her and I’m not going to. But you have to cut this out. Because if Jose finds out or someone like Dr. Costa, then I’m going to be forced to do something I really don’t want to do. Okay?”
I nod, my heart rate slowing down. “Okay.”
“I mean it though,” he says. “You have to stop this with her. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, and believe me, I’ve been through some shit with my love life. I’d fallen in love with someone I shouldn’t have, but in the end I stand behind all the choices that I made because it brought Vera into my life. But this could end up hurting the both of you in ways you can’t imagine.”
“And what if this is a moment in my life, a moment I will look back on, like that moment you went through where you chose love over everything else? What if this is that moment for me, and in the future, I’ll stand proudly behind my choices?”
The word love spills from my lips, the first time I’ve uttered it in this regard.
It feels right.
Just like she does.
“The difference between you and me,” Mateo begins, “is that Vera didn’t have a job on the line. A career. She didn’t have to give up much to be with me. But Thalia? She’ll have to give up everything she’s worked so hard for her whole life. Do you really want to do that to her? Do you really want to put her in that position?”
My head drops, my body feeling exhausted and weak all of a sudden.
The pain in my heart is draining all my energy.
“You’re a good man, Alejo,” Mateo says, putting his hand on my shoulder. “I’m proud of you, I really am. I just want what’s best for you. That’s all.”
He takes his hand away and moves toward the door. He pauses. “Tomorrow we’ll just tell everyone what you originally told me. You had a bad game. You slept poorly. A one-off thing that won’t happen again. People will forget about it pretty quick, so long as you let them forget it.”
I just nod. I can’t even form words.
I feel numb.
“Have a good sleep. Someone will give you a wake-up call in the morning.”
And with that, Mateo is gone.
I feel like he left me with nothing.
Chapter 22
Thalia
I make myself a cup of coffee and curl up in my new reading chair that faces the window, fluffy slippers on my feet, a plush lavender blanket wrapped around my shoulders. It’s early, so it’s still dark outside and cold as fuck. Central heating in Madrid isn’t really a thing, at least not in my apartment.
I glance warily at my cactus on the windowsill.
Despite the gloom, it’s still thriving.
I wish I could say the same for Alejo and me.
I take out my phone and call home.
My mother answers on the third ring.
“Thalia,” she says. “You’re calling me. Please tell me you’re actually in Seattle somewhere and you came home early for Christmas.”
It’s mid-December and Christmas has been on my mind, mainly how I’m actually going to be spending it alone. It won’t be the first time that has happened, back in the day, before Stewart. Sometimes my work schedule made it impossible, sometimes I just didn’t want to go home to the chaos of my family.
But that’s not why I’m calling her.
“I’m not,” I tell her. “Listen, is Dad there?”
“You want to talk to your father?” she asks, sounding rather incredulous.
“I do,” I tell her. “I want to talk sports.”
“Oh. Fine.” I hear a muffled sound and then, “Charles, your daughter wants to speak with you about sports.”
“Hey, sunshine,” my dad greets me. I’ve always taken pride in the fact that out of all my siblings, I’m the only one with a nickname. “Haven’t heard from you in a long time.”
“Hi, Dad,” I say softly. “I know. I’m trying to be better about calling.”
“To be fair, I suppose I could be calling you too.”
“Yes, you could.”
“So, what did you want to talk to me about? Are you coming home for Christmas?”
I hear my mother yelling in the background, “Tell her she has to! She listens to you.”
“No, I’m not coming home for Christmas,” I tell him. “I just got settled here. I’ve been traveling so much for work. Last week we were in Qatar for the FIFA Club World Cup. The Middle East is always a trip.”
“I know, I watched the game. You won. You’ve been doing great, actually.”