Page 45 of Until You Came Along
I began closing all the files and shut down the computer. Then I went to the bathroom to freshen up a bit and touch up my makeup. At the agreed time, Baco messaged me that he was at the entrance of the building where my office was located. I grabbed my purse and left. I went down to the parking garage and drove out to meet Baco at the building entrance. When I arrived, I opened the passenger door for him and he got in right away.
“Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi, artist. I confess that today was turning out to be a complicated day, but your call brightened it up,” I commented, as I started the car and merged into traffic.
“Good that you mention it, because we need to have a conversation that I’m not sure what effect it might have on your mood,” he commented, without looking at me.
“Did something happen?”
“I don’t know, you’ll have to tell me,” he clarified, with a seriousness that was unusual for him.
I didn’t know what to make of that comment, so I decided to wait until we reached the restaurant and he decided to tell me.
“Alright. How about dinner at ‘Cantucci’?”
“That works for me because I’m in the mood for Italian food. Can I put on some music?”
“Of course.”
Baco started searching for something and we ended up listening to “I Feel It Coming” by The Weeknd andDaft Punk. We both started singing along and ended up laughing at how badly we were doing it, which eased the tension that had been in the air minutes before. When the song ended, “Way Down We Go” by Kaleo started playing, and at that moment we fell silent, both lost in our thoughts, I suppose.
“Great song, everyone will give it their own interpretation. Do you have someone who wants to take you into the darkness?” he asked, referencing part of the song lyrics. He wasn’t looking at me; his gaze was lost on the street and he seemed reflective.
“In life we encounter many people who want to lead us down a path that isn’t the one we’ve chosen. It’s up to us whether to take that path or stay on the one we were already traveling.”
He made no comment and we continued listening to the song. When it ended, I was already parking in front of the restaurant. We went in and were assigned a table next to one of the windows. We both ordered pasta and accompanied it with red wine. When the waiter left with our order, I couldn’t hold back any longer and went straight to the point.
“What is it that you have to tell me that might change my mood?”
Baco looked at me seriously and then seemed to take a breath before formulating his question, which came without beating around the bush.
“What was my brother doing at your apartment at midnight yesterday? I was arriving at the building when I saw him enter. At first I thought he was going to my place, but when I got there and he wasn’t there, I went to yours and heard his voice. I assure you I didn’t listen to what you were talking about. I only stayed at your door for a few seconds, but I was aware that he was there for quite a while. Is something going on between you and Hermes?”
“It’s a long story,” I said, knowing that I owed him several explanations.
“Long? What did I miss? Have you known Hermes since before you met me?” he asked, surprised.
“No... well, technically yes, I’ve known him since before I met you.”
“Spill it,” he said, leaning back in his chair and looking at me seriously.
I started by telling him about our first encounter where I spilled the cocktail on him, and at that moment, Baco couldn’t hold back his laughter. Then I told him that when Hermes entered my apartment thinking it was his, I recognized him immediately, but I thought he hadn’t recognized me until he asked me to dance at the ball and told me he knew who I was. I recounted the next time we met at a dance and how he confronted me to ask if I was deceiving him because he was convinced there was something between him and me, but that when I confirmed we were just friends and weren’t in love, he kissed me without warning and I reciprocated. At that point, my friend, who until then had remained silent, interrupted me.
“Hermes kissed you, just like that? With all those people around?”
“He had taken me to a secluded spot, but we were still surrounded by people and just a few meters away from my friends.”
“Strange. Go on, go on,” he said, gesturing with his hand for me to continue.
I continued with my story and this time I told him that, later that same night, he came to my apartment and proposed that we sleep together, but without exclusivity. He interrupted me again.
“My brother went to your apartment in the middle of the night to make that proposal?”
“The same proposal he makes to all the women he has sex with, as you yourself have told me.”
“Yes, it’s true that the proposal doesn’t differ, but... well, continue and then I’ll tell you what I think. I can’t believe that so many things happened between you and Hermes without me noticing, although I had observed some strange looks and behavior, I didn’t think so much had already happened.”
“And, even though I rejected him because I’m not the type of person who gets into that kind of relationship, many more things happened afterward,” I clarified, because now that I had started, I intended to tell him everything, I wasn’t going to hide anything else.
