Page 83 of Stronger Than Fate

The song ended and we looked into each other’s eyes again. He kissed me again, but this time he did it with passion. When we separated, the gleam in his eyes was different.

“Shall we go? Because if not, I’ll take you to the bedroom and we won’t leave until tomorrow,” he said, with a mischievous smile.

“Yes, let’s go,” I responded, smiling.

He released me and went for his wallet and keys.

I stood watching him. He had put on black jeans and a light blue shirt. He walked with elegance and confidence. He was imposing. I shook my head to snap out of the trance I fell into when observing him. I went to the stereo and turned it off. I noticed he went to the couch and grabbed a gym bag.

“What are you carrying there?” I asked.

“Clothes and some of my things because, if you don’t mind, I’m staying with you tonight too,” he indicated.

“You know I like it when you stay with me,” I said, and approached to give him a kiss on the cheek.

We arrived at the cinema a few minutes before the show started. We had gone to see an action movie. We bought popcorn and entered holding hands. I really enjoyed sharing my free timewith him; it gave us the opportunity to get to know each other better and strengthen our relationship.

The movie was very enjoyable, especially because Henry also dedicated himself to caressing my legs, kissing my neck, and nibbling my ear. Every so often I had to reprimand him because he continuously distracted me with his seduction. He laughed and completely ignored my protests.

When we left the theater, we decided to go to a restaurant for dinner. I saw him relaxed and happy, and I was too. We chose a restaurant that specialized in Italian food and decided to order pasta and wine. While waiting for the food, I went to the bathroom. As I washed my hands, I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn’t help but smile; I was happy to be with him.

The smile disappeared as soon as I left the bathroom.

A woman had sat in the chair I was occupying and was talking to Henry while smiling at him with a flirtatious expression. She was a woman who appeared to be his age, with very pronounced curves that she accentuated with tight-fitting clothes. To tell the truth, it seemed like her breasts were about to escape from the neckline of her dress. At that moment, what Henry had told me came to mind, when he emphasized that it was easier to understand women his age, and that bothered me even more. I walked over there unable to hide the displeasure that seeing him in that situation caused me.

“Good evening,” I said when I was in front of them.

Henry immediately stood up and took my hand. The woman looked at us, but it took her a moment to react. When she did, she also got up from the chair, but she didn’t hide how little she liked seeing us holding hands.

“Anabel, this is my girlfriend, Dalina.”

“Pleased to meet you, Anabel,” I said, because I wasn’t going to show my irritation.

The woman did a complete scan of my body and then smiled at me falsely.

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Henry,” she said, looking at him, then turned her gaze to me and added: “she’s a pretty ‘little girl.’”

That comment managed to annoy me even more because it was obvious she made it with the intention of mocking or offending me, and although I normally tried not to take that kind of attitude personally and ignored them, on this occasion I felt the need to respond without pretending what I didn’t feel. I was clear that in this case it wasn’t me who had a problem, but her, yet jealousy didn’t allow me to stay quiet.

“I appreciate the compliment, you also look very good for your age,” I said, with a fake smile, and I thought I heard a throat clearing or a stifled laugh coming from Henry.

This Anabel turned so red that I thought smoke was going to start coming out of her ears. She looked at Henry, who said nothing, and then looked back at me.

“I hope to see you soon, Henry. I always have a great time with you, like we did a few days ago. Call me,” she commented, and smiled at him again.

My “boyfriend” returned her smile and she turned and left. I released Henry’s hand and sat down; he did too and looked at me seriously.

“One of your ‘friends,’” I stated.

“You could say that,” he said, with complete calm.

“Is she the one with whom conversations are easier for you because she doesn’t behave like a capricious and disobedient child? Well, let me tell you that for being ‘your age,’ which I assume you meant ‘mature,’ she seemed quite rude and hypocritical to me, not to mention her poor taste in clothing,” I pointed out, unable to avoid the ironic tone in my voice.

“I already told you that I said things that day that I didn’t mean. Besides, I think you put her in her place with great subtlety,” he said, with a concealed smile.

“I couldn’t stay quiet when my boyfriend wasn’t capable of defending me or ‘putting her in her place.’”

“You’re angry,” he stated calmly.