He speaks my language, but I still struggle to understand him. I think he’s trying to apologize for what he did; I’m not sure. I couldn’t stop looking at him. He was mouthwateringly delicious and stirred an ache from between my legs. Maybe that was the vodka I drank earlier. Oh, whatever!
Only then do I realize who he is. And now I look like a clown. My God...
“I know you from somewhere, I know you,” I stammer. Shit Selena, why that stutter now? I developed that awful habit as a result of a bullying incident in my childhood. There was this girl who regularly made fun of me and gave me a horrible time. Until one fine day when I gathered the courage and stood up to her. Even though she or anyone else dared to bully me again, whenever I became nervous or overwhelmed, a bit of that stutter would show.
“Yes, yes, it's me. But let me introduce myself; my name is Hunter Blanco, and you?” he asks me with a smile of amusement, almost chuckling and wow. So much arrogance, as though he is used to all the female attention all the time.
I wonder why this idiot is laughing, what's so funny? I'm all wet and the worst thing is that the shirt is see-through too. Why did that damn drink have to be purple? Damn it!
“Selena,” I say.
I try to withdraw, without first giving him a good look, especially after listening to all those words coming out of his mouth (that mouth!). But before I can try to flee, his hand pulls me back. I hate it when they do that.
"Wait, where are you going?" He looks at me apprehensively.
Using the closest napkin, I try to clean myself up and leave.
“First, please let go of me,” I order.
He instantly releases my hand, but gently. I don’t like my tone of voice. I'm not usually rude to anyone and I don't know what came over me. I take a step back and he stares at me with an expression as though he can’t understand me.
“Sorry, I'm not usually rude,” I blurt, abruptly leaving before he can say anything.
I see the lady’s washroom sign at a distance and quickly enter the bathroom. I look in the mirror and see that I’m sweating profusely. Or maybe I was already sweating? Oh, I don't even know anymore. I lift my arms and, ugh, I am sure his nose wrinkled at the smell of me. What happened to you, Selena? I notice my bra. Thank goodness it is white, revealed through the wet blouse. I hope he did not see how aroused I was, something I realised when I saw my perky tits all excited.
I try to get a paper towel, but it only makes things worse. A minute later, my two college friends enter and, Valentina trailing behind.
“Selena, Selena, Selena! Tell me what that was about?” I look at Joanna talking in a slur and I cannot understand her question.
“What was what?” I ask, but I know what they're talking about. I chuckle to myself, enjoying their misery before revealing the truth. Hey, sometimes I’m evil that way...hahaha!
“What do you mean, what was what? Don’t play dumb. That Gorgeous Spanish God came to talk to you!” Katrina cheers, less curtly than Joanna.
“Oh sure, and since when do people talk about throwing drinks at each other?” I spill my sass in an ironic tone. I don’t want to prolong the subject anymore. “Besides, the conversation was not pleasant; he introduced himself, I introduced myself and then left to clean the mess he had created.”
“Yeah, I know,” Katrina says. The three snoopers leave and I continue to try to clean my blouse and brush my mind off the entire incident.
Five minutes later, I come out of the bathroom defeated by the resistant stain on my shirt. Seriously, did it have to be a drink that would leave such dark stains on my favourite blouse? I find our table and head straight there. Oh, I'm glad they're all there.
Giving them a heads-up, my words slur as I say, “Girls, I'm leaving. And sorry for not prolonging our night. It looks like the night is white and not purple.” I scowl with laughter, pointing to my shirt. Well, I forced myself to laugh.
Well, now that the anger has passed...
“It's so early, Selena,” says Valentina, now in English that I understand better.
Maybe I should learn a new language when I am drunk! I look at my cellphone, and she's right; it’s only two in the morning. And I am not feeling sleepy either.
“I could go with you,” Valentina continues.
“No, no, no, there is no need, I am a grown-up girl and I can take a taxi. Plus, I noticed you liked the guy over there, Valentina,” I tell her, winking. “See you at home, enjoy yourselves a lot. Bye!”
I wave and make my way out of that club. They say goodbye and I’m just at the pub’s exit door. But someone touches my arm again, and I see it is him. There he is? Do I see him right? I blink a couple of times just to make sure it wasn’t what did he say his name was, Honcho…hmmm no Hunter you drunk loser!
“Can I take you home?” he whispers in my ear.
“Excuse me? Are you stalking me or something?” How could I go home with him? Like this? I think to myself.
“Maybe,” he admits with that damn smile.
"It's... Look... It's not a good idea, ok, sorry," I say, being very sincere. Only in my dreams would this happen.
“I deserve a chance to redeem myself, don't you think? At least try to apologize for what I did,” he smiles drawling.
Am I dreaming or something? Am I hearing him, right? Redeem by doing what? There are all these thoughts running through my drunk head.
I could see that he knew he was charming and often got what he wanted but ahmm, not this time! I am not falling for some random fellow’s charms.
“There's no need. It’s just a blouse, there's no way to redeem yourself,” I say pointedly. What does this guy want?
The security guard takes off my bracelet and I’m finally outside. I feel my ears ringing because of the loud music. I look up and down the street for a taxi, almost stumbling on a nearby invisible step.
“I insist,” he says, following me out the door “Now I'm going to take your hand and lead you to my car. Can I?” he asks steadily stopping me from falling down and breaking my face.Without saying anything more, my arm raises itself automatically. He swiftly catches it and guides me to the back of the club where the parking lot is situated.He leads me to the space beside Valentina's car. Of course, the shiny black Lamborghini is his. He opens the car door for me and I enter dazed.Wait! What am I thinking? I feel my breath heavy as regret washes over me.Soon he is in the driver’s seat. The car starts, and the engine makes a thunderous roar. I like it, powerful and so regal; a class apart! My eyes were suddenly all wide open“Do you like the car?” he asks me, trying to gauge my expression.“Are you honestly asking me that? Who doesn't like a car like this?” I say, laughing, calming down. Ah, it’s the tequila. It’s working its magic!He laughs and nods. Wow, how beautiful he is, I thin
After I take a long shower, brooding inside, I lie down on the bed and think. Thank goodness the girls are still at the pub. I can’t explain what just happened half an hour ago. I can't even explain it to myself. How did this happen? Did it truly happen?I spend over an hour thinking about his blue eyes, his gorgeous mouth. Gee, how I want to kiss him. If he gave me one more sign that he wanted to be with me, I think I would have gone where he wanted and done what he wanted. And how could anyone possibly resist him? But I am not a bitch, and that's how he saw me, but it is not how I see myself. Though I am sad now. I want to hear his laugh again. Was he thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him? Neahhhh, he must have found another girl or maybe girls the moment I left his car.With his stare clear in my mind, I fall asleep.When I wake up, it is 11 a.m. I see that Valentina is in her bed, still sleeping. I am so tired and blank that I didn't even see them arrive late in th
I am almost in tears. Life has a strange sense of humour. I stroll closer and see that the car is empty. Good. I enter the building and prefer to take the stairs rather than the elevator to recover from my little shock. I go into the apartment, calling out for the girls about the car downstairs.“Guys, I am about to tell you the silliest thing ever. Do you know who the black L…”I stop right in my tracks as I see the sight in front of me.Mr. Hot Wheels is sitting on the sofa in the living room, surrounded by my beautiful friends ogling at him as though they are about to eat him up. He sure looks like one hell of a delicacy to be devoured. I blink a few times just to make sure I am not imagining things. My knees buckle all of a sudden and I feel all soft and gooey inside.“Hi Selena,” he greets, getting up and coming my way to meet me.Oh my God!“Hi Hunter.” Saying his name out loud seems to be different from the voice in my mind. I want to sound indifferent, but I can’t; I am nervo
It takes me a few minutes to realise that he was not staying as I gulp softly “Are you leaving? Oh, that's right? You couldn't stand it.”He looks at me blankly as if I lambasted him.“You couldn't stand it when someone said no to you once in your life,” I bristle. “Then your good luck and my bad luck gives you a ridiculous excuse to fuck a girl.”Tears start escaping through the corner of my eyes. Seriously, I can't believe it. How stupid could I be!“I did not plan for this. I don't know what happened. I'm sorry,” he says, looking all sad, but I feel twice the pain.“Excuse me? Is that what you do with others?” I think to myself, that, seriously, he gives me the best orgasm I've had in my life, and he still apologizes to me? I get annoyed with my sincerity. “Leave soon before it gets worse,” I warn him as he states at me terrified.He walks for the front door in a hurry. I slam the door behind him and start crying again over a guy. Idiot!After that episode, I try not to think about
My Sunday is practically spent at home. I call my mom, talk to my dad and my brother. My mom says business is going well and that this summer they will finally be able to change cars. My family is not wealthy, but we live comfortably enough. I've never been able to overdo any excessive shopping sprees at the mall, but I could always have what I needed.I go to update my social networks. Now that I’m online, I’ll use it to distract myself from thinking about Hunter, hoping to get him off my mind.I first check my Facebook account. Everything ok, photos and comments, excellent. I use my cellphone to open up my Instagram. Same as usual, the usual people. Wow, some people are really living it up with their fancy vacations. One of my friends even got engaged, wow! I decide to close the digital box because it’s now getting depressing.With not much else to do, I head to the park. It is a super-hot day, and I don’t want to be holed up in an apartment, especially since I'm in Barcelona. I spr
The restaurant appears as a residential place; you enter the property to get to the house. It seems very discreet. The place has a beautiful entrance, full of greenery and flowers. Great, he told me how important it was to avoid paparazzi, gossip and all that.If on the outside it is beautiful, on the inside, it is pure craftsmanship. It is bright and white and looks a little rustic, quite different from what I've seen for an Italian restaurant. We sit down at our table, and the Maître soon comes and gives us the menu, but first, he greets Hunter in an overly exaggerated way.“Good evening, Miss,” he says, analyzing me.Does Hunter bring all of his girlfriend’s here? Is this fellow rating me on his huge list of girlfriends? I can understand his Spanish as he speaks with Hunter.“It’s always such a pleasure to see you, Sir, what a most beautiful girl you’ve given us the honour of serving,” he says. I smile, instantly turning red like a tomato.He praises me so much. Nobody has ever pra
“Why are you doing this?” I question. “Yes, it was great for me too, but so what? Are you going to tell me you liked it so much that you needed to go away and think better of it? Spare me comments like that.” I look out the window and watch the road.“You think so little of me. I haven't slept with anyone since I met you. After I dropped you off at home on the day we met, I went home to think about how polite and foul-mouthed you are at the same time and how you didn't do everything to get my attention, which by the way, doesn’t happen. God, why do you think so poorly of me?”“Because to me, you're the kind of guy who breaks the hearts of girls in love,” I say, looking into his eyes.His mouth drops as he concludes, “Someone has hurt you in the past, haven’t they?”I don’t expect him to be this analytical and rightly nail the reason I am so commitment-phobic.“Yes, they have done the damage already, and it was painful,” I reply as a little tear escapes my eye. He stays silent, waiting
“Hello,” I pick up, excited to know it is my mom calling.“Daughter, oh my love, Happy birthday—" my mother almost crying— “Ah, Donna...I'm missing you so much, my daughter. I'm sorry I didn't call before, but you know how things are here. I miss you; Mom and Dad love you. I have to be quick; the call is expensive, but wait for a few minutes, let me pass it on to your brother.”“Hi Lena, happy birthday,” my brother Miguel says cheerfully.“Oh, thank you, little brother. I miss you.”“I don’t.” He breaks into an annoying evil laugh but later says, “I miss you more. By the way, did you see the Barcelona game? Hunter Blanco paid tribute to you! I can’t believe it!” he says, laughing. Ah, Gu, you don't even know the truth in his words.“I heard something about it. Funny right?” I say, disguising my true emotion.“I read the papers, don’t lie to me. I love you, Lena. Dad is busy but he has passed on his wishes and apologised that he couldn’t talk,” he says.“I love you so much, Gu, see you
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