Page 63 of Stronger Than Fate
“Miss Sol isn’t here. She left on a trip this afternoon, told me she was taking a vacation for a few weeks,” he informed me, looking at me with surprise when he noticed I wasn’t aware of my friend’s plans.
I stared at him with distrust because the thought crossed my mind that Sol might have asked him to tell me that, but after a few seconds I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t possible. Luigi was an older gentleman and extremely respectful and polite who I was sure wouldn’t participate in that kind of behavior.
“Thank you, Luigi, then I’ll see her when she returns,” I stated, turned around and left.
I had no choice but to wait for her to come back. Maybe her vacation would help us both calm down and think more clearly.
When I returned to the hotel it was quite late and I was very tired. That day I had stayed at the office until nine at night because I wanted to make up for all the time when I hadn’t been able to do anything due to lack of concentration, and with the trip to Sol’s place, I arrived at the hotel after ten at night.
I hadn’t heard from Henry, but as much as I missed him, I was hurt and wasn’t going to call him either. Perhaps it was better for us to also take some time to reflect. Our relationship had moved too quickly, faster than my ability to comprehend. Maybe, for my own good, I should have put the brakes on to get to know each other better, but the reality was that I was so captivated by him that I had let myself be swept away by his overwhelming passion. Still, a lump formed in my throat at the thought that Henry might walk away, but if that was the case, I wouldn’t demand anything from him, that was more than clear to me.
I went straight to the bathroom and took a long, pleasant hot shower. I put on my underwear and a white bathrobe and headed to the kitchen to prepare something for dinner. I missed him and wanted to sleep by his side, but I would probably have to get used to sleeping alone again and being without him.
I ate mechanically, and had to reheat my food twice because my thoughts kept returning inevitably to him and the food would get cold without my having taken a bite.
“What is he doing? Is he with someone?”I wondered, unable to help myself.
Going to bed was another torture. I missed curling up next to him, smelling his scent, feeling his strong arms embracing me.Yes, I missed him more than I could explain, and in that big bed, I felt empty and alone.
Several days without contact with Henry had convinced me that I wouldn’t see him anymore and that the relationship we had was over. What he felt for me would never go beyond desire and sexual attraction, something so fragile that it broke irreparably with one argument. I kept telling myself it was for the best, but with each passing day I sank deeper into desperation and bitterness.
That Friday afternoon I was working when I received a call from Niky.
“Hi, Niky.”
“Hi, Dali, how are you?”
“Working, but I’m leaving the office in a little while because I’m really exhausted.”
“Dali, how are things with Henry?” she asked, concerned.
I wasn’t planning to beat around the bush or deceive her, so I was as clear as I could be.
“We stopped seeing each other. It’s been several days since I’ve heard anything from him,” I stated.
“I figured as much,” she remarked, sadly.
“Why did you figure that?” I asked, curious, though deep down I had the feeling it would have been better not to ask.
“Because he’s been in a terrible mood,” she replied.
I was left with the feeling that she wasn’t being entirely honest, and I made the mistake of pressing further.
“Niky, you can tell me the truth. I’ve had enough lies from Sol, I don’t want you hiding things from me.”
“You’re right,” she said, and before continuing, she let out a weary sigh. “Yesterday I saw my brother at a bar with a woman and I assumed he wouldn’t be such a jerk as to cheat on you, so I figured you two had already broken up.”
And just like that, suddenly, my few hopes and my heart were silently shattered to pieces. The mute anguish of those days, which had been growing like a balloon being inflated, burst to invade my entire being. Henry was already dating other women and, evidently, without any kind of remorse. Although I imagined that, with his personality, there could already be another woman or women in his life, having it confirmed by his sister had broken my heart, leaving a deep wound.
Making a great effort, I refocused on the conversation.
“The reality is that we argued over something silly, but after that neither of us did anything to see each other again. We’re very different, Niky, and there are many years between us that make us approach things differently, we weren’t going to be able to understand each other. We were a beautiful story, but with an early ending,” I said, trying to hide the pain her comment had caused me.
“I’m sorry, Dali. I was sure you two were going to have a long relationship. I would have loved that,” she indicated, with longing reflected in her voice.
“Don’t feel bad for me, I’m fine,” I said, because I couldn’t confess my pain when the one who had caused it was her brother.
“Henry told me... sorry for continuing to mention him,” she said, embarrassed.
