Chapter 24

ALEX

Since Paula had left Gabriela had not opened her mouth, and I could tell she's angry. I want to know what's happening to her, but none of us could get her to talk, I'm desperate to know what that girl had told her.

"Gabriela, are you ok? What did that girl do to my life?" I waited a few seconds to see if she spoke, but nothing, she didn't speak. A few seconds later she gets up and starts walking towards I don't know where and it doesn't take long for me to grab her hand to stop her from leaving, I want to know what's happening to her. Marcos stands in front of her to prevent her from walking like that, which he succeeds in doing.

"Gabriela, where are you going?" I asked, worried about her reaction. "I don't want to talk and I want to leave, so please leave me alone." She coldly said, "I'm not going to do it, love, I want to know what that girl said to you to make you angry."

"Alex, I don't want to talk about it, please let me. Marcos, move away." She asked, looking in Marcos' direction. "I will, but don't do anything stupid and think things through before doing something you might regret." As soon as Marcos moved away, she started walking, but not before letting go of my hand. I was going to go after her, but Marcos and Dani stopped me.

"Let go of me! I have to talk to her." I said angrily "Right now it's better to leave her alone, Alex. Listen to me." Her best friend assured, "Marcos, I have to be with her, don't you understand?" I asked, irritated. "I understand, but I also understand Gabriela and right now she needs to be alone."

"She's going to break up with me because of what that girl told her, I'm sure." I said dejectedly "Don't say stupid things, after what you told me about her and what I was able to see she won't do it, right Marcos?" Sara asked, looking in his direction. "She won't, she loves you too much to do it."

"Then can you tell me why he didn't talk to me?" I asked, trying to understand her, "You have to keep in mind even though she completely forgave you, the past comes back into her life in the worst way it could have. "You know everything that happened between them and all the shit Paula did to her in order to be your girlfriend."

Marcos is right about that, Paula had done a lot of shit to her and Gabriela always ended up forgiving her, she's the last person I would like to see and for Gabriela to see, especially after that last thing she said before leaving. Now more than ever I would have to fight for Gabriela. I thought the worst was over for us and we could be happy for the rest of our lives, but I think life is a fool for doing this.

"Alex, I'm serious, Gabriela won't break up with you. All she has to do is clear your head, nothing more. She needs to think things through." He assured, "But she shouldn't be alone." I insisted "She need it. If you do something she doesn't want to when she's angry like she is, she'll react badly, I'm telling you from experience. You should calm down."

"What did Paula say to her to make you so angry?" I asked, trying to contain my anger. "As soon as she saw her, Gabriela was already angry, but I noticed how he got angrier when he told her she's with you. If he didn't get hold of her, I'm sure your girlfriend would have rushed towards her to hit her."

"But I have nothing with her, the only one I love is her." I assured him, "And Gabriela knows that, if she had wanted to, she would have let go, but Gabriela didn't do it, that's why I think more than anything. I don't understand what's going through her head at that moment." He said "She had to arrive to screw everything up, I don't tolerate her even a second."

"Well, apparently you're going to have to put up with it, because from what she told Gabriela, she's going to stay at this college to study." Marcos revealed "This cannot be happening to us." I grumbled tiredly even though I arrived now. "To be honest, Gabriela already sensed something."

"What are you taking about?" I asked "Before we went on vacation, she told me she had a feeling something was going to happen to you and I told her nothing was going to happen to you. It seemed after that she forgot until now when we were coming here that I found her standing looking everywhere. She told me that again and I promised her again nothing would happen, until she saw Paula. It's as if her fear was confirmed."

"Why didn't she tell me anything?" I asked more to myself than to him. "I don't know, I guess it was to not worry you, but I have no idea." Just at that moment the bell rang and they started to go upstairs, I was further back. I couldn't sit idly and leave Gabriela alone, I couldn't. They were already a few meters ahead of me when I decided to leave, to leave the college to look for Gabriela. I'm sure she's not in college.

I was about to leave college when I see Paula enter with a smiling face, but I decide it's better to ignore her and go look for Gabriela, it's the only thing I can do, honestly. Make her understand nothing will happen to us, no matter how much Paula is at this college.

I was walking for an hour looking for her. I couldn't think of where she could be until the day after the party came to mind when we had met on the beach that afternoon and told me she loved me. I remember she told me the sea helped her relax and think clearly. The bad thing is there's none here and I don't think she left without her siblings or Marcos, the only thing I had left to look at is by the river.

I walked for half an hour until I found her sitting on the edge without putting her feet in, mostly because it's cold and she hated it. I slowly approach her to prevent her from getting angry or scared until I'm next to her and sit down.

"I knew you would come. You should be in class." Gabriela said without looking at me "You too, but here we are." We stayed silent for a couple of minutes. She hadn't even turned to see me; she had just stared at the river. She seemed calmer, but with her, you never know, this girl I love so much is a mystery.

"I'm sorry for leaving like that, but I really needed to be alone." She said sincerely, "Even if I don't agree with that, I understand you." I consoled "I know you're not; I know what you're like when I want to be alone." she assured "And I will always be beautiful. But now we have each other to deal with things. You don't have to do it alone."

"It's something I don't get used to." She said and I frowned trying to understand what she meant "What?" I asked "Us. I love hearing it, but it seems weird to me after all. Sometimes I think I'm dreaming or something."

"That's what I think. It's what I've dreamed of since that day when I was more of an asshole than usual." At that moment she looks at me with a big smile on her face. I loved seeing her this happy. That smile made me love her more than I do. "You're not, don't say that."

"You kind of have to admit I am." I said with a smile planted on my face "To me you're not. It can be said sometimes you trust people too much, but there is a step from there to being an asshole." my girlfriend responded, "Maybe, but that's what I think."

"Well, you have a bad perception of yourself." She stated, "And what perception is the correct one, Miss García?" I asked with the smile still on my face "Well, the perception he's a good person, kind, who cares about his friends, who loves me and takes care of me. Does that seem too little to you, Mr. Rodríguez?" my girlfriend questioned, raising his eyebrow and with a smile on her face. "I think she's wrong about one thing."

"In what?" She asked, now frowning. "In which I not only love her, but it's something much bigger that has no name." I assured, "Did you know you're a drama queen?" Gabriela said laughing to which I joined in and after almost a minute, we stopped.

"I may have heard it once in a while, but it's the truth, miss, I love you more than anything in this world, and there will be nothing, much less no one, that can break us apart." I assured, "I love you too, more than anything." We kissed and she ended up straddling my legs until we were so out of breath we separated and stared at each other.

"Now seriously, beautiful, you know you can always count on me, and I can assure you that woman won't be able to separate us. I love you too much and I learned my mistake. I'm never going to leave you again." I insisted "I know, but what she said…" she started, but I denied, because I really didn't care at all what she told her, the only thing that mattered to me is whether she knew it's true or not.

"What she said doesn't matter. You love me, right?" I said "Yeah, I do." Gabriela responded without hesitation, "Well, don't worry anymore about what she can do. Nothing can break us this time, I promise." I assured her and a smile appeared on her face again. "I believe you." She confirmed "So now that everything is settled, let's go to class."

"There's only one hour left, and I don't feel like running into that girl." She protested, "We're going to have to do it, we cannot allow her to think she achieved her goal of intimidating us. We can't do that" I said "See? "You're not an asshole." My girlfriend replied, triumphant she's right. "Why are you saying it now?"

"An asshole wouldn't say that, but you're right, come on. She'll know I'm not the same Gabriela as before and I won't let myself be intimidated. I'm the one who has the upper hand this time, I'm not going to give it to her so easily." She said laughing, "That's the way you talk, that's the Gabriela I like to see."

We got up and walked towards college to get to the last class. Something that was more than clear to me is that I would do whatever is necessary so nothing Paula did would break us, I wouldn't allow it even if I was dead.