Page 46 of Love Bites
The bitch.
The thought filled Rosa with guilt.
She liked Katheryn, admired her, had considered her a friend. Now Rosa was forced to watch the foreigner steal away her happiness, her future. The worst part about it was Katheryn didn’t know she was doing it.
Surely, if she’d known Rosa was in love with Ignacio, she would have backed off like a good friend. After all, it was the respectable thing to do. But she didn’t know Rosa was in love with Ignacio. Maybe if she did, she’d apologize and break up with him. It made sense. Rosa had been there first, while Katheryn and Ignacio barely knew each other.
Rosa wondered if she had the courage to tell Katheryn to back off.
She watched them, her eyes narrowing. They laughed, joked, and nudged each other! Katheryn poked Ignacio in the ribs then shot him a look that caused him to throw his head back and laugh.
When Katheryn wasn’t stuffing her face with calories, Ignacio would lace his fingers through hers for a moment, only to let them go and caress some other part of her body. Affectionately, he’d swipe her hair from her cheek, and tuck it behind her ear.
Rosa glared. It had to stop immediately.
“So tell me, Katheryn,” Rosa began, interrupting another tender moment. She made her voice as sweet as she could, hoping it didn’t sound as poisonous as she felt. “Have you talked to your parents and to the hunter man?”
She’d hoped her words hit a sore spot. From the sudden flush on Katheryn’s cheeks, she could tell they did.
Good, she thought venomously. Katheryn deserved to be rattled, to be humiliated.
“No, not at all,” Katheryn replied and then shoved more greasy food in her mouth.
Ignacio glared at Rosa, a look she chose to ignore. He wouldn’t make her feel guilty. She wouldn’t let him. If anything, he was the one who should feel guilty. Rosa had given him her heart, her bed, herblood,and afterward, he had treated her with cold indifference.
It wasn’t fair.
“They must be worried about you,” Rosa continued. “Did you not take my advice and call them?”
Katheryn’s pale face reddened more profusely. “I called them.”
“And?”
“And I think we should change the subject,” Ignacio interrupted, sending Rosa a death glare.
Beside her, Antonio lifted his beer. “Let’s make a toast,” he proposed cheerfully. When everyone lifted their own drinks in the air, he said, “To friends!”
Everyone all laughed and merrily echoed the cheer, clinking their bottles or glasses together.
Everyone except Rosa.
She didn’t have a drink to raise, and she was sure no one except Katheryn considered her a friend. At best, the others tolerated her, and she knew they didn’t like her. But it didn’t stop her from smiling and cheering with them.
She decided to remain there a while longer, unless the sight of Katheryn and Ignacio became too painful. It proved harder than she thought. The couple was completely engrossed in each other, touching, kissing, flaunting their love. Rosa clenched her hands to her stomach to fight a wave of nausea.
And when she couldn’t take the sight of them anymore, Rosa stood and she ran away.
Because she knew, with a certain sort of clarity, that Ignacio wouldneverbe hers.
21
“Rosa acted weirdly tonight,” Katheryn said to Ignacio hours later as they snuggled together in her bed at the hotel.
It was nearly sunrise, and they’d turned in for the night, or rather day, since Katheryn had grown accustomed to Ignacio’s hours.
Ignacio rolled his eyes. “Rosa’s always weird.”
“I guess I don’t know her that well.”
