Page 58 of Stronger Than Fate
When I came out, I put on a nightgown and robe and headed to the living room where I expected to find him, but I was surprised that he was still locked in the office. Since I understood that he was a person with many responsibilities and had left the office very early to accompany me, I imagined he was solving some matter related to his company and didn't want to disturb him. I picked up the phone and called the hotel kitchen to order dinner.
I sat on the living room couch, pulled up my legs, and immediately started thinking about my friend again. I missed her, I was hurt, but I missed her a lot. I still didn't understand what could have made her act that way. I rested my head on the back of the couch and closed my eyes. I was tired.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked, with a concerned voice as he sat down beside me.
“Yes, thank you. I already ordered dinner, they shouldn't take long to bring it. Were you able to solve your company issues?” I asked.
“I wasn't talking about company matters, I was talking to an acquaintance to investigate your friend. We'll probably have news tomorrow,” he said, hugging me and pulling me toward him.
“That doesn't make me feel very good, now I feel like I'm the one betraying her.”
He took my chin and made me look at him.
“Dalina, I'm not sure what that girl is after, but I won't rest until I have a clearer picture. Right now there are many things that don't add up, I need to have a bit more control over this situation because I don't like feeling so confused. If that girl does anything to harm you, I won't stop until I bring her down.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I insist that I don't think Sol wants to harm me. It's true that she's been slandering me and I still don't have an explanation for that behavior, but I hope to have one soon and I'd love for her to be the one to explain the reasons that led her to act this way.”
“I very much doubt she will. A person who acts like that isn't trustworthy, you should forget about her,” he stated.
I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed.
“You're tired, actually I am too. After dinner we'll go to bed,” he said.
“I love that you're staying, but I don't want to complicate things for you. Today you left the office earlier…”
“Shhh,” he said, putting a finger to my lips. “I'm staying because I want to sleep by your side. Since we've been sleeping together, I rest like never before and I enjoy having you next to me so much. I assure you that sleeping with you in my arms is no sacrifice, on the contrary, it's a true pleasure.”
“For me too,” I confessed.
“Before going to bed I need to do something. Can I borrow your laptop to connect to mine? As soon as I finish, I'll come to bed with you.”
“Of course. If you want, instead of working at the desk you can do it in bed so we can keep each other company. I have a super comfortable bed desk.”
“Perfect. I'll work in bed so we can be together,” he said, giving me a soft kiss on the lips.
Impossible not to love him. With each minute he got more under my skin like a lethal poison. I was happy to have him with me and wished with all my heart that we would always be like this. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but with those attitudes and demonstrations of affection, it was impossible. Henry had shown himself to be sensitive to my needs, protective and very attentive, he was the partner I had always wanted, although deep in my heart, I sensed that I was living an illusion and that I would soon return to reality.
We had dinner quietly and talked a lot, mostly about our siblings. I mentioned that Bastián and Lolo wanted to meet him, and he also seemed to share that interest and asked me to organize a lunch or dinner with them. After dinner, I really felt the tiredness in my body, I went to the bathroom and then got into bed. Henry went to take a shower and, as promised, started working next to me. Every so often he would ask my opinion about something he was reading and then continue writing, focused on his work. I noticed that he didn't start with his seduction as he always did when we were in bed, but that made me feel more grateful because it was obvious that he was respecting my moment of sadness.
After more than an hour, he turned off the laptop, took it to the desk, and came back to bed.
“Were you able to make progress?” I asked.
“I was able to review everything I had pending. You were right, that bed desk is very comfortable and you helped me a lot with the writing of those reports.”
“I'm glad I was useful.”
“Time to sleep, beautiful, it's very late and tomorrow we both have to get up early. Come here, I want to sleep holding you,” he requested.
I didn't need him to say more, I stuck to his body like a tick and he smiled with satisfaction.
“You can't imagine how much I like sleeping with you,” he said, giving me a soft kiss on the lips. “Sleep well, darling.”
“Sleep well, champion,” I said, smiling.
Shortly after, by his breathing, I realized he had already fallen asleep. I imagined he must be exhausted and that made me want to care for him, protect him, give him all my love. I gave him a kiss on the chest and rested my head on it, knowing I was cared for and loved, because Henry might not love me, but I was clear that he cared for me, because affection wasn't shown with words, it was shown with actions. With actions like his.
I woke up startled and disoriented, not knowing what time or day it was, where I was, or what I was doing there. It was probably because I had slept deeply. I looked around, but there was no trace of Henry. When I looked at my nightstand, I saw there was a note and I picked it up.
