Chapter 29
Marcela
I t’s almost midnight by the time I retreat to my room and finally get to talk to Theo. “How was your Christmas?” I hear Theo’s tired voice for the first time in only one day, and yet, I find myself comforted as if I … missed him?
I don’t think much of it and focus on what he asked me.
“It was oddly good. There was no fighting or rude comments, just a normal Christmas Day. We woke up, had a huge breakfast that my mom made, opened our gifts, and had a few hours to get ready before the rest of the Bass family came over.”
Back in Costa Rica, my mom told me that we would have spent the day relaxing on the beach with family, which sounds a lot better than the formal dinner we had.
Bass Christmases are a huge ordeal. My stepfather hires someone to excessively decorate our house, with a beautiful nativity scene in the living room taking center stage.
Our family party lasted till nearly midnight, but I snuck away an hour ago because my social battery was drained.
Not only did I have to socialize all day, but I was dressed up because Chris always insists on it for this party. I usually love wearing heels, doing my makeup, and picking out a cute dress, but for this party, it fails to spark the same joy. The Bass family is great. What bothered me was the demand that I dress like this. It wasn’t a choice, and I think that’s what grated on me.
“I’m glad you had a good day. Was Santa good to you?” he asks on a chuckle.
“Very good. I got everything on my list,” I joke back, laughing along with him. I didn’t want to pry about what happened with his dad, so I try to keep the conversation light.
“When can I see you?” he blurts out, as if he couldn’t wait to ask.
“We have another Bass Christmas party tomorrow, with some of my mom’s family joining us from Puerto Limon as well. So the day after that, if you’re free? I’ll be heading back to my apartment then. I can only survive so many days here.”
“How will I ever survive that long?” He sighs dramatically, making me giggle.
“I know. I miss you,” I admit quietly. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize what I’ve just said and how it might sound. I don’t miss Theo the way I would miss any of my other friends, and suddenly I want to change the subject.
“Have you heard from Dale? How did it go telling Robin’s parents?” I blurt out.
While I don’t know them that well, Theo had mentioned he was nervous for his friend to tell her parents, so I’m hoping it all went smoothly.
“Dale texted me not long ago and said that they were very shocked, which he expected. But they’re already coming around to the idea and are very excited.”
“That’s so good to hear.”
“Do you want kids?” he asks, making me falter.
“Uhh … what?”
“Do you see yourself having kids? I’m curious, that’s all.”
I take a moment to mull his question over, and I’m hit with a mental image of me and Theo at the farmhouse, with a baby wrapped in a blanket in his arms as he leans in to kiss me, and—
Oh no. No. No.
Why am I imagining that? I never once imagined it for Hunter and me. More importantly, why do I like how much a future with Theo looks?
“Celly, you there?” I hear his voice become farther away as he pulls the phone from his ear most likely to check if the call dropped.
“Yeah, sorry,” I say, my voice higher than it was before. “I have to go.”
“Wait—” Theo says, his voice full of panic. “Is everything okay? I was just curious—”
“No, that’s fine, you’re good. I’m just really tired after the long day,” I partially lie.
“That’s okay. Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow,” he says, and I can’t tell if he believes me or not.
“You too. Good night.”
“Good night, Celly.”
The second Bass party was underway, and you think it’d be less extravagant than the day before … but somehow it’s always more food, more people, more socializing.
And I happen to only like one of those three things, which is why I take my place at the appetizer table that my mother prepared this morning.
“This food isn’t going to eat itself,” my mom chastises as she slides next to me at the table.
“I’m trying to eat as much as I can. But all we’ve done the last three days is eat, and I’m stuffed.” I laugh as I pat my belly.
“Good, that means I’m doing my job,” she smiles, looking more at ease than I’ve ever seen before.
My mother seems different this holiday. I think it’s because she knows it’s the last time she’ll have to endure all of this with my stepfather since she has plans to leave him once I’ve graduated in May.
She told me about her plan when I got here on Christmas Eve, right before we went to Misa de Gallo. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s already secured her own lawyer and they’re working to get everything ready to go.
Knowing my mom is leaving Chris gives me peace of mind that I desperately needed. I don’t think I realized how much I worried about her living with him, until I realized I won’t have to anymore.
“ ?Marcela, te ves hermosa! ” My Tía Isabella yells as she makes her way over to me.
“ Gracias, Tía. ?Cómo estás? ”
“ Estoy bien. ?Sabías que tu antiguo novio está aquí? Pensé que con ese nuevo hombre tuyo no estaría invitado, ” she says, making the air around me turn frigid as the blood drains from my body.
Hunter is here?
“ No lo invité, ” the words somehow escape me as I begin scanning the room for him. Hunter came to this party every year, but he had to know he was no longer welcome, right?
My tía gasps, then reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze as she says, “No dejes que arruine tu noche. Estaré aquí si me necesitas.”
I give her a nod, and she smiles before making her way over to Jade, leaving me by myself.
I decide to head to my room in case Tía Isabella was correct. I’m nearly out of the room when I run right into Hunter.
“We need to stop meeting like this,” he says with his signature smile. A smile that would have made me blush a year ago, but now? It makes me roll my eyes.
“Why are you here?” I snap, surprised at my cool tone to my voice, because I never talk to anyone like that. Even Hunter looks surprised.
“Your dad invited me.”
“I didn’t.”
“So?”
I let out a humorless laugh. “So? Are you kidding me? Hunter, you cheated on me with my best friend, and you expect me to be okay with you coming to my family’s Christmas party? I don’t care who invited you. If it is anyone other than me, consider it void from now on.”
All he does is smirk at that. “I kinda like this bossy side of you, Marcie. Hell, if you were like this when we were dating, I wouldn’t have looked elsewhere.”
“Thank God you did, because I’ve moved on to better things,” I say with confidence. It strikes me then how true of a statement that is. My entire life has shifted for the better since we broke up. Despite how hurt I was then, I’ve never been happier.
Sometimes when good things are happening to us, they don’t always feel good right away. It’s like a flower blooming. It doesn’t start with beautiful petals, but eventually you get there.
He’s quiet for a moment, when he takes a step toward me. “I want you back.” He tries to grab my hand, but I back away from him.
I can’t help it, a boisterous laugh erupts from my lips, and there’s nothing I can do to hold it in. Hunter’s face is priceless, a mix of embarrassment and shock as I continue to laugh uncontrollably.
“Stop laughing,” he hisses, noticing the eyes on us. “I’m serious. Ruby was the fun fix I needed, but I’m ready to come back to you and settle down. That phase of my life is over. She and I have been done for a week now.”
I’m not even shocked that they already broke up, and I don’t feel bad for either of them.
It doesn’t bring me joy nor sorrow—I simply don’t care. The only thing I’m thinking about is how Theo and I don’t need to keep up pretenses anymore. We were in this fake relationship to prove to them that I had moved on too, but now that they’re over, we can call it quits.
I should be happy, yet no part of me likes the idea of not being his anymore. There’s so much going through my mind that I honestly don’t know what to think, except that Hunter needs to hear this loud and clear so he gets the point.
“What we had wasn’t love. The way you treated me is not how I deserved to be loved. I’m not a phase in someone’s life, or a backup plan. I wish you the best in your future, Hunter, but I will never be a part of it.”
Hunter stumbles back as if my words physically hit him, while his tongue prods his cheek as his eyes bore into the ground.
I want to say I’m sorry for saying no and hurting his feelings… but that was the old me. The new Marcela isn’t apologizing for setting boundaries and being honest.
“And Miller is that guy?” he finally says.
“He treats me better than you ever did.”
Hunter shakes his head and leaves without another word, walking right out the front door.
A tear strolls down my cheek once he’s out of sight, but it’s not from sadness. Months ago, I never would’ve had the courage to stick up for myself and tell him how I really felt about how he’s treated me. This time when I shed a tear, it’s not because of what he did to me, rather it’s because of what this situation did for me.
It’s the closure that I needed to end that chapter of my life, and I am more than ready to write my next one.
I have a feeling it was about to be a good one.