Felix woke up with something on his face, it was hair, platinum blond hair that shone in the morning sun. The young man blinked again and twice trying to figure out why he had his best friend's hair on his face.
"Hhmm, Felix?" – said the girl who occupied the young man's mind at this moment, he turned to the left, and there she was, shaking off her drowsiness rubbing her eyes still sleepy.
Felix's expression was made of stone.
-Um, good morning. – he said hoping that the girl would not panic.
-aaaaah. – Ariel said yawning and sitting on the bed while stretching his arms as far as he could. "Mornin... yawn." - she said with her hair in tatters.
Little by little the memories of the previous night came to Felix, it was another night of screaming, they had already been like this for several days, so many that he didn't even remember anymore, he was already prepared with a key, he woke up Ariel, she cried a little over him, and he held her hand so that she could sleep again, only that due to the pain he had every morning from sleeping in a chair Ariel asked him to lie down Next to her, the bed was big enough for both of them to settle in without feeling cramped or so close as to make it uncomfortable, it was the fifth night like this.
"You know, it's not that I mind taking care of you when you have nightmares. – Felix said sitting next to Ariel, she trembled a little when he mentioned his nightmares, he made her feel ashamed and guilty.
-Sorry. - she said lowering her head.
"Don't get me wrong, I didn't say it to throw anything in your face." – he said calmly while yawning too, Ariel looked up curiously, if it wasn't that, then what? "Em, I'm just trying to say, if I'm going to end up sleeping here with you anyway, maybe we can skip the steps in between and use the big room to put a bed and sleep together from the start." - Felix said with some embarrassment and scratching his cheek while avoiding Ariel's gaze.
The girl opened her eyes a little in surprise and drew her pillow to hug her and curl up into a ball, avoiding Felix's gaze. The boy did not get a response and was about to apologize for the shameless proposal, but Ariel spoke before he did.
-That would be practical. - she said with the pillow covering her face while hugging her knees. Felix smiled a little.
- Do you think if we also go to the department store on the way back?, I think I already know which mattress we could choose. – Felix said as he stood up.
- Do you mean the one with two bases? – Ariel replied remembering all the mattresses they tried when they were choosing some for them and the embarrassment they felt when the person in charge who attended them suggested they try the matrimonial ones, that neither of them refused did not help either.
-Yes, you liked that one too, didn't you? - Félix asked, putting on his flip-flops. Ariel's gaze lit up and a huge smile adorned his face.
-Yes! – she said with more enthusiasm than she wanted because she instantly covered her mouth in shame.
-Hehe, then it's decided. Don't take too long, I'll make hot cakes. – she said leaving Ariel's room and heading for hers.
From the beginning Felix had told Ariel that he would not force her to do anything, she could have her own room and the ones she wanted for whatever she wanted, she thanked him. They would have continued with that setup if it weren't for Ariel's night terrors, but it's not that the girl was complaining now. Félix was a great companion, better than I could have asked for, he was attentive, kind and always sought to understand her, she appreciated everything he was willing to do for her. In reality, there was so much that Félix did for her that at some point she began to feel guilty for everything she had and what she asked of him.
Ariel didn't know very well what her place was in this marriage, well, in addition to being a clear sexual object, she knew about those things, not because of her parents exactly, but because of all the content that had already normalized relationships that it was impossible not to find out how couples worked.
Still, she didn't see that Felix was in a hurry to sleep with her, well, not in an active way anyway, of course, he seemed embarrassed sometimes, she understood, she knew she was cute, they told her all the time, and it seemed that not even a young millionaire was immune to its effects, but she didn't want that to be all the young man saw in her, she didn't want to be that kind of girl, but what Felix had asked her to be, a support and a friend, but until now she had only been a mouth to feed and a doll to dress, so far she had only dragged Felix to her whims and had done nothing for him.
The problem was that even if he wanted to, he didn't know how he could return the favor, that is, what could you give to someone who could buy and have what he wanted?
When Ariel went down to the kitchen half an hour later, Felix already had some pancakes made, she smiled and set the table so that they could both have breakfast peacefully.
With their stomachs full and the dishes washed, they both began to walk at the exit, it was a slightly long stretch but covered and with plants on each side.
-Hold on. – Ariel told him
Felix looked at her and she passed her hand over his head brushing aside some leaves that had fallen in his hair, the bad part of walking in a tunnel of trees. Then she leaned a little towards him and with a wry smile he also stroked her head, even though she had no leaves on it.
They arrived at the school in a private transport because they had no idea what public transport was taken to get from there, but it didn't seem to be very far, it only took the car less than twenty minutes to get there.
They got out of the car and walked through the main entrance of the high school, it hadn't been mentioned before but it was a private school, only a few were supposed to be able to afford it but it was more than just a few wanted to pay for it, it didn't have anything about other public schools except maybe there was paper in the bathrooms, and clean classrooms, otherwise it was almost the same, including the students, they were not people with money, they only had enough to pay for a technical career, it was Mexico after all, and all this meant that they were still easily impressionable young people and children so when Félix and Ariel entered through the main gate it was like seeing the elite that was supposed to be the one destined to attend a private school.
New and aesthetic footwear, new hairstyles and perfect complexions, new high-quality backpacks, nail polish in foreign fashion, tailor-made clothes, and a walk that denoted how comfortable they felt with their own bodies.
It was like a modeling catwalk, she with her features and blonde hair that screamed foreigner everywhere, and he with a stocky body and both with blue eyes. It had definitely been worth going to that all-inclusive beauty salon to transform. Both were already attractive and stood out, especially Ariel, but now it was a totally different level.
More than one student who looked at them turned to see himself finding their wrinkled clothes as something only slightly better than dirty rags, the girls already insecure from cruel and ruthless adolescence would have even more things to feel inferior about, not that those were the goals of the newlywed couple, They were only looking to become the best version of themselves in a transformation that would help them leave their past behind and adapt to their new life.
A critical eye looked at the couple with a raised eyebrow from a car perfectly positioned to see the entrance and everyone who passed by it.
-Well, it seems that he is better. – said a man very similar to Félix, his green eyes inherited from his parents who still lived in Guadalajara were almost the only difference in their faces.
"I want to go and see him." – said a woman with the same eyes as Felix and with hair as black as his.
"He's already entered the building, and there are a lot of people, maybe when he comes out." - suggested the man taking the woman's hand. She only sighed in defeat. They expected to find him on the road while he arrived on foot, they did not expect him to arrive by car, they left their ambition for the moment and left.
Of course The newlywed couple knew that they were the center of attention and they loved it, it was not vanity or presumption, it was the happiness of understanding that what you were doing was the right thing, that people's admiration meant that their lives were moving forward, that they were better than yesterday and the darkness of their life was dissipating to give way to light and joy.
Felix looked at Ariel as they walked to the classroom, she noticed him and looked at him back, he blinked for a moment, and then smiled arrogantly as if something funny crossed his mind, Ariel returned the even more arrogant smile.
They both arrived in the classroom settling into their chosen seats since the beginning of the semester. Ariel started talking to Marilyn, the girl with a ponytail and a little bangs still seemed a little worried about Ariel's situation, and the blonde herself knew that it would take time to get over that trauma, but at the same time she wanted more normalcy and guided her friend towards a conversation with more casual topics.
Félix found his three closest classmates at school playing an online application game, a simple "invite" was enough for them to add him to the games until the teacher arrived.
Despite all the time they were absent, they had no problem following classes, and being a private school they had all the facilities to ask to turn in the overdue work and still be counted so as not to lower their grades.
It wasn't that any of them kept perfect records, but that was because until now they had only been normal teenagers with normal problems, nothing compared to the responsibilities they had suddenly had to acquire when they entered adult life like a bullet through a door.
Their distractions were also powerful enough that their minds only worked wonderfully in the short term, but not so much in the long term, that is, they could learn things very well for their exercises, but given the education system they had, it was almost certain that what they had studied in a first partial they would have forgotten for the last. This was externalized when classes ended and both waited together for the transport that would take them to their first stop.
-Hey, didn't you feel that today's songs were too simple? – Ariel asked looking out the window almost as if he didn't care and was just trying to make conversation.
-Mm, now that you mention it, I think I also felt that they were too easy to comprehend. – Felix replied looking at the nothing on his phone.
-I think that too, I was used to reviewing a little bit of what we studied on the bus back home, and when they left homework even more while I was doing it, but right now I think that even if I don't I won't forget what we saw in class today. – Ariel said wondering if he had become smarter or something.
-I never did it to begin with, I mean studying after class, but I can say that everything I learned I eventually forgot, once I passed the exam of those topics we never touched them again so I just let them go, but it's true, I feel that even if we don't see them again I won't be able to forget them soon. – Felix answered.
-And it's not only that, I remember the price of things, the roads, the tasks we have to do, what we still have to buy in the pantry, and everything is so clear, I feel as if I haven't been using my brain well until now. – Ariel said finally turning to see Felix with doubt in his eyes. Felix put a hand to his chin.
-Mmm, well, maybe it's because until now we hadn't had to worry much about it, before we could leave everything important to our parents, but now that's no longer an option. – Felix said, putting a hand on Ariel's to make her understand that he didn't mean it with bad intentions and so that she wouldn't suddenly get sad. Ariel was already lowering his gaze, but Felix's hand on hers returned her gaze to him and she understood immediately.
-Yes, maybe that's it, now we are adults responsible for ourselves. – Ariel said with a tired smile.
-Maybe it's just a survival instinct, the better you remember the information the more useful it can be or something like that. – Felix said shrugging his shoulders.
The man who was driving the car began to be interested, were these children already taking care of themselves? He picked them up from a private school so maybe they live renting the same house, who knows.
They arrived at the department store to buy their new bed, and again they stood out from the rest of the people, an employee approached them offering them department cards, but they got rid of him easily by showing them the one they already had, since they had already bought a lot of furniture and items from that store.
They went to the place where they remembered the beds and along the way they became interested in more and more things, but again, they were things they didn't need, like the grill, it would be very good if I ever went to have a barbecue, but they didn't plan to invite anyone anytime soon and even less a large number of people.
The bed was a size called Texas King according to the label, they asked an employee if they could try it, the woman gladly served them regardless of the fact that they were minors and still wore their high school uniform, after all they were already well known for the large amount of furniture, clothes and things in general that they had already bought not long ago, and without shoes they climbed on the bed.
-Yes, this is what I wanted. – Ariel said feeling the softness and firmness of the mattress at the same time, she regretted that there were no mattresses like this in the sizes she chose for her own bed.
-Personally I prefer a little more firmness, but it's not bad. - Felix said trying to settle into the bed, the pillow was uncomfortable, maybe he would have to buy bigger ones.
-Oh. – Ariel said without seeing Felix directly, because he was with his back to her lying on his side with one arm extended under the pillow. "Well, if you want, we can try the others." – she said trying not to sound too different from how she would normally say it.
- You've tried all the beds before, haven't you? – Felix said as he lay on his back judging his pillow.
"Well, yes, but there may be better ones for you." – she said lying on her side with her back to Felix so as not to see his face. - Don't want to go try other beds that are a little firmer? – she said pretending to also try to accommodate herself to hide her disappointment.
Félix looked at the ceiling with conflicting thoughts and mixed feelings, but when he turned to the side and saw people walking through the corridors while one or the other gave him a look, he decided that it was a conversation that he would have to wait. He sighed with his eyes closed.
-I like this one, it's much more comfortable than the one I used to have, I think it's also more comfortable than the one we bought. – he said looking at Ariel's back and what he interpreted as relief when she went from being tense to breathing normally again, if the movements of her back were any indication.
Ariel indeed sighed with relief when she heard that Felix would choose the bed she wanted, she looked at him with something similar to guilt while he asked the manager to bring him all the pillows that the store had.
Felix and she tried all the pillows to choose the most comfortable ones for them, Ariel was happy that this was entirely her decision. Félix was left with a taller and padded model and Ariel with something firmer and without much deformation.
Since they were planning to use a room, Felix thought it would be very annoying to go to his own room to change and everything he had to do, according to his experience doing that from Ariel's room took too much time.
They bought quite a bit more furniture to have their shared room as best they could and to their liking. On several occasions Felix had to decipher Ariel's gestures when looking at furniture options, it seemed that the girl did not have much confidence in expressing her own opinion, Felix only sighed on those occasions.
They went to the pet store, it was in the same commercial plaza as the department store, they bought some baby turtles to put in their pond and a goldfish for their living room.
Ariel saw Felix's gaze as he contemplated the fish, his smile captivated the girl a little, maybe it was the new hairstyle, or the care, or his eyes, but that left her in the clouds for a few seconds, which passed quickly without Felix noticing and she looked away so as not to be rude. Felix looked at her as if she was asking if she said anything, but Ariel, surprised, didn't know what to say.
-I'm going for an ice cream, do you want one? – she said when she saw the stall in front of the store in the mall. Felix shrugged his shoulders and asked him for a Neapolitan one if there was one. She left as calmly as she could, but when she reached the line she sighed tiredly.
- Is it strange that I found it cute at that time? – Ariel thought to herself, she was not a schoolgirl with hormones, but a very confused woman, or so she told herself. - Is it even right for me to fall in love with him?, I would seem to be a profiteering, or want to scare him if I start showing him affection, after all it is not like I have done anything for him in the more than two years that we have been in the same group. We just talked, but nothing that close, it would be completely strange. – The girl thought, debating her existence and her place in the world now. "But these impulses aren't going to stop, and I don't know what I want either, maybe it's just my hormones, and even if I want to, I can't just hold his hand or hug him whenever I please." Ariel thought about all the mornings they had woken up together, sometimes piercing or hugging each other as they tried to accommodate each other and their ears began to feel warm. "I don't have the right, and it's not like he's trying to make any advances with me or anything, so I'm sure he doesn't like me at all, huh?" -
While Ariel thought about her life and left her body in automatic mode waiting in line, she didn't notice two guys who had formed behind her and who couldn't stop seeing her butt and back. Felix left the pet store with the turtles in a container that he put in a bag, and looking for Ariel in the line he clearly saw the two subjects.
Felix narrowed his eyes and with a firm step he went to his wife's side, and unceremoniously he only took Ariel by the waist practically hugging her and bringing her closer to her, the bag run up to his elbow hung covering his butt from the sight of the two idiots.
Both guys looked up when they saw their frustrated acts, but what they found was not the girl they drooled over but a man taller than them and looking at them directly with anger, which added to his muscular appearance, well, was an image that made them rethink if they wanted that ice cream very much, Getting out of line and walking somewhere else almost instantly.
Ariel noticed this very closely, she practically had Felix's annoyed look on her face as he watched the two guys, that made her even more confused and she suddenly felt excited. They stayed like this until it was their turn to tidy up, but Felix was still angry and didn't seem to want to let go.
"Em, hey, could you release me so I can pay?" – she said not knowing how to talk to him, he didn't listen to her until she took his hand that pressed her against him, it was very embarrassing, but as soon as she realized what Félix was doing he let go of her and his look changed from anger to embarrassment in a second, however, he kept looking back and everywhere from time to time.
-You are surprisingly possessive. – said Ariel playfully for having discovered a new phase of Felix.
"It's not that, but now you're my wife, I have to protect you. - Felix said with his face starting to heat up and turning away in embarrassment.
"Oh, my hero. – Ariel said sarcastically as he tried to look at Felix's face and he tried to avoid it.
Ariel began to eat her ice cream, every day she felt more comfortable with Felix and it was fun to spend time with him, maybe she overthought things, she could say that Felix was a man that surely her parents would have approved, that was all she needed to know.
When they left the mall and went to the car that was waiting for them to take them home, Felix looked at the two guys from before walking through the parking lot, for some reason that Felix did not fully understand he felt a special apprehension towards them, perhaps the anger of thinking that they would hurt his now wife in some way was still there, and whether it was karma or divine retribution, one of the two guys shook his head down a little, something had fallen on it, when Felix looked up he could see a lone pigeon standing on the tube that held the tents that shaded the cars, right above that guy.
-Hehe, justice. – Felix said smiling with a little more satisfaction than he should. Sometimes things went well.
However, it seemed that those guys had seen him laughing, as with anger in their eyes they found themselves walking towards him quickly.
- Do you think it's funny asshole? – Said the guy who had been shit by the pigeon.
Ariel was frightened when she saw him and hurriedly grabbed Felix's arm pulling him, although Felix was not moving.
"Hey, let's go, don't fight with strangers." – Ariel said trying to get Felix out of trouble, but the two guys already in Felix's face didn't look like they were going to leave them.
- What were you laughing at, huh? - said the other guy pushing Felix a little while bringing his face closer to his.
Felix's heart was racing, was he scared? Maybe it was adrenaline. He looked at the guard at the door, it didn't look like he was going to be much help, but then he glanced sideways at Ariel, she looked very scared, as much as when she saw his injured shoulder, and it looked like she was going to get between him and the two idiots to defend him somehow, that made him calm down instantly, He wasn't going to let her put herself in danger because of him, then he looked at the two guys, one looked like a spoiled daddy boy, that pigeon's poop was slipping on his makeup, the other looked as if a math teacher and a cholo had fought to dress him. Felix was taller than both of them.
- What was I laughing at, you say? - Felix said straightening up and making the two guys look back at him, as they turned away to see Ariel begging him to leave. Then Felix raised his arm as if he was going to give a blow, the shit guy pulled back reflexively, but Felix grabbed him by the neck squeezing him in a strong grip. "I was laughing at you. – Felix said with an arrogant smile.
The other guy wanted to hit Felix in the face or something, Felix pushed him away using his friend as a weapon taking advantage of the fact that he had him by the neck, their heads collided, then he let go and plunged his fist into his diaphragm taking the air out of him, the guy who was still recovering from the headbutt he gave a spartan kick and threw him away. Felix walked calmly behind the guy who was still catching his breath and kicked his knee to force him to kneel.
- Have another question? – said Felix placing his ear close to his face, the guy didn't do or say anything, he seemed to have frozen. "I thought so. - he said standing up again and taking one last look at the guy on the ground, it seemed that that kick had hurt him more than planned.
Ariel was frozen so Felix took her hand to make her walk.
As they headed to Felix Street, he noticed that Ariel did not make any noise as they walked hand in hand. Curiously, he turned to look at her, she seemed to have a very furrowed brow that made Felix stop without him noticing.
- You're okay, they didn't hurt you, did they? – Felix asked, he doesn't remember being touched, but if something happened to her due to an oversight that he didn't see and Ariel had been hurt, he had to help her immediately.
Ariel looked at Felix as if he had set fire to a bag full of kittens, such was the intensity of his gaze that Felix took a step back. Their staring contest lasted a few seconds until Ariel began to walk again, this time at a more hurried pace.
- Wait, what happened? – Felix said trying to catch up with her, but she didn't seem to slow down.
-You're an idiot! Ariel yelled at him.
Felix was extremely confused, he stopped as he watched her walk towards the stop, it didn't matter, anyway, he had to stay there until the car that would take them home arrived.
- And now what did I do? – Felix wondered. He looked back at the place of the fight, the two thugs were gone, he still didn't understand with a raised eyebrow, then he saw the large shopping mall. "I wonder if there's something there that makes me understand women. – Felix said to himself as he walked towards the stop.