Last night’s memories of my phone call with Helen come flooding back and my heart sinks. I know that it’s normal for friendships to end, for people to go their separate ways and outgrow each other. Even when someone is being a total dick, it still hurts to say goodbye to the friendship. There’s still some rejection and disappointment. There’s the loss of all the fun and memories you had together. It’s still a big change and it’s going to be a sore spot for some time.
Which is all the more reason I need to see Vera.
Besides, after everything that happened over Christmas with me and Alejo, I really need someone to talk to. Someone who might understand. Someone who might be happy for me.
I just hope I can trust her with this.
I look at my phone and send her a text.
Are we still on?
Since it’s nine a.m. and my body likes to punish me even further by waking up early after I’ve been drinking, I don’t expect a quick response but Vera responds fast.
With bells on. Wanna meet at The Toast Café in an hour?
I tell her yes and then I go back into bed, sliding in beside Alejo.
I decide to wake him up.
I start by tickling his feet.
Mumbled Spanish comes from beneath the covers.
Finally, he reaches back blindly to stop me, grabbing the side of my stomach and squeezing.
“Stop!” I cry out, erupting into giggles, trying to get away from his tickle fingers. “Stop or I’ll vomit on you.”
He straightens up and twists around on the bed to face me. “I’m into a lot of things, but I don’t think I’m into that.” Then he winces and presses his hand to his head. “Fuck.”
“I know,” I say. “Believe me, I would love nothing more than to just have a pajama day with you and—”
“What’s a pajama day?” he interrupts.
“I don’t know, a day in which we do nothing at all and stay in our pajamas.”
“You mean, naked.”
“Yeah, pajama day, naked day, whatever.”
He flops on his stomach beside me. “That sounds like the perfect day.”
“I know. But I have to run off.”
“Where?”
“I’m meeting Vera for brunch. But I won’t be long.”
“You’re ditching me for my coach’s wife?” he asks but he doesn’t seem too upset about it.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, putting my hand in his hair and playing with his soft strands.
“I’m just having fun.” He gives me a kind smile. “Seriously, you need friends too. Especially after last night.”
“Thank you for understanding.” I lean over and give him a kiss on his forehead.
He reaches out and tries to grab my legs but I get up, too quick for him.
“Are you going to stay here or go home?” I ask him as I start rifling in my closet for something clean to wear. Laundry took the backseat over the holidays.
“I’ll go home,” he says. “I need to do some training in my yard.”
I get dressed into a sweater and leggings, slip on some short boots and pull my hair back in a bun. No point even attempting makeup when my hands are a bit shaky.
“Okay, well, text me later,” I tell him, walking out of the bedroom and to the front door.
“Thalia, wait,” Alejo says.
I pause and turn to see him striding toward me, completely naked, his cock half-hard.
I blink up from the sight of it to his eyes as he cups my face in his hands and pulls me into a long, sweet kiss. “I love you,” he murmurs against my lips.
A wave of happiness crashes over me, swirling at my feet.
“I love you too,” I tell him, unable to stop from grinning.
I grab my purse and I’m out the door, feeling like I’m walking on a cloud.
It takes forever to grab an Uber, I guess because everyone feels like death today, but soon I’m being dropped off at the Toast Café. I already spot Vera by the entrance, sipping a giant mug of something.
“Hey,” I say to her, the restaurant busy and warm against the chill outside.
“Hey,” she says and I lean down to give her a quick hug before taking the chair across from her. “This is a good spot.” We’re right by the window so we have a view of the street, which is mainly people picking up garbage left from last night’s celebrations.
“So, how was your night?” I ask her because I know she’d ask me first otherwise. “Are you hungover?”