Rebeca stares at that side of the bed for several seconds, as if somehow Martina might reappear if she keeps looking at the space long enough.
But it doesn’t happen.
Reality sets in with all its clarity.
And then, as if someone had turned on a light inside her head, the memories come flooding back.
The storm.
The beers.
The laughter.
The way Martina looked at her from across the room.
The silence that fell between them.
The hands.
The kiss.
And above all, the way their bodies sought each other out with urgency, as if six years hadn’t passed, as if time had only served to build up desire rather than extinguish it.
Rebeca sits up suddenly in bed.
“Oh my God…” she murmurs, bringing both hands to her face. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
A snort escapes her lips as she lets herself fall back onto the mattress.
She kicks her legs for a moment, as if she were a teenager caught in a situation she doesn’t know how to handle.
“How could I have done this?”
The question hangs in the air of the bedroom.
For a moment, she thinks of Julia. Of that kind smile she gave her when she saw her in the doorway. Of the normal way they talked during dinner.
“How could we have done this to Julia?”
But even as she asks the question, Rebeca knows that’s not exactly the wound that hurts her.
Because what really leaves her breathless is something else.
It’s the memory of Martina’s lips. The pressure against her body. The way her hands traced her body with a confidence that comes only from memory, from gestures that were once part of their daily routine.
Rebeca closes her eyes tightly.
It’s etched into her skin.
She’s always carried it with her, and…
“God…”
She rests her forearm on her forehead.
Her body still retains that almost electric sensation that comes after an intense night. As if every inch of her skin remembered the exact spot where Martina caressed her. The touch of her fingers on her waist, the pressure of her mouth on her neck, the way her hips moved against hers with a desperation that needed nothing more.
“They’re going to kill me when they find out,” she murmurs.
