again.
“See, you’re not a bad dancer at all.” He purred.

“Uh huh.” She spoke into the mug, opening her eyes slightly. When she realized he was still close, she turned the mug up again, moaning into it, “Mmmmm! This is so good!” She quickly eased away, “You sure you don’t want some? It’s vanilla! Very delicious!”
“No, but I would like to take you out sometime.”
“Ramone, I um, uh…I’m in a complicated situation.” She turned to face him, circling her finger around the rim of her mug.
“A boyfriend?”
“No. Just…someone who means a lot to me. To be honest, I’m not sure what it is I feel for him. I just know there is something.” She pulled her lips inward, not sure she should have told him that much.
“You know how he feels about you?” He asked, crossing him arms with a concerned expression.
“I’m almost 100% sure he wants more than what we have now.” She laughed nervously.
“¿Pero que? But what?”
Cian took a deep breath then hesitated. Placing her mug on the counter, she ran her hands through her hair, “Everything! From our family issues to racial issues and the way people would react....”
“If you really care for him, what people think should matter ,” He just barely held his thumb and index finger part, “this much, and I only say that much because that little bit of concern will come into play if you and this guy get married and have kids. People don’t like the idea of different races mixing and really don’t like when it results in a child and that can hurt the child. My mother is African American, my father Mexican. My sister and I had to deal with both races treating us like outcasts but because of my parents, we were able to block out the negative comments and demanded respect. You saw the people at my party! No one looked alike. I went from being shunned by my own, to having friends from different backgrounds and all walks of life.” He moved closer to her, holding her arms, “You can’t put your happiness to the side just to keep from coloring outside the lines. Give me a chance, and I’ll show you just how beautiful things can be when you add color to your world.”
Cian felt her heart quicken. Everything he said made perfect sense, made her feel more guilt for basically telling Wilson she cared more about what people would think than what they felt for each other. Even with Ramone putting in his own bid, she couldn’t shake thoughts of Will. It was more than just race with him. Their families hated each other for some unknown reason and would certainly come to blows over their union. She didn’t want that. To be the reason that Will would become more distance from his family was out of the question. Not to be considered. On the other hand, Ramone was a part of her race. Things wouldn’t be as bad with him. They would most likely get looks but nothing as serious as she and Will. He was cool, handsome, and as smooth as she’d expected, but he wasn’t Will. “I don’t know, Ramone.” She mumbled, lowering her head. He titled her chin with his finger, dropping a warm kiss on her forehead, “Think about it. Let me take you out, get to know you like the back of my hand. We can take things slow while you sort things out with this other guy. Just think about it.”
Cian pulled away, leading him to the door. He had to go. Should have left long ago. Long before he had the chance to place another weight on her, another option she wasn’t sure she wanted. “I’ll make sure Eric gets the ticket.” She spoke above a whisper, “Thanks for enlightening me.” She smiled weakly before yanking open the door.

“Will?” They said in unison, met by his surprised expression that quickly turned to hurt.
“You left your phone at my place. I just wanted to return it.” He placed it in her hand, retreating before they could speak. He ignored her calls, Ramone’s pleas for him to wait. Every step he took, his feet felt like they weighed a ton, refused to move while his heart threatened to stop beating. “Will, ¿Que Paso?! Can you wait a second?” He wouldn’t stop, couldn’t wait. “Just know…” Will whipped around, moving closer, his anger apparent, “if you hurt her, Ramone, I will hurt you!” He moved quickly to his car, leaving a burn pattern in the street as he sped off.