Chapter 62
GAbrIEL
She’s not answering her phone and Cecilia hasn’t shown up to school for three days now.
I’m losing it.
I’ve taken to getting updates on her well-being from Adriana, of all people, since Cecilia is still taking her calls.
It’s infuriating. I need to see her. To talk to her and make sure she’s okay.
I’m pissed that she snuck out of my place, but I understand that she’s hurting and overwhelmed. I just wish she’d let me be there for her.
But even her parents—who happen to love me—are helping her dodge my calls, and every time I show up on their porch, they make up some excuse about her resting and turn me away.
Cecilia’s staying safely tucked away—like Rapunzel in her tower—and despite my best efforts, I’ve yet to be granted entry.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I jump to answer it. “Cecilia?” I answer, not bothering to check the caller ID.
Silence.
“Is that you?” I try again.
A man clears his throat. “It’s me,” he says, and I stiffen.
“What do you want?” I ask, recognizing my father’s voice.
“Mijo,”—son— he says. “Podemos hablar?” Can we talk? “Is now a good time?”
“No. It isn’t,” I tell him and hang up my phone.
He calls again, and this time I ignore his call.
I haven’t had anything to say to my father since he and my mother signed over my trust, effectively cutting me out of their lives. He wants something. It’s the only reason he can have for calling, and these days, when it comes to my parents, I’m not in a giving mood.
“Everything okay?” Julio asks, stepping into the room and seeing my expression.
“Peachy,” I tell him.
“Give her some time,” he suggests. “You’re worried, and that’s fair, but give her some space. After what she’s been through, that girl needs it.”
My jaw tightens. I’m getting really sick of Julio suggesting I back off. When is he going to get it through his thick head that I’m not going to give up, not when it comes to her? His bullshit is getting real old.
“My dad called,” I tell him, eager to change the subject.
His eyes widen. “Yeah? What’d he want.”
“Don’t know. I hung up on him.”
Julio sighs and scrubs a hand over his face. “Seriously?”
I cut him with a glare. “Yes. Seriously. What the fuck would you have me do?”
“Talk to the man,” he says, throwing his hands in the air.
“When hell freezes over,” I tell him. “As far as I’m concerned, my father died months ago. So did my mother.”
Julio grunts. “I take it you’re not going to her wedding, then?”
I snort, prepared to tell him I’m not, when an idea slips into my mind.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Glancing at my phone, I consider messaging Cecilia now but the wedding is still a few weeks away, and Julio was right when he said she has a lot on her plate. I’m not trying to add to it.
Giving Cecilia space feels like the right thing to do, but it's eating away at me. Still, if she needs time, I'll respect that.
For now.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
I fucking hate this.
I can't shake the feeling of helplessness that gnaws at me. It's like being stuck in a nightmare, unable to reach the person I care about most.
Depending on how long she plans to avoid me, I can use my mother’s wedding as an excuse to reach out to Cecilia later. To spend time with her and see how she’s doing.
It feels manipulative. Wrong. But at this stage in our relationship, I’m not above it.
That should bother me, but it doesn’t. And I should feel ashamed about that, but I don’t.
I turn to Julio, my brows drawn together. "I'm going to the wedding.”
He raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my sudden change of heart. "You sure about that?" he asks cautiously.
I nod, not at all confident in my decision, but what other choice do I have? “Yeah. I already told Cecilia I’d go,” I say, my voice firm. "Maybe she’ll still come with me. You know,” I shrug. “After the dust settles.”
Julio studies me for a moment, his expression not at all pleased. “If you think it’s a good idea—” he hedges.
“I do,” I assure him, feeling my shoulders relax now that I have some semblance of a plan. I pull out my phone, ready to mark the wedding date on my calendar. It may be a long shot, but if there's even a chance of Cecilia going with me, of spending time with me again, I'll take it.
And maybe, just maybe, this can be the first step towards putting things between us back together.
I won’t let our relationship splinter apart. Not over an asshole like Austin Holt. He doesn’t get to take her from me.