Page 73 of Who's Loving You

“No judgment from me, Ms. San Ramón. I think it looks good on you.” My feet screech and I blanch at his comment. “Have a good night, Valentina.”

And here I was thinking I looked quite happy. Apparently I’ve been doing a horrible job at projecting happiness in my loneliness.

It seems that I only needed a cocky football player and a weekend away to bring to light how truly miserable I’ve been.

My phone buzzes right as I open my door and I already know who it is.

Lucy: I have so much to tell you! Call me when you’re in jammies and grab a big glass of wine.

Me: Only if you grab yours. Call you in thirty minutes.

Lucy: AAAHHHH! Did Val-y girl finally get her kitty played with? I’m bringing a whole bottle.

25

NICO

Me: Good morning beautiful. I had the best time last night. Think I could see you again tonight?

Mi Reina: I had fun, too. I’m going to get fat with all the food you’re always shoving down my throat. It’s supposed to be girl’s night with Lucy.

Me: I could shove something else down your throat, if you’d like.

Mi Reina: Aaaand there he is. Now it’s definitely girl’s night. How about Saturday after your practice for an early dinner?

Me: Saturday?! That’s two days away. I don’t think I’ll live.

Mi Reina: I thought you said Soba was the Diva, not you. Does he know you’ve taken his crown?

Me: Haha. You’re so funny.

Mi Reina: You forgot beautiful and intelligent.

Me: Oh I didn’t forget. I could never forget how stunning you are. We make a great pair. We should just skip all the months of waiting and hop on a plane to Vegas and get hitched.

Mi Reina: Phew. Thank you. I needed a good laugh to start the day. Let me remind you of something. You want kids, I don’t. You like to be clingy, not me. You want to live happily ever after, it doesn’t exist. Let’s just enjoy the moment for however long it lasts.

Me: However long? Baby, this is for real. However long it lasts is until the end of time. Write it down. Time stamp it. You’ll look back at this one day when we’re 90 and tell me I was right.

Mi Reina: Oh boy. There you go again. Did you read a lot of fantasy when you were a kid, because that sure is something that could never happen in real life? Oh wait…you still are a kid. I’ll buy you some self-help books. That will be a hard slap of reality. I’ve got to go. Work calls.

Me: A kid that had you talking to God. Go work. I’ll call you later and see you on Saturday. Wear something sexy.

Mi Reina: I’llwear a nun’s habit.

Me: Mmm. Perfect for confession. “Forgive me Father for I have sinned…in the shower…on the sofa…the kitchen counter.”

Mi Reina: Why are you like this?

Me: You love me.

Mi Reina: You wish

Two weeks.

Two weeks is all it took for me to be gone for this woman. I can now compare what I had before this as a crush, infatuation at best. But now?…now I am overwhelmingly obsessed with her. It’s pathetic but I don’t give one fuck.

I can’t even focus on my job. I literally only have to run and catch the ball and right now, I’m failing miserably. The moment I look up in the clouds, my thoughts turn to Valentina. I’ve got to snap out of this because I’m going to get fucking creamed in a ga–