bachelorette party!”
The girls made aahs and oohs and yeahs, drawing the guys’ attention.
“Did I hear something about a bachelorette party?” Garrett asked from the dining table.
“Maybe,” Bia said, batting her eyelashes.
“Speaking of which, we have to plan yours too, huh,” Gui said, slapping Leo’s back.
“We also have to talk about your dresses,” Hannah said.
“Did you invite anyone else to be your bridesmaids, or is it just the four of us?” Lauren asked.
“Don’t forget about Gabi,” Bia said.
“Oh yeah.” Lauren nodded. “She’s rarely here so I keep forgetting.”
Hannah nudged me with her elbow and raised her voice to be heard. “I guess it’ll be just you guys. Or maybe Gui will fall in love with a girl soon, and we’ll include her in our little group.”
Gui huffed. “Yeah, right.”
“Gui falling in love?” Pedro started. “That’ll happen when hell freezes over.”
Everyone chuckled.
“Or when Victoria’s Secret sells granny panties,” Bia said.
More laughs.
“Or when it rains pocketknives,” Leo said. The Brazilians laughed, but the Americans stared at him. He shook his head. “It’s a Brazilian thing.”
We talked a little more about the dresses and the bachelorette party—it was all too early to decide anything—and ate some appetizers.
Finally, the guys turned off the video game and put on some music videos. Much better for what was supposed to be a fun get-together.
Hannah went to sit on the couch with Leo, and Lauren with Ri. Bia went to sit at the table with Garrett, and Iris went to the balcony with Pedro. Gui stood from his seat on the couch, made disgusted faces at the couples, and came to the kitchen. He took a beer from the fridge and sat on the stool where his cousin was seated before.
“We both always hold candles to these guys,” Gui said.
I frowned. “Hold candles?”
“Oh yeah, the expression is different here, isn’t it? In Brazil when we say someone is holding a candle, it is the same as saying you’re a third wheel here.”
“Oh, okay, now it makes sense.” I glanced around. Sometimes these parties did feel like make-out sessions. “Yeah. We are the third wheels here.” I picked a chip between my fingers, but didn’t eat it. “You could solve that, couldn’t you? Just play eeny-meeny-miny-mo with your phone’s contact list and pick some girl,” I teased.
“Ha, funny.” His forehead wrinkled, and then he stared at me. “How about you? Don’t guys line up to ask you out?”
I frowned, trying to decipher what he was implying, but it was always impossible with him. “I don’t think so.” My voice came out much softer than I intended. Then, for some reason, I became self-conscious and my only wish was to crawl under the table.
Gui kept staring at me, his deep blue eyes keeping me prisoner. “Are you okay? I mean, after that day—”
“I’m fine,” I said, interrupting whatever he was going to say next. “I’m … gonna be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Easier said than done,” he muttered so low that I wasn’t sure I heard him right.
“How’s Gabi?” I asked. “I have barely talked to her since the last time she came to visit.”
“She’s fine,” he said, then shook his head. “I mean, she’s okay, but you know she wants to find a way to move here.”
I nodded, knowing about the drama. The guys had a visa because of their abilities in sports. Even though Gabi also played polo and was good at it, the women’s division in Brazil was too small to be considered extraordinary, and at the moment, there weren’t any clubs here that were interested in bringing foreigners to play for them—especially because most of them didn’t have any women’s team. Therefore, she couldn’t apply for the same visa, and she couldn’t apply as Gui’s dependent. Right now, there was no way for her to come live here legally—other than a student visa. And that wasn’t what she wanted.
“Maybe
The girls made aahs and oohs and yeahs, drawing the guys’ attention.
“Did I hear something about a bachelorette party?” Garrett asked from the dining table.
“Maybe,” Bia said, batting her eyelashes.
“Speaking of which, we have to plan yours too, huh,” Gui said, slapping Leo’s back.
“We also have to talk about your dresses,” Hannah said.
“Did you invite anyone else to be your bridesmaids, or is it just the four of us?” Lauren asked.
“Don’t forget about Gabi,” Bia said.
“Oh yeah.” Lauren nodded. “She’s rarely here so I keep forgetting.”
Hannah nudged me with her elbow and raised her voice to be heard. “I guess it’ll be just you guys. Or maybe Gui will fall in love with a girl soon, and we’ll include her in our little group.”
Gui huffed. “Yeah, right.”
“Gui falling in love?” Pedro started. “That’ll happen when hell freezes over.”
Everyone chuckled.
“Or when Victoria’s Secret sells granny panties,” Bia said.
More laughs.
“Or when it rains pocketknives,” Leo said. The Brazilians laughed, but the Americans stared at him. He shook his head. “It’s a Brazilian thing.”
We talked a little more about the dresses and the bachelorette party—it was all too early to decide anything—and ate some appetizers.
Finally, the guys turned off the video game and put on some music videos. Much better for what was supposed to be a fun get-together.
Hannah went to sit on the couch with Leo, and Lauren with Ri. Bia went to sit at the table with Garrett, and Iris went to the balcony with Pedro. Gui stood from his seat on the couch, made disgusted faces at the couples, and came to the kitchen. He took a beer from the fridge and sat on the stool where his cousin was seated before.
“We both always hold candles to these guys,” Gui said.
I frowned. “Hold candles?”
“Oh yeah, the expression is different here, isn’t it? In Brazil when we say someone is holding a candle, it is the same as saying you’re a third wheel here.”
“Oh, okay, now it makes sense.” I glanced around. Sometimes these parties did feel like make-out sessions. “Yeah. We are the third wheels here.” I picked a chip between my fingers, but didn’t eat it. “You could solve that, couldn’t you? Just play eeny-meeny-miny-mo with your phone’s contact list and pick some girl,” I teased.
“Ha, funny.” His forehead wrinkled, and then he stared at me. “How about you? Don’t guys line up to ask you out?”
I frowned, trying to decipher what he was implying, but it was always impossible with him. “I don’t think so.” My voice came out much softer than I intended. Then, for some reason, I became self-conscious and my only wish was to crawl under the table.
Gui kept staring at me, his deep blue eyes keeping me prisoner. “Are you okay? I mean, after that day—”
“I’m fine,” I said, interrupting whatever he was going to say next. “I’m … gonna be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Easier said than done,” he muttered so low that I wasn’t sure I heard him right.
“How’s Gabi?” I asked. “I have barely talked to her since the last time she came to visit.”
“She’s fine,” he said, then shook his head. “I mean, she’s okay, but you know she wants to find a way to move here.”
I nodded, knowing about the drama. The guys had a visa because of their abilities in sports. Even though Gabi also played polo and was good at it, the women’s division in Brazil was too small to be considered extraordinary, and at the moment, there weren’t any clubs here that were interested in bringing foreigners to play for them—especially because most of them didn’t have any women’s team. Therefore, she couldn’t apply for the same visa, and she couldn’t apply as Gui’s dependent. Right now, there was no way for her to come live here legally—other than a student visa. And that wasn’t what she wanted.
“Maybe
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