This chapter will be rather short but indispensable for the next one.
Chapter 5: Raymond or Ramón?
Mariah pushed back the front door. To her surprise, she saw Ray in an apron cleaning up the mess. Ray turned and smiled at her.
"Mariah, you're back!" he dropped the duster and came over to kiss her.
"Ray, I-" she tried to push him away.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
His eyes were full of concern but there was a hint of surprise in them.
I want to leave you because I'm in love with someone else, Mariah thought for a moment but instead...
"Why aren't you at work?"
"Aren't you happy that I'm here with you?" Ray lifted her chin so that she had to look at him, straight in the eye.
"You're not angry?" she asked.
"How can I be angry with you? I'm sure you don't mean what you've said and me neither." Ray pulled her gently towards him. "You don't, do you?" he asked softly.
Mariah shook her head weakly.
"Good, because I don't want to lose you."
His grips on her arms tightened as he bent to kiss her passionately. God, Ray hasn't kissed me like this since the first time we've kissed, she acknowledged with surprise. They ended up making love. Mariah's thoughts blurred as she laid there, in Ray's arms.
"Do you love me?" Ray whispered in her ears.
"Of course, I do," she whispered back trying to convince both Ray and herself.
Ray lost his job at the restaurant because he had stayed with her that day. So as he was gone trying to find a new one, Mariah went to Ramón's. She intended to tell him that it was impossible between them, but when she got there she found him overwhelmed with happiness because he had found two tickets for the Slipknot concert. She decided to leave it for next time. But she soon found out that the longer she kept it waiting, the harder it is for her to decide.
The outings with Ramón opened her eyes to a new world and gave her the opportunity to learn life outside the house. In the mean time, Ray needed her moral support and after all, he was her first love, the one who made her discover herself and where she belonged (they came from the same clan, so that makes them closer too). Thus, Mariah led a double life balancing between two lovers, not worrying much until...