Page 76 of Stronger Than Fate

»—“And what’s that supposed to mean? Don’t beat around the bush and speak directly. Does Dalina have someone interested in her? If that’s it, tell me right now and tell me who it is.”

»—“Dalina doesn’t have one admirer, she has several. All my friends are dazzled by her. But why are you surprised? She’s beautiful, charming, everyone likes her and...”

»—“Don’t continue or I’ll go punch all your friends, starting with that Nacho guy.”

»—“If you’re going to use that technique to scare off her admirers, I suggest you take boxing lessons because the line of her suitors is endless,” she stated with her usual serenity.

»—“If you wanted to make me nervous, I’ll tell you that you succeeded. You’re quite the manipulator. I’m leaving. Behave yourself. Love you.”

»—“I love you too and I wish you luck,” said Niky.

I heard the door open and close again, and without meaning to, I found myself smiling from ear to ear. I stayed there for a few minutes in case Henry came back. I think Niky thought the same because she didn’t approach the dressing room either. A few minutes later, I opened the door and found Niky coming toward me, smiling and cheerful.

“Did you hear everything he said?” she asked.

“I heard it. What do you think? Because you know him better.”

“Do you really want me to tell you?”

“I want you to be completely honest,” I affirmed.

“My brother is in love with you!” she exclaimed, taking both my hands. She was just short of spinning around and jumping like a little girl.

“I admit he said some very nice things, but I don’t want to get caught up in the beauty of his words because that doesn’t mean he’s in love,” I stated, convinced of what I was saying, because in private he had always said nice and even romantic things to me, yet he did it out of desire, not love.

“As you said, I know him better, and even though it’s clear he has a massive confusion that doesn’t allow him to recognize what he feels for you, I’m super sure of what I’m saying. My brother has fallen into the web of love and he won’t be able to free himself from it!”

“That’s everything I wish for, but I don’t want to get my hopes up,” I said, because with Henry’s personality, it was hard to imagine him in love, so it would be better to take his words with great caution and not create naive illusions.

“I respect that you want to take it that way, but I’d bet anything that Henry loves you. I hope he stops being stupid and recognizes it soon.”

“Did he say I looked like an angel?” I asked with a silly smile, even though I had heard it perfectly. I wanted to hear what Niky had to tell me.

“Not only did he say it, you should have seen his lovestruck look! It’s clear that he has a terribly hard time expressing himself about these things, but eyes reflect feelings, and in him it was more than evident.”

Every word I heard made me feel more encouraged and hopeful, but I knew I would have to be careful and not leap into the void. The world of emotions was complicated and confusing, and I didn’t want to create expectations about Henry that might not match reality.

We ended up staying at the atelier and ordering pizza and beer. Niky had to finish a couple of dresses, and I didn’t want to leave her alone. We talked about ourselves, about Sol, we worried, we laughed, and we said goodbye in the early hours of the morning.

When I got into my car to return to the hotel, I remembered that I had turned off my phone and forgotten to turn it back on. I took it out of my purse and was surprised by the number of messages and missed calls. The vast majority were from Henry.

Messages:

“Why did you run away from me?

We need to talk”

“Where are you?”

“Aren’t you going to answer me?

I’m heading to the hotel”

The last message had been sent three hours ago, so I assumed that if he had really gone to the hotel, it was impossible that he would still be there. With that certainty, I started the car and joined the traffic to head to my home.

Chapter 12

“We can only learn to love by loving”