CHAPTER 5
Mariana
I’m sitting in one of the green velvet seats at Ink & Paper, my hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee that I grabbed on my way here. I take a slow sip, praying the caffeine will finally give me the pep I need after another night of no sleep.
Glancing down at my watch, I see that it’s already twenty past ten. I told Anna I’d meet her here at ten, but I guess she’s running late. No complaints from me—I’ll gladly take this time to browse the romance section. Let’s see what new books Hilda has on the shelves.
After about twenty minutes of browsing, I realize that Anna is now forty minutes late. That’s not like her. A little late? Sure. But this? It kind of freaks me out.
Just as I’m reaching for my phone to call her, the door bursts open. Anna storms in like a bat out of hell, hair flying, sweater slipping off one shoulder, her eyes wild as she scans the room. She’s normally so put together. But today? She looks like she’s been to war and back.
I immediately walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”
“Omg, Mari! Do I look that bad?”
I grimace. “Welllll…I can honestly say that you’ve looked better.”
She chuckles, then inhales deeply before pulling a clip from her purse, hastily brushing the hair out of her face and twisting it into place. “I had the most insane morning,” she says, her voice still breathless.
I gesture toward the small couch facing the window. “Do you want to sit? What happened?”
As I gently push her down onto the couch, she exhales and shakes her head. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Start anywhere.”
“You know how my mami and papi went back to Colombia to be with my abuelita while she’s sick?”
“Right, yeah. And then your mom came back while your dad stayed. They said he’d be gone for a few more months.”
“Yeah, well…it’s been a few months. And when I asked last night when he plans to come back, they kept evading the question. And today? I found out why I couldn’t get a straight answer.”
I sit forward. “Wait, why?”
Anna stares at me, her expression expectant, waiting for me to connect the dots.
I frown. “No. Is your dad not coming back? What about your mom? He wouldn’t just leave her here without him.”
“You’re right. He wouldn’t leave her here.”
I open my mouth, then close it. My brain is working overtime trying to put the pieces together. Maria and Jorge are inseparable. They grew up together, childhood best friends turned high school sweethearts. They’ve always been perfect for each other.
Jorge staying in Colombia made sense. His mom was sick. But moving there permanently? Without Maria? That doesn'tmake sense. And then, like a lightbulb flicking on, realization crashes into me.
“No.” I gasp.
“YES.” She yells back.
“Your mom is moving to Colombia to be with your dad.”
Anna lets out a long groan, dropping her face into her hands. “Yes.”
I sat back in my seat, stunned. I guess it shouldn’t be shocking; they’ve always talked about moving back one day. I just didn’t think one day would be now. Ay bendito, pobre Anna.
She’s just as close with her parents as I am with mine. I know this is hitting her hard. She used to joke that if they ever moved back, she’d go with them. Wait a minute…
“You’re not moving too, are you??”
Her head snaps up. “No, no. I’m staying.”
