Chapter 63

GABRIELA

When I heard my father speak, I was already expecting to argue with him, but it became clearer to me when he said that. I wasn't going to let him bring it up when I want Alex to forget about it, that was what made me angry, plus it's my life and I did what I want with it.

I waited for Alex to go call his grandmother, mostly because I didn't want him to hear me arguing with my father. "Really, Gabriela, I don't think he…" dad starts, but I raised my hand to stop him from saying whatever he wants to say. "What he is to me, you shouldn't care, Dad. Even if you don't want to know it, Alex makes me feel better, he helps me and he really loves me."

"And I didn't say otherwise, but that doesn't mean I like him." my father said, and I knew he's serious. "And I don't care about that, I would like you to accept him and bother to get to know him, but if not, I don't care, it's my life." I assured "What if he hurts you again?"

"First of all, Alex isn't going to do anything to me and second, if that happens, it's my business and no one else's." I responded, "I don't want you to feel again what you felt during these years, you deserve someone better than him."

"For your information dad, Alex is the best thing that has happened to me in my life after you all and I love him, I'm not going to leave him for the simple fact you don't like him, that doesn't matter to me, because as already I told you, it's my life and I do what I want with it." With that I went the other way, I didn't want to continue arguing with my father, I hated arguing with someone, but in this case, I didn't see a way for my father to understand.

I moved away from any place where they could see me, they did know where to find me, but no one would come because they knew very well if I came here, it's to be alone, so at least for a while I would be able to be alone.

I don't know exactly how much time passed until both Ana and Alex appeared, and the former sat on my lap facing me. "Are you ok mommy?" Ana asked with a worried tone. "Yes, don't worry, little one."

"Do you want a hug?" She asked and I nodded with a small smile on my face. "Only if you give me a hug, princess." With that, she hugged me with all her might and I didn't hesitate for a second to return it. Alex sat next to us and put an arm around my shoulders.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Alex asked, not completely convinced. "Yeah, have you talked to your grandmother yet?" I asked curiously. "Yes, and as I told you, she's delighted that you're coming to have dinner." He responded with a big smile. "And what about the other thing?"

"She doesn't care, don't worry about it anymore." He assured and I nodded. "Are you going out, mommy?" Ana asked "After you go to bed, why?" I questioned "Because I wanted to go for a walk." She responded, "Then come on, it will be cold in a little while and I don't want you to get sick, go get your jacket."

"Aren't you coming with me?" She asked, "Not right now, but I'll wait for you at the door, ok?" I asked and she nodded. The three of us got up from the ground and she went into the house while Alex and I walked slowly towards the door. "You are angry with your father, aren't you?" Alex asked and I snorted, nodding. "How can I not be, he shouldn't treat you like that."

"Of course, he has to do it, and don't put that face." He said once he saw the way I looked at him "And what face do you want me to put? He has no right to talk to you like that." I said seriously, "For me, yes, and more so if I put myself in his place."

"What are you taking about?" I asked, confused and caught by surprise, "I know I hurt you a lot and you suffered because of it, I understand it and I take full responsibility. Your father loves you and wants the best for you, I don't want to be in his place and if someone do something to our daughter, I will beat them to death, if necessary, but I'm not going to allow someone to harm our little girl."

"Now do you want to have children?" I asked without understanding how we had come to this conversation, but containing my smile because I like he's thinking about our future together. "I want everything with you, beautiful, only if you want, of course."

"Of course, I would like to have children, isn't that clear with Ana?" I asked, laughing. "I hadn't thought of it that way." He answered honestly, "That's what it seemed like to me." We laughed and he put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him, of course I'm delighted with that.

"Am I going to have a little sibling?" Between the shock I got and the shock of Ana's question makes me separate from Alex quickly and blush. I had no idea what to say to her, mostly because she's a six-year-old girl. I could hear Alex laugh, I don't know why, which made me turn to see him, but in exchange I saw how he crouched down until he was level with Ana.

"Do you want to have a little sibling?" I asked "Yes, I want to be the big sister for once." She said, pouting, "Well, I promise you one day you will be, of course, if Gabriela wants."

"Mom, will you give me a little sibling with Alex?" She asked, without taking her eyes off of me, but in them I could see the excitement she felt and at this moment I'm confused. "We'll talk about that later, now let's go for that walk before it gets dark."

We walked for an hour and then I called Marcos to go to his house, more than anything so I could go in, make dinner for Ana and them if they wanted, and put her to bed, but luckily for us, apparently Carlos had just gotten home, so we didn't have to wait for Marcos, who arrived after a few minutes.

I was with Marcos in the kitchen the whole time since apparently Alex, Carlos, Carlota and Ana were playing in the living room, although if I have to say, I don't know which of the three was like a child, Ana or Alex and Carlos, and at that moment I was thinking about what Alex would look like with our child in his arms until Marcos interrupts my thoughts and Carlota just enters the kitchen to help us.

"You argued with your father, right?" he asked, even though I'm more than sure she knew the answer, "I don't want to talk about that, Marcos." I answered honestly, "I'm not saying to talk about that, I just want to know why you argued." He insisted, "I don't think I need to tell you."

"Alex?" He asked and I denied, "I don't know why you're asking anymore, and like I told you, I don't want to talk about it." I assured, "Ok, if you don't want to talk about that, can you tell me what my sister is saying about you going to give her a sibling?"

"What?" I asked, turning in his direction confused and as red as a tomato. "Yes, I heard her say it when I entered the front door of the house and what he told me later when I entered the living room, that's why I'm asking you. I don't understand where she got the idea from."

"It was a misunderstanding, Alex told me he understood what my father said about him and hated him and told me if it were him and something happened to our daughter, he would beat that person to death, if necessary, I guess she took it from there." I responded, shrugging my shoulders. "So, you guys talked about having kids?"

"Marcos, don't you really think this topic wasn't going to come up at some point? These two will be together their whole lives, there will be nothing that can separate them, of course they were going to talk about having children, knowing how Gabriela likes them and apparently what Alex likes, who basically behaves like one, how could they not? Do you really think they wouldn't talk about having children?" Carlota asked, rolling her eyes "Ok, I understand Carlota, sorry because the idea didn't cross my mind before. I just want you not to kill me."

"No, I won't do it for the moment, but tell us what you answered, don't leave me with this big doubt now. Would you like to have children with him?" Carlota asked, settling into the chair and without looking away from me for a single second. "Of course I would like that, Carlota doesn't ask that."

"Then continue with what I'm sure you did when you were at his house for a week." She responded, laughing, "We didn't do anything." I assured, "You can tell that to someone else, Gabriela, because I don't believe it." my best friend said, and I knew she thought I wasn't serious, "Well, believe what you want, but I'm telling you seriously that we didn't do anything."

"Nothing at all?" she asked, now straightening in her spot and looking at me as if I had suddenly grown an extra head. "No, and I don't want to talk about it." I assured "SO YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME YOU'RE STILL A VIRGIN?" At that moment I approached her and put my hand on her mouth to prevent her from continuing to shout that, I didn't want the whole neighborhood to find out I'm virgin, because it's something that only I cared about and no one else cared about.

"Stop screaming if you don't want me to glue your mouth with super glue." I murmured, "I'm sorry, but I just can't believe it. What I understood was that he slept with anyone before transferring to the school we were at."

"What? What are you taking about?" I asked, now frowning. "What you heard, Diego told me something like that, but he also told me he stopped doing it as soon as he met you, so you can rest assured in that sense." She said, but now the doubt was already planted in my mind. "Now you expect me to be calm after telling me he slept with every chick that came his way and knowing he has experience that he could go with anyone else?"

"Hey, hey, first of all, I told you he did it and he stopped doing it as soon as he met you, and if what worries you is you have no idea what to do, don't worry, I'm more than I'm sure at that moment you'll know how to do everything." Carlota said, trying to calm me down, "We can stop talking about my virginity and continue making dinner, I don't have all night to be with you, and I have to put Ana to bed because she has class tomorrow."

"Well then you have time." Marcos said, "No, because as soon as Ana stays the night, I'll leave." I informed them "You can stay as long as you want eh, it doesn't bother us." Marcos assured, but I denied, because I already knew that. "I know, and I would, but I have dinner with Alex's grandmother."

"Oh, are you going to meet Alex's grandmother?" Carlota asked with a big smile on her face. "I already met her at the hospital, but it seems like she's excited to see me outside the hospital. I don't know, maybe it's Alex's exaggerations, but I have no idea." I said, shrugging my shoulders, because knowing my boyfriend, it could easily be exaggerations. "Surely, it's true, Carolina always liked you."

"What do you know?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms. "Yes, I know, before I had no idea, she was Alex's grandmother, I swear, Gabriela, and when I talked to her about you, she always said she liked you for her grandson. At the time I had no idea about anything. Now it all makes sense; it was because of me that Alex found out at the college you were at." He mumbled the last "WHAT? IT WAS YOUR FAULT?" I yelled, more in surprise than anger.

"Yes, but like I told you, I had no idea it was his grandmother." He insisted, "Then I should have yelled at you and not at Alex." I snorted, "I know I screwed up, but look how good you are with him now? You can say I helped with that." Marcos said, trying to defend himself, "I'm not angry now, but if you had told me at that moment, I would have killed you, I don't have the slightest doubt about that."

"Ok, and I would have understood, but then you're not mad at me, right?" He asked and I denied, because I'm not. "No, I'm not, besides, like you said, we're fine now, so there's nothing to worry about." I assured "I thought you would be angry about that."

"What image do you have of me to think I would be angry with you?" I asked, a little offended by the image they had of me in their mind. "I don't know about Marcos, but what happens to me is that sometimes it occurs to me that talking about Alex will make you angry like you did before you know? Even though I know you're happy, especially you, eight-year-old habits don't go away easily." My best friend informed me and I rolled my eyes, because I think they are exaggerating. "I don't think I was that angry."

"Well, you were, you were about to be scary, you don't think that Alex stopped being named by magic, do you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I guess not, but I always thought it was because you got tired of naming him every five minutes." I responded "We didn't do it because of that, we did it because of how you felt and we stopped doing it because we knew how you felt."

"It wasn't that big of a deal." I said, "Of course it was a big deal and more, we know, there's no need to keep it to yourself." Carlota assured, "I don't…" I started, but out of nowhere Ana appears running into the kitchen. "Mommy, Alex won't stop tickling me."

I looked up at Ana's voice and could see she's running with Alex a few steps away from her. Ana crouched down behind me and I crossed my arms looking at Alex who had a big smile on his face. "That's cheating Ana, you can't crouch behind Gabriela." Alex protested with a small pout on his face that I would kiss right now if Ana wasn't behind me. "No, it's not. You're going to tickle me."

"Not true, I'm not going to tickle you anymore." He said, raising his hands in the air, "Lie." Ana protested and I couldn't help but laugh. "Ana is right, love, it's clear that you're going to tickle her." I said, agreeing with the little girl, "Ah Gabriela, but she didn't know that. She likes it, right?"

"No, I don't like it." The little girl responded, pouting. "You were laughing a while ago." Alex said and I denied "But now I don't like it, you don't stop." Ana reported, "This time I will stop, I promise." Alex said, sincerely this time.

I turned to see Ana, who's hugging my legs, and I could see she's thinking about what Alex is telling her, and this time it' true, otherwise I would make sure that she didn't tickle any more. "This time he really tells you, and if he wants to do it again, call me and I'll help you." I assured, "That's cheating Gabriela." Alex protested from the door, "Now am I a cheater? You still don't know what it's like for me to cheat, love." I assured, "True, you never see them coming." Carlota said laughing, "Mommy, I'm hungry."

"Sit at the table, I'll cook you out now." They continued talking for a while Marcos and I finished making dinner. As soon as they finished dinner, I accompanied Ana to her room so she could go to sleep and it didn't take long for her to go to sleep.

I was about to leave Ana's room when I notice that Carlos is looking in our direction with a smile, but worried about something. Before leaving I made sure Ana was well covered, I don't want her to catch cold.

"What is keeping you worried Carlos?" I asked, approaching him. "I'm not worried about anything." He assured, "Don't lie to me because I know something keeps you worried. Is it because of work?" I questioned "No, the job is great."

"So?" I insisted "My parents" he finally said "What about them?" I questioned, sitting next to her. "This morning, I talked to my parents and I noticed they were weird, my mother asked me who I was when she's the one who called me."

"That's weird, maybe it was because she wanted to call someone else." I said, trying to comfort him, "I don't know, but I think something weird is going on." He responded "Don't worry about them, I'm sure they're fine." I responded, at least hoping that's true. "I hope so."

"You will see that it is." I said "Will you stay here today?" he asks and denied "No, I have dinner." I informed him "With whom?" He asked, shifting his full attention to me. "With Alex and his grandmother." I simply said, "I can't imagine how excited Carolina must be about you."

"It's not a big deal." I murmured with a smile on my face "Of course it is, that woman adores Alex and I'm not telling you as a joke, according to what she told me once, you had saved Alex, before leaving him I mean, I imagine that now she'll think the same." He reported "Save him from what?"

"I don't know, about the second one I'm more than sure she refers to the fights, but about the first one I don't have the slightest idea." He responded "Can I ask you a question?" I asked, after a few seconds of silence, "Sure, what's going on?" I asked, "I just don't know how to tell you."

"Is this something I should worry about?" He questioned and I quickly denied "No, it's nothing you have to worry about." I assured, "Then tell me because I will do it if you don't say it." He reported "Is it true that Alex slept with many women?"

"Where did you get that?" He asked confused. "That doesn't matter, answer." I asked, "Yes, I did it because of what he told me, but I don't remember him doing it. What is the question? Is everything ok with him?" He asked and I nodded "Yes, everything is fine, I just don't know, at that point he will know what to do while I have no idea, you know?"

"You haven't done it?" He asked, surprise appearing in his eyes. "Why does everyone think we did it? We didn't do anything." I said, somewhat annoyed everyone assumed we had had sex, "I thought when you stayed at his house… Well, that doesn't matter, what matters is you shouldn't worry about what you do the moment comes, I can assure you at that moment it's as if you knew what to do, and I'm more than sure Alex won't do anything that you don't want. Now tell me where you got that thing about women from and why you were asking."

"Where I got it from doesn't matter, and what I was asking doesn't matter either, so don't worry." I assured, "I always will, you are my little sister apart from Ana." He said with a big smile and putting his arm over my shoulders, "Well, that's it, I'm fine."

"Wait… tell me that wasn't what you were worried about." He asked "Why?" I asked, a little confused, what he's referring to right now. "I don't know why I'm asking if I'm more than sure it's because of that, but listen to me carefully, just because you haven't done anything doesn't mean he's going to go with another woman, Gabriela, that won't even happen. Even if he dies, he loves you, and if you haven't it's because one, he really loves you and two, you're more important than the rest of the girls he slept with and he'll want it to be special, don't worry about that anymore."

Just now the moment came to mind when Paula told me she had slept with him. At that moment I hadn't stopped to think too much about what she said, but knowing Alex had slept with many girls, as much as I hated the idea, she could fit into that group.

"Do you know if he slept with Paula?" I asked "What? Why is there so much insecurity now, Gabriela?" Carlos questioned, frowning. "I don't know, you just answer." I asked, "I highly doubt it, as I already told you, I don't remember him telling me he had slept with someone since he met you, but you should ask him instead of me, Alex wouldn't lie to you, ask him."

"I'll think about it." I said, "You're going to do it if you don't want me to make you tell him in front of me." He responded, and I know he's being very serious, "I'll look stupid, Carlos." I protested, "You won't look like anything, maybe a little stupid in the eyes of others, but not in Alex's."

"Thank you, that relaxes me a lot, you can't don't know how much." I responded, rolling my eyes, "That's not the point, the thing is that you shouldn't be so insecure about yourself Gabriela, much less about Alex, because the rest of us realize how much he loves you and he'll do whatever is necessary." so that you are happy. "Leave the insecurities, I thought you had overcome them."

"That's impossible to overcome, especially when they always told you were nothing and you wouldn't amount to anything in life." I responded, "But everyone was wrong about that, and all of us who knew you knew you would achieve everything you set your mind to."

"You may have done it, but that remains marked in your life Carlos, understand me." I say even though I knew it would be difficult for him "I can get an idea, I just hope Alex can help you with your self-esteem, even if it's a little." He said "I doubt it, but he tries more than anything."

"Knowing him, I'm sure he does, but now go if you don't want to be late for dinner with Alex's grandmother." With that we headed downstairs where Alex was talking with Marcos and Carlota, but apparently, he diverted his attention when he realized I was a few steps away from him and the others.

We said goodbye to everyone and Carlos told me to talk, Alex looked at him because he didn't understand what he meant, but it's more than clear to me what he's referring to, I just wanted to know if he had slept with that woman or not, a doubt I would like to be able to get rid of before I get ideas that aren't true in my head, and to my bad luck, the only way to get them out of my head was to ask my boyfriend directly.