Chapter 28

ALEX

Gabriela sent me a message to meet her in the park not far from my house. That gesture of her telling me, made me see she hadn't gotten angry with me or had anything wrong with her now that Paula was at college, and I'm happy to know that.

It took me about fifteen minutes to arrive and when I see her, I can see she's with a girl, I have no idea who she is and then I see Marcos and Carlos, which I don't understand right now to be honest.

I could see Gabriela playing with the girl, and she looked happy. I could stare at her all afternoon, if necessary, she looked happy, more than I seen lately. "If I were you, I would shut your mouth Alex before something gets in your mouth or you drool."

At that moment Gabriela turns around, I don't think she even realized I was here, but that didn't matter to me, seeing her that happy made me the happiest man in the world. "It's no wonder Marcos, I think, she looks beautiful." I said and saw how Gabriela rolled her eyes. "You're a drama queen, will you ever stop being that?"

"No, I won't stop being." I affirmed, because if that meant I don't tell her every day she's beautiful and the best, then it would be an exaggeration for the rest of my life. After a few seconds looking in her direction, I approach her who had gotten up and give her a kiss, which doesn't last long for my liking, but it's something, I can't complain having the best girl by my side, I'm grateful. At that moment, I notice how the girl stands behind Gabriela, holding her coat and looking towards me. The way she held her reminded me of a daughter with her mother, which is impossible, I guess she must have been a cousin or an acquaintance younger than her.

"I have to agree with Alex, you're beautiful Gabriela." Carlos said, laughing. "Well, maybe you're both dramas queens." She replied, "No, they're right, Gabriela, you're very pretty." said the girl who's a short distance from Gabriela. "Look who's talking, you're also beautiful, princess."

"Not as much as you." assured the little girl, "You're more so and if they don't tell you, it's because they are blind, including your brothers." Gabriela assured, "But my brothers are stupid." The little girl responded seriously, which made Gabriela laugh, "Hey, thanks for the compliment, let's see who will help you with your homework when you need it, huh."

"Gabriela." She answered quickly, convinced she would do it, which I haven't the slightest doubt she would. "There's no doubt I will do it, you would just have to call me and I would come help you."

"No wonder she gets everything he wants. You have her spoiled, Gabriela." Marcos protested. "It may be, but sometimes you are bullies towards the poor thing, right little one?" my girlfriend asked and she nodded. "What a liar the little girl turned out to be."

"Gabriela, I want to sit down." The girl said, "Well, let's go." We started walking towards the bench and sat down, we didn't all sit down, so Gabriela sat what seemed to be Marcos and Carlos's sister on her lap. Of course, I kept looking at Gabriela and Ana, for some strange reason I would like to know what Gabriela would look like pregnant, with our child in her arms. Thinking about that, made me feel euphoric.

I would like us to be parents one day, especially after seeing her with Ana, I could see she loves children. After a while Ana wanted to drink, so Gabriela and Marcos went to buy a bottle of water from the store in front, leaving me and Carlos alone. "How's your nose doing?" Carlos asked after a while in silence.

"Better, I'll be able to take this off for the week, thank goodness." I said "I'm sorry for hitting you, I didn't mean to. Well, at that moment I felt like killing you to be honest." He admitted, and I nodded, because it was already more than clear to me. "I know, but don't worry about that, you weren't yourself."

"That doesn't stop me from feeling bad about what happened." He responded, "Well, don't feel bad, everything is fine." I assured "Really?" He asked, surprised. "Seriously, I wouldn't have forgiven you before. What's more, I'm sure we would end up fighting, but now I'm calmer and that's it. I don't see the need for me to be angry about something that really wasn't your fault."

"What Marcos says is true." He whispered and I frowned trying to understand what he meant. "What?" I asked "You have changed." He admitted and I let out a small laugh. "How can I not do it, I don't want to lose Gabriela" I assured, "You love her more than before, right?" Carlos asked and I nodded "Yeah. She's exceptional, beautiful, a good person. I love everything about her."

"I know, me too, but she noticed you." He responded with a shrug. "Sorry about that." I said sincerely, because even though for me it's the best thing that could have happened to me, I also know if I had been in the same place he is, I would feel the same way. "You don't have to apologize for that, you won her heart, to her I'm just like her older brother, it doesn't bother me. I knew if Gabriela decided to be with me, she would never have loved me like she did and does with you. She loves you more than anything."

"I still don't understand how, after everything I did to her, I don't deserve her at all." I assured, "They say love makes everything forgiven. Besides, she doesn't want to hold a grudge against anyone." he replied with a small smile on his face "I noticed, even though she almost killed me at first. Gabriela hated me too much"

"Obviously, I wouldn't have forgiven you." He admitted and I laughed, because that had already been clear to me a long time ago. "I know, I wouldn't have done it in her place either" I said "You're lucky she did. She looks happier since the last time I seen her."

"I have no idea." I answered honestly, "Maybe, but the rest of us realize it. Gabriela has that sparkle in her eyes that hasn't been there for years. She looks more beautiful, in short, she looks better. You're the one who makes her like this, you have all the merit for that and no one can take it away from you."

"Well, I don't know what to say to that." I admitted, because I'm not so sure this is the same reaction her family may have. "Nothing, you don't have to say anything. Now, I'm going to warn you about something. If you do the slightest harm to her, I'll give you the beating I should have given you years ago, this time not even Gabriela herself will be able to avoid it."

"I expected it, but I won't hurt her. If I do it to her I do it to myself. I don't want to suffer because of my bullshit again." I assured, "You better, but tell me at least you got out of the street fights you got into." He asked and I nodded. "Yeah, years ago, I had no other choice."

"Why? You had gotten really good." He said, half surprised, "It could be, but between the fact my grandmother followed me and had a heart attack and if Gabriela found out, she wouldn't have wanted to come back with me, I left it. I focused on finding it, something I didn't discover until a year ago, that's why I changed college."

"Well, thank goodness, Gabriela would have killed you if she found out you were getting into fights." He responded, laughing, "I don't doubt it, she made me promise if we stopped being a couple, I wouldn't get into fights again." I admitted "Wait, she knows you got into fights?" Carlos asked with a frown "Gabriela knows, I don't know the extent, but she knows. I have no idea how she found out."

"Not me, as far as I know, we were the only ones to know, well and your grandmother." He said, mulling over how Gabriela could have found out. "Yes, I know, but she had to find out from somewhere." I answered, but I can't think of where my girlfriend could have found out, "It wasn't because of me." Carlos quickly responded, "Not even for my grandmother, she wouldn't tell her."

"You're sure? Carmela would do anything to protect you, just like Gabriela." He answered and I thought for a moment, since it's a small possibility she would do it. "I'm almost convinced she wouldn't." I said, "You said it there, almost. It's possible your grandma told her because she knows Gabriela wouldn't allow you to get into a fight."

"It became clear to me when I got into one that time. Even though she hated me, she went to get me out." I revealed "What? Why did you did it?" My former best friend asked once again "Because those kids were messing with her, I wasn't going to let them mess with her after everything we did to her."

"I understand, I would have done the same honestly." He admitted, nodding "Yes, but Gabriela got angry, although she stayed to heal me. I didn't expect it, much less that she's going to get me out of that fight. More than anything because there were like eight of them, against just me."

"Getting into that fight was lost from the beginning wasn't the most sensible thing you could have done." Carlos admitted "I know, but I was angry. Besides, Gabriela could handle them. I don't know how, but she did it."

"Gabriela fighting? I find it hard to believe." He responded and I nodded, because even though it wasn't easy to imagine, I had seen it with my own eyes. "Well, it's true, she's good at it." I assured him, "Gabriela loves watching fights, it's not she likes them beating each other up, but she likes watching those shows. Sometimes she and Carlota get together to see it."

"I had no idea she liked it." I said to myself "And she doesn't like it in the sense of the word. If she can avoid the fight Gabriela will. Maybe that's where she got, she knows how to fight." Carlos responded, shrugging his shoulders. "It's most likely." I replied, "Wait, I think I remember shortly after leaving you she went into self-defense. She and Carlota were going."

"I guess they came in to beat me up as soon as they saw me." I laughed, because she's a great possibility. "I wouldn't doubt it about Carlota, but I would doubt it about Gabriela, a lot." He stated, "When she gets angry, you can be sure she would kill me sometimes." I assured him and he laughed "Gabriela wouldn't do it. She adores you and loves you too much. She also has a lot of control when she's angry, I don't know how she does it."

"I don't understand that either." I muttered, "It's something I doubt we'll understand, but can I ask you a question?" He questioned and I nodded. "Do you think we can go back to being the friends we were before everything that happened with Gabriela?" He asked and I nodded because it's something I would really like. I was starting to miss those times when we got into trouble."

"Me too, but didn't you have Dani?" He asked "Yeah, but you know he doesn't like to get into trouble. It wouldn't be the same." I admitted, "Is he still the same?" Carlos questioned, laughing, "Just the same, but in love."

"Dani? Do I know her?" He asked curiously, "I don't know, it's Sara, a friend of Gabriela." I responded "I don't know her in person, but I heard a lot about her, I think she has a sister."

"Yes, she's the one Marcos has a crush on." I answered "My brother in love? I cannot believe it." He said, completely surprised, "Well yes, Gabriela realized it a long time ago, didn't she tell you?" I asked, frowning, because there's a high probability I screwed up. "No, they keep a lot of secrets between them, they watch each other's backs."

"They always did it to not do it now." I laughed "Yes, but when I had to take care of them sometimes, they were a little irritating. With only looks they already understood what they want to say. Nobody finds understands what happens if they don't want to. So, people think there's something between them."

"It's not the first time I've heard it. I'm sure a lot of people would have loved that." I affirmed, because it's something more than clear to me. Even I wanted that myself sometimes "Yes, the truth is they do. In my house they would be delighted, but there is nothing between them, just a brotherhood I had never seen between people who aren't from the same family. What others say is what should matter the least to us. The people who know them know what there is."

"That's all I care about." It didn't take much longer for them to arrive and Gabriela started playing with her again until Ana got tired again and we started to go home, but on the way, she fell asleep in Gabriela's bed, and without her realizing it I took her a photo, because it looked beautiful, I didn't want to lose that image for any reason.