Page 64 of Stronger Than Fate

“Don’t worry, let’s talk naturally because otherwise, we’ll both feel uncomfortable. Forget that there was ever anything between him and me,” I stated. “What did he tell you?”

“Everything that happened with Sol, that you haven’t heard anything more from her and that she worked at my family’s company. I swear I was very surprised about this last part, if she hid that information from us, she must have been planning something.”

“I don’t know, Niky. My theory is that she’s in love with your brother and when she discovered that we knew each other, she didn’t want to tell us. I swear I’m very confused. A few days ago I went to her place, but the doorman told me she had gone on a trip. I know she didn’t have anything planned, so she must have left because of this situation.”

“Let’s hope that the distance and change of scenery make her reconsider and come back calmer.”

“I hope so. I want to have a talk with her, I hope that can happen.”

“Let’s change the subject. Do you want to go dancing? It’s been days since we’ve seen each other and I want to see you and chat in person.”

After what I had heard about her brother, the last thing I felt like doing was going out to have fun, but I wasn’t one to stay locked up crying over my sorrows, so I decided that a friend and some music and dancing could help change my mood. After all, Henry had removed me from his life, had let me go very easily. I would take it as an experience I needed to learn from. There’s a phrase by Buddha that says: “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” Therefore, it was in my hands how to handle the suffering, and I was determined not to do it as a victim of the situation. I would take responsibility for that pain and try to handle it in the best way possible. With all the emotionsawakened by the reality that Niky had revealed to me and that I would have to face, I responded what I thought was best for me:

“I want to see you too, so I accept the invitation. If you want, come to the hotel and we’ll leave from here.”

“Perfect, I’ll be there around nine.”

“See you, Niky.”

“See you later, Dali.”

I realized that tears were wetting my cheeks and I wiped them away angrily. I refused to cry. I could sink into crushing sadness, but it would be without tears, it would be with a silent scream that would have to serve as catharsis and remind me that I would have to forget.

As promised, at nine o’clock Niky was at the hotel.

“Dali, I was so looking forward to seeing you!” she exclaimed, and rushed toward me to embrace in a hug.

“Me too, really.”

“You’re always so beautiful,” she affirmed, looking me over.

“Thank you, you look gorgeous too.”

I was wearing a black dress that was quite sexy because it had a large open back. I was one of those people who thought that when you have no idea what to wear, a black dress is the absolute choice. Niky had opted for black leather pants and a sleeveless wine-colored blouse.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“I was thinking of going to this nightclub because I was given VIP tickets,” she said, stretching out her arm and showing me the tickets for the place.

“Perfect, let’s go there.” At that moment an idea crossed my mind and I didn’t hesitate to ask her, “Are you sure your brother won’t be at that club?”

“If it weren’t for the fact that he had to travel to Chile this morning, I’d say it was very likely because the owner of the place is a family acquaintance, but since he’s on a business trip, I can assure you we won’t run into him.”

“That’s better, because right now, it would be uncomfortable to cross paths with him.”

“I understand,” she said, and in her gaze I could detect a certain compassion that didn’t make me feel good.

We arrived at the place and, judging by the long line to get in, this club was a very popular and trendy spot. Niky dragged me to the entrance and, showing the wristband that served as our ticket and showed we were VIP guests, we entered without having to wait.

The place was packed with people, but Niky continued to drag me along until we ended up in a reserved area where some of her friends were waiting—two guys and a girl—and she introduced me to them naturally. I was a bit surprised because she hadn't mentioned she would be meeting these friends, but I assumed she had kept it to herself so I wouldn't refuse to accompany her.

Her friends were very friendly and we immediately struck up a conversation, though one of them wouldn't stop flirting with me. They were drinking beer and I joined in, managing to loosen up a bit.

“Nacho really likes you,” Niky whispered in my ear. “He’s a good guy and you can’t deny he’s handsome.”

And I couldn’t deny it. Nacho was about 28 or 30 years old, tall, with an athletic build and very lively, almond-shaped brown eyes.

“I don’t deny it, but I didn’t come with that intention. I just came to have a fun time with you,” I replied, trying to make her understand that I wasn’t interested in hooking up.