Chapter 44 FACING REALITY
FACING REALITY
ELENA
It had been a long time since I’d spent a night on edge.
After Victoria left home, fear and insecurity overwhelmed me, and I burst into tears.
I didn’t want to show that I was worried about what might happen, but I can’t help being worried and keep mulling things over.
I had forgotten that when things are going well, something always happens to ruin them, and now I’m terrified that our relationship is going to end.
Right before my eyes, the sun is already painting the colors of dawn, and even though its light bothers me, I’m in the same spot where I’ve spent the hours—curled up in one of the hammocks on the terrace, covered with a thin blanket and with a trembling heart.
I should have listened to Ana and been more realistic, opened my eyes, and kept my feet firmly on the ground.
Maybe then this situation wouldn’t hurt so much, and I wouldn’t worry so much.
Maybe I’m overreacting, taking it too personally, but I’ve been through this before, and even though I want to trust the promises Victoria has made to me, I’m trying to prepare myself for the worst.
Last night I pulled a small trunk of memories from the back of the closet, a box where I’d stored those things that meant something important to me.
I reread the letters we wrote to each other, laughed at the silly things we used to tell each other, stroked some seashells she collected for me, and recalled moments captured in a hundred stored photographs, but I never thought I’d find the ring she used to propose to me—the one I wore until it was replaced by the white gold one on our wedding day.
Victoria was never the romantic type, but that day she managed to make our stroll through the Las Dalias market incredibly magical.
If I close my eyes, I can still hear my brother whistling, Ana and Carolina shouting, and how everyone—including Inaki and Pablo—gathered around us to form a circle and start jumping.
We were just a step away from reaching the sky, and I knew we’d always be together.
The future didn’t matter; nothing and no one could break the bond that united us.
Back then, I was a dreamer who built castles in the sand.
Imagining my life with Victoria made me daydream, and when we arrived in Valencia and faced a different reality, disappointment and sadness overwhelmed me.
I know it’s my fault that it affected me that way, that I was selfish and insensitive; I had a very different mindset back then, and the truth is that when I think about it, I feel so foolish.
And what worries me right now is that I’ve fallen into the same mistake.
With tears in my eyes, I run my hands over them and let out a sigh.
I wonder why fate hasn’t let us enjoy a little more of the sweetness we were savoring in each other.
It could have let us live a little longer, cut out the nonsense and the decisions, and clear all the difficulties from our path…
I know it wants to test whether our bond is strong, whether we’ve learned from the mistakes we made, whether we’ve opened our eyes and realized that love alone is never enough to make a relationship work.
But I’m tired of the tests, the challenges, and the obstacles along the way, and I don’t know if I have the strength to face my fears and move forward.
*****
Ibiza. June 15, 2016
The sun beat down hard on the fabrics covering the stalls at the Las Dalias market that morning.
The whole group had decided to leave the beach and the fun behind to take a long walk and enjoy the island in a different way.
Victoria and Elena strolled through the crowd, immersing themselves in the beauty of the crafts on display throughout the square.
The rest of the group accompanied them, witnessing a bond that, over the years, had grown stronger and deeper; everyone admired them and was certain that nothing could separate them or break the bond that united them.
Elena, with a smile on her lips, stopped every now and then to look at the handmade jewelry with curiosity; she was fascinated by the small details and couldn’t help but examine every bracelet, ring, and necklace with admiration.
While she lost herself in the wonders of the market, Victoria couldn’t help but notice what her girlfriend was doing.
She loved watching her in silence, seeing her laugh, get excited, be surprised, and be happy.
She was so in love with that girl with gray eyes that she felt it in her heart.
Very carefully and without her noticing, she approached one of the vendors and selected a ring that reflected the sparkle in Elena’s eyes; it wasn’t a grand piece of jewelry—it was made of resin and small colored stones—but what mattered was the meaning, so she walked over to her, smiling and determined.
“Look at that necklace, Vicky. It’s beautiful…” Elena pointed toward one of the stalls excitedly. “It has the colors of the sunset from the beach, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s beautiful; I’m sure it would look perfect with the white dress your mother gave you for your birthday,” Victoria replied affectionately.
Elena, paying little attention to her girlfriend’s reply, kept walking and stopped in front of another stall, curiously examining some matching bracelets; however, some colorful ceramic plates caught her attention so much that she let go of Victoria’s hand to cross the square.
And Victoria, caught up in the surge of emotions she was feeling, seized the opportunity to carry out her plan.
“Elena, wait!” she shouted, catching her girlfriend’s attention almost immediately until the two of them were standing in the center. “Look what I found over there.” Elena looked up, and her eyes lit up when she saw the ring in her girlfriend’s hand. “Do you like it?”
“Of course I do! But you shouldn’t have taken it…” she murmured, closing Victoria’s hand so no one would see that she’d taken it without paying. “Are you going to buy it?”
“I already have,” she replied, reaching for Elena’s hand to carefully slip it onto her finger. “I hope you don’t take it off, at least not until we get married.”
Her heart skipped a beat when she realized what Victoria was doing, but the fear of jumping the gun and what she was feeling in that moment took hold of her.
“Is… What does that mean?” Victoria held Elena’s hands in hers and smiled.
“It means I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” she replied simply. “I want to build a future by your side…” she added, caressing one of her cheeks. “I love you so much.”
“And I love you… more than you can imagine.”
The whole world seemed to fade away around them, and their friends burst into applause and cheers as they realized what had just happened.
Victoria and Elena hugged each other tightly and shared the joy of their engagement with those who loved them most, knowing that the road ahead would be difficult, but confident that together they could face whatever fate might bring.