Page 107 of That Last Summer

He tucked her into bed and kissed her lips before he lay his head on the pillow, thinking that this was a wonderful way to end the day. A wonderful way to end all days, for the rest of his life.

With him? WITH HIM?

When I get back to my parents’ house a little over an hour later, the first person I see is Adrián. He must’ve come to meet me as soon as he heard the front door.

“Priscila.”

That’s all he says as he walks up the stairs behind me. I leave my bedroom door open, and he closes it carefully as he enters. I’m lost in my own room, I don’t know what to do, so I stand in the middle of it, my back to my brother, looking out the window without seeing anything. Not even the house across the street.

“Here I am, Priscila. Explain to me what the fuck happened yesterday. Because I won’t lie, I was expecting a bad reaction, but what you did crossed the line of sanity. You were out of your mind, big time.”

I turn around and meet his eyes; he looks tired, baggy-eyed. He probably didn’t sleep last night. I feel guilty, but that can’t stop us from talking about what we need to talk about. It doesn’t allow us to keep going with our lives as if nothing happened. As if I didn’t feel... betrayed.

“There’s something I need to know, Adrián.”

“What?”

“Since when is all this happening? When did you start sleeping with her?”

He doesn’t even think about it, he answers me right away. “Since a few hours after you came back to town. It happened at the bonfires on Saint John’s Eve. I wasn’t looking for it. I didn’t see it coming, Pris.

“You didn’t see it coming? What does that mean? Is it love, what you feel for her?”

“I don’t know, damn it. I don’t know. I don’t think so, not yet at least, but we have fun together and I like being with her. What started out as a silly, unexpected one-night stand has turned into something more and—”

I cut him off. “With all the women there are in this town, in this world, you had to pick her. Her. You can’t imagine how much I wish I could have shared this moment with you, it should have been beautiful. We’d have laughed, because a girl won you over; I’d have loved meddling in your love life, getting to know her better. The person who’s been able to steal your heart after... You know. But that’s not going to happen now. By choosing her, you’ve turned it into a nightmare. A torment.”

“I already told you, it wasn’t premeditated,” he explains, moving closer. “And once it happened, I regretted it immediately. But we met again the next day and... it happened again. I was sure you weren’t going to like it, but it never crossed my mind that you could reach that level of intolerance. Because...” he pauses to take a deep breath. “Because I was sure if you thought about it, you’d come to the same conclusion I did: that she’s not to blame for anything. She’s not at fault for being the sister of who she is. Carmen shouldn’t suffer the consequences of Carolina’s actions. They’re two different human beings, Pris.”

Carmen. So that’s her name. I didn’t know that. The truth is, our lives have never crossed. We’ve never been in the same circles. Except for that day.

“Yes, you’re right. They are two different individuals. And I agree with you on one thing: if she were just her sister, I’d probably have come to that conclusion you’re talking about. But the thing is, she’s not just her sister. She’s a bad person, Adrián.”

“Carmen? Bad? Why would you say that? She’s never done anything to you.”

“Oh yes, she has.”

“You’ve never had any contact with her.”

“Yes, I have.”

“When?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters! When?” he demands.

“Isn’t my word enough for you? Isn’t it enough if I tell you this girl is not a good person?”

“No, Pris, it’s not enough!” he yells, gesticulating wildly with his arms. “Of course it’s not enough! And do you know why? Because I don’t believe you. Because your only problem is her fucking sister,” he accuses, pointing a finger. “You don’t listen to reason when it comes to her!”

“Look, I’m not going to argue with you about that. I know I don’t listen to reason when it comes to the person who’s hurt me the most in my life!”

“No, Priscila. The person who has hurt you the most in your life is Alex. Don’t forget that. Them, together. And let me tell you something: he was your husband. He was the one who owed you fidelity, not her, she wasn’t your friend or your cousin or anyone else who owed you loyalty.”

“You don’t have to be related to someone to respect marriage, Adrián.”

“Pris, it was Alex’s fault,” he insists, not listening to me. “It was him and him alone who decided to sleep with someone else, the same Alex you’re screwing now. But you don’t tolerate her, you blame her for everything, and you extend your animosity to her whole family who, by the way, have done nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing! You’re not making sense, Priscila!”