Episode 4

Elizabeth

After breakfast, we all went together in Andres's car to the address my grandfather had given us. When we arrived, we saw Andres's mother and grandfather waiting for us. We got out of the car and greeted them.

"What's the surprise, Grandpa?" she asked her grandfather.

"It's this," Mr. Teobaldo pointed out, holding up some keys.

"Please don't let it be what I'm thinking, please."

"Well, this too," he gestured to a very nice house right in front of us. "This way you can have privacy," he concluded.

"This is getting out of hand."

They went into the house, leaving us alone.

"Andres, this is too much," I said, frightened.

"Liz, everything is going to be fine," he held my hand, and I felt secure feeling his hand gripping mine, not only did I feel safe, but my heart began to beat very fast because of his touch. "Let's go in," he gestured to the house.

"Let's go," I followed him. We entered the house that would be "ours." The house had three bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, a dining room, and a small beautiful garden. Mr. Teobaldo bought the house as a wedding gift. A few days later, we moved in. He took the master bedroom, which was a bit larger than the other two; I chose the room in front of his. The house was purchased furnished, so we only brought our clothes and some personal items.

Days passed and turned into routine. I would make breakfast for both of us; he would go to work, and I to school. That's how the days went until it turned into a month of living with Andres...

I met Rosa at the school entrance. "Happy first month of marriage," she whispered, giving me a hug.

"Thank you, at least you remembered," I replied dispiritedly.

"Don't worry, friend. I'm here to make you happy," she said, throwing herself at me for another hug.

"Girls!" shouted Margarita as she ran toward us with Maria.

"Hello!" we replied in unison.

"Are we going out to eat after class?" Maria asked. Every Friday, we would go to our favorite cafe, and today would be no different.

"Sure, like every Friday," I replied. The bell rang, and we went to class.

The day went on as usual, and after class, we gathered to go out to eat. Since the cafe was close to school, we walked there.

"Do you know who asked about you, Elizabeth?" Margarita inquired.

"For me? No, who?" I asked, chuckling.

"Simon from 4C," she replied. Simon was one of the cutest guys at school, and his inquiry definitely gave me butterflies.

"Don't lie! The cutest guy at school asking about me, that's impossible," I said, laughing.

"Fine, don't believe me. But when he asks you out, I'll say 'I TOLD YOU SO,'" she said, using air quotes, causing all of us to laugh.

We arrived at the cafe, greeted the girls who were waitresses—as they were well-known to us from our frequent visits—and sat down at the counter to discuss an assignment due next week. As Maria talked about how we would split the work, my gaze settled on a couple in the back of the cafe. It was Andres with a girl, presumably his girlfriend. Rosa nudged me to snap me back to reality.

"Act natural, Elizabeth," she whispered. I nodded and resumed chatting with the group.

"Liz," Andres approached and greeted me.

"Hi, Andres," I replied.

"Hello," Rosa greeted him since she was the only one among my friends who knew him.

"Rosa, hello," he said somewhat shyly. The other girls looked at Andres with interest—what woman wouldn't, he was handsome to say the least.

"Andres, these are my friends Margarita and Maria," I introduced them.

"Hi, a pleasure, I'm Andres," he greeted kindly.

"Hello," they responded in unison.

"A pleasure," said Margarita playfully, earning a nudge from Rosa.

"Liz, can we talk?" he asked me.

"Yeah, sure," we sat at a table in the back where we couldn't be seen by my friends.

"I'm here with Teresa... my girlfriend."

"So her name is Teresa."

"Yeah, I figured she's your girlfriend," I said, slightly listless.

"It's a bit awkward," he said, avoiding eye contact.

"Awkward?" I questioned incredulously.

"Liz..."

"I didn't know you would be here. Besides, I always come here," I interrupted him—how could I not when now my presence embarrassed him? "Don't worry, I ordered food to go." I stood up from the table without looking at him; it was too humiliating, my dignity was shattered, and I had sought this out when I agreed to help him.

"Liz," he reached out and held my arm—"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that." Even though he apologized, I couldn't accept it; I felt too humiliated.

"Andres, there's no need to apologize. I feel uncomfortable too and don't want to spoil your date." I still couldn't look at him—I knew I'd cry if I did, and I couldn't let him see that. I pulled away from his hold and joined my friends.

"Girls, let's get the food to go," I announced.

"What? Why?" Maria complained.

"We haven't had a picnic in the park in a while," I added, avoiding Rosa's gaze.

"Yeah, let's go to the park," Rosa supported me, probably realizing I didn't want to be there, or I wasn't wanted there.

Rosa is always the kind of friend who can understand everything from one look. Margarita likes the park, so she agreed without a problem. We ordered the food to go and walked to the park, where we had a great time, as we always do when we're together.

I came home to find, as usual, Andres wasn't there. I didn't waste time and made dinner. Not being hungry yet, I started working on a school project. About two hours passed, and I started to feel hungry. I went to serve myself some of the food I had cooked.

The door opened, and I knew it was Andres.

"Good evening, Liz."

"Good evening," I answered without looking at him as I dished up the food. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," I heard him chuckle.

"I'll serve you," I said, a bit sternly.

"Can I help?" he came closer, helping with the plates. He set them on the table and got the juice I had prepared. We sat down to eat, as usual.

"Liz," he broke the silence between us. "What happened this afternoon... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that of you. It was wrong; you don't make me uncomfortable. I just didn't know how to ask properly," he met my eyes, and for some reason, I believed him, or at least wanted to.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," he continued to look at me, expectant of forgiveness. "I forgive you," I said sincerely, offering him a smile, which he returned.

"And how was my wife's day?" he joked, eliciting a laugh from me. We spent the meal chatting about our days.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***