Hey guys, it's me again. Thank you to those who reviewed last time because there wasn't much that I received. We have officially arrived at the most dramatic chapter of this part and I must tell you that it will get intense. I'm going to keep it short and let you go ahead and read. Please enjoy and review!

Chapter 10: Out in The Open

Raquél

With less than ten hours left until Thanksgiving dinner, the entire household pitched in to prepare for the banquet that we were going to host later that evening. While my parents and sisters left to go to the supermarket, I stayed behind to watch Victoria, André and A'sharía. At the same time, I was also expected to clean the living and dining room, the kitchen and all of the bathrooms downstairs.

Of course, Enriqué and his family weren't going to let me do it all on my own, and immediately offered to lend a hand. While Stella, Hector and Fátima decided to clean the bathrooms and the kitchen, I took care of the living room so that I could watch my siblings at the same time.

Enriqué was occupied cleaning the dining room, which meant that he was just one room away from me. We would have chosen to talk during those moments if they weren't so awkward. Because the nearest cleaning closet was located in the kitchen, we kept bumping into each other whenever we had to return or retrieve an item. He would try to smile at me and I would nervously look away in hopes of remaining intact. If I gazed into his eyes long enough, he would cause my knees to buckle. I had to get over that ridiculous habit of being so nervous around him.

At one point, I dropped the vacuum in front of him, which caused the dust dispenser to fall out of its carrier. Because of my luck, the dirt seemed to pick itself up and land directly on his shoes.

"Oh, sorry!" I apologized, and frantically knelt down to clean it off myself.

"It's okay, Raquél."

Instead of leaving his shoes as they were, I continued to brush the dirt away with my bare hands.

"Hey, Sweetheart. You don't have to do that. It was just an accident," he said.

When I still did not listen, he wrapped his palm around my upper arm and gently guided me upright. The situation did not become more awkward until I found myself staring at his jean zipper.

That was when Fátima returned to the kitchen to find a compromising scene. I could only imagine the kind of thoughts ran that through her mind once she stumbled across me standing on my knees with my face about a few inches from her brother's crotch.

"Um, am I interrupting something?"

"No, no, of course not. Raquél dropped the vacuum and some of the dust got on my shoes," Enriqué immediately clarified, growing slightly red in the face.

"Okay..."

Mortified, I quickly spun around and grabbed a nearby broom to finish clean the mess. Then, while he went back to the dining room, I slipped out of the kitchen before his sister could say anything more to me.

With that embarrassing ordeal behind me, I hung my head over the coffee and blew out a stressed sigh. Not one day back home and his visit was beginning to take its toll on my nerves. In reality, I was probably making things more of a big deal than they were, but for someone like me, it was a huge deal. I wanted everything to be perfect between us. If it weren't for terrible miscommunication and combative egos, I wouldn't have been so on-edge.

When I brought my head up and gazed at my reflection in the blank television screen, I caught Enriqué staring at me. Upon realizing that I was staring back, he looked down and continued polishing the banquet table.

Eventually, my parents returned from the grocery store with the rest of my siblings. By that time, most of the chores had already been taken care of.

"Wow! This place looks amazing!" my mother said as she paused in the foyer.

After setting aside her belongings, she hugged Stella, Hector and Fátima. Enriqué happened to be standing next to me, so my mother saw fit to hug us at the same time.

"Thank you so much for your help. Please, let me finish whatever is left of the chores and you guys can just relax. We're about to start preparing the food."

"Oh, in that case, we would love to help you prepare the feast," Hector gladly offered.

Without hesitation, the rest of the Sanchez family agreed with him. It was clear that they were a very generous family, who loved to put others before themselves.

"Are you sure? You've been cleaning for most of the morning. Besides, you're our guests," Troy said.

"That may be, but it gives us no excuse to sit around and do nothing. We insist."

Knowing that helping was what they really wanted to do, my parents allowed them to help with preparation.

"Sure."

Before my mother headed into the kitchen, she let out a happy sigh.

"Raquél, you are going to have the best in-laws. Enriqué's going to take real good care of you," she said while giving me a playful nudge.

My boyfriend's family found it cute when I hid my face in embarrassment.

"Mom," I whined.

"Okay, I won't harass you anymore. Come on, let's start cooking. That turkey needs to be in the oven as soon as possible."

Working as a team, we headed into the kitchen and began baking, frying, steaming, boiling and roasting well into the late afternoon.

Around 5:00, an hour and a half before the rest of our guests were supposed to arrive, we realized that we needed to prepare ourselves for dinner. The kids were first to be bathed, of course, followed by Fátima, Enriqué and I, and lastly, the parents.

However, they had finished before me because I'd become stuck figuring out what to wear. Soon enough, my mother noticed my absence and entered my bedroom while I stared at the closet.

"What's wrong, Sweetie? Why aren't you dressed?" she asked in concern.

"I don't know what to wear."

"You don't know? Look at all these clothes you bought last week. There has to be something that you want to wear."

"I don't want to wear just anything. I want something that's going to make me look good for... Nevermind," I murmured.

"Oh, I see. You want to look good for Enriqué. Well, you can wear just about anything and it won't change the way he feels about you. One thing that makes him such a remarkable person is that he accepts everyone for who they are. And because he loves you, you're exceptional to him."

"That's what I don't understand. I'm not better looking than the next person or smarter than anyone else. I'm just me. What's so special about that?"

Breaking her gaze from the closet, my mother observed me before lifting my chin.

"I thought you were over that," she said gently.

"I thought I was too..."

"If you could just see what he sees and what I see, you wouldn't be making these assumptions about yourself. You're much more special and amazing than you credit yourself for. He loves you with all his heart and nothing would make him happier than giving him your whole heart. Why can't you accept that?"

Without responding, I just shrugged my shoulders.

"That's okay. Take all the time you need. It takes time to accept certain things. Come on, let's get you dolled up."

If it wasn't for my mother, I would be lost. Though I'd spent most of my life doubting that I was special, she was always the first person to tell me otherwise. In that time she used to give my self-confidence a boost, she had fixed my hair into an elegant updo, and raided my closet to find the perfect dress.

Among the newest set of clothing, she found a strapless purple cocktail dress. The skirt was made of taffeta, and below the bodice was dazzling bead work (in profile). What struck me as peculiar was that I had no recollection of purchasing that dress. When I gazed at my mother for an explanation, she sent me a guilty smile.

"I figured you would've needed help dressing up for Thanksgiving. I hope you don't mind. I bought the dress myself and snuck it into your closet last night. It was just so beautiful that I had to get it for you," she said.

The dress was very beautiful, and instead of becoming upset with my mother for going behind my back, I gave her a long embrace.

"Thank you, Mami. I really love it."

"You're welcome, Angel."

Once she helped me into the dress and pulled up the zipper, she eagerly directed me towards the mirror.

"Wow! I look great."

"You do. Imagine how Enriqué is going to react when he sees you," she teased.

"Where is he?"

"I'm not really sure, but my guess is that he's at the bottom of the stairs waiting to see you. Why don't we find out?"

To complete the stunning ensemble, my mother picked out a pair of simple gold flats and sent me into the corridor. While I walked closer towards the staircase, I kept fixing my dress and my hair to make sure that they weren't out of place.

I imagined myself making my entrance with total confidence as I gracefully floated down the stairs. But I knew that my vision would prove to be inaccurate once my eyes would meet his. In an instant I would become flustered and awkward in his presence, something that was increasingly creating problems with our communication. Complete security and confidence was what I desperately wanted to attain, but like my mother said, it would take time for me to accept who I was. But if Enriqué accepted me, why couldn't I accept myself?

Once I had reached the top of the staircase, I came to discover that my mother was right. Waiting at the bottom of the stairs, also dressed up, was my boyfriend. My heart skipped a beat like it always did as he gazed at me. I carefully made my way down the stairs and grasped his palm when he extended it to me.

That was when he pulled me close and said, "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"

Unsure whether to respond or not, I cracked a shy grin and shook my head. Chuckling to himself, he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.

For once, things were not tense between us as Enriqué guided me into the living room, where our families grew excited at our union. Perhaps just for that night, we could forget about our dispute and get along like a normal, loving couple.

~RMCR~

Enriqué

Honestly, I was surprised when Raquél accepted my help at the bottom of the stairs. Naturally, I had assumed that she would avoid my gaze again and walk past me. What was even more impressive was that she never let go.

By that time, I still hadn't figured out why she was acting so careful and timid around me. I knew that some of her behavior had to do with my friendship with Gisele, but as for any other reasons, I had no inkling of what was going on. I wanted to know what had happened to the feisty, passionate girl I'd left two months ago. That was the girl I wanted to have again, so I was determined to get her back one way or another. I just needed to move slowly if I didn't want to scare her off.

As evening approached, more family members started to arrive. Those who had attended brunch the day before asked Raquél if she was okay.

Graciously, she nodded and answered, "Yes. I feel much better now."

Without speaking, she let me know what kind of touching was acceptable to her. She allowed me to rest my hand on the small of her back, yet whenever I tried to move it to place it on her hip, she would silently place it back to where it was before. Another boundary she set with me was kissing. While she gave me permission to kiss her cheek or forehead, she made it clear to me that her lips were off limits. Those kisses were not enough to satisfy me.

The last time we shared a passionate kiss was the morning after her fifteenth birthday, when our lovemaking had reached its final peak. What I really wanted to do was pull her aside and kiss her until she forgot all about this useless conflict.

But as much as I wanted her to forget, there were just some issues between us that were impossible to overlook. They had to be resolved if we wanted things to return to normal.

"Raquél, you look so beautiful tonight. Your fiancé is such a gentleman for escorting you," her great aunt said.

"Actually, we're not officially engaged. This promise ring that I'm wearing," she explained.

Although her response left me stunned, I kept my composure as the woman furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Isn't a promise ring the same thing as an engagement ring? Oh, well, don't mind me. I'm glad that you found someone who loves you just the way you are. You two look so happy together."

After giving Raquél one last kiss on the cheek, the great aunt wandered into the kitchen in search of appetizers.

Something told me that Raquél realized she'd made a mistake when she gave me a nervous glance and shrugged. Hoping to remain discreet, I pulled her aside until while she reluctantly obliged.

"Why would you say that we're not engaged? Of course we are. You made it sound like it was a temporary thing," I whispered.

"I didn't think that it sounded that way. I was just explaining to her that I was wearing a promise ring; not an actual engagement ring."

"Sweetheart, did I ask you to marry me—yes or no?"

"... Kind of," she hesitated.

"Kind of? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, all I remember was that you showed me the box, and I asked you if you wanted to marry me. Then, you said that you'd be the happiest man alive if I became your wife. I don't ever recall you actually asking, 'Will you marry me?'" "I'm pretty sure it was a proposal. And even if I didn't ask, you seemed to confirm my request when you started crying and hugging me," I replied.

"But I was in the moment, and I was already emotional. I didn't confirm anything. You just decided that I would marry you when you put the ring on my finger."

"So, you don't want to marry me?" I implied, my voice rising gently.

"Shh! Why are we even having a conflict over this? Look, I do want to marry you, Enriqué. Can we just drop it now?"

I sighed to myself, growing slightly impatient by my girlfriend. She could call it whatever she wanted, but what I understood from her explanation was that she didn't consider us to be officially engaged. Did she have any idea how disappointed I felt?

But I vowed not to let it dampen my mood. At that moment, spending time with family was more important than our pointless disagreements. While the women chatted and the children played, us men gathered in the living room to watch the Thanksgiving Day football game.

Our raucous cheers were short-lived once Gabriella shooed us out of the living room to start the feast. Once we had all taken our seats and began to eat, various conversations were being exchanged. We chatted, laughed and made fond memories with each other. Overall, the dinner was a complete success. Our bellies full and our hunger satisfied, we returned to the family room to watch the rest of the game together.

At some point during the night, Raquél seemed to be growing closer to me, and I'd sought to talk to her while she was in a good mood. Before I could pull her aside, however, I received a phone call from an unexpected person: Gisele.

"Who's calling you?" my girlfriend asked gently.

I couldn't lie to her. What was the worst that could happen?

"It's Gisele."

"Can't it wait? We're supposed to be spending time with our families. I'm pretty sure it's not that urgent."

Not wanting to get on her bad side, I ignored the call and placed my phone back in my pocket. But I couldn't ignore it no matter how much I tried. She called a second time, a third time, and eventually, a sixth time before I grew concerned.

I made sure to avoid Raquél's deadly glare as I rose from my seat and stepped into another room to answer the call.

"Gisele?"

"Enriqué?"

"Yes, it's me. Why were you calling me so much?" I asked.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I've just been having the worst day. I called because I'm just so upset, and you're the only person who makes me feel better," she said, her voice cracking.

"Um, sure. Go ahead."

"Well, this might sound melodramatic, but this is the worst Thanksgiving ever. Not only am I upset for missing my flight this morning, but I'm furious that my family decided to go ahead and spend it without me. They could care less that I'm here alone in my dorm room, while everyone on campus is away for winter break. A call would've been nice, at least!" she lamented.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Don't worry. You are doing something to help me. You picked up the phone. Can you believe that my own family wouldn't give me the time of day when I'm stranded?"

"That's pretty sad. I hope you get to spend Christmas with them, at least. Maybe you can talk to them if you want them to know how you feel," I said.

"That's if my parents are willing to pay for my plane ticket. I'm a college student; I can barely afford deodorant."

"Yeah, it's pretty difficult. But we gotta tough it out until the end of these four years. Trust me, it'll be worth it in the end."

"I know. And hopefully by then I would've reached my goal of finding someone who will love me and accept me for who I am. I just need to find him first..."

"Well, I'm grateful that I've already found someone who I love and accept. You'll know when you've found that someone. It's like an instant connection."

"Hmm. Thank you so much for letting me just vent. I really needed to get my anger out and I feel much better now," Gisele said.

"That's great. I'm glad I can help. Remember, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here for you. I promise, okay?"

Just then, a faint creak directed my gaze towards the doorway, where I found Raquél almost seething after listening to the end of my conversation. Before I could explain myself, she spun on her heels and stormed up the staircase.

"I have to go, Gisele. Talk to you another time?" I asked, while hastily following my girlfriend.

At the same time, most of the guests were starting to leave.

"Sure. Have a good night. Bye."

"Bye."

I was hot on her heels as she made a beeline for her bedroom. Her attempt to shut me out proved futile, and I was able to force my way into the room before she could slam the door on me.

"Get out of my room! I don't even want to look at you!" she yelled.

"Why should I? You look like you've wanted to say something to me for the past two days. Go ahead and say it already!"

"Why? So that you can defend your friend and make me out to be the jealous girlfriend?"

"How am I defending her?" I asked.

"You've been defending her from the very start! You keep saying that she's a good person and telling me that I hardly even know her."

"That's because you don't know her. Instead of assuming that she's some kind of home-wrecker, why don't you actually listen to what I'm saying?"

"I am listening, Enriqué. But what I'm getting is that this woman who, after countless attempts to fling herself at you, suddenly wants to be your best friend. Doesn't that cause you to wonder what her motives are? You probably don't know who she really is."

"Do you know who she is?"

"Actually, I do. She wants you, and she'll do anything to make you hers, even if that means crossing the line and acting like it was a mistake once in a while. Women like her are desperate. They only want men who are taken so that they feel like they won some kind of competition," she said.

"Who told you this?"

"Lynn."

"Are you talking about Lynn Rodríguez? What the hell are you doing listening to her? I hope you realize that you just described who she is."

"No, that's not who she really is. That's who she was. She's changed now. You're wrong to judge someone you barely even know."

"Oh, doesn't that sound familiar?" I retorted sarcastically.

"We're talking about two completely different people. Lynn is a gifted girl who got tired of hiding who she was. She's sorry for treating me and other people like dirt, and she's genuine about it. Your friend, however, isn't genuine. She's just trying to manipulate you by being nice and making you think that she can be trusted. I know that I can't trust her because something inside of me is telling me that you're in danger."

"That's where you're wrong. It's people like you—people who assume—who make her feel insignificant. You have no idea what she's had to go through after leaving Cuba. I can actually relate to where she's coming from."

"Oh, so just because she's Cuban you feel more connected to her. Is that it?" she insinuated. "And what has she been through compared to me? Were you not paying attention this past year?"

"Yes, I was, Raquél. And for your information, you're not the only person here who's had a hard life. I've had a hard life too, but you don't see me complaining about it every chance I get."

"I don't complain about my life every day. And if I do complain, it's because I have to deal with people who don't understand why I'm so freaking screwed up! You make it sound like I think the world revolves around me. I know that it doesn't. I'm not a child," she said firmly.

"I never said that you were. And it does seem to me like you do think the world revolves around you. You want everyone, especially me, to drop everything and shower you with attention—"

"No," she denied, shaking her head.

"You never feel like you're good enough, so you always look for approval so that you don't feel incompetent—"

"That's not true!"

"Do you know what your problem is? You're insecure. The minute I make a female friend, you think that I'm going to leave you for her. You can't stop obsessing about what we're supposedly doing behind your back because you feel like you can't compete with other women..."

"Shut up!" she screamed, clapping her palms over her ears.

The more I spoke, the angrier she became.

"No, I'm not going to shut up. In fact, why don't I tell you more about yourself? Do you know how frustrating it is to know that you don't trust me? It's not fair. I trust you; I have faith in you. Why can't you do the same for me?"

"You know what? I don't need to hear this," she declared, and walked around me to leave the room.

"Raquél, come back here. Raquél!"

She could care less what I thought, and continued to pursue her escape.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

That was when, perhaps a little too hard, I grabbed her upper arm and pulled her backwards. In response, she promptly spun around and slapped me across the face.

For a moment, we both stood there in shock. Raquél seemed more shaken up than me, and it was clear that she realized what she had done right after she did it.

After a few tense seconds of silence, she dropped her trembling hand to her side and panted, "Don't... Don't ever grab me like that again. I'm not some kind of doll that you can push around."

"Look, I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I'm just telling you the truth. As harsh as it may sound sometimes, it's the truth."

Instead of leaving, she drew in a deep breath and, in a low voice, said, "I'm not insecure. I don't think that the world revolves around me, and I'm not looking for approval from anyone. If you think I'm jealous of her, I'm not. I'm worried. You might think that way, but I'm not. And while you're saying that I don't trust you, you don't trust me."

"How?" I asked as I took a seat on the edge of her bed.

"If I didn't think that our relationship was in any danger, do you think I would've warned you about Gisele? No. I'm not making this up. This is what my instincts are telling me. It seems to me like you'd rather take her word over mine. You think that I don't trust you. Of course I trust you. That's what I've been trying to tell you this whole time. It hurts me that you don't know."

"I'm listening."

"Why do you think I pour my heart out to you without being afraid? Why do you think I accepted your proposal? It's because I feel this connection with you that I can't feel with anyone else. You make me feel safe, Enriqué. I feel like I can do anything when we're together. But at the same time, you..." she hesitated.

"I what?"

I watched Raquél while she turned away and let out a quiet sob. As I stood up to comfort her, she quickly shrunk away.

"No, please."

That only confirmed my fears of what kind of effect I had on her. I needed to know if it was really true, and I needed to hear it from her.

"Raquél, are you afraid of me?" I asked gently.

Slowly, she moved her hands from her eyes and mustered the courage to look at me.

"Yes."

"Why? I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know that you won't. It's just that... you're perfect, and that intimidates me. Whenever I see you or hear your voice, my heart beats fast and I can't think straight. You're compassionate and beautiful, and you treat everyone better than they deserve to be treated. I really admire your bravery, and I look up to you because you know what you want and you're confident about your decisions. I still don't know what I want, and I still don't feel like I deserve you because of that."

"Because you're not sure what you want?"

"Well, I am sure about one thing. I know how much I mean to you, and that you want me to give myself to you wholeheartedly. I know that nothing would make you happier than marrying me. But I'm not sure if I'm good enough for you," she said.

"Of course you are. You are amazing to me. Everything about you—your smile, your eyes, your personality—is what motivates me to go above and beyond for you. I love you, and to see you doubt yourself like this is heartbreaking. I apologize for calling you insecure, because it really isn't true. You're stronger and braver than I will ever be for continuing despite the terrible things you've been through. Also, you're just a girl. It's natural to be unsure of yourself because you're still trying to figure out who you are. You're still searching for your true identity and you will make mistakes. And that's okay, Raquél. It's okay."

Her sobs did not grow louder until I pulled her into my arms. She buried her face in my chest and gripped my shirt as if she feared that I would disappear. It was clear that she had been holding these feelings in for a long time by the way she cried without reservation.

"Let it out, Sweetheart. Cry until you feel better. I'll never leave you, I promise," I whispered, holding her tighter.

I stood in that bedroom embracing my girlfriend for several minutes. By that time, midnight had already passed. Eventually, she managed to calm down and finally gazed up at me. She then reached up and gently traced her palm along my cheek.

"I'm sorry for hitting you. I hope I didn't hurt you too badly," she apologized.

"It's okay, Sweetheart. You didn't. In fact, I deserved it. I wasn't listening to what you had to say, and I'm sorry if I made you feel abandoned in any way. Thank you for reminding me what my real priorities are."

"I also need to take responsibility for how I treated you yesterday. Before you came, I was so ready to tell you how I felt. When I saw you, it's like I couldn't respond. You've changed so much on the outside that I feared the worst about the inside. But now I realize that you're the same man who loves me for who I am. I'm sorry, Enriqué. I really didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Raquél managed a smile once I gave her a kiss on the forehead. When I pulled away, I became lost in her striking green eyes.

Since we were so caught up having disagreements for the past two days, I never realized just how much I had missed my girlfriend. She was more beautiful than ever before, and I wondered why I hadn't bothered to apologize sooner. That was when I remembered the promise I'd made to her the day we found out that she wasn't pregnant. I wanted to fulfill that promise with everything I had and more. She remembered as well.

Our lips moved closer and closer until they became locked in a passionate kiss. Soon, kissing turned into touching, and I found myself pulling down the zipper to her dress.

Now clad in her undergarments, Raquél lifted herself from the floor and wrapped her legs around my torso. That caused me to lose my balance, and we ended up crash-landing on her bed.

"I love you so much," she whispered while caressing my face.

"I love you more, Sweetheart."

The carpet soon became littered with articles of clothing, as we tossed them in whatever direction. I almost didn't want to let go when Raquél reminded me that she needed to lock the door. She made a sexy game out of it, and playfully strutted away from the bed while I grinned at her cuteness. Not only did she lock the door, but she reached for a switch on the wall and dimmed the lights ever so slightly. With the perfect mood lighting, she stepped closer and confidently removed the last two articles of her clothing.

The girl never ceased to amaze me.

It was from that moment that I realized that no one, not even a best friend or a family member could ever change how happy and complete I felt when we were together. My commitment to Raquél was much too precious to ruin. If she felt that my friendship with Gisele was hurting our relationship, then I would gladly look at things from her perspective.

Most importantly, I needed to reassure her that I was never going to leave her side for as long as I lived.

Another chapter successfully finished. But please sit tight because there will be a lot more coming up. I would like to thank Fairyvixenmaiden for her inspiration, as always. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review. :)