A/N: Huge thanks to Deb24601 for posting chapters 3 and 4 while I was without internet access. She's a better writer than I am and y'all should check out her stories on her profile. I love her more than Eduardo.

aGirlaDroid takes my run on sentences and multiple clauses, ties them up, and makes them call her Mistress.

Chapter 5

She rolled onto her back and squinted in the early afternoon light shining through the window. Her outstretched arms met nothing but cool, soft sheets. "Eduardo?" she called. There was no answer. She sat up and looked around noticing his clothes were no longer on the floor. He wasn't there. She frowned and reached down to pick up the t-shirt she had worn. She had barely gotten it over her head when she heard keys jingle and the door opening.

"Oh, that is a sadness to cover up such magnificence," he teased, laughing when she rolled her eyes. Setting some paper bags on the table, he sat beside her on the edge of the bed and kissed her once, twice, three times, "Hi," he breathed.

She grinned, "Hi." For a few moments they were lost in each other's gaze, memories of the night's intimacy like a spell surrounding them. Eduardo broke through, turning to look at the table behind them.

"I brought some breakfast. I don't keep much food here. Most of us usually eat what is extra from the restaurants." While he unpacked the bags, she pulled on the boxers she had worn and sat across from him at the small table. Café con leche y tostados," he explained. He showed her the traditional way of dipping the tostado in the coffee, and they settled into a quiet meal. This was unusual, and she didn't like it. They had never lacked for conversation. She guessed that her impending departure later that day was to blame, and it made her heart feel heavy.

He stared at her and chewed on his lower lip for a moment before reaching across the table and taking her hand in his. "You do not have to go. Stay here. Stay with me. We can find a larger place to live. You will have time to do your writing whenever you want. We can be happy together." He paused, swallowing thickly and taking a shaky, deep breath. "Isabella, I am in love with you. You are a part of me that was missing, and I have only just found you. Please, do not leave." He implored her.

The desperate, pleading expression on his face seemed to squeeze her heart right into her throat. She grasped his hands tightly. "Oh, Eduardo," she rasped before she found her voice. "I do have to go. I have obligations, things I need to do. You must understand."

"NO!" He shouted, pulling away and standing abruptly. "I do not understand! How do you go back to him after being with me like that?" He gestured toward the bed. "After the time we have spent together," his hand fisted his shirt over his heart. "after the things we said to each other? You said you do not love him. How do you do this? Why?" Agitated, he began to pace around the room.

She stood and followed him, "No, it's not like that. I could never go back to him. I need to talk to him, to face him, Eduardo." She stepped into his path, stopping his movement, and reached up to take his face in her hands. "Listen to me. I need to tell him why I'm leaving him. Tell him that I will no longer let him control me, and that we both know our marriage has been over for a long time. I owe him that much. It's the right thing to do. Then I need to settle some things, file for divorce, sort out my finances, so I can come back to you a free woman."

"You will come back here?" He asked, surprised.

"Yes," she reassured him. "of course I will."

He seemed to relax a little. "When?"

She took his hands and threaded her fingers through his. "I don't know exactly, a month, maybe two? I'll call you every day. It will be all right."

He nodded and lowered his forehead to rest against hers. He spoke softly, "Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise. I promise I will come back to you as soon as I can." She paused, "Eduardo?" He pulled back to look at her. "I love you, too."

He smiled, relieved and happy, and wrapped his arms around her to hold her close.

Later that afternoon, they collected her things at the hotel, and he borrowed his friend Roberto's car to take her to the airport. They waited outside of the security checkpoint, holding each other until the last minute. They whispered assurances, sweet words, and plans for the future. He ran his fingers through her hair as he kissed her goodbye, memorizing the feel of it. Finally, it was time, and he watched her walk away.

Cafe con leche y tostados = Coffee with milk and toasted Cuban bread