My long-distance relationship with Amelia finally ends when we meet again at the student bar. — I would have liked to see you sooner, alone — I whisper in her ear as I see Adrián approach our table with the drinks.
— We'll have more time later — she says and gives me a short kiss.
— How were your holidays? — Adrián asks when he sits down.
— I worked all summer at my parents' fruit shop — Amelia says — Nothing out of the ordinary
— Where's Camile? — he asks.
— How come you don't have her number? — I comment.
— She's not answering — Adrián says — She's mad at me, maybe she thinks I cheated on her or something.
— So, did you cheat on her? — Amelia asks.
— We're not exclusive — Adrián says.
— She was planning to introduce you to her parents in Italy, but you went to Japan without telling her — Amelia says.
— Damn it! — Adrián sighs.
— Now you've really screwed up, man — I say, seeing his expression.
Adrián and Amelia dance a couple of times when I refuse to dance with her. My feet aren't strong enough to dance more than two songs in a row, and the shoes aren't the most comfortable. When we get to the house, Adrián offers to drive Amelia home, and I accept; I'm too tired to drive and might fall asleep on the way.
This semester I only have two classes, so I have plenty of free time to prepare the plans with Adrián and also attend the interview. We pass the test and sign a contract to start working at the construction company after we graduate and get the required licenses.
I finally have some time to see Amelia, but I have to wait until the weekend because she seems to have gotten a part-time job at the mall. We met at a restaurant near a popular park. She shows up wearing a floral dress, similar to the one she wore when we first went out. Which reminds me how much I want to see her naked — Do you want to go to my place after lunch? — I ask.
— Calm down, tiger — she says and gives me a quick kiss on the lips.
After lunch, we headed to my dorm. As we go downstairs, I see Adrián coming out of his room, his chest completely bare and a towel around his waist, drying his hair with another towel. — Could you cover up? — I ask when I see him.
— Don't tell me you're jealous now — he says. Amelia rolls her eyes.
— I was hoping we'd be alone — she says and goes into my room.
— See? — Adrián says — She's immune to my charms.
After that day, I couldn't help but notice how ripped Adrián is. Damn! Is that what the girls see every time he's with them? I mean, I've seen him before in the gym showers, but I hadn't really noticed until that day. I can only hope to have a body like his if I work out as hard as he does.
The following week, I couldn't see Amelia because she was busy helping out at her parents' business. The week after that, when I mentioned my plans to go to the water park, I received a message saying, "Sorry, I have tests this week, I have to study a lot." I decided to wait for her to tell me if she was free, so when she asked me to come to the mall after work, I didn't hesitate to go a little early to surprise her with one of her favorite desserts, since the bakery closes a bit early. Around the time she finished work, I decided to go to the shop where she worked, but it was already closed. I assumed she must be about to leave and decided to wait for her at some tables near the shop. Minutes passed, and I got distracted watching the people around me. A woman trying to stop her son's tantrum, an elderly couple walking in the plaza, and suddenly, I saw Amelia talking to a man, a very familiar figure.
I approach the couple chatting, and with each step, I can make out Amelia's voice. I'm close enough to hear. The man is taller than her and couldn't see me, but I decide to hide and get in line to buy drinks at one of the stalls in the plaza. "See you" Amelia says, and they hug. Then I see her head toward her workplace. She stops, and I see her take out her cell phone. "Have you arrived yet? I'm waiting for you" her message reads. By then, the man has already left, so I decide to approach her.
— Hi — I say — Where were you?
— Here — she says and kisses me on the cheek — How was your day?
— I came by a little while ago, but you weren't here — I say.
— You must have arrived while I was in the bathroom — she says. I feel my face start to heat up because I know she's lying to me.
For the rest of our date, I couldn't stop thinking about her and that man. I never thought I could feel so jealous, so I try to calm down and think that he must just be a friend. I drop her off at her house and take the bus back to mine — How was your date? — Adrián asks, sitting down next to me on the sofa.
— Fine.
— Doesn't sound convincing.
— She was talking to someone when I went to pick her up from work, but when I asked her where she was, she lied to me — I say.
— She's too grumpy for anyone to put up with her — Adrián says.
— You're forgetting that I'm her boyfriend — I say.
— You're kind — Adrián says — I'm telling you, she's not the type to let her mind wander to things she doesn't consider important.
— You're right, I think I'm overthinking it. She's studying medicine and must be too busy to be looking for someone else, but I want to believe she wouldn't because she loves me.
|°|°|°|
After a couple of weeks, Amelia finishes her exams and we can go out again. This time we spend the afternoon at my place, and I prepare something to eat around three in the morning on Saturday when Amelia insists she's hungry. I go back to the room with the food and put it on a small board on the bed — Honey, time to eat — I whisper. She sits in the middle of the bed and covers her chest to start eating.
Amelia's phone rings, and I see on the screen that it's an unknown number — Aren't you going to answer? — I ask, intrigued.
— It's an unknown number, it's probably from a carrier — she says.
— At this hour? — I ask. She doesn't bother to answer. Just then, I see my phone screen light up and it's a call from Adrián — Why don't you just knock?
— I'm not home —he says — I called you like a hundred times, and Amelia too, but she never answered.
— Oh... what an idiot — I say to myself — She doesn't have your number saved. Why are you calling?
— I forgot my keys, I need you to let me in — he says.
— Are you serious? — I ask wearily — Don't you have enough money to just break a window and get in?
— I'm freezing! Open up now! — he orders and hangs up.
"Ugh... how annoying" I sigh and go upstairs to open the door.
When I get back to Amelia, she's fallen asleep again. By the time I wake up in the morning, she's gone and eaten what I made that morning. In the afternoon, we meet for lunch, and I walk her to her study group. When we get off the train, we pass a street with several clothing stores, and one of them catches my eye, so I decide to go back after dropping Amelia off at the building where one of her classmates lives. I go into the tailor shop and decide to order a custom-made suit for my graduation. It would be the first suit I've bought with my own money. After placing the order, I leave the shop heading home. As I turn the corner to go to the station, I see Amelia talking to someone in a car. Then she walks around it and gets in. I expected to see her classmate come out of the building, but it's just the driver and her in the car. I take a picture of the back of the car to get the license plate and for a moment I think it's Adrian's vehicle, but it couldn't be, his has cartoons on the back on each side of the license plate.
The next few days until I saw her again felt like she was avoiding me. It was hard to believe she was as busy as she said, but I kept to myself, silent, trying to trust her. Now we're at a nursery. I'm going with her to buy pots and plants, so this time I'm using Adrián's car — I'd like to see the indoor plants — Amelia says to the saleswoman.
— Of course, please follow me this way — the woman says. We arrive at another area with huge shelves of plants and another section of pots with hand-painted designs. — There's a section with large plants at the back on the left and smaller plants for rooms or tables. There's also an area with succulents that don't need as much water.
— Thank you very much — Amelia says to the woman. We're left alone in the section, and I follow her around as she looks around. — You're very quiet — she remarks.
— Do you expect me to say something? — I ask.
— Farley, is everything alright? — she asks, looking me in the eye.
— I hope so — I say. She looks at me, confused, but doesn't say anything and returns her gaze to the shelves.
After buying the plants and having lunch at a restaurant near the nursery, we're in the car about to leave, but Amelia says she needs to use the restroom, so she gets out of the car and goes back into the restaurant. A few seconds later, I notice she's left her cell phone behind. The notifications buzz twice, and I decide to check. She has two unread messages from an unknown number ending in 8469. Wait a minute, isn't this Adrián's number? Reading the message outside the conversation, it says, "Okay, at 8:00 am." Since when are they so close? I wonder. " At eight, what for?"
When I get home, I get out of the car and a sudden thought tells me to check the license plate. That's when I realize it's the same one as the car Amelia left in, only this time, the car does have the cartoons on either side of the plate. I feel my heart sink. What I'm thinking can't be happening, they're just friends, Adrián is my best friend, right? I go inside and see Adrián in the kitchen stir frying some vegetables in a pan. I want to ask him directly, but I know that if he denies it, it will feel like a slap in the face — Is everything okay? — he asks when he sees me. He turns off the stove and comes over to me — Are you crying?
— I think Amelia is cheating on me — I say. I pay more attention to his expression this time.
— Do you still think that? — He looks worried.
— No, this time I'm convinced — I say — Do you know anything about it?
— How could I know? — he says, smiling slightly as if he doesn't know what to say, or perhaps he's thinking about how to deny it.
I take a deep breath and blink slowly, trying to think. If he suspects I know, I might never be able to uncover what they're up to — Well, you talk to Camile, right? — I say with a tight throat — Maybe she's told you something.
— I don't know — he says — We're not dating anymore.
— Okay — I say and take another deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts.
— Hey, hey... I'm pretty sure Amelia wouldn't cheat on you — he says, taking his hands away from my face — She cares about you a lot, I assure you.
"And how do you know that?" I ask myself. Instead of saying anything, I nod at his words and smile slightly, trying to convince myself that nothing is as it seems.