Chapter 36

ALEX

I wasn't going to go home today; it was better not to heat things up any more than they already are. I didn't want mom to talk to me about Gabriela and I didn't want to argue with her, not after beautiful day I'd spent with Gabriela and her friends, so instead, I called my grandmother, who doesn't take long to answer. 

"Hello my child, what's up?" she asked and I laughed. "Do you want me to tell you how my afternoon has been?" I inquired "Of course, we had agreed you would come tomorrow to tell me about it." She said and I denied even though I knew she couldn't see me, "What do you think about me stopping by your in a bit?" 

"Now? What about your mother? Aren't you going home, or are you already there?" she asked and again, I denied. "No, I'm not there, I just don't want to go to discuss the same old thing, nothing more." 

"Okay, but tell your mother you're staying here." She insisted "Okay, but as soon as I get there, I don't think he'll trust me I'm going to stay with you." I assured, because if my mother didn't do something, it was to trust me, but doesn't mean she's not right not to do it, in the end, after what happened with Gabriela, I got into a lot of trouble I prefer not to remember " But you are of legal age, you can do whatever you want." 

"I know but she thinks I'm going to do something I shouldn't, like go see Gabriela, or something worse." I replied "Of course. So, you're going to take a long time to arrive?" Grandma asked and I denied "No, I'll be in less than ten minutes." I confirmed " Then I'll leave you, we'll talk now my boy." She replied "Bye grandma." I said goodbye and hung up. 

The only thought in my head was Gabriela and what she had told me this afternoon I was that person who made her happy and she hoped we would have the relationship we had long ago. It was what I wanted most in this world. 

When I got to my grandmother's house I don't even have to knock because it doesn't take long for her to appear by the door. The first thing I do before we sit down to talk is called my mother to tell her I was going to sleep over at my grandmother's house, and of course, she asks me to hand her the phone to make sure I'm telling the truth. As soon as I hang up my grandmother sits on the couch and I go to the kitchen to get a bottle of water, this time with my cell phone with me, just in case Gabriela calls me, I wasn't going to make the same mistake I made in the morning. 

"Well, my child, tell me how it went with Gabriela?" she asked first of all "You were right grandma." I said with a big smile on my face "In Gabriela topic I usually have it, but in what exactly?" she inquired even though I'm completely sure she knew what she was talking about, but liked hearing how we always agreed with her " She loves me." 

"She told you?" she asked practically surprised "Yeah, she told me I made her happy and she hoped to have the relationship we had." I insisted excitedly "So you're not together." She confirmed and I denied "Of course not Grandma." 

"Did you ask her?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "No, she expressly said we'd be friends for the time being." I replied "And that bothers you..." grandma assured "No, it doesn't bother me because I understand her, I hurt her and isn't easy to forgive." 

"Yes, it's understandable, but does she believe you when you tell her you love her?" she asked and I nodded with my smile returning to my face "Yes, that's what she told me, but Gabriela would tell anyone what they want to hear as long as they don't get sad." 

"I remember you told me she does that with the people she cares about." grandma said nodding "And it's so." I affirmed "First of all, I can assure you she loves you, and second, that girl loves you, because if she didn't, she wouldn't talk to you for the rest of your life, we both know it. Believe her when she tells you she knows." 

"How come you're so sure she loves me?" I asked with a frown and her smile only widened. "I have my sources, you know. They are very reliable sources." She assured "Are you sure?" I inquired and she nodded "Of course, I'm a thousand percent sure." 

I don't know if my grandmother was telling me the truth, because I know she would say anything to make me feel good, but on the other hand I imagine she must have good sources because she found out at the university where Gabriela was, so she told me I should trust. On the other hand, I did believe Gabriela when she told me she knew I love her, but I didn't hold on to those words too much in case one day she found out she didn't love me or couldn't be with me after everything I did to her. It would be the most normal and understandable thing in the world. 

"Can you tell this old woman why are you so thoughtful you don't listen?" she asked "Nothing. What did you want?" I inquired, "What else did you do? I don't think you only talked about that." She practically assured "No, we kissed too." 

"Did you kiss her or did you BOTH kiss?" she asked raising her eyebrow. "I kissed her, but it wasn't like the last time." I said with a big smile on my face "Why?" she asked "Because this time we both enjoyed it, Grandma." 

"And then you doubt that girl loves you. She loves you madly and you refuse to see it, just like her." She replied denying "Sometimes I don't understand how you know so much about her." I whispered and she just smiled "Because you tell me, that's why I know everything about Gabriela." 

"But Gabriela never told me she loved me, how come you believe or know she loves me?" I asked with the suspicion there was something she wasn't telling me "Because a woman understands that, unlike you who don't realize it. Also, she gives you all the signs she loves you, what else do you want?" 

"Sometimes I think you know someone very close to her, or you are in cahoots with someone close to her. Would you tell me if it was someone close to her, right?" I asked and she denied "I already told you I'm not saying who is the one who tells me everything about Gabriela and it's going to continue like this, but you know I'm not in cahoots with anyone." 

"It can be, but sometimes it is what it seems." I insisted "What happened after you kissed?" she asked, closing the topic of who was helping her. "Marcos and Carlota appeared." 

"Carlota didn't hate you or something?" she asked with a frown and I nodded, because in the end it was true "Yes, she did, but decided to give me a chance and believe I really love Gabriela." 

"So today is all good news." She said laughing, "Yes, but I think more than anything she did it so she wouldn't argue with Gabriela anymore." I replied, "It doesn't matter why she did it, she's going to try and it will be another person who realizes you love Gabriela. The more people know, the less problems you will have when her family finds out." 

"I don't think that will help, Grandma." I answered and she rolled her eyes "Yeah it will do, at least with a lot of them. Her father has a bad temper when it comes to his children, especially with her after what she's been through her whole life." She assured and I agreed, because I already knew that "I know, and I regret believing what they told me, what I did to him and what they did to him before me." 

"At that moment you couldn't do anything, you weren't there and you couldn't do anything to avoid it." She insisted "I know. She should never suffer that in her life, she's a good girl." I held. Because it was true and nothing would change that "That usually happens, so don't torture yourself anymore and focus on getting her back and making sure they don't hurt that girl anymore now that you can. She doesn't deserve it." 

"I will Grandma." I assured "And we have to talk about when you will introduce her to me." She said with a big smile and leaning back on the sofa, "We're not dating yet." I insisted, "You may not be, but that doesn't mean I can't meet her." She countered "You know her." I said "But I want to meet her in person, you will do that favor for your grandmother, won't you?" 

"Sure, but I don't know when that could be, I hope soon." I answered and she nodded "I hope so." We talked about Gabriela for another hour until I started to feel sleepy, which made sense because I hadn't slept the night of the party, so we went to bed. Luckily for me that night I had a big dream I hoped would come true. I wanted Gabriela to be my wife one day and we would form the family I wanted to have with her and only with her.