Nothing in This World Can Compare to You

A couple of weeks into June I was heading to my office to dump my stuff before going out to grab lunch with Dan.

“That new guy’s really good, isn’t he?” Dan chuckled, locking his camera in his desk drawer.

“Yeah, he’s gonna be great for the company,” I nodded.

“Have you told Nate about Ricardo?” Dan asked.

“What do you mean?” I frowned.

“You know what I mean...I’ve seen the way Ricardo looks at you, and I remember the way you looked at him when he first arrived,” Dan reminded me.

“There’s nothing to tell Nate, so no, I haven’t,” I shrugged.

“Alright, just be careful,” Dan sighed.

I locked my camera in my desk drawer and grabbed my wallet, shoving it into my jeans pocket along with my sidekick. Then three knocks sounded on the open door, and I looked up the same time Dan did. My mom stood in the doorway with Ricardo behind her.

“Hey guys, I know you’re off to lunch now, but would it be alright if Ricardo came with you? He’s a little shy about asking and he doesn’t know many people yet. I know how good you two are,” my mom asked, a hopeful smile on her lips.

I looked at Dan. He shrugged. So I nodded.

“Sure,” I replied.

My mom beamed, as did Ricardo.

“Wonderful! I’ll leave you three alone then!” my mom said happily.

She walked back down the corridor, and Ricardo stayed in the doorway.

“We’re just going down to a little café down the road,” Dan explained as we left the office.

“Okay, sounds good. I’m starving,” Ricardo smiled.

I’m still amazed at how good his English is. The three of us chatted about simple things as we left the building and walked down the road, stopping outside a little café like we said we would. We sat down on a small table outside, and waited for a waiter to come over to us.

“Good afternoon. Will you be ordering food?” the waiter asked.

“Yeah, we will be. Uh, I’ll have the egg and cress baguette and a large cappuccino,” Dan replied.

“I’ll have a ham and cheese toasted sandwich, and a large mocha,” I nodded.

“Uh...the bacon and brie Panini, and a double shot latte,” Ricardo read.

The waiter nodded and walked away.

“So how are you finding America so far?” I asked Ricardo.

“I like it here. Everyone’s so friendly and I’m having a lot of fun. Your madre has been really good to me,” Ricardo said warmly.

“You finding the language okay?” Dan asked.

“I guess so. I mean, I don’t understand a lot of the slang, but I’m learning. It’s not too bad,” Ricardo laughed.

“It must be hard being away from your family,” I commented.

“It’s only my padre and me, but I do miss him. We talk a lot on the phone though, so that helps,” Ricardo smiled weakly.

I couldn’t live in a foreign country all on my own. I wouldn’t be able to cope being away from anyone. The waiter arrived not long after that and laid out all the food and drinks before walking away again.

“To Darla Designs,” Ricardo toasted.

“To Darla Designs,” Dan and I laughed.

*

[30 minutes later]

We’d just finished our food, when Dan’s cellphone went off. He read the text and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Melissa on front desk can’t read my handwriting and she’s trying to sort through paperwork,” Dan muttered.

“You have to go back?” Ricardo asked.

“Yeah. We’ve still got another half hour of lunch though, so you two might as well enjoy the good weather,” Dan nodded.

He put a $10 note on the table to pay for his food before leaving. Ooo-kay, this could be awkward, just me and Ricardo.

“You are good friends with Dan?” Ricardo asked, smiling.

“Yeah, we’ve worked together for two years now. But my best friend Jennifer works at Darla too – we’ve been best friends for 15 years. You’ve met her, haven’t you?” I nodded.

“The one you call Misty?” Ricardo asked.

“Yeah, she’s not a fan of her real name,” I laughed.

“You have a nice laugh,” Ricardo smiled.

“Uh, thanks,” I said awkwardly.

“Sorry, I say things without thinking sometimes,” Ricardo apologised, looking embarrassed.

“It’s okay, my friend Dylan does too. I’m used to random comments,” I smiled.

At least he wasn’t knowingly flirting. That would never be good.

“So do you have a girlfriend?” Ricardo asked curiously.

“No, but I have a boyfriend,” I replied simply.

Ricardo looked shocked for a second, before smiling.

“He’s a lucky man. How long have you been together?” Ricardo asked.

“We dated for 6 months in Senior year, then we went on a break, and now it’s been nearly 5 years,” I replied happily.

“5 years? Wow, that’s a long time,” Ricardo laughed.

“Yeah, it is a long time. But it’s nice to wake up in the mornings with someone I love next to me,” I chuckled.

“I wouldn’t know what that’s like,” Ricardo shrugged.

“You don’t?” I frowned.

“I’ve had my heartbroken by a lot of women,” Ricardo sighed dramatically.

I laughed at the twinkle in his eyes, making him laugh too. I was still laughing until I noticed Nate walking towards us, an annoyed look on his face. Oh dear.

“Hey baby,” Nate said sickly-sweet, pecking my lips as he sat down in Dan’s chair.

“Nate, this is Ricardo, the new model my mom brought back from Italy. Ricardo, this is my boyfriend Nate,” I introduced nervously.

I say nervously because I know how territorial Nate gets.

“Ah, Ashley was just talking about you,” Ricardo smiled, extending his hand.

I dug my heel into Nate’s foot until he shook Ricardo’s hand.

“I thought you were working today?” I asked softly.

“I was, but I thought I’d surprise you and meet you for lunch. Dan said you’d be here. I didn’t know you weren’t alone though,” Nate replied simply.

“Mm, Dan was with Ricardo and I, but he had to sort out some paperwork. My mom asked us if we’d have lunch with Ricardo because he doesn’t know many people yet,” I explained, smiling at Ricardo.

Ricardo smiled back.

“Well I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll see you at home, Ash,” Nate grunted.

I sighed as he walked away, Ricardo just looking at me strangely.

“Is your boyfriend always so angry?” Ricardo frowned.

“Most of the time. But he’s a nice guy once you get past that. Anger is his defensive front,” I explained.

“Defensive? Why?” Ricardo asked, confused.

“I don’t know,” I sighed.

I really don’t.