#PROVACTIVE | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tightjeansjavi · 1 year

Text

Cigarettes & Feelings | Part 3 | Javi Pena x f! Reader

“you got me stumbling; you never give me a break”

A/N: I am so pleased with how this chapter turned out. I sat on it for awhile and didn’t want to force myself to write when I wasn’t feeling the motivation. I appreciate your patience ♡

~word count: 4.2k~

Summary: Javi shows you that beneath his playboy exterior, he’s just a man that left everything he knew behind to pursue a new life.

Warnings: some angst from both Javi and the reader, flirting, banter, a truce is made, Javi and the reader actually connect, mentions of alcohol and smoking cigarettes, late night talking, Javi opens up about his past, the reader sees him in a new light, some sexual tension/pining in the beginning, Javi acts as true gentleman, light fluff, no age gap, reader has no physical descriptions but is from the states, pet names used: cariño and hermosa +18 minors dni!

Bogotá, Colombia 1988

You felt flustered under the DEA agent's gaze. The night air was balmy, and his distinct fragrant cologne was wrapped around your senses like a snake. Twisting, squeezing, spinning your brain like a brightly lit merry-go-round.

Javier smelled like sex. Not the grimy kind. He smelled of leather, cigarette smoke, and faintly of women’s perfume. A combination that you should be turning your nose up at, yet here you were feeling your resolve slowly begin to crumble.

“Are you trying to flirt with me, Javier?” You boldly asked.

Javi raised a brow in your direction, lips curving up into a small smirk. One that sent your stomach into a fury of butterflies. There was something so slick about the way he smirked. Something underlying with brandished provactism. Javier was expertly practiced in the art of flirting. He was a man nonetheless, and your boldness caught him off guard.

“Is a man not allowed to tell a woman that he thinks she’s beautiful without there being an underlying reason behind it?” His tone was casual, even keeled as he hid the twinge of trepidation building in the pit of his stomach. “I think you’re beautiful, and it would almost be cruel for me to not be honest with you, querida.”

Your mouth fell open as you processed his words and the sincerity behind them. On the surface level you felt like a cornered mouse about to become the street cats next lunch. On the inside? You were struggling to keep the heat pooling in your tummy at bay. You didn’t want to boost the agent’s ego by confessing that you think he’s attractive as well. No, you were going to hold up your defenses for as long as you could muster it.

“Well, thank you Javi. I’m simply gushing that you think I’m beautiful.” You teased.

Well, there goes that plan of not boosting his ego..whoops. Better luck next time!

Javi cocked his head to the side as he tried to decipher if you were just messing with him or if his words truly did have that effect on you. You were frustrating to read, and even more-so now than ever. “Shall we..head out?” He gestured to his car in the awaiting parking lot below. I need a fucking drink. He silently thought to himself.

The next thing you did was surely going to melt and rot away the DEA agent’s already fragile state of mind. You had ever-so innocently plucked the burning cigarette from between his lips and placed the unlit end between your own. You took a long drag, blowing the smoke off to the side as his jaw went slack at your actions. “I never took you for the smoking type. I would have offered you one earlier if that was the case.” He casually stated as he watched the way your lips effortlessly wrapped around the tip of the cigarette. He found himself transfixed by the way the smoke billowed around your head like a misty halo. Your lips were lightly stained with lipgloss, and he found himself pondering if the flavor would taste like cherry, strawberry, or perhaps some other fruit. They were glistening under the street lights, like glazed sugary sweets. Delectable and melting on one’s taste buds.

“I only smoke on rare occasions or in a social setting. There’s a lot of things you would never take me for, Javier.” You took one more drag before placing the cigarette back between his lips. Cherry. That’s what your lipgloss consisted of. He found himself already pining for a proper taste.

Javi knew right then and there that he had to play his cards right. He didn’t want to jump the gun and assume that you were flirting with him, but at the same time he was absolutely hoping that you were. “So, what kind of cigarettes does a woman of your stature prefer to smoke?” He asked casually.

“A woman of my stature? That’s an interesting way of phrasing it Peña. If you must know..I quite enjoy the flavor of Marlboro Reds.”

Javi brushed the tip of his thumb across the bridge of his nose. A habit he would display when he was feeling particularly flustered in a situation. Although he wouldn’t admit it, your quick snap backs and confidence had his brain reeling. He cleared his throat as he gestured to the staircase leading down to the parking lot. “Shall we?”

You stared back at the DEA agent with your brow quirked suggestively. What happened to suave Javier Peña? Perhaps you had pacified that part of himself momentarily. Javier stared right back at you, almost in a challenging stance. Neither of you blinked as the tension seemingly simmered hotly through the close proximity you shared.

“Lead the way, Peña.” You said amusedly.

Javi finished off what was left of his cigarette as he flicked the end over the railing. You were graced with another whiff of his cologne as he breezed past you, footsteps heavy along the metal railing. He was already at his car by the time you finished locking your front door and meeting him in the parking lot.

Stolen glances were shared when he held open the passenger door for you like a true gentleman. Small talk was exchanged on the short drive to the local bar. Javi couldn’t help but wonder if tonight would finally be the night that he would break through your hard exterior shell.

His hand was gingerly resting along the small of your back as he walked alongside you. This was a safer part of town, but he always erred on the side of caution. He felt the goose flesh raise along your exposed skin where his warm palm was placed. His fingertips were just light toying with one of the straps on your dress. He half expected you to swat his hand away and scold him. However, he was pleasantly surprised that you did quite the opposite. You neither leaned into his touch or shied away.

To say that Steve was surprised to see you and Peña walking into the bar together was an understatement. His jaw literally dropped to the goddamn floor and Connie had to pick it up for him. Javi was already giving him the “don’t say anything please” look with just his eyes alone.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” Steve raised his bottle of beer in yours and Javi’s direction. “We were beginning to think that you were going to be a no show, Jav.” He grinned at him over the rim of his beer.

Javier offered to let you slide into the booth first, following you shortly after as he shrugged his signature leather jacket off, revealing another one of his many too tight to breathe shirts. This one was purple, and he looked goddamn handsome in it. “Sorry, got caught up doing some paperwork back at the office, and wanted to invite the newbie out for some drinks.” He shot you a subtle wink.

“Oh? So that’s what I am? The newbie?” You fought the urge to roll your eyes when he had winked at you. “I’ve been here for well over a month now, Javi.” You let out a faux sigh of disappointment and usually Javier would have a quick comeback, but he was determined to be in your good graces.

“Cariño, c’mon. You know I’m just kidding, right? Besides, I meant it more as a term of endearment? Yeah..that’s how I meant for it to come across.”

You gave the DEA agent a playful shove to the shoulder, your eyes light and teasing. “Oh, I know that’s how you meant it. I was just looking for an excuse to give you shit.”

“Ohh ha ha ha. Very funny, you really got me there missy.” He softly chuckled.

“I’m just shocked to see you both here in one piece. How the hell did you not end up ripping his head off?” Steve asked with a raise of his brow.

“Javier actually isn’t terrible company, when he’s not putting all his energy into flirting with me. I actually was pretty surprised when he asked me out for drinks without any ulterior motives.”

“I told you I really am not all that terrible of a guy, once you give me a chance. I’ll take this as a truce?” Javier outstretched his hand towards you with a gentle smile.

You eyed his gesture suspiciously before ultimately offering him your hand. Much to Steve’s disbelief, you and Javi firmly shook hands.

“It’s a truce, Peña.”

You and Javi had hardly touched your beers that stood next to one another on the table. The bottles had been sitting there long enough that condensation began to form along outside. It wasn’t that either of you weren’t in a mood for drinking, it was just that you and Javi were fully immersed in a conversation. He was sitting close enough to you in the booth that his knee was lightly brushing yours, and his arm was outstretched along the backside of the worn leather. His fingers were close enough that they could have easily brushed against the exposed skin of your shoulder, but he refrained; Javier was a gentleman of course.

“So, what made you want to fly all the way out to Bogotá? Was it your first option of choice or did you have a list of places to choose from?”Javier asked with a piqued, genuine curiosity about you and your life.

“I originally wanted to go to Italy and live on the Amafli coast with my rich husband that I have yet to meet..although, I bet he’s still out there and waiting to whisk me away on his Vespa.” You sighed dreamily. “I had always wanted to go to South America because of the rich and colorful culture, and I had a few friends that have made the trip as well and they all recommended it.”

Javier was listening to every word that passed your lips with intent. His gaze gently rested along your eyes and he thought it particularly cute that one of your main mannerisms when talking was that you used your hands to emphasize your words. Your facial emotions had a depth of range, and when you were passionate about something anyone in the room could easily depict it.

“The Amalfi coast, huh? Italy is very beautiful, and I’m sure you’d have no problem getting swept off your feet by some rich Italian hunk. I think you’ll find that Colombia has so much to offer, and you’re right about the rich and colorful culture here. It’s everywhere you look. Y’know, if you’re looking for a professional tour guide, I’d happily be your man.”

“I actually might have to take you up on that offer but don’t let it go to your head all at once, okay? I would hate to miss out on an opportunity to experience all that Colombia has to offer. What about you Javier? Was Bogotá your first choice?”

“I promise I’ll be the utmost professional. I would hate for you to get sucked into any of the tourist traps around here either. If I’m being honest with you, I outgrew Texas and needed a change desperately. You know that feeling of being trapped and living in a routine that is doing more harm than good? That’s what was beginning to happen to me. Anyway, in ‘79 I got my bachelors degree in sociology, and when the opportunity arose for me to leave Texas, I took it without looking back.”

You had not expected Javier to open up to you in this manner at all. It made you feel slightly guilty for creating a predisposition on who he was at the core. You were beginning to understand that you and Javi had a lot more in common than you would have ever thought. “It’s admirable that you recognized that in order to be happy, you needed to make a drastic change. I wish I had taken the leap sooner because for months I was weighing out the pros and cons to leave the states. The pros eventually weighed out the cons, and I’m happy I made the choices I did.”

“It was..tough to say the least. I pictured my life turning out completely different, and maybe then I still would have been happy, but those what ‘if’s’ had just started to fucking eat me alive. I was losing sleep and myself through the process. I left a lot behind in Laredo, including..” he paused as he stroked his thumb across his mustache in contemplation over whether or not he should continue.

You could tell from his body language alone that whatever he was having an internal battle over was something deep and personal. You didn’t want him to feel like he needed to share all of his secrets in one go. So you hesitantly reached your hand out and gently placed it along his covered knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“You don’t have to disclose anything that you don’t want to, Javi. Okay?” You softly reassured him.

Javi’s eyes briefly glanced down at where your hand was presently purchased around his knee. Normally he wasn’t comfortable with any form of PDA but he could tell your intent was genuine, and for that sole reason he deeply appreciated it. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you..it’s just that you might look at me differently than you do right now. We all have skeletons in our closet though right? Mine just happened to be leaving my fiancée at the altar on the day of our wedding. If I was going to change my life, I had to let go of the people I loved the most. I did it for her own good because I don’t think she would have been happy with me for long. She’s married to a stockbroker from Dallas and from what I have heard from friends back home, is that she’s really happy. I’m happy for her. She’s a good woman and perhaps if I wasn’t so flighty, I’d be married to her now.”

You felt your mouth suddenly feel dry at Javier’s confession. You couldn’t even begin to imagine how devastating it was for both him and his fiancée. Despite this, you could also understand why Javi did what he did. You couldn’t really blame him for making the decision to leave his old life behind entirely.

“I promise you that I hold no judgment over your past, Javier. I can understand why you made the choices that you did and it sounds like it all ended up working out for the better. I hope that you were able to heal from that experience because I can’t imagine the feelings you experienced when you realized that you had to leave her behind. You're right about everyone having skeletons in their closet. I think that’s what makes human beings Innately human is the fact that we all have lived experiences, and some of those experiences may in fact be shared. You’re a brave man for letting her go because you knew she deserved better. I don’t know many people that can honestly say that.”

Javi swallowed the lump that he didn’t realize was actively growing in his throat. You were wise beyond your years and the way you spoke to him in such a genuine tone had him feeling connected with you on a deeper level. It had been years since he had ever wanted to dip his toe into getting to know someone again, but he was secretly hoping that he would get to experience it with you.

“I appreciate you not holding it against me. I know it’s a large ball to drop on someone that you’ve only just started to become friendly with, but I figured that you weren’t the type to fault someone for their raw honesty.” He placed his hand gently over yours and neither you or Javi had noticed that Steve and Connie hadn’t been sitting at the booth for at least an hour. They had quietly left the bar when they realized that you and Javi were deep in conversation and they wanted to give you both all the privacy.

“Please feel free to tell me if I’m being too straightforward, and I promise that I’m not trying to make a move on you, but you mentioned wanting to experience Colombia’s culture and that includes the cuisine. There’s this really amazing empanada place not too far from here that’s open into the early morning hours. It’s my favorite joint around here, and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to get a late night bite with me? I’m genuinely enjoying my time with you, and I don’t want it to end.” Javi was unsure where his sudden confidence boost sprouted up from, but he had a sneaking suspicion it was due to his last conversation with Catalina and treating you with the utmost respect as a person.

You had half the mind to want to reach out and press the back of your hand against Javi’s forehead to check his temperature because this was not the Javier Peña that you had grown accustomed to. “I’m always in for a late night bite, and you had me at Empanadas.” You were already reaching for your purse just as Javi had placed down a few bills onto the table.

“It’s on me, cariño. I guess Steve and Connie slipped out when we were deep in conversation. I thought they were sitting there the entire time.” He remarked as he pulled out his pack of smokes and placed a cigarette between his lips before he casually slipped out of the booth and stood off to the side so you would have room.

“Thank you, Javi. I don’t remember them leaving either. What time is it anyway?” You slung your purse over your shoulder as you slipped out of the booth with ease.

“It’s a quarter to one.” He gestured to the wall clock above the bar as he lit his cigarette and slipped the lighter back into his pocket.

The late night air outside the bar was balmy and the nightlife was still present as you and Javi strolled down the street. “So, how did you find this empanada place? Did you just happen to stumble upon it or…?” You were walking alongside each other, one arm casted at your sides.

“I was drunk and absolutely starving.” He responded with a light chuckle as he blew the cigarette smoke off to the side so it wouldn’t billow around yours or his face. “It was my first weekend here actually and I stumbled out of the club and found this little slice of heaven. It was the best goddamn empanada I had ever had.”

“I could have guessed that you were drunk.” You softly giggled. “Well, I am fully expecting these to be the best goddamn empanadas that I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.” You looked over at him with a small grin.

What Javi really wanted to say was that you were cute; he opted to playfully wiggling his brows instead. “I think I can definitely handle that hermosa.”

Fresh empanadas in hand, you and Javier found a nearby park bench that neither of you knew it yet, but this specific bench was going to hold a sentimental meaning for both of you in the coming months.

The first bite was heavenly along your tastebuds. You had experienced your fair share of delicious food in your lifetime, but this empanada was on a whole other level.

“This is fucking delicious.” You mumbled between bites as your back comfortably rested against the parkbench. “You were not joking when you said that these were the best empanadas you had ever had.”

Javi has taken a few bites of his own as he eagerly watched for your reaction. “I don’t lie about stuff like that cariño. I take my food spots very seriously.” He stated with a chuckle as his hand that wasn’t holding the empanada was gently resting along the edge of the bench, fingers lightly brushing across the exposed skin along your shoulder.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what other places you are planning on showing me Javi.”

A comfortable silence washed over the two of you as you finished off your late night snacks. Javi was the one to break it in the end.

“Before you decided to take the leap and move to Colombia, did you have any dreams that you wanted to fulfill back home?”

You looked over at him feeling the heat of his body so close to yours with your knees brushing and the sound of crickets chirping in the background. “Oh, yes..I had many dreams before I left home. The biggest one was that I wanted to pursue writing in hopes to become a published author. I actually also got my bachelors in sociology, but I minored in English as well. Writing has always been something that I genuinely have enjoyed, but unfortunately it doesn’t pay the bills.”

“You were a sociology major as well? No wonder we get along so well.” He playfully teased. “What is your favorite genre to write? I’m sure if you still had the desire to, you could put some time aside to write a book.”

“Yeah I actually started off as a psychology major but the courses were so pointed at the patients and not the outside factors. Not to mention all the fucked up experiments that went on..like the Stanford Prison experiment that happened in ‘71? Or the Learned Helplessness experiment in ‘65? That’s just to name a few. Anyway, I’ve dabbled in writing just about anything you can imagine. Romance, mystery’s, life experiences, you name it, I’ve written it. I would love to write a book someday.”

Javi turned his nose up at the psychology experiments that you had listed. He agreed that they were certainly barbaric in nature and he completely understood why you switched majors. “I do remember questioning the morals and ethics behind those two experiments when they came out, and I can understand why you were disturbed by it. I think any morally sound person would find situations like that to be disturbing to visualize. If you ever do end up writing a book, I’ll be sure to pick up a copy and be the first person in line at your book signings.” he expressed with a tender smile.

You weren’t sure if it was the glow from the overhead streetlight highlighting the DEA’s features in a certain softness, or if it was the ambience delivered from the chirping crickets, or the way that Javier showed genuine interest in having a late night conversation with on this very park bench. One thing was for certain, something had shifted inside of you positively and you wanted to nurture that feeling.

“Javi, I think this is the longest that you and I have had an actual conversation that didn’t involve you trying to get into my pants. Listen, I know that you and I got off on the wrong foot from the moment I met you, but I’m genuinely having a really nice time with you right now.” Your soft admittance had the DEA agent feeling slightly flustered under your gaze.

“Really? You’re not just saying that to be nice or anything, right? I genuinely have had a really wonderful evening with you hermosa. It’s been a long time since I have connected with a woman like this. I just want you to know that I have no ulterior motives for asking you out for a late night bite. I really would love to get to know you, and I know that I let my ego get ahead of me in the beginning. I’m more than appreciative that you have given me what I feel is to be a second chance? I won’t deny that I find you to be incredibly attractive, but there’s more to you than what meets the eye..”

“No, I’m not just saying it to be nice or to inflate your ego or anything like that. My words are genuine and if I didn’t want to be here right now, I most certainly wouldn’t be. All night you have shown me a different side of yourself, and I hope that I get to see more of you, Peña.”

Neither of you had realized that your bodies were naturally gravitating towards one another as Javi’s thumb and forefinger gently came to rest along the cleft of your chin.

“Can I kiss you, please?” He whispered through the balmy air that blanketed you in a humid embrace.

“Yes, you can, Javi.” You murmured in response.

The tip of Javi’s thumb lightly brushed across your lower lip as he leaned in. His eyes flickered down to your own as he replaced his thumb with his lips pressing to yours. It was a slow, gentle kiss that had you feeling breathless the second his lips touched yours. Javi’s kisses were delicate and sincere, with a slight edge of something deeper as his hand cradled your jaw. Your lips moved in sync as the crickets chirped and the stars above twinkled. He only deepened the kiss when you leaned in closer, grasping the collar of his shirt as his tongue swiped along your lower lip with practiced ease.

You tasted just like he imagined; cherry lip gloss with a hint of cigarette smoke that lingered on your tongue.

Tag List: @chaotic-mystery @darkroastjoel @userpedros @pedrospartner @korynnekorynne @kirsteng42 @yazsos @last-girl @amanitacowboy @lovers-liability @tinygarbage @777-wonders @dinsdjrn @myrealmofchaos @loquaciousferret @pedrostories @axshadows @dev1lm4n @cavillscurls @thetriumphantpanda @sinsofsummers @cupofjoel @morning-star-joy @soaringcloud @casa-boiardi @pattwtf @marvel-nerd-girl

166 notes · View notes