Chapter 12
Violeta returns a few minutes later. Her face is pale, contrasting with rosy cheeks flushed from the cold. She rubs her hands as she enters and kisses her mother on the cheek, dispelling the tension between them.
"Sit down, I'll serve the dishes," Maite orders.
Her daughter sits next to Olga and the two exchange a glance that takes their breath away. Maite, oblivious to everything, sits across from them and starts a conversation that manages to distract them from that electrifying tension between them for a while.
"How's the renovation going?" Maite asks, abruptly changing the subject.
Olga wipes her mouth with her napkin and feels Violeta's gaze of interest fixed on her. Every time she shares something about her life or related matters, her neighbor's daughter pays absolute attention, as if everything about Olga interests or fascinates her, the same way Olga feels when it's Violeta who's speaking.
"Very slowly," she says with such a natural smile that Violeta feels a kind of pinch in her stomach.
Violeta, except for that front patio that needs urgent renovation, doesn't remember seeing signs of obvious repairs when she was at Olga's house.
"What are you renovating?" she asks, so focused on Olga that for a moment, she's forgotten her mother is there.
"Actually it's not really a renovation. I'm just changing a few things I don't like. Right now I'm working on the wallpaper in my bedroom. My aunt and uncle had awful, bland taste in decor and every time I go in there, I feel out of place. So that's what I'm doing, but it's quite a hassle."
"I'm sorry I can't help you," Maite laments, genuinely affected, "but ever since José left, I barely have time to breathe. When I get out of the bakery I also have to handle all the orders, the invoices..."
"You don't have to justify yourself, Maite," Olga cuts her off, "I completely understand."
"I could help you on the days I'm here," Violeta blurts out in a burst that's probably the fault of the wine.
Olga looks at her, as alarmed as Violeta feels when she realizes what her offer implies, but neither has time to object because Maite seems delighted by the idea.
"That would be fantastic," her mother applauds. "I owe you so many favors, Olga, that I'd feel much better if my daughter can lend you a hand, at least until you finish your bedroom."
"I really appreciate it, but I can't take away from the little time you have together," Olga says, considering her excuse to be a good one.
"You're not going to take away that much from us. I'm going to be very busy a couple afternoons - on those days Violeta could go with you. Between the two of you, I'm sure you'll give it a good push and get it almost done. Besides, I'll also need you to do me a favor."
"What favor?" Violeta asks with a face of circumstance.
"On Tuesday I need you to go to Huesca to deliver the orders. Antonio's son can't and I've already committed. Between the two of you, you can do it in one morning and then take advantage and spend the afternoon there."
"And the bakery? Who will help you?" Olga worries.
"The girls will have to manage on their own for one day, it won't be a big deal."
Maite mops up the juice the shrimp left on her plate with a piece of bread, not giving more importance to the conversation, as if she had already decided everything. Olga and Violeta look at each other and their pulses race at the idea of spending a day together. It hasn't occurred to either of them to refuse that part about staying in Huesca for the afternoon, perhaps because they both thought the same thing - about that bar where they met and the hostel where they spent the best night of their lives.
After clearing the plates, they move to the sofa with glasses of sweet wine accompanying the Christmas sweets Maite bought in excess. The three women continue talking. At Olga's request, Maite tells anecdotes from when her daughter was little. On any other occasion Violeta would be embarrassed and scold her mother for unearthing some of her most mortifying moments, however, in this case she doesn't mind, maybe because the wine has taken away a bit of her modesty, or maybe because of the fascination with which Olga listens to her and the knowing laughs the two exchange throughout the evening. Olga also shares some things about herself, although more about her teenage years when she makes it clear that she has always been an extroverted woman and at the same time protective of her space. That's how they spend a couple of hours until Maite yawns exhausted and looks at her watch.
"With your permission, I'm going to head to bed now, since I have to get up early to go to the bakery tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? But it's Christmas, Mom," Violeta protests, stunned.
"That's right, what do you have to do at the bakery on a day like that?" Olga chimes in.
"I made a commitment to some customers to make mantecados and roscas for them. It was shortly after José left, I was overwhelmed and needed to fill my hours however I could, and now I can't tell them no."
"Jeez, Mom," Violeta complains.
"It will only be a couple of hours, it won't take me long. I prepared the dough today. I just have to bake everything and put it on trays, that's all."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Olga offers.
"Not at all, there's only work for one person there."
Maite gets up and gives each of them a kiss.
"You two continue chatting, you're not bothering me. And tomorrow, if you don't have plans, come over for lunch too, so you're not alone," Maite says.
Olga smiles gratefully; in reality, there is nothing she wants more than to continue spending time with her neighbor, although in this case, if she's honest with herself, it's her daughter she most wants to see. But she knows she should decline the offer, not only because of that irrepressible attraction she feels towards Violeta and which she clearly doesn't know how to control, but she's realizing that she's starting to like Violeta beyond her physical appearance and that's going to cause a much worse problem, one she'll have to overcome when her neighbor's daughter returns to Madrid and Olga is left there missing her.
"I don't know if I should..."
Now it's Violeta who cuts her off.
"Do you have any plans?" she asks, staring at her intently.
Olga opens her mouth to answer, but her mind, blocked by Violeta's beauty, is unable to come up with an excuse in time.
"Then you're coming over and that's that."
"That's my girl," her mother applauds.
"Okay," Olga accepts, "but it will be at my house. I'll buy prepared food, no one is going to cook tomorrow."
Maite smiles at her and nods, then bids them goodnight and disappears down the hallway until the door to her room is heard closing.
When Olga and Violeta are alone, the tension returns between them and suddenly they fall silent.
"I think it's best that I leave," Olga concludes, standing up.
Violeta doesn't object, she knows Olga is right, that the attraction between them is so strong that if she stays, the risk of them ending up naked on her sofa is too high, and she doesn't want to imagine the look on her mother's face if she discovers them.
"I'll walk you to the door."
Violeta also stands up and the two look at each other for a moment. Olga swallows; she feels her heart pounding in her throat and an urge between her legs that's hard to ignore. She turns her back to Violeta to avoid temptation and walks to the door, hearing her neighbor's footsteps behind her. She hasn't even gotten her hand on the doorknob when she feels Violeta's hand on her waist, holding her firmly. A shiver runs through Olga as Violeta spins her around and looks at her intently.
"Are you going to leave without giving me two kisses?" Violeta asks, about to have her heart explode.
Olga smiles mischievously, unable to contain herself. She likes Violeta's audacity too much to ignore it.
"Do you want two or one somewhere else?" Olga provokes her.
This time it's Violeta who feels a tremendous weakness all over her body.
"I want many in many places."
Violeta claims her body, pulling her towards her and, just as their lips are about to touch, they hear the door to Maite's room and then her footsteps. Again, the two separate and the hostess appears in the living room with Olga's coat in her hand.
"It was in my room and... Are you leaving already?" she asks, surprised.
Olga looks at her, overwhelmed, Violeta's presence makes her blood so hot that she didn't even remember her coat.
"Yes, Violeta said that tomorrow morning she'll come over for a while to help me with the wallpaper in the bedroom while you're at the bakery," Olga blurts out the first thing that comes to mind to justify her escape, and only after she's said it does she realize that the excuse only puts her in a much more complicated situation.
"Yes," Violeta supports her with a smug smile at her mother's shocked face, "I'll lend her a hand, so it's best we go to bed now or no one will be able to get up tomorrow."
"Well done then," Maite says with delight as she hands the coat to Olga. "Days must be taken advantage of, you'll have time to tell each other things while ripping that horrible wallpaper off the walls."
Maite turns around and disappears again where she came from. The two remain there, still as statues until they hear the door close again. Then Violeta reacts and, before Olga can put on her coat, pushes her against the door and kisses her with such passion that Olga slips between her hands and can only cling to her neighbor's waist with the firmness of one who needs to feel her close. The kiss lingers and their tongues unite when Olga feels Violeta's leg make its way between hers until their thighs exert pressure on their sexes, eliciting a couple of sighs that sound too loud.
"Violeta, you have to stop," Olga says with little conviction.
"I can't," she exhales into her mouth, and continues exerting pressure on Olga's sex that Olga returns by clinging to her ass to adapt to an exciting dance that, in much less time than expected, ends up provoking such an intense orgasm that Violeta bites Olga's neck to stifle her moans.
After the last throes of pleasure, Olga opens her eyes and observes with relief that they are still alone.
"Damn, Violeta..."
"Yeah, this can't happen here again," she replies with a raspy voice.
"That's not what you were supposed to say," Olga says, laughing.
"No? Then what was it?" Violeta also smiles.
"Well I don't know, that it was a mistake, that it won't be repeated..."
Olga suddenly falls silent and shakes her head.
"Do you really not want it to happen again?" Violeta asks. "Because I can't think of anything else."
Olga fixes her gaze on her and sighs. Denying something she also desires is absurd.
"Jeez... Let's be careful, okay?"
"That's more like it," Violeta gives her a kiss and firmly sucks her lower lip before pulling away. "What time should I come to your house?"
Olga rolls her eyes, still incredulous at having been the one to propose such a stupid thing.
"Whenever you want, I always get up early."