“Well,” she begins, “there was the airport scandal. He was there to stop you, and you yelled at him in the middle of the airport and left.” She is counting off with each finger, starting with her index finger.“Lie,” I say. “We were talking, just the two of us, in the ladies' room.” She looks at me, not sure whether to believe me. “Never mind, this is the most you should know. Next.”“There's also the part where you cheated on him with your ex.” She counts off the second with her middle finger.“Lie. It was the other way around,” I say, downcast. She widens her eyes at me. She lowers her hand, disregarding the count. I take a deep breath. “We were in the bathroom, and his ex-called, and I accidentally answered his cellphone since ours look the same. And… she was talking about some kiss.”Valentina puts her hands to her mouth.“Please don't say anything to anyone,” I ask of her.“Selena, I would never do anything to harm you.”I nod, very aware of that. “What else?” I ask her to contin
It is almost ten at night when we arrive at the famous Dri's. When Valentina said it was a super trendy club, I thought of something that recently opened and not Dri's. The exact same place I met Hunter for the first time.Valentina is driving. I bend down a little so that no one will photograph us.“Selena!” She is chuckling at me. “You are exaggerating.” She parks her car in a small space. “Now you can get out of the car. There’s no one in the parking lot.”I get out of the car and come face to face with a blue Audi R8 with black accents almost the same colour as my pants. I straighten my clothes, still staring at the car.“Maybe you’ll leave in one of these in a little while.” Valentina winks at me. I look at her and stick my tongue out. It's not very mature, but she is annoying and deserves it.“I just like sports cars, so what?” I shrug and take hold of my little black bag. “Let's go and have that drink waiting for us.” I point to the club’s entrance.And as I predicted, the insi
Hunter.“Are you looking for respect for next year? Purple is not your colour.”Jimmy starts laughing at my stain when I enter the box. But I don't care. I care who got this stain on me.“She's here, Jimmy,” I tell him. My heart is pumping. “Damn, she is here.” The look on my face is mixed with euphoria and nervousness that almost makes me breathless.“Who? The girl I told you I dumped last week.” He presses his face against the glass to find her.“No, you idiot. Selena. Selena is here and will be coming up in a little while,” I speak uneasily.He starts to laugh, and I get serious.“What the fuck is this, Hunter?” he wonders, shaking his head. “Bro, are you delusional? Weren't you whining yesterday because the woman was in Spain?”He continues to laugh, and my expression is even more severe.“You're not kidding.” He finally stops. “Damn, and the woman is coming up here?”“Did you finish the show? I can't believe it. I don't even know what she's doing here.” Hunter sighs, wringing his
Today marks exactly a year since I came to Barcelona for the first time. My only goal was how to improve my resume and take a trip on my own as I started my adult life. I got all that and a bonus: Hunter.Looking out the window at this rainy afternoon, I realise how things have changed in a year for the first time in my life. I've already finished college, I don't often think about my emotional pains anymore, I’ve fallen in love. And suffered, what has mainly changed me. It's weird because lately, I feel more about what I'm going to say, and I may have even learned to look at my cellphone screen to see who's calling, but I still fail occasionally.I look at my right finger, where there's an untanned mark made by the sun where my promise ring was. I wish things had not happened the way they did. Only then do I remember my father's words to the drunkenness I made: ''what is a human being without their first times?” Yes, Dad, I discovered true love for the first time, and I think that's
Jimmy is excited about going out with Valentina. Jimmy, Valentina. Hunter, Selena. Damn, what a crazy thing. Destiny, are you still here? But going back to my lovebirds, I hope they make such a beautiful couple. I was smiling like a fool. It felt great to be the reason for two people to come together.I take the beautiful new tablet that I got from my parents and check the first website. The time the site posted the news was about half an hour after the photo Hunter posted on his Twitter. I cross my fingers, take a deep breath and start:“This couple wants to make everyone crazy. Yes, Hunter Blanco spent the turn of the year with his ex or current girlfriend. What nobody knew was that they were together again. He wrote on a social network that it was a surprise. We do not believe in surprises.”I laugh at the post. I switch to a different blog.“The former girlfriend of Barcelona player Hunter Blanco is in Spain. Nobody knew the girl was in town, and no paparazzi managed to photograph
Hunter lives practically on the other side of town now, and since I don’t have a car and have no idea how to take the bus, I ask for a taxi. When I ask the taxi driver to park on the corner, I look at the prominent façade of Hunter's house and notice there are many photographers there waiting.*Selena: There are many photographers in front, what do I do?*Hunter: Ask the driver to enter the side garage. It will be open.I do as he instructs me. As soon as the taxi driver enters the garage from the side, he gaps at the home, probably having a good guess on where he is. I pay the fare and get out of the car and hustle towards the front door.I knock on the enormous brown wooden door, which is a stupid thing because I already know he's waiting for me. Waiting... My head is still spinning because of the upheaval in my life and the bothersome headache that refuses to go away even with angry prayers.“I'm coming in,” I shout into the house as I step inside. I search for him right away.“I'
Hunter enters the room where only I am with a needle in my right arm’s vein, taking an IV. I have not completely knocked out, just had small flashes of unconsciousness. Dr. Silvia hasn't told me anything about what could be wrong. She just discussed to me about my daily life and listened to how my heart and lungs were doing.“I hate to see you like this,” Hunter grumbles. He pats my hand, which is cold because of the weather.“Do I still look like paper? Am I more pretty?” I'm trying to be funny but he was not laughing.“I hate to see you in bad health. And, by the way, paper-like or not, you are still beautiful.”I roll my eyes because I have no strength to do much else.Dr. Silvia enters the room. She is a woman in her fifties, chubby and short. Her blonde hair has streaks of a modern Chanel look and is peaked at the ends.“Hello again Selena. I already have the results of your exams, and it seems they are not as good as expected.” She opens the diagnostics to read out loud. “You ha
I look up with a small smile and turn sideways to see that half the serum in it has disappeared into my body. I had to stop doubting his affections for me and start appreciating the efforts he was putting in to demonstrate his true self and feelings for me.“What happened between you and the dancer. It's Jonathan, isn't it?” Hunter questions, his eyebrows getting all furrowed, clearly displeased with the very thought of me and Jonathan going out.I give him a wary look. “How do you know so much about this?”“These questions are mine now.” He dictates firmly.I shoot him a glare but answer regardless. “I met him at the community centre. I went to take dance lessons and he is the coordinator of the group.”He doesn’t seem quite satisfied with that “That’s all? I know you’ve been talking to him and you both run on the beach. But you haven’t slept with him.” He says such things as if it were an absolute truth.“How do you know all that? Have you been spying on me?” my voice goes up.“We'l
One year later...You've been married for just over a year, and your children will complete one year. How has your life changed from then?I fiddle with my fingers that are resting on my now finely crossed legs.“I discovered myself as a woman,” I answer, facing Alice as she interviews me. “I found that I can really take care of someone, since I didn't even know how to take care of myself. And now I take care of four!”“How is the atmosphere in your house with your children?”I smile. “My house is the biggest mess ever. It's a minefield of toys everywhere. Every time I get home, my kids start waving their arms frantically and laughing nonstop to see me.”“And your husband, Hunter Blanco, is at home with his children?”I look at the camera nervously photographing me and then back at Alice.“He is an amazing father, and whenever he can, he is with his children and family.” I end it there and Alice tilts her head and looks at me.“Selena!” she scolds me. “This is a personal interview, so
I let him enter the dimly lit room. The quiet and peaceful environment, together with the image of Hunter kissing our children's foreheads, fascinates me. He cares about them fifteen thousand times more than he cares about me. Before, I didn't understand the reason for this exaggeration, but now I would watch over them as they sleep twenty-four hours a day if I could.“How did they spend these last few days?”My heart sinks, remembering. It’s been five days since we've seen each other, way too long!“The pediatrician said that Valeria should start taking half a dose of the medication,” I inform and he sighs. “The boys are missing iron. Did you see the size of Pedro's fat little hand and Liam's thick thigh?” I say, laughing.“There was no way not to notice it, it makes you want to bite it.”I feel like crying to see him so happy. I want to hug him and hold him so much that I have to hold back. I need him to keep me strong, and I like it better when I have more time, but now it doesn't
Hunter:"I know I'm stubbornBut I changed when I looked at youYou made me wiserAs much as I try to run awayI'm always led in your directionIt seems like I let go everythingAs I held your hand."“I Forgot to Forget You – Mr SantanaThe plane lands on the ground as the intense Madrid sun helps ease the short winter days it has been having lately. I smooth out my suit, ready to get off the plane. I become twice as nervous.I'm coming back from Germany after another game for the Champions League*. It was quite a game. I’m bringing another victory and two more goals in my career. Today I feel like no one can beat me. Nobody can beat me as the best player, as the best husband and as the best father, and that's why I feel powerful, having my family around.I quicken my pace, leaving my team behind. I hear protests, but I don't give a damn. I'm missing my family. It’s been two months since my two little surprises have been at home with my little princess ValeriaI get into my custom bla
I try to get comfortable in my hospital bed, but it's impossible. My stitches are sore, and my belly never seems to want to deflate. I want my tiny waist back and not get saggy!My two boys have just had their last hospital feed as tomorrow we are finally going home. After almost four days, we can go to our new house which I still haven't seen after the last details of the renovation. The hard part will be leaving my little one with the pink bow in her hair at the hospital. It won't be easy. After all, I have to feed three babies, and one of them will be far from me in that damn incubator.Hunter is hesitant after I mention Christiano's name, constantly dodging the conversation. Still, every time I look at him, I see his watery eyes for our daughter, who hasn't shown any improvement. I can't hide my crying spells. After all, I want my family back home and healthy. I can't believe that as soon as he learned more about the subject, he didn't think straight about his brother, who is too
“We have tested everyone in our family,” Hunter takes the lead. “Even Alice, Joanna, Stella, Fernando and Sophia volunteered. I realised that Sophia was on the list since she is not your blood sister. But none of them are a match,” he says, unsatisfied.I spend more time with my daughter, my beautiful little princess with blue eyes. She swallows stiffly every time she moves inside that warm bubble. She is so small, so white and almost bald.I head back to the bedroom, and soon they bring me my two boys. When I hold them one by one in my lap, already lying on the gurney, I almost fear I am going to drop them. Like their sister, they are so tiny, also white and bald. I can barely distinguish them from one another.First, I cuddle Pedro, who keeps moving his hands and making faces. And then it is Liam's turn, who keeps wiggling and blinking lazily. So beautiful.For the first time, I am going to breastfeed my children. The nurses watch me all the time to see if I am doing it wrong. And f
Life is sometimes so unfair but objectively correct. There are no pains that cannot be healed, no bonds that cannot be joined, people that do not come back—the concept of life and death. Widely known as the eminent pain after a person, who is deliberately said to set out on a better journey. Maybe not. Since no one has yet discovered what occurs after death, there are only scientific and religious theories to go by.I can say that experiencing death is neither painful nor sad. I don't feel like running out of the light and back to life. Peace. Perhaps the peace that everyone seeks is not in life itself. Never, ever, no matter how hard you try, you will never have any rest. As much as something is resolved well, another factor comes and shakes everything again. That may be the meaning of life. It’s not just you opening your eyes and feeling that your heart is still beating. It's a vicious cycle, where love and disagreement will always be present as a challenge, a challenge you face eve
I feel my eyelids getting heavier. It's too hard to keep my eyes alert. The doctors and nurses keep encouraging me to stay awake as I drift off. Sleeping at a time like this would complicate their work much more.They get to work with the scalpel. A rush takes place behind the door, and I am aware of what is happening. Hunter, my Hunter is in sterilised blue suits to match his blue eyes.My head starts to ache, and I close my eyes due to the sudden pain."Our first appearance together. There will be a lot of people.“If you get nervous and want to leave that's fine.""Let's see you soon, my beautiful. Just don't forget what we had together."More pressure in my head settles, and every time I open my eyes and blink, there’s a flash of memory.“I promise to never forget you,” I speak hoarsely, repeating what I told him on the day of the benefit ball.He takes my hand, and we both cry, and then he understands everything. Despite the rush to move my belly that occurs around us, we are obl
Losing him was something I've never imaginedMissing you was like the dark grey skies, I am here all aloneForgetting you was like trying to find out about somebodythat I never sawBut loving him was all redTouching him again was me realising that everything I ever wantedwas right in front of meRemembering it was as easy as knowing all the lyricsfrom your favourite songFighting with you was like trying to solve difficult crossword puzzlesAnd realise that there is no right answerMy regret for you was as though you wishedthat you had never discoveredThat maybe love could be this strong – Tay Swift – “Red”Contractions increase with every nanosecond of my breathing. I look at the car's dashboard and realise that Fernando is driving at 110 km/h on one of Madrid's busiest avenues. I let out one scream after another in pain, and with each one that is echoed by the car, I see the expression of agony on Sophia's face.I can't feel my hands or feet. My hair is plastered to my forehea
SelenaAfter our last fight at the end of last month it is like a burst of guilt. Guilt is now stuck between us and our relationship. He for talking to me about pessimism, and I admit that I'm pessimistic, but I didn't say that, and that's precisely my percentage of the blame.Despite what the doctor said, I was determined to fight the obvious consequence at all odds. I had to be positive, believe there was a calming light at the end of a tunnel, that it wasn’t a train which will crush me under it’s wheels of destiny.Snap! Someone makes a click with their fingers to bring me back to reality.“Stop thinking so much!” It was Sophia, my best friend soulmate.“I think the third baby's name is Theo,” I tell Sophia as she came to me to confirm that she chose her baby's name too. “And we'll have one more family man.”When we speak together, the same name is spelt out in our voices, making us laugh like crazy until she says I could put it on the third baby since I'm going to win first. It wa