"Mom, you always told me to be nice to everyone, I failed you. I'm so sorry. I'll try to make it up to him, he's not to blame. What a fool, Minerva."
I sighed and stood up. When I realized, my cheeks were wet. I wiped myself with my shirt and opened the refrigerator again.I looked for something to make something to eat, it was the least I could do. I found meat and spaghetti. I made a tomato sauce and cooked the meat into meatballs, when it was all ready, I put the pasta on to cook.When I looked at the clock it was 8pm.I set the table for two and took a Coke out of the fridge. I looked for some bread in the pantry and cut several pieces and put them on a plate. As I was about to take them to the table, I met Ethan at the door.I almost dropped my plate from the fright he gave me."Ethan, I didn't hear you. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes". I smiled kindly and spoke in a rather calm tone of voice.He didn't answer and helped me, taking the dishes out of the pantry to eat. I didn't know how he knew the dishes were there.I took the plates and served the food. He put them on the table and sat down. I put the dirty dishes in the sink and sat down to eat too. I didn't know whether to talk or something, as he said absolutely nothing to me.We started eating and it was very quiet in the apartment, it was strange. I was never quiet, I always had music playing when I was alone or when I was with my father, we always talked and never lacked a topic of conversation.I decided I should apologize first."Hey with respect…," he said first."I wanted to apologize," I said almost at the same time as he did, interrupting him.I couldn't help laughing and he smiled."You speak first," he said, as he took a big mouthful of spaghetti.I nodded and looked down at my plate of food, as I was a little embarrassed to look him in the eye."I wanted to apologize for my attitude these past two days, everything you said earlier, you're right about everything. You are not to blame for anything and I know you are just doing your job. I'm not like that, it's just that…," my voice broke and I couldn't continue speaking."It's okay, apology accepted. I understand. I would like to apologize too, I shouldn't have said anything like that. My job is to take care of you, not for you to be my servant"."Can we start again?," I smiled a little embarrassed.Ethan stared at me for a few seconds and then smiled so charmingly, I got lost in his smile."Of course"."Nice to meet you, my name is Minerva Finn". I released my cutlery to extend my hand to him in the form of an introduction.Ethan laughed at my gesture and shook hands with me."The pleasure is all mine, Minerva. My name is Ethan Bates," we smiled at each other and let go of each other's hands to continue eating.I felt that now the tension that was there every time I saw him was gone. Maybe this was what we both needed, a good introduction and good manners.I hope this way we can get along better now."By the way, Minerva, this dinner is delicious. The best spaghetti I've had in years," I smiled at her compliment."Thank you very much, my father taught me how to make it". We were both still eating, about to finish our pasta. "I'm curious, how old are you?""29, little girl," he said in a mocking tone."Oh, 29, I see... hey wait, you're only 10 years older than me, you're not so old to talk to me like that either, you have no right to call me little."He laughed and took both empty plates and got ready to wash them. I smiled at his gesture. Maybe it's not so bad after all.While he washed up, I gathered everything left over and put it in the pantry and refrigerator depending on what I took.When I looked at the clock it was 9:30pm. Already the kitchen was as good as new.Ethan went into the living room and picked up the TV remote. I followed him and sat down on another couch, a single one, and settled in as best I could, lying down slightly.There was nothing funny on TV and I was bored. He was zapping through the channels, looking for something entertaining to watch."What's your favorite color?," I asked, it was rather trivial, but it was a good way to start getting to know someone.He placed a hand on his chin and made a thinking face. Then he spoke."Blue. Yours?""Green. Your favorite animal?""Bengal tiger, yours?""Also," we laughed at the coincidence."Favorite movie?," Ethan played along.I kept thinking, that one was a bit difficult, I really liked all the movies I had seen, or at least most of them, but favorite?"Promise you won't laugh?," my voice sounded a little embarrassed."I promise," he said confidently."Ice Age 3 is my favorite, although I like all the previous ones too. Oh and Lord of the Rings".Ethan laughed and I gave him an ugly look because I had promised not to laugh. He motioned for me not to bother with him."I'm sorry, I just remembered when I saw it and it really is funny. I like the Star Wars ones"."I've never seen Star Wars," I admitted."What? I should show them to you, they're really good," he said enthusiastically.I couldn't help but laugh because I looked like a kid."All right, you could show them to me someday". I answered calmly.I yawned, the tiredness of the day had hit me just at that moment. I closed my eyes for a few minutes as everything was quiet and Ethan wasn't talking.I hadn't realized at what point I had fallen asleep, for when I opened my eyes, the sunlight hitting me right in the face and I wasn't on the couch, nor was I in my room.....I was in the guest room.I looked around.A double bed, simple, with a closet, two bedside tables, a large window on the right side of the bed, the door in front of the bed, a bathroom on one side....This is not my room. Indeed, it wasn't, I was in the guest room.I sat on the bed, I had yesterday's clothes on.On a small piece of furniture was a bag, I figured it was Ethan's clothes. The bed was a mess, the sheet covering the mattress was wrapped around one of my legs.Next to me, I had a mountain of pillows and sheets."What the hell happened?," I said sleepily.I was really comfortable in that bed and didn't want to get up.I lay down again and hugged the mountain of pillows next to me with my arms and legs. I curled up, but suddenly I noticed the mountain was breathing.I froze. This can't be, no, no, no. This is a joke.I pulled back some sheets and a pillow and found a sleeping Ethan.He was peacefully asleep, I touched the pad of my index finger to his cheek to see if he was awake, but all he did was stir slightly. I moved away and lay still so as not to wake him.This asshole brought me here. He took advantage of me.I touched my parts imagining what he could have done to me. I lifted the sheet that covered him a little and realized he had no shirt, I lifted it a little more, no pants either, he only had his underwear.I took a deep breath to hold my desire to find a knife and kill him right there. I don't understand why with him I was bringing out that killer instinct I didn't know I had.I knelt down on the bed and grabbed a pillow. I lifted it in the air and waited for the right moment to hit him with all my might."Ethan, honey? I made breakfast for both of us. Wake up, come and eat with me, will you?," I said in the sweetest tone of voice I could muster.He shifted in his place and rubbed his eyes as if to wake up. Without opening his eyes, he pulled down the sheet covering his abdomen a little.Damn, why did he have to look this good? His abs were marked and his arms looked so big and muscular.He was perfectly proportional to his body, for a second I regretted what I was going to do, but I slept there with him and he was half naked, who knows what things he must have done to me while I slept.After a few moments, he opened his eyes and I at that precise moment hit him with all my strength in the face.He got up frightened and impressed by the blow, grabbed the pillow from his face and threw it against the wall, apparently he was upset. I didn't give a damn!"You're an idiot! WHY THE FUCK AM I IN YOUR ROOM?," I yelled at him in annoyance.He looked at me confused and realized I was in my underwear. He grabbed the sheet and covered himself with it. I felt something inside me wanted to take it off and he had been saddened because he covered his body.Why the hell was she having so many sinful thoughts? God, I needed a priest right now."No, wait, I can explain. It's not what you think"."Ah, no? Then WHY ARE YOU SEMI-NUDGED? DID YOU RAPE ME?!," I quickly grabbed another pillow and kept hitting him with the pillow while practically cursing him.He got up from the bed to stop the blows, but I followed him without stopping hitting him."Shit, but if you stop hitting me, I could explain," he said, trying to grab my arms to make me stop, but I fought him off. I wasn't going to stop hitting him. He deserved it, I was starting to trust him, to like him, to make peace, but I got careless for a second and he took me to his room. ASLEEP, DAMMIT! "You took advantage of me while I was asleep!," I was getting tired, but I wasn'
Since that incident, Ethan had been much nicer and at the same time distant with me, we were getting along a little better, but not like the day we both apologized to each other. He didn't accompany me when I went to the GYM or shopping with some of my girlfriends, but he was almost always stuck in my house. We didn't talk much, just trivial things like what he thought of what was on TV at the time or how was the food that night, totally impersonal and banal things.My friend Amy called me to confirm going to the beach in 2 weeks, I had already spent half a month on vacation and I hadn't realized what I had used it up on. Amy and Isabela since I told them about my "babysitter" always asked me about him, they even threatened me that if they didn't meet him soon, they were going to call him and meet him somewhere to get to know him for themselves. I couldn't allow that, so I said I would take him and clarified "as a babysitter" to the beach. They were excited and I was really nervous
"Okay, you start," even though I wanted to, I couldn't sit like him since I had a skirt and was a lady. I continued eating my exquisite pasta, waiting for him to start."I play the guitar," he said proudly."I play the piano," I said naturally."Hmm... I've never had a pet"."I did, a dog. Her name was Brandy"."When I was little, I fell out of my father's arms," he said with a grimace."I was dropped off the bed," I mimicked his grimace.We both fell silent, looking at each other. A few seconds later, we started laughing."I like to read a lot of books," I added, once my laughter had stopped."I like to read too," he said, smiling and stopping laughing."I learned to ride a bike when I was 15," I said with some embarrassment."What?," he stared at me, waiting for me to say it was a lie, but when he saw that I didn't say anything, he started to laugh."Don't laugh, I never had the chance, okay?," I pushed him slightly, somewhat resentfully."Please, Minerva. You learn that when you'r
"Mom, you always told me to be nice to everyone, I failed you. I'm so sorry. I'll try to make it up to him, he's not to blame. What a fool, Minerva."I sighed and stood up. When I realized, my cheeks were wet. I wiped myself with my shirt and opened the refrigerator again. I looked for something to make something to eat, it was the least I could do. I found meat and spaghetti. I made a tomato sauce and cooked the meat into meatballs, when it was all ready, I put the pasta on to cook. When I looked at the clock it was 8pm. I set the table for two and took a Coke out of the fridge. I looked for some bread in the pantry and cut several pieces and put them on a plate. As I was about to take them to the table, I met Ethan at the door. I almost dropped my plate from the fright he gave me."Ethan, I didn't hear you. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes". I smiled kindly and spoke in a rather calm tone of voice.He didn't answer and helped me, taking the dishes out of the pantry to eat.
I looked around. A double bed, simple, with a closet, two bedside tables, a large window on the right side of the bed, the door in front of the bed, a bathroom on one side.... This is not my room. Indeed, it wasn't, I was in the guest room.I sat on the bed, I had yesterday's clothes on. On a small piece of furniture was a bag, I figured it was Ethan's clothes. The bed was a mess, the sheet covering the mattress was wrapped around one of my legs. Next to me, I had a mountain of pillows and sheets."What the hell happened?," I said sleepily. I was really comfortable in that bed and didn't want to get up.I lay down again and hugged the mountain of pillows next to me with my arms and legs. I curled up, but suddenly I noticed the mountain was breathing.I froze. This can't be, no, no, no. This is a joke.I pulled back some sheets and a pillow and found a sleeping Ethan. He was peacefully asleep, I touched the pad of my index finger to his cheek to see if he was awake, but all he di
Since that incident, Ethan had been much nicer and at the same time distant with me, we were getting along a little better, but not like the day we both apologized to each other. He didn't accompany me when I went to the GYM or shopping with some of my girlfriends, but he was almost always stuck in my house. We didn't talk much, just trivial things like what he thought of what was on TV at the time or how was the food that night, totally impersonal and banal things.My friend Amy called me to confirm going to the beach in 2 weeks, I had already spent half a month on vacation and I hadn't realized what I had used it up on. Every night I would talk to my dad on Skype or occasionally call the house, when I did, I would talk to Ethan for a while, who would lock himself in his room to talk in privacy or rather so I wouldn't overhear his conversation and when I stopped talking to him, he would give it to me, standing in front, listening to what we were talking about.On Saturday, a week
Once out of the car, I walked a few steps and looked with my eyes for a car that could say "That must be Ethan's", I found a somewhat junked and previous generation one. When he passed me, perhaps on his way to get his car, I stopped him."So, instead of riding in my car, you'd rather ride in your junker," I pointed to the car and started walking towards it, laughing."Ha ha ha, really funny, Minerva. You did great on this one," he gave me an ugly look for a few moments and I smiled innocently. When the car rang, I realized it wasn't the actual used junk car that rang, but the big, black, four-door Honda Hr-v pickup truck.My jaw must have dropped to the floor and back.Ethan's expression turned to one of superiority, at best seeing my amazement with his truck.The truth is, it was beautiful and late model. When Ethan got in and started the car, I walked over to the passenger door and sat down. The seats were leather and beige, the stereo was late model. He laughed at my expression
"Okay, you start," even though I wanted to, I couldn't sit like him since I had a skirt and was a lady. I continued eating my exquisite pasta, waiting for him to start."I play the guitar," he said proudly."I play the piano," I said naturally."Hmm... I've never had a pet"."I did, a dog. Her name was Brandy"."When I was little, I fell out of my father's arms," he said with a grimace."I was dropped off the bed," I mimicked his grimace.We both fell silent, looking at each other. A few seconds later, we started laughing."I like to read a lot of books," I added, once my laughter had stopped."I like to read too," he said, smiling and stopping laughing."I learned to ride a bike when I was 15," I said with some embarrassment."What?," he stared at me, waiting for me to say it was a lie, but when he saw that I didn't say anything, he started to laugh."Don't laugh, I never had the chance, okay?," I pushed him slightly, somewhat resentfully."Please, Minerva. You learn that when you'r
"You shouldn't let anger get the best of you, brother," I tried to advise him."Oh, of course not, that's not going to happen," he murmured, sipping the remnants of his drink."The point is, you should calm down, go and expand your social networks just like she...""She doesn't expand her social networks; she's known him since she was seventeen!" he shouted in frustration, but I continued to look at him impassively."You should relax," I said with a shrug, finding it impossible to understand his nervous breakdown.Wasn't it his idea? He should just speak the truth, express his true feelings, and that's it.I know it's easier said than done, but it was the best way out instead of going around throwing punches."Is he holding her hand?" he asked through gritted teeth. "This is over."I sighed and decided to get him out of there before the situation turned into a bloody and unpleasant scene.I took care of dragging him out of the café and then let him run free, like a caged animal."Just
Valentine's Day had finally arrived.Daniel was a bundle of nerves, and spending the day helping him clean his house and prepare the dinner for the evening was getting on my nerves too.I didn't want to prepare anything for that day with Ethan because I knew, thanks to my brother-in-law, that he was planning a surprise for me, a surprise that I hadn't discovered yet.When we finished the preparations, Daniel accompanied me back home. Upon arriving, I saw that Ethan was at home.That surprised me."What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" I looked at him in doubt."Today is a special day. Did you really think I'd forget it and work until so late?" He put his hands on my waist to pull me closer."No, you never forget this day, and you always have some surprise for me." I hugged him, resting my head on his shoulder."Do you want to know your surprise?" Our gazes connected."I should be the one surprising you." I hesitated.Ethan gave me a sly smile and retraced his steps to re
I was immensely excited to see them since I hadn't seen them for several weeks. They had been on their honeymoon, and I wasn't expecting them back for another couple of days. Behind them were Iván and Amelia.Delia let them all in and appeared in the living room just behind them."Minnie!" Chris said excitedly."Why are you here so early?" I asked, genuinely confused by their early arrival."Do you think we'd leave you alone on our beautiful godson's birthday?" Isabela said."To be honest, yes. You were on your honeymoon," I admitted with a shrug."And? We decided to come back early, plus with this woman, every day feels like a honeymoon," Chris said, looking at Isabela with love, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her close.She smiled and pushed him away a bit, giggling. I smiled happily."But you know, the party starts in an hour," I said apologetically for them arriving so early.Chris looked at Isabela, who looked at Iván, and then their gaze moved to Amelia."I thought
Three years later..."Minerva, hurry up, we're going to be late!" I heard Ethan's voice from downstairs.I rolled my eyes and finished adjusting my hair and dress. I put on some flats and made my way down the stairs.At the bottom of the stairs was the man I had been living with for 7 years, and I loved him just as much as when I was 19.He stopped checking his watch and took a deep breath as he prepared to call me again. However, when he saw me, he smiled in a way that I adored.I descended the stairs and stopped on the last step, so I was at eye level with him.This day was very special because my father was finally returning from his annual business observation trip around the world. It had been 5 months since I last saw him, and I was excited to see him again. It was also special because we were going to a unique birthday celebration and my father was returning from his trip. I had taken the day off with my beloved husband to have lunch together."I'm here," I said, smiling at him
Esther stood still for a moment, as if waiting for a sign or something. In the background, you could see their house, and she was sitting on the couch that used to belong to her father, according to what Ethan had told me. Esther was wearing a dress that I had given her on one of the many times I had dinner at her place."Is it recording?" Esther pointed at the camera. The image wobbled slightly, as if the person recording didn't have a steady hand."Yes, Mom," Daniel's voice sounded with irritation."Don't answer me like that, young man," she scolded him and narrowed her eyes, looking beyond the camera.I chuckled and saw Daniel by my side, shrinking in his seat."I'm sorry, Mom. We've already had five takes; they could arrive any moment, and the surprise will be ruined."Daniel sighed with nostalgia, as if he were remembering that day."Well, all right. I'm sorry," Esther paused, lowered her head, took a deep breath, and raised her head with a beautiful smile. "Ethan, Minerva, if y
I took a deep breath, looking at myself in the mirror.I adjusted the white dress I was wearing and looked at my friends. Isabela was sitting on a sofa in the room, holding a glass of wine in her right hand, gazing at me intently.Both of them were wearing pale pink dresses that hugged their bodies, with small straps supporting the dress and accentuating their chests. They had their hands on their hips, inspecting me from head to toe.In a way, the three of us had changed.My hair was a bit shorter than before, although at that precise moment, it wasn't noticeable since I had it tied up with a bow and a braid. Amelia kept her hair the same length as before and had it straightened this time, pulled into a high ponytail.The three of us still shared the same height and the same skin tone.I turned to look at myself again in the mirror in front of me. The dress was bigger than I had imagined, slightly constricting around my stomach, which was bothering me a bit near the abdominal wound,
I paced back and forth in the living room of my house, extremely nervous.I glanced at my father's closed office door once more. I then sat down on the largest sofa in the room, placing both hands on my knees.It was a fairly sunny day, with a few clouds in the sky, but it was overall a bright blue day. My house was clean, thanks to the cleaning I had done the day before in preparation for today.My house looked the same as before. The dining area was in front of a large window with a panoramic view of the city. Next to it was the guest bedroom door, where Ethan had stayed the first time he visited.In front of me was the TV, with two individual sofas on each side. To the left, there was a wall with an opening leading to the kitchen, which was spotless. The stairs were behind me, and the front door was in the opposite corner of the same wall.You could see the upstairs from where I was sitting, as there was a glass and black metal railing that allowed you to see halfway down the hallw
I released my friends' hands and sat next to Daniel."Hello," I murmured."Hello, Minnie," he responded sleepily."How do you feel?" I smiled with a hint of sadness."Tired. This has been intense," he admitted, leaning his elbows on his knees."I'm sorry for everything that happened. This was not part of the plan."He sighed."Don't worry, Minnie. We're all alive. Now, it's time for you and my brother to make amends. Go on, what are you waiting for?"Daniel smiled at me with all the sincerity his tired eyes could muster, and he got up. I followed suit. We hugged, and Daniel joined my friends. I approached them too."Take him to my house and tell my father what happened. Ask him to let Daniel sleep in my room, please."My friends nodded and gave me a hug. I hugged Iván tightly, and he smiled at me. They left a few minutes later.I waited until I couldn't see them anymore and stood in front of Ethan's room. I took a deep breath and entered. I closed the door behind me and stood at the f
"Let me go, Christopher! Ethan's inside, for God's sake! Let me go!" I struggled to free myself from his grasp.I couldn't contain the emotions inside me. My stomach churned with dread. Ethan was inside, and I couldn't leave him.Chris held me tightly, his grip unyielding.I was overwhelmed by the tumultuous emotions raging within me. Ethan had died, and there was so much left unsaid. I couldn't tell him I loved him; I couldn't apologize for my earlier harsh words. I wouldn't see him again, feel his presence, hug him, or kiss him. He was gone.He had left us, protecting both me and Chris.How had I ever doubted his feelings for me? Now he was gone, gone forever.The firefighters rushed to extinguish the flames, but I was unable to look away from the fire-ravaged mansion. My tears flowed freely down my cheeks.I had been so foolish. I hadn't told him how I felt. I hadn't had the chance to say yes to his proposal. And now, it was too late. He was gone.Exhausted from my struggles with