The Spanish Love Deception

On the flight to Spain, Aaron manages to upgrade them to First Class, where Lina eats a delicious chocolate cake. Aaron wipes chocolate off her cheek and puts it in his mouth—much to her delight.

Lina quizzes Aaron, making him repeat the names and dynamics of her family. She warns him about her inquisitive cousin, Charo, who has no filter. When the flight attendant tries to flirt with Aaron, he ignores her and orders drinks for himself and Lina. They decide what to call each other, as their English first names won’t suffice as terms of endearment. Aaron begins to call Lina “baby” (211); Lina calls him “osito” (212), which means “little bear” in Spanish.

Upon reaching Spain, Lina panics, deciding she cannot go through with the deception. Aaron senses her anxiety and puts his hands on her, calming her. He expresses, “You are not on your own anymore. It’s you and me now. We are in this together, and we’ve got this” (215).

Lina’s parents take Lina and Aaron to a two-bedroom apartment they own and rent out in the summer. Once Lina’s parents leave, Aaron starts to unpack. Lina stops him, explaining he is in the wrong bedroom. She takes him to the smaller bedroom with a twin size bed. Looking at his size, she realizes he cannot fit on the small bed. She says she will let him sleep in the big bed, while she sleeps in the small bed. When Aaron insists he can make the twin bed work, she defies him to try—and the bed collapses under his weight. While he lies on the bed, seemingly unable to get out, Lina’s cousin Charo shows up. She announces that she’s staying in the apartment with them. Aaron pulls Lina into the broken bed with him. She wiggles, trying to get up without success. Aaron picks her up, sets her on the floor, and easily gets out of the bed.

Lina and Aaron go into the larger bedroom and unpack. They debate whether or not to sleep in the bed together, finally deciding they must, as Charo could burst into the bedroom and recognize their deception if one of them sleeps on the floor. Lina tells Aaron that they must participate in bachelor and bachelorette activities, inadvertently expressing her opinion of him, saying he is “the closest thing to a freaking Greek god” (227).

Lina describes the small northern coastal town where she grew up. The groomsmen and bridesmaids gather for a series of games run by Gabi, another cousin. Aaron is clearly more athletic than anyone else and carries the men’s team on his shoulders.

During a break, Daniel. Lina’s former lover, arrives (as he is the brother of the groom Gonzalo). He embraces everyone until he finally gets to Lina and kisses her on both cheeks. She introduces him to Aaron. Daniel rudely addresses him as “the American boyfriend” (241), despite Aaron physically towering over him. Daniel is a 40-year-old college professor, making him 8-9 years older than Aaron. His fiancée is also a professor who will miss the wedding because of a last-minute work conflict.

The final event is a soccer game. The wrong shirts were ordered for the groom’s team, so Isabel instructs them to go shirtless. The men comply, and the women cheer. Aaron is the last to take off his shirt and leaves Lina speechless. He offers a warning as the game begins: “‘And remember,’ he called from a distance, ‘all is fair in love and war, bollito” (“cookie” or “sweet bun”) (250).

During the soccer game, Lina expresses surprise when the men and women end up tied with five minutes left. She has been distracted by Aaron’s bare chest. He compensates for his lack of knowledge about soccer with his athleticism.

As the match draws to a close, Lina sees the men huddle and make some changes. They move Aaron to the striker position, so he can move the ball down the field. Lina decides she is going to prevent him from scoring the winning goal against the goalie, Isabel. As Aaron makes his move, Lina rushes toward him and stumbles forward. She does not hit the ground because Aaron catches her in mid-air. Lina realizes he is running down the field, kicking the ball, and carrying her on his hip. Everyone in the wedding party pulls out cellphones to record Aaron scoring a goal while carrying a yelling Lina.

Lina pinches Aaron’s behind. He comes to a complete stop and rotates her body so their eyes meet. Astonished, he remarks that she pinched him, and she replies, “One hundred percent well deserved” (257). Daniel approaches to tell them that it is time to eat. When the boisterous moment ends, Lina convinces herself that Aaron’s playfulness is strictly an act.

That evening, the wedding party wanders through a series of bars. At one bar, Isabel presses Lina to tell the full story of how she and Aaron got together. Isabel then asks Aaron how they got together. Aaron tells her about his first day at work. Lina brought Aaron a gift, and he tried to exude professional distance—which ended up insulting her. He regretted it immediately and still regrets it. Everyone seems moved by Aaron’s sincerity. Isabel says, “You have no idea how happy this makes me. It’s the best wedding gift I could ever get” (270).

At another club, Aaron ends up holding Lina tightly against him. As they are about to kiss, Isabel grabs Lina, dragging her to the center of the bar to dance to a familiar song. Patrons make a circle around the sisters, and the bridesmaids join them in the dance. Aaron watches Lina dance with obvious joy.

Lina wanders out of the bar to get some air, and Aaron joins her. She asks him to explain why he quit playing football (despite being a rising football star in college). A reluctant Aaron says he became the perfect football player for his father, who was his coach. He finished his college career one year after his mother died, during which he and his father became estranged. He realized he was not happy playing football. Lina asks Aaron if he is happy now, and he replies that he’s not—but is working toward happiness.

At 5am, an exhausted Lina and Aaron return to the apartment to sleep. Lina mentally reviews everything Aaron told her about his life—before considering the two of them sleeping in the same bed. Since they are adults, she decides they will be able to do so without issues. Aaron changes into sleep pants while Lina changes into a t-shirt and shorts; neither of them speaks. Then, Aaron holds her, pressing her against a wardrobe. Lina yearns to consummate their relationship. She says he’s not the one she doesn’t trust—it is herself, because she wants him. She asks him, “Is this...still pretending” (293). Aaron replies that she can call it pretending if she wants to.

Just as Aaron is about to kiss Lina, they hear a banging noise from somewhere else in the apartment. Aaron says he’s glad he didn’t kiss her because when he does, “[...] there won’t be any doubt in your mind that it is real” (298).

Lina wakes with Aaron’s arm around her, and she sneaks to the kitchen. She encounters Charo, who immediately asks her what happened the previous night. As Lina searches for coffee, Charo explains she already made some and asks her to get Aaron. As they talk, Aaron comes out of the bedroom. Charo peppers him with questions.

Charo’s mother, Lina’s Aunt Carmen, arrives. She introduces herself and asks a question in Spanish that Charo translates into English: “Aaron, what are your intentions with Lina. You are not just fooling around, are you” (310). Charo continues, asking if he intends to marry Lina and have children. Aaron replies that he has long wanted to get married and have many children and dogs. Lina jokes that they will get many dogs so they won’t have to raise children. The doorbell rings again, announcing the arrival of Lina’s mother and abuela (grandmother). Seeing her mother and grandmother, Lina feels something inside her fall into place. She regrets that her relationship with Aaron is performative, and that he isn’t truly in love with her.

The chapter begins with a banquet involving the wedding party. Inevitably, the conversation turns to Lina and Aaron’s relationship. Lina’s father discusses her hardship without mentioning Daniel. Isabel senses that Lina wants to change the subject and reminds everyone that she is the bride and the conversation should be focused on her.

Lina walks to the restroom. Returning, she encounters Daniel. He apologizes for the way their relationship ended. She replies that she doesn’t want to discuss it. Daniel assumes Lina isn’t completely happy and says he now regards her as a younger sister. He makes patronizing remarks, causing Lina to express the anger she never voiced. As she speaks, her grandmother appears and takes her by the arm, leading her back to the table. Lina’s grandmother tells her that Aaron looks like a lost puppy without her, constantly looking for her and wondering where she is. Lina and Aaron hold hands out of everyone’s sight, and she realizes his touch is sincere.

Later, in the apartment bedroom, Lina obsesses over her conversation with Daniel. Recognizing this, Aaron makes her sit between his legs on the bed and tell him the story of her past relationship. Lina explains that she had been Daniel’s student; they started dating after they were no longer student and teacher. However, rumors circulated that she had gotten such good grades because she slept with him. These cruel comments caused her to break off many relationships and delete her social media posts. When Lina graduated, she entered a master’s program in New York and left Spain.

Aaron comments, “…I know that even if something did break you—because that’s life and no one is invincible—you’d still put the pieces back together and remain the brightest thing I’d ever seen” (337).