Chapter 48
Three Days Later
Three days . . . Seventy-two hours, or four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes, without Guillermo and Nina in my life.
I try to be strong, as I have been since my mother died, but now it’s different.
When she passed away, there was nothing I could do to ease the longing. Guillermo, however, is just a phone call away.
As he promised, he’s been giving me space, but Rafe, Joaquín, Gael, and even Martina, whom I’ve never met in person, message me every day to check on me.
I know it’s at his request, and it deeply touches me that he cares enough to make his siblings reach out to me.
I also received a call from Logan and decided to clarify things between us once and for all.
I have nothing more than friendship to offer, and we both know that’s not what he wants.
Whether I’m with Guillermo or not at the moment, my heart belongs to him, so it wouldn’t be fair to give the young man false hope.
I’ve been staying away from the hotel, as the course venue is relatively far from the Caldwell-Oviedo Tower, but I miss everything: the conversations with Julien, even Melissa’s chatter, but most of all, I miss Guillermo and Valentina.
Isabel also called, and although she didn’t mention her son’s name, I know she wanted to ask me questions. In one of the calls, I heard Nina’s grumbles in the background, and my heart tightened as if someone was squeezing it.
What am I doing?
I believe he truly cares for me. I believe in him.
Despite this, a voice keeps repeating that maybe being with me is just too convenient for him. I share the same blood as Valentina, and Guillermo has mentioned more than once how important family is to him.
I look at the phone like an idiot. Deep down, I hope he’ll break our agreement and call, but I know that won’t happen. I challenged him. I told him that if he loved me enough, he would give me space, and he’s keeping his end of the bargain.
If there’s one thing I know about Guillermo, it’s his sense of honor.
And as crazy as it sounds, right now I wish he would just come and erase all the doubts from my mind.
I walk into the restaurant where I have lunch every day near the course venue, and I feel like I’m seeing a mirage.
Guillermo.
He’s sitting alone, head down, scrolling through his phone, seeming to look without seeing.
For a moment, I’m unsure whether to keep walking or leave, but in those few seconds, as if drawn by a magnet, he lifts his head, looking directly at me.
Seeming to understand my hesitation, he doesn’t stand up, which I know from all the time we’ve spent together would be his usual way of acting.
He’s letting me choose.
Despite the coward within me wanting to flee, my heart triumphs over reason, and in a few steps, I walk over to where he is.
He immediately stands up, and his eyes capture me in such an intense way that it’s as if he’s touching me.
We are less than half a meter apart now, and all the people around us disappear.
“Olívia.”
My heart aches with longing, but I try to maintain some semblance of control. “Guillermo.”
“Is it lunchtime for you?”
Suddenly, I remember when he was at the café. I look around and get the same feeling as that day.
He doesn’t belong here.
Guillermo is here because of me.
Acknowledging this doesn’t upset me; it makes me happy. He came.
I know he’s eager to touch me. I am too, and without resisting the urge, I move a little closer.
His control seems to snap. His hand lands on my waist, and the warm mouth I love so much touches my cheek.
It’s a chaste kiss, but it speaks volumes, possibly more than a declaration of love would.
When he finally lets go of me, I don’t want him to move away.
“Yes, it is,” I say, finally answering his question. “Will you also have lunch here?”
He shrugs, and I take that as a yes.
“We could . . . uh . . .”
“Of course,” he replies quickly.
Knowing that he’s also eager calms me a bit. He pulls out a chair for me, and I look at him, studying every bit of the owner of my heart. His face looks tired, despite his usual impeccable appearance.
“Are you here by chance?”
“If I say no, will you leave?”
“I won’t. I missed you too.”
He closes his eyes for a moment, and when he opens them, he doesn’t meet my gaze. “You said that if I loved you enough, I would give you space. Me being here doesn’t mean I don’t love you. It’s quite the opposite.”
God, what am I doing to both of us?
“Have dinner with me tonight?” I ask.
He was looking at his hands folded on the table, but he immediately lifts his head at my words. “Where?”
“I’d like to see Nina, so if it could be at your place . . .”
“Yes, she would love that. We both missed you.”
Before I can say anything else, a group of classmates sees me and comes over.
We both stand up, but he holds me by the waist. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“You don’t have to; I can take an Uber.”
He doesn’t give me time to continue protesting. After another kiss on the cheek, he repeats,
“Six o’clock in front of the course venue, my love.”
I don’t even bother asking how he knows what time classes end.
“Is that Guillermo Caldwell-Oviedo? What is he to you?” one of the girls in the group asks.
I watch him as he leaves the restaurant.
“He’s mine.”
I get out of the building a bit late, and Guillermo is waiting for me with the family driver, Simon, outside the car.
As soon as he sees me, he closes the distance to meet me, and as if in a hurry, he intertwines our fingers and guides me to the vehicle.
“Good evening, Simon. It’s good to see you again,” I say to the driver, feeling my face burning.
“Good evening, miss. It’s a pleasure to serve you again.”
I get into the car, followed by Guillermo. I’m so nervous that I fumble three times to fasten my seatbelt, aware that his eyes are on me the whole time. Without asking, he overlaps his fingers with mine, taking over the task.
When our skin touches, it feels like electric currents shock me in different parts of my body. Immediately, our eyes seek each other out, the hunger for each other reflected.
My gaze falls to his mouth, and he makes a low sound.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m on the edge, Olívia.”
My entire skin tingles with the mix of threat and promise. Instead of pulling away, I let my tongue run over my own lips.
He nibbles on my earlobe but does nothing more, and I squeeze my thighs, unable to disguise my desire.