Chapter 56

ALEX

Right now, I'm in shock because I didn't understand Carlota's way of reacting and Gabriela got tense as soon as they arrived, which is weird, because they're her best friends. They were both hiding something and I had to find out what, because it wasn't normal to see Gabriela so tense with people she has known for years, much less with Sara and Clara.

"Carlota doesn't like us too much, does she?" the older sister asked and both Marcos and I looked at each other for a few seconds, trying to understand what happened at this precise moment. "No, of course she likes you, I just don't really understand what just happened, a moment ago she was fine…"

"Until we arrived." Clara finished and he nodded "Yes, that's why I don't understand, much less Gabriela's actions... everything is weird right now." He responded confused, "Did we do something to her? She didn't even greet us."

"No, Gabriela is stressed with everything that happened with her siblings." Marcos responded, but I had the feeling there's something else neither of us knew. "Well, a moment ago she didn't seem stressed like you say, Marcos, to be honest."

"I'm going to go to them to see if I discover anything, see you later Marcos." I said goodbye "See you later Alex, you don't have any more classes, right?" He asked and I denied, "No, but I'll see you later anyway, I'll be around." I responded "Ok, see you later."

"Can I talk to you for a moment before you leave Alex?" Sara asked and I nodded, standing up and looking in her direction. "Sure, what's up?" I asked, "In private, if possible."

I don't know what she wanted to tell me so Marcos couldn't hear, but something told me it wasn't anything good, which is impossible, it's Sara, she can't tell me anything that would surprise me, I think.

I started walking by where Gabriela had gone a couple of minutes ago, I guess she's in the park so Ana could play, so I decided I would go look there. We were arriving and from where I am I could already see Gabriela and Carlota, the latter seemed to be angrier and more nervous than a moment ago, which is starting to worry me a little, honestly, it's not normal to see Carlota so out of her mind.

At that moment I don't know what happened when Sara puts her hands around my neck and gets too close to me, ending up kissing me. It took me a while to react because I wasn't understanding anything at all and as soon as I heard Ana, I reacted and pushed her away from me.

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT SARA?" I yelled angrily "Don't say you didn't enjoy it, you sure did." She said with a big smile on her face "OF COURSE NOT, HOW DID YOU THINK OF IT? I'M GABRIELA'S BOYFRIEND, I DON'T WANT ANOTHER PERSON OTHER THAN HER."

"We'll see if that's still the case, from her face it doesn't seem like she's going to believe you honestly" It is at that moment I turn to look in the direction where Gabriela is. She had a face of immense pain and again it's my fault for not preventing and separating as soon as I felt she was going to kiss me.

I turned around and walked in Gabriela's direction. Carlota is already heading towards me, I'm more than sure it's to kill me for what had just happened, but all I wanted is to explain to Gabriela.

"I WILL KILL YOU, BITCH." That did seem strange to me, more than anything coming from Carlota and that Sara had kissed me, but before she went after Sara, I stopped her so she wouldn't do anything that could end up hurting Gabriela more than she seemed to be doing at this moment.

"Let me go after her if you don't want me to kill you for letting her kiss you." Carlota said, trying to contain her anger, I have no doubt about that. "I didn't want to… I didn't expect it." I answered honestly "Do you think I don't know? What she's trying to do is separate you and Gabriela, the bitch."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused and trying to understand what had just happened. "That bitch is…" she started, but stopped saying whatever she wanted to say the moment we heard Ana's voice. "Aunt Carlota, mommy doesn't seem to be good."

It was at that moment we looked at little Ana who's about to start crying and I looked at Gabriela who seemed to be on the verge of exploding. I'm doubly worried when she put her hand on her chest. It was at that moment I rushed towards her. I was going to hug her when she pushed me away, which hurt me deep in my heart. Carlota arrived a few seconds later and stood in front of me.

"Gabriela, listen to me, calm down. This isn't good for you and you're worrying Ana." Carlota said, putting her hands on both sides of Gabriela's face and making her focus her attention on her and nothing else. "I… I can't… Carlota."

"Yes you can, come on Gabriela." Carlota asked, with a worried tone, "Carlota… the pills." Gabriela whispered, trying to get oxygen into her lungs. "Where do you have them?"

"In… In the… car." My girlfriend responded "Give me the keys and I'll be here in no time." Carlota didn't need to hand her best friend to handle the keys since she took them out of her pocket. I hated seeing Gabriela like that, it made me sick. Before leaving, Carlota approached me and looked at me.

"Take care of her, try to calm her down." She pleaded and I stared in Gabriela's direction, frozen and trying to understand what's happening at this moment. "But what's wrong with her?"

"Anxiety attack, do me a favor and try to calm her down while I go get the pills, they will have more effect if she's calmer." She said quickly, "But she doesn't want me around after what…" I started, remembering everything that happened a couple of minutes ago. "It's not because of Sara, it's because she's too stubborn and doesn't like anyone to see her like that, that's why."

With that, she walked away and left me and Ana with Gabriela. The little girl was already sitting on the bench behind Gabriela with tears in her eyes. "Beautiful, I didn't want that to happen. I had no idea what she was going to do."

At that moment she pounces on me and hugs me which I don't hesitate to return. I also saw how Ana got up from the bench and hugged her legs. We spent minutes hugging Gabriela crying and I trying not to get upset because my girlfriend needed me more than ever.

"Come on beautiful, you have to calm down. Breathe." I said calmly, even though I'm hysterical inside, "I… find it hard." She responded, "Focus on mine, that might help you."

She clung closer to me and as the minutes passed, she seemed to be relaxing, her breathing returned to what it always was, at least more similar to what it was ten minutes ago and I noticed how she stopped shaking like she was doing before I hugged her, it seriously looked like she would fall or something. After a long ten minutes, which I would never complain about since I felt great with her in my arms. I pulled her away from me a little and wiped the remaining tears from her beautiful face.

"You're better?" I asked a little calmer when I saw her chest rose and fell calmly. "Yes, thank you, love." Gabriela whispered, "Mommy, are you better?" Ana asked, still clinging to Gabriela's leg. "Of course, honey, don't worry."

At that moment Ana started crying again and Gabriela didn't hesitate to pick her up and run her hands over her back. "Don't cry beautiful, I'm fine." Gabriela assured, even though she's not, she calmed herself to help Ana, "You scared me, Mommy… it seemed… it seemed like… you weren't hearing."

"That's because I'm stupid, but don't worry anymore, ok?" she asked, "I love you so much, mommy." Ana said, "And I love you, little one." A few minutes later, Carlota arrived, blushing from the race to Gabriela's car to go get the pills, and didn't take long to pass them to her.

"Here, you'll feel better." Carlota said, taking breaths of air from the rush she probably made to arrive as soon as possible. "Thank you, Carlota." She left Ana on the ground, but she refused to let go of her, so she hugged her legs. What seemed weird to me is that Gabriela didn't take the pills, and put them in her pocket.

"Are you going to tell me you're not going to take the pills?" Carlota asked, without quite believing it. "I don't need them, I'm sorry you had to go for them." Gabriela apologized "But you're still shaking Gabriela, you're still anxious, you should take one."

"Carlota, it's something I can control, I don't have to take it seriously. Also, I promised you I wouldn't take them if it wasn't necessary, stop worrying too much." Gabriela insisted with a small smile on her face "This is new, I think it didn't take that long for you to stop having the anxiety attack so suddenly, right?"

"It didn't take you too long, it's thanks to him and Ana it went by pretty quickly." Gabriela assured, because it wouldn't have taken more than ten minutes, "Man, you have to tell me how you did that, because in sixteen years I've known her and seven since she started having anxiety attacks, she hasn't recovered from one as quickly as she did from this one."

"I didn't really do anything special, I just hugged her." I responded, shrugging my shoulders, "If Marcos knows this, he'll drop dead." Carlota said, her breathing a little more normal. "Marcos is not going to find out, much less my family. Do you understand, Carlota?"

"But they have to know, they have to know in case it happens to you again they have to call Alex." She protested, but Gabriela continued denying "No one is going to know Carlota, I don't want them to worry about something they shouldn't, my family is still worried about the twins and Marcos isn't going to have the head for anything else, so we won't let them know."

"Not even what happens with those bitches, am I wrong?" She asked, now annoyed. "No, you're not wrong." If I didn't understand anything before when Carlota said that to Sara, now I got even more lost when she said that. I don't know what they were talking about, but something told me it wasn't very good for Carlota to be so angry right now.

"Sorry girls, but what are you talking about?" I asked, trying to understand what Gabriela's best friend is talking about. "Nothing, don't worry, my love." Gabriela responded, leaving her hand on my chest. "Not even him? Don't fuck with me Gabriela, he really has to know, IT'S ABOUT YOU TWO FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

"He doesn't have to…" my girlfriend started, but this time I turned in the direction of my girlfriend's best friend. "What are you talking about, Carlota?" I questioned "Don't even think about it." Gabriela said, threateningly, "Here your girlfriend's best friends are in cahoots with the biggest bitch in college and I would go out on a limb and say in the entire universe."

"I don't understand." I responded, still digesting what Carlota had just told me, "There's nothing to understand." Gabriela responded angrily, but I think she wasn't really angry with me. "Yes, there is, and I really do sometimes think you're a little short-minded, but to be clear, Sara and her sister are with Paula. She has found out everything thanks to them. We are in big trouble."

I hope I didn't hear correctly what Carlota said, that couldn't happen. Clara and Sara love Gabriela. Nothing she's saying made sense, but looking at Gabriela I don't know what her face meant.

"That's true?" I asked, turning in Gabriela's direction. "Of course it is. We're all stupid for having believed them. I don't understand how we didn't realize it before." She answered behind my back, "You're not the stupid ones, the only stupid one here is me, you didn't know them at all."

"Don't say that beautiful, it's not true." I said "Of course it is, now I understand how Paula found out my siblings were one of my weak points." Gabriela answered, trying to hold back her tears.

"Gabriela, she knows that and much more. She must know about your anxiety attacks and will take advantage of that, you're screwed Gabriela." Carlota said frustrated, "I don't care what happen to me, as long as I don't do anything to anyone everything will be fine."

"IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SAME GABRIELA, IF YOU WEREN'T SAFE BEFORE, MUCH LESS NOW." Carlota shouted, frustrated with the whole situation. "I think I know a way to control them better, don't worry, and if not, Alex will always be there to help me, right, love?"

"Of course, beautiful, I'll be there and won't be separated from you for even a second." I assured, because if I could help her in any way with her anxiety, I would do it without a single second's hesitation. "See? There's nothing to worry about, we just have to prepare my siblings and Marcos in case something happens."

"And not Alex?" Carlota asked, confused and a little calmer. "He already knows how to defend himself; I don't think he needs us to teach him anything." Gabriela responded, laughing, even though it wasn't entirely real.

"If you find a way to control them and have Alex with you, I will feel calmer, but I still don't agree with not telling Marcos, he has to know. We can't let him get close to that harpy with the good girl face." Carlota protested, and something told me there's something behind her concern for Marcos.

"We will take care of him, Carlota, what we cannot allow is for him to distance himself from us for the simple fact we tell him what they really are. He's too in love with Clara and will believe her before us." Gabriela assured, even though I don't think it would be something would happen. "Beautiful, I'm with Carlota, I don't think if you tell him, he will go against you."

"Of course he will, believe me. Here I'm the person who knows him best and that's what he will do. We'll find the right moment for him to realize what's happening to them, but now it won't be." She assured and Carlota frowned. "Are you going to tell me you have a plan?"

"I have, and I know it will work, you just have to give me a vote of confidence." My girlfriend asked, and even though I'm not entirely convinced, I'm going to trust his plan "Alright, I trust you, love."

"And I'll trust this once, but one simple move from those harpies and I swear I'll tell Marcos, I won't blink." Carlota assured, "Ok, if something happens, we won't hesitate to tell him, but right now we won't, I'm just asking for your time."

This was more complicated than it already was by the time Paula arrived at college. Now it turns out we have two people in the group who pass information to Gabriela's worst enemy and she has anxiety attacks, this is going to be harder than I thought, but I will be with Gabriela at all times, I'm not going to separate myself from her and much less someone hurt her, I swear that by the most sacred thing in my life, which is her.

Before starting to walk to the college for my next class we kissed and I headed towards class. Luckily for me it's the last class of the day, so I would soon be with her and nothing and no one could prevent me from being with her, the only thing that could prevent it's her, not even her family could prevent it and I would take care of that. I'm really nervous about that, but with Gabriela by my side all my nerves would go away.

Today is the great opportunity to show her family how important Gabriela is to me and how much I love her, that I would make her happy above all else. Today is the opportunity I have been waiting for to happen for years and I hope they see it.