Page 57

"I'll go at some point, but not while I have so much on my mind."

"But—"

"I promise I'll go, Laia." The assistant closes her mouth. "Just not now, okay? I've got too much crap piled on me to add any more."

"All right." Laia nods and lets it go for now, though she won't hesitate to bring it up again if it keeps happening.

They let go of each other's hands when they realize they're still holding them.

"Have you heard anything about your car?" Claudia asks, digging for her keys.

"Yeah, the shop called me at noon—it was just the battery, and it's ready to pick up. I'll go get it now."

"I'll take you," Claudia offers.

"You really don't have to. I can take the bus—the shop's really close to my place."

"Is that why, or is it because you don't trust me?" Laia's look of surprise makes Claudia want to kick herself. "Sorry, that was a stupid question. Anyway, I have to go to my aunt's house, so it's no trouble, but if you'd rather take the bus that's totally fine."

"No, in that case I'll go with you. Thank you."

The drive isn't very long and both of them ride in complete silence, each lost in her own thoughts. Claudia has one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift, and Laia looks out the window, remembering the feel of Claudia's fingers against her hand.

"Have a good time with your aunt. Thanks for the ride," Laia says when she gets out of the car, the door still open.

"Of course."

They look at each other for a moment, their minds crowded with things they feel they should say and that neither of them says because each assumes the other isn't ready to hear it—so Laia gives her a smile before closing the door, a smile that sends a pull through Claudia's stomach.

She pulls away and arrives at her aunt's house—in a residential complex outside Mataró—shortly after.

"I'm glad you came. Come in," Elvira says, waving her inside.

"I've never been here before," Claudia murmurs, taking in the living room.

"When you used to come with your parents I still lived in the apartment. I sold it a few years ago and moved here—it's quieter," Elvira explains. "You want something to drink? It's still too early for dinner."

"A soda if you have one, and something for the headache, please."

Elvira looks at her for a moment, concerned, but says nothing and goes to the kitchen to get the drinks and a painkiller.

"Come on, let's go out to the garden—the fresh air will do you good."

They sit in comfortable outdoor chairs under a patio umbrella and Claudia closes her eyes for a second, tilts her face up to the sky, and lets the breeze wash over her along with the last rays of sun.

"How are you?" Elvira asks after a while, and Claudia couldn't say exactly how many times she's been asked that question today.

"Better."

"Glad to hear it." Elvira takes a sip of her drink and sets it on the table between them. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Your relationship with your parents—how long has it been this tense?"

Claudia's chest swells like a balloon and she lets out a long breath.

"God." She smiles sadly. "I'd say as far back as I can remember, but it got worse around seventeen or so."