Chapter 44
ALEJANDRA
Cuando Nadie Mira - Paula Mattheus
She should have stayed behind. Asked Callum why he hadn’t told her he was heading toward burnout while she’d been crying about her fucking shoulder day and night.
Maybe it was because of that. Maybe because of her petulant, crying self.
Maybe he hadn’t felt good with her. Maybe she was just using him.
The thought hit harder than she expected, sharp and ugly.
She shook her head quickly as the bing of the elevator warned her that the doors were about to open.
No. Those were intrusive thoughts. And she already had too many of those about her future, about the ocean, about herself. Callum couldn’t be one of them.
He’s not something to ruin too.
As she stepped out through the main door of the building, the cool London air hit her face, grounding her slightly. The street was alive but muted—cars passing, people talking, the hum of the city wrapping around her.
She spotted Asma halfway up the street, walking fast, shoulders tight, heels clicking sharply against the pavement.
Alejandra didn’t hesitate. She jogged after her.
“Joder, you really wanted to get out of there,” she called, catching up and surprising her.
Asma turned, her expression murderous.
Yeah. Maybe she should’ve listened to Callum and stayed out of it. But Asma had looked… Not just angry. Hurt. Alone. Betrayed. And something inside Alejandra—something instinctive, stubborn—refused to let her walk away like that.
Girl code. Sisterhood. Whatever the hell this is.
“Why are you here?” Asma hissed, eyes narrowing.
She reminded her of an angry Sofía. Yeah. She could handle her.
“I thought you needed a girl to vent with,” Alejandra said, offering a disarming smile, or at least attempting one. “With all that testosterone back there, it felt like you might need to actually talk.”
“Didn’t you notice me yelling at both of them?” Asma shot back, not slowing her pace for a second.
Her heels were impressive, honestly. Fast, steady, precise.
But Alejandra was still an athlete—injured, recovering, but an athlete nonetheless. And she had sneakers. She could do this for miles.
“I did,” Alejandra replied easily, keeping up beside her. “And by the way, I don’t think Callum deserved that.” She paused slightly before adding, more carefully, “And about Leif… maybe we could stop here.”
She reached for Asma’s arm, gently but firmly, and pointed toward a nearby English pub. Warm light spilled through the windows. Laughter, the faint clink of glasses, the comforting smell of fried food drifting out every time the door opened.
Exactly what they needed. Alcohol. And a hamburger.
At least, she needed that. She’d been craving one all day, and even if it was early, her stomach was very much ready after everything.
“And talk about what happened between you two.”
“Nothing happened,” Asma spit out immediately. It came out strangled. Like a dying duck. Yeah. Definitely not nothing.
“Come on,” Alejandra insisted, already steering her toward the door. “Let’s go inside so you can tell Tía Alejandra all about that nothing.”
She didn’t really give her a choice, guiding her into the pub. It wasn’t crowded—thankfully. Just a few scattered tables, low music humming in the background, and a soccer match playing on the TV above the bar. They found a booth in the corner, tucked away enough for privacy.
Asma scrunched her nose as she sat. “This is not my kind of place.”
“But it’s mine,” Alejandra shot back with a bright smile.
She grabbed a menu, already scanning for the burger she’d been thinking about all day.
“So,” she continued, glancing up, “I sensed some tension between you and Leif. What happened?”
“Why should I tell you?” Asma shot back. “You’re basically a stranger to me.”
“Fair point,” Alejandra admitted easily. Then she shrugged. “But sometimes talking to strangers helps.”
She leaned back slightly.
“But if you’d rather sit here sulking, I’m still going to eat this amazing burger, and you can keep me company.”
“Or I could just leave…” Asma suggested.
Alejandra raised her eyes from the menu, locking onto hers with a small smile. “And yet… you’re still here.”
Asma groaned.
When the waitress came, they ordered two pints and two burgers—apparently, someone else had had a rough day too.
Alejandra quickly sent Callum a message, telling him she was eating out with Asma, then set her phone aside and focused fully on her.
Asma had a deep frown between her perfectly groomed brows.
“So…” Alejandra started again. “Leif. Weren’t you with Omar?”
“I broke up with him yesterday."
“He seemed like a good guy.”
“He is. It’s just…” Asma groaned, hiding her face in her hands. “He was a rebound.”
Interesting.
“For whom?”
Asma looked up, studying her now.
“How much do you know about Callum, Leif, and me?”
Alejandra grimaced slightly. “Not much. Just that Callum considers you his best friends and that you work together. I probably should’ve asked more questions.”
Asma’s gaze softened slightly. “You’re just getting to know each other. Give yourself some grace.”
Alejandra smiled faintly. “Thanks. But yeah, what should I know?”
Asma bit down on her lower lip. A faint blush crept up her cheeks.
“I know they think I’m oblivious to the fact that Leif has a crush on me…”
Alejandra raised a brow.
“…but the truth is, I’ve known for years.”
Oh.
“…and I made a promise to myself a long time ago.”
Alejandra leaned forward slightly. “What kind of promise?”
“To not fall in love with any of them.”
Alejandra’s eyes widened, her mouth forming a small o.
“Don’t worry,” Asma added quickly. “Callum was never part of that equation. He’d been with Vanessa for ten years. He’s like a brother to me.”
“So… Leif?” Alejandra asked. “Are you in love with him?”
Asma dropped her head onto the table with a soft thud, hiding her face completely.
Honestly, seeing a composed, slightly intimidating lawyer like her collapse like that? Kind of funny.
“He’s…” she mumbled.
“What?”
“He’s… hot, and funny, and smart, and kind and—”
It was like a dam broke. The words kept coming. And as she spoke, her whole face changed. Her eyes lit up, her expression softened, her voice warmed.
Alejandra let her talk. Let her unravel it all. Until she finally asked, gently, “Then why hide it? How? I mean… I could barely keep Callum at arm’s length, and he lives in another country. How did you do that? For how long?”
“Five years,” Asma muttered.
Alejandra almost choked on her beer.
“Por dios—how?”
“I focused on Lamina. Dated other guys. Pretended I didn’t care when he dated other women.”
Her voice hardened slightly.
“I kept a neutral face. Became a workaholic. My only goal was not letting any of it show.”
Five years.
That was… insane.
The waitress arrived with their burgers, and Alejandra’s stomach growled loudly in response.
“You deserve a medal for that level of restraint,” she said, eyeing the burger like it was a reward. “I barely managed.”
“I know,” Asma said with a small smile. “I can see you and Callum are clearly meant to be.”
Alejandra paused for half a second at that.
“As much as I hate to admit it,” Asma continued, “I’m not blind. I’ve seen how miserable he’s been lately.”
Her voice softened.
“But if he leaves… I’ll be stuck spending more time with Leif. And what if it doesn’t work? What if I give it a chance and everything goes to shit? Then I’m alone with Lamina.”
The spiral was fast. Immediate.
Alejandra reached across the table, placing her hand over Asma’s, stopping her.
The burger could wait.
“As someone who’s currently not doing great,” Alejandra said softly, “who’s rebuilding her life after the biggest injury of her career… and who, for the first time, has found someone who makes her heart skip beats…”
She smiled gently.
“Sometimes life doesn’t go the way you planned, but sometimes it gives you what you actually need.”
Asma looked at her, quiet now.
“Leif cares about you.”
“He hates me,” Asma shot back immediately. “I kissed him and then ran away. And didn’t talk to him. And then yelled at him tonight.”
Alejandra smiled. “I highly doubt he hates you.”
She squeezed her hand lightly.
“Why don’t you tell him what you just told me?”
“What if everything goes to shit?”
Alejandra tilted her head.
“What if it doesn’t?”
A pause.
“What if you and Leif actually work? What if you become one of those annoying power couples?”
Asma let out a small, reluctant huff of a laugh.
“What if that gives Callum the space he needs to not burn out completely?” Alejandra continued. “What if this is just… a new version of Lamina?”
She surprised herself with her own words.
Maybe I should listen to myself too.
“Change is necessary. Because we change.”
Silence settled between them again. Softer this time.
“Let’s eat this amazing burger,” Alejandra added, finally glancing down at it, “and then we call them. You talk to Leif. I’ll… deal with Callum.”
Asma looked at her, still uncertain.
“I’m scared.”
Alejandra squeezed her hand again.
“I am too.”
A small, honest smile.
“Everyone is. And I guarantee Leif is freaking out just as much. But what if he’s exactly what you need?”
Asma nodded slowly. Then, after a moment, she added,“And for the record—don’t hold it against Callum. Not telling you about the burnout.”
Alejandra glanced up.
“He’s always been independent. Even more since the accident. And after Vanessa ended things.” Her tone softened. “It takes him time to trust people with that kind of stuff. But with you… I think it’ll be easier.”
A small smile tugged at her lips.
“He’s extremely smitten with you.”
Alejandra smiled, turning her attention back to her burger. “You think so?”
Asma chuckled. “Oh, I know you know it.”
And just like that, the tension eased.
They fell into an easier conversation—about their pasts, their presents, and the very real, very fucking terrifying future ahead of them. It seemed like it was exactly what Asma needed.
And, unexpectedly, It was what Alejandra needed too. To see Callum through someone else’s eyes. Through stories of university, of Harvard, of who he’d been before everything.
How caring he was.
With his friends.
With his clients.
With his taid.
With his mam.
With her.