There’s so much I want to say, but even going against my nature, after a few seconds, I let her go.
Chapter 48
Three Days Later
Three days . . . Seventy-two hours, or four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes, without Guillermo and Nina in my life.
I try to be strong, as I have been since my mother died, but now it’s different.
When she passed away, there was nothing I could do to ease the longing. Guillermo, however, is just a phone call away.
As he promised, he’s been giving me space, but Rafe, Joaquín, Gael, and even Martina, whom I’ve never met in person, message me every day to check on me.
I know it’s at his request, and it deeply touches me that he cares enough to make his siblings reach out to me.
I also received a call from Logan and decided to clarify things between us once and for all. I have nothing more than friendship to offer, and we both know that’s not what he wants. Whether I’m with Guillermo or not at the moment, my heart belongs to him, so it wouldn’t be fair to give the young man false hope.
I’ve been staying away from the hotel, as the course venue is relatively far from the Caldwell-Oviedo Tower, but I miss everything: the conversations with Julien, even Melissa’s chatter, but most of all, I miss Guillermo and Valentina.
Isabel also called, and although she didn’t mention her son’s name, I know she wanted to ask me questions. In one of the calls, I heard Nina’s grumbles in the background, and my heart tightened as if someone was squeezing it.
What am I doing?
I believe he truly cares for me. I believe in him.
Despite this, a voice keeps repeating that maybe being with me is just too convenient for him. I share the same blood as Valentina, and Guillermo has mentioned more than once how important family is to him.
I look at the phone like an idiot. Deep down, I hope he’ll break our agreement and call, but I know that won’t happen. I challenged him. I told him that if he loved me enough, he would give me space, and he’s keeping his end of the bargain.
If there’s one thing I know about Guillermo, it’s his sense of honor.
And as crazy as it sounds, right now I wish he would just come and erase all the doubts from my mind.
I walk into the restaurant where I have lunch every day near the course venue, and I feel like I’m seeing a mirage.
Guillermo.
He’s sitting alone, head down, scrolling through his phone, seeming to look without seeing.
For a moment, I’m unsure whether to keep walking or leave, but in those few seconds, as if drawn by a magnet, he lifts his head, looking directly at me.
Seeming to understand my hesitation, he doesn’t stand up, which I know from all the time we’ve spent together would be his usual way of acting.
He’s letting me choose.
Despite the coward within me wanting to flee, my heart triumphs over reason, and in a few steps, I walk over to where he is. He immediately stands up, and his eyes capture me in such an intense way that it’s as if he’s touching me. We are less than half a meter apart now, and all the people around us disappear.
“Olívia.”
My heart aches with longing, but I try to maintain some semblance of control. “Guillermo.”
“Is it lunchtime for you?”
Suddenly, I remember when he was at the café. I look around and get the same feeling as that day.
He doesn’t belong here.
Guillermo is here because of me.
