Page 76

Fourteen months later.

Laia turns around, reaches back to grab a cushion, and shoves it under her butt with a wince.

"I don't know how your ass doesn't hurt," she says, looking at Claudia.

The two of them have been sitting on the living room floor for over an hour, wedged between the sofa and the coffee table with two sodas, a bowl of chips, another of olives, and a notepad and pen that Claudia holds between her fingers as they talk about moving in together.

Claudia is in the best place she's ever been. Her relationship with her parents is in a kind of pause—they've only seen each other once since the last meeting, and that was because Claudia went with her aunt, who had to handle some paperwork with them at the Barcelona offices.

"Are you sure you want to come up?" Elvira asked in the building entrance. "You can wait for me at the café if you're uncomfortable."

But Claudia turned down the offer because part of her needed to walk back into that building that had caused her so much resentment over the years—as if part of her recovery meant facing everything that had hurt her in the past. She felt nothing when she walked in, neither nostalgia nor the anxiety that used to follow her every time she set foot inside. She said hello to the staff she knew and followed her aunt to her mother's office.

Blanca's eyelid twitched when she saw her, because she hadn't expected her to come along with her sister, and although her behavior was fairly cold, she didn't reproach her for anything and even asked how she was doing.

"I'm good—I don't even dread going to work. Actually, I always wake up excited because I get paid to do what I love. I don't think you can ask for more than that. I'm really lucky."

Her mother looked at her very seriously and nodded, and then simply talked through what she had to talk through with her sister, and aunt and niece drove back to Mataró in a quiet, easy silence. Over the past few months, Claudia has started going everywhere with her aunt, because it turns out she's discovered that beyond designing, what really grabs her is Elvira's business—the complete creative process, from design all the way through finishing and shipping for sale. They figured that out because once Claudia ran out of things to ask Remei, she started questioning Elvira on the nights she stayed at her house, which were many, because she's practically never left. She spends weekdays with her since it's more practical than commuting back and forth from Barcelona, and only spends weekends at her own apartment so she and Laia can have some privacy.

Elvira picked up on her interest right away and not only takes her everywhere so she can understand the full scope of the business, but has also given her free rein to move through whichever sections interest her most. Now Claudia splits her day between spending time in pattern-making, helping with cutting, exchanging opinions with the sample coordinator, or assisting her aunt with her daily tasks.

With Laia, everything is going smoothly—something Claudia never would have imagined when they first met. Her nights out are completely behind her, and she doesn't miss them at all. She talks to Pol every now and then and has gotten together with Nadia a couple of times for drinks, as a friend, because now she truly feels free to open up to the people who matter to her. And Nadia, in her own way, has always been by her side—the pillar that kept Claudia from falling apart on more than one occasion.

Her dissociation episodes—diagnosed three months ago—haven't disappeared and never will, because they're triggered by stressful situations she doesn't know how to manage. But her stress itself has dropped significantly lately, and with it, so have those episodes that worried Laia so much.

"We should just stay here," Laia says, taking the pen from her to point at some of the numbers they've worked out. "The gas money driving to Mataró every day would cost us more than rent," she adds, underlining that figure.

Claudia looks at her, thoughtful.

"Or I could sell it."

Laia raises her eyebrows.

"Whatever I get from selling this apartment would be more than enough to buy one in Mataró. I've been looking at prices around Via Europa and Centre, which is where we've been checking rentals, and it would be totally doable. We'd skip the early mornings, we'd stop driving every single day—which, honestly, I think is a pain in the ass—and we could use all that time we spend on the road for better things."

"Hmm." Laia scratches the back of her neck. "I can't tell you what to do with your apartment. It's in a great location and it's paid off, so if you want to sell it, that works for me—and if you decide we should stay here, that works too."

Claudia stares at the numbers for a while, absently sketching a coat in the margin.

"It doesn't make sense for us to stay here if we both work there. Plus, we don't need an apartment this big. I can buy something smaller that we both like, invest whatever's left over, and between what we save on gas and both our salaries, we can afford to cover your tuition so you can finish your degree."

Claudia never would have imagined that someday she'd have to tighten her belt like this—cutting or letting go of some things to hold onto the ones that matter. But she loves her new life, one where she alone decides what her days look like. That's not even counting the satisfaction she feels knowing that what she has, she's earned herself—that she doesn't need her parents to survive, and that they can no longer use that as leverage to pressure her.

"Your sister finishes this year. If we start saving, we should have no problem getting you enrolled next year and helping your mom if she needs it—though she says that once Alba graduates, her expenses will drop too, and between her paycheck and the hours she puts in cleaning, she'll have plenty."

"When did you talk to my mom about this?" she asks, surprise written all over her face.

"A few weeks ago, one of those times we go over for lunch and you fall dead asleep on the couch," Claudia answers with a smile. "If she ever has any financial trouble, we can help her. And if we move in together, wherever that ends up being, you can leave your car with her so she can get around without depending on you—we'll have mine. If you want, of course. I'm just throwing out ideas."

"I like the plan," Laia says, pushing the coffee table aside and turning to sit astride Claudia's lap. "So, is this moving-in-together thing for real?" she asks, looping her arms around her neck.

"Very much for real. I'm sick of having to come here to make love, of us sitting in the car outside your house just to have a private conversation, or having to hold back whenever we feel like it at your place or at my aunt's. We've been together long enough to take this step, don't you think?" she asks, resting her hands on Laia's waist.

Laia melts and smiles against her mouth before kissing her.

"Completely agree," she whispers, and kisses her again. "Now let's go, or we'll be late to your aunt's."

Laia stands up over Claudia's protests—she was trying to keep her in her lap a little longer—but eventually Claudia gets up with a sigh and stretches like a lazy cat.