Chapter 15
It's four in the morning when the three women, mother, daughter, and Olga, arrive at the bakery to load the delivery van with everything Violeta and Olga need to take to Huesca. Outside, the cold has left their hands numb, and only Maite seems to move with ease at such an early hour.
Violeta yawns four times in a row, which in turn infects Olga, who rubs her hands in front of one of the ovens while Maite checks her notebook for everything that needs to go out.
Olga and Violeta exchange several knowing glances. They haven't been able to greet each other the way they would have liked because Maite has come out with her daughter, but from the way they look at each other, they don't need to kiss to express the desire they feel for one another. Violeta, shivering because she can't shake off the cold from her body, approaches her mother to see if she can help with anything. Olga watches them without moving from the side of the oven, especially Violeta, with whom she couldn't talk yesterday afternoon because the three of them stayed at her house playing cards and eating all kinds of junk that will make her ass as round as a loaf of bread.
Ever since Olga noticed that restlessness in Violeta, she has been worried, fearing she has done something to make her uncomfortable or said something inappropriate. She can't get inside her head and dreads the thought that Maite's daughter may have changed her mind and no longer wants to continue exploring what they have beyond the days she has left of vacation. Olga has the feeling that the hours are flying by at a dizzying pace and that the minutes with Violeta are slipping through her fingers. Nothing seems enough, and despite the fiery desire she feels for her and that uncontrollable ardor when they are alone, she feels that every time they sleep together, they are wasting valuable time to get to know each other more deeply.
"Olga, are you listening to me?" Maite asks for the second time.
"What?"
"My goodness, I don't know what's wrong with you two, it's clear that getting up so early affects your minds," Maite laughs, looking at them both. "I said this is ready, there are a total of four bakeries you need to stop at."
"Okay, is that what needs to be loaded?" Olga points to the boxes Violeta is piling up next to the van.
"Yes, I've written the name of each bakery on the boxes so you don't mix them up, although I don't know if I can trust you to go, you're both very distracted," she says, pressing her lips together with a worried expression.
"Don't be silly, woman, I'm just not used to getting up so early and I think I need more coffee," Olga reassures her.
"I'll fix that while you finish loading, I'm going to turn on the capsule machine and you can have another one before you leave."
"Perfect," Olga thanks her.
Maite goes into a room she has set up as a small kitchen, and Olga starts picking up boxes with Violeta.
"Everything okay?" she asks, crouching down next to her.
Violeta looks at her with a surprised expression and stops.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, between us, you were a bit weird yesterday."
"Me?"
They both stand up, and Olga puts the boxes in the back of the van. She leans forward to push them to the back, and immediately feels the warmth of Violeta's body pressed against her butt. Olga straightens up so quickly that she forgets about the van's roof and hits her head.
"Fuck," she says, touching it with her hand.
Violeta laughs and spins her around in her hands until she's facing her. Then she takes a clandestine glance towards the room where her mother still is, and when she makes sure she's still there, she kisses her on the forehead and then on the lips.
"What are you doing?" Olga hisses, eyes bulging, looking towards the room as if a monster is about to come out of there.
"Relax, that coffee maker is older than a bell tower and takes a long time to heat up," Violeta says leisurely, still holding her waist and giving her another kiss on the chin. "Everything is perfect between us," she whispers, making Olga shiver.
After taking another look at the door, her neighbor stops resisting the urge that pushes her towards Violeta and wraps her in a warm hug in which they both melt and sigh as if an invisible force wants to separate them.
"You seemed worried yesterday," Olga insists.
"Well, the days go by..." Violeta blurts out without thinking.
Olga freezes, processing a phrase she doesn't know how to interpret. Violeta looks away because she didn't expect that outburst of honesty to come out of her lips, but when Olga opens her mouth to answer, Maite comes out with two cups of coffee in her hands.
"You're still like this?" she asks, surprised.
The two women suddenly turn towards the boxes and realize they have forgotten to keep loading the van.
"Yes, it's just that..." her daughter stammers, looking at Olga for help because she doesn't know what to say.
"We got distracted talking," Olga completes.
"Come on, drink the coffee and see if it wakes you up once and for all."
Olga and Violeta lean their butts on the back of the van and drink their coffee while Maite checks the list of what needs to be delivered one last time.
"Who's driving?" Maite asks with the keys in her hand when the two finish their coffee.
"Me," they both answer at the same time.
Maite alternates her gaze between the two, doubtful and at the same time amused by the connection she perceives in them.
"I'm driving," Olga says smugly, snatching the keys from her hand while looking at Violeta with a defiant gesture.
Maite's daughter raises her hands in surrender, although from the way she has looked at her, Olga knows that at some point she will suffer the consequences of that challenge.