Chapter 1

GABRIELA

I am finally happy, well, happier than I had been in the last eight years. Alex and I had been dating for a month and the poor guy was doing everything he could to make me happy. Not that I asked him to do everything he does for me, but he was stubborn, almost as stubborn as I am, and he did it anyway. It took Carlota a couple of weeks to forgive Alex, mostly because she realized he loved me and wouldn't do anything to me and we're like the same group of guys we were eight years ago. But it's not all joy in this life.

My parents were beginning to suspect something was wrong with me and that I had a boyfriend, which is true, what they don't know is that he's the same one who left me years ago and for whom I suffered so much at that time. Both Marcos and Carlota told me I had to tell my parents, and I agree with them except I have to prepare them, I don't know how they are going to react on this issue and I don't want them to do something they regret or for Alex to feel worse than he does with himself for everything he did to me. In addition, there's the issue of my great sister, Maria, the great gossip of the family after my cousin Nerea. She would be in charge of keeping an eye on me in college, which meant I had to control myself more than usual with Alex to prevent her from seeing us.

Then there was Sara, she was always with us, but I noticed her more distant than usual. I know for a fact she doesn't want me to be with Alex, but he's the love of my life, and I will be with him always, I love him and it's something she doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand, either of the two options is valid. Her sister is the opposite with Alex, she did talk to him and treated him well, she liked him.

Today was the last day of school before the Christmas holidays and I was going to college in the car with my siblings and Marcos and I was thinking about my things. I hadn't slept well for a couple of days. I had a feeling something would come to this happiness, and I didn't want anything to spoil it, I would do everything in my power to make sure that didn't happen.

"Gabriela, are you okay?" asked Marcos next to me, "What?" I asked, trying to find out what he had said. "If everything is fine." he repeated "Yes, why do you ask?" I asked, "You've been a little weird for days and you're starting to have dark circles under your eyes. Are you going to tell me what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me," I assured him, and he rolled his eyes, "Don't lie to me Gabriela, something is wrong with you and I'm not going to let you get out of the car without you telling me what's wrong with you." He insisted "Nothing is wrong with me, seriously, it will pass"

"Gabriela, tell me. I promise I won't tell Alex." He said "Marcos, nothing is..." I started, but it didn't take long for him to stop me "Marcos, nothing, Gabriela, tell me what's not letting you sleep, and then we'll talk."

"I just have a feeling," I said finally, leaning back in the seat and looking through the windshield. "A hunch of what?" he asked with a frown. "I don't know, Marcos, but something that's not good." I said, "What's going to happen to you? Gabriela, neither I, nor Carlota, much less Alex will let something happen to you, you can be sure."

"I know, but something tells me that something bad is coming, Marcos." I insisted and he ended up taking my hand "Nothing is going to happen to you, nothing will happen to anyone. Now don't worry and change that face before Alex sees it and worries, we both know you don't want that."

"Of course I don't want it." I said, "Then let's go, he's looking for you." As soon as he said those words, I fixed my eyes on the windshield again looking for Alex, and he was right, he looked like he was looking for me, which is confirmed as soon as I get a message from him. I got out of the car and locked it. As soon as he saw me, the smile widened, which made me smile too. It doesn't take long for me to get to him and the first thing he does is give me a kiss I gladly accept with life.

"Hello, my queen, how did you sleep today?" my boyfriend asked with a big smile on his face "Good." I said, "You're a liar, you know." he retorted with his smile still planted on his face "Why are you saying it now?" I asked, frowning "Because you have dark circles under your eyes, is something bothering you?"

As soon as he asked me, Marcos tensed up a bit, but luckily for me, Alex wasn't looking for him, because I'm one hundred percent sure he would catch it and it's clear I wasn't going to tell him anything about my bad feeling, I didn't want him to worry about anything.

"No, of course not," I insisted, "You wouldn't stay up late to study, would you?" And luckily for me, he gave me the best excuse I could have come up with. It's not I wasn't good at making excuses or something, just I was trying to avoid it with Alex, I wanted to be completely honest with him.

"Yes, that's it," I answered, patting my back on my mind. "You don't need to study so much, my love, you're very smart and you keep everything up to date." He said "But doing it I'm less anxious. Besides, things don't stay in mi mind that easily, you know that."

"I don't know, you always get good grades, you shouldn't worry so much," he replied hugging me, making me lean on him "I can't not worry about grades, I want my family to be proud of me." and at least it was something true in the little lie I had told him not long ago "And they are, you should never doubt that, beautiful."

"Maybe, but I'll make sure that stays the same way." I replied, "So where will I wait for you after class?" he asked, giving me a kiss on the temple "You know what class I have to do and if not, you know where I'll be." I replied shrugging "I was referring for technical drawing"

"Is it technical drawing today?" I asked and was taken by surprise. I could see how he nodded, and I grunted, because it was one of the classes I hated the most "Shit, this is the worst thing of the day." I assured and Alex laughed "Do you still have problems with that teacher?" asked Marcos near us "I don't have problems with him, he has them with me and if I'm honest I don't know what he's complaining about, I get good grades anyway." I said, "Can be for not listening to him during lessons, I don't know what to tell you."

"Well, my queen, don't worry about that stupid person anymore because I won't let him do anything to you or disrespect you," Alex replied and I looked up, to see his smile planted on his face "I know, but I'm not going to let you do something to him because of me either." The last thing we needed was for him to get in trouble for things he shouldn't "I won't get in any trouble, don't worry." he said "Of course not, I'll take care of that."

And with that, the rang the bell and we each went to our class. Alex walked me to mine first and we kissed before I went to class and he to his. If today I didn't have a great day so to speak, it got worse having technical drawing, that teacher had a lot of fun with me and it could be because I didn't pay attention to him in class, but I didn't understand him, I didn't understand anything he explained and I looked at it on my own making me take twice as much work in his subject, but it was something I had to put up with until the end of the course, it was the last day before we went on Christmas holidays and it would be a small respite after this first semester.