Helen Liptak
“Bienvenido a Aeropuerto de Jerez.”
Excitement fizzed as the plane descended. This trip to Spain was a dream, but could reality measure up to memories? Nose against the glass like I was ten again, I recognized vineyards undulating over hills, silver-green olive trees, orange dotted citrus groves, and white towns flowing down hillsides like spilled sugar cubes.
Anxious to reconnect with old friends and older memories, I hurried to customs.
“Sofia!”
The voice from the waiting crowd didn’t match the face from college snapshots. Justin’s manbun was gone, his skin darker, his hair lighter, more outdoorsman than researcher.
“You made it.” He grinned and pulled me into a hug, a homecoming after five years apart. I stepped back to take in six feet of handsome.
“Who could turn down a reunion with an all-expense paid flight to my favorite place?” I hip-checked him, inhaling the aromas of Spain: olive trees, sherry casks, and the surprisingly attractive scent of the friend video chats didn’t do justice.
He nodded at my carry-on. “This all you got?”
“I pack light. I’ve gotten rid of a lot of baggage lately.”
Justin snorted, brown eyes crinkling. “Good. You were lugging around 180 pounds more man-trash than you needed.”
I swatted his shoulder. “Be nice. I’m trying not to be bitter.”
“I’ll be bitter for you.” He smiled but his eyes narrowed with anger at my former boyfriend.
Wow. It’d been a minute since anyone stood up for me.
“Thank you, Justin. For entering me in that contest, arranging tickets, picking me up, dissing Ralph. It’s good to have a champion.”
“Don Quixote at your service.” His smile widened as my laughter bubbled up.
“What about you? Any señoritas or other baggage?”
“You’re my baggage,” he teased. I think.
I swatted him again, buckling myself into the compact rental. “Everyone here but me?”
“Um,” Justin shot me a rueful grin. “I might have messed up the dates. They’ll be here Friday.”
I gaped. “Explain.”
“They had trouble getting time off. They’ll be here, though,” he added. “Hope that won’t make things weird.”
I shook my head. “We’ve been friends forever, right?”
“Yep. I’ll be your private chauffeur until they come.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Why did it feel like that changed our whole dynamic?
“We don’t dare go sherry tasting without them, so we’ll check out your old haunts first.”
I relaxed. There was so much I wanted to revisit. “Could we drive down to Gibraltar for the day?”
Justin agreed easily. “We’ll come back through Cadiz so you can remind me again about its 3,000-year history.”
“Wait, you remembered that?” He’d paid attention.
“Hard to forget the things that make your smile take over your face and light you up, Sofia.”
I grinned, turning to watch the countryside as he drove southwest.
“So you came here to test soil and map orange groves?”
He nodded. “You convinced me. Andalusia’s an agronomy major’s dream and a great place to live. I gotta say, you didn’t oversell it.”
We passed a familiar sign, and I grabbed his arm. “Did that say Fuentebravia?” I squealed as Justin nodded and pulled in beside a house like the one my family lived in for three years. A garden with yellow and red lantana, bougainvillea, and small geraniums called gitanillas—little gypsies—nestled around whitewashed walls.
“I was expecting a bachelor pad in town.”
“I live here alone, so, bachelor pad. Three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a nice garden, gardener included, for what an apartment in Jerez costs. Bonus: space for all my favorite people.”
“I’m one of your favorite people, huh?”
“The favorite-est.” His gaze slammed into mine, making me dizzy. Maybe that was jetlag. Unsettled, I looked away.
Justin unlocked the door into the marble entry. I remembered my brother’s yelp when his bare feet hit the frigid marble floor during our first winter.
“There’s that smile. This place gives you chills, doesn’t it?”
It was Justin’s appreciative grin giving me goosebumps, not the shock of cold marble. I was an idiot to date Ralph after college.
After putting away my clothes in the Ikea-looking chest of drawers and hanging up my dress in the guest bedroom, I was ready to relive my past, maybe even explore a future.
“I got some tapenade and Manchego if you want a snack,” Justin called up the stairs.
My favorite cheese lured me to the patio where Justin produced a Fanta Limón. “How can you remember every little thing I said I missed about this place?” I threw my arms around his neck.
“Friends remember. Besides, it’s just a soft drink.” He laughed, a warm satisfied sound.
“No. It’s summer and kindness and happy feelings.”
I settled at the table by the garden and sipped my drink before savoring the bread, cheese, and olives. Bliss. I tilted my face to the April sun, regretting I’d taken Justin for granted. “What did you mean when you said I’m your baggage?” Eyes closed, I waited.
“Sofia, don’t you know? You take up every inch of my heart.”
My eyes flew open. “What? Since when?”
“Since college. That’s why I stayed in touch after you started dating that moron, hoping you’d come to your senses.”
“You set this up, didn’t you? The plane fare, the others’ delay? What about your job?”
He cleared his throat. “I had frequent flyer miles. Your recommendation brought me to Andalucia.” Hesitating he added, “You’re too loyal to dump what’s-his-name, so I waited and planned.”
“You waited all this time?”
He nodded. “Give me a chance, Sofi.”
“Are the others really coming?”
“Of course. Everyone wants to see you.”
Overwhelmed at his patient thoughtfulness, I picked at the bottle’s label. “Okay, but what do we do until Friday?”
“Whatever you want. Until Friday or forever.”
I threaded my fingers through his. “Can I show you my memories and see what happens?”
“I insist.” Justin leaned over and kissed me softly. “But I want to make new ones, too.”
Connect with Helen on her website.
Spark Flash Fiction 