Little Games of Love: A Novel

by Gabriela Paz

  Little

  Games of Love

  A Novel

  Gabriela Paz

  Copyright ©️ 2021 by Gabriela Paz

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Book Design by HMDpublishing

  This book is dedicated to my grandmother who loves to read all things romance and whom I love very much.

  Contents

  Part One

  CHAPTER 1

  Love is in the air

  CHAPTER 2

  It’s You and Me

  CHAPTER 3

  Not Everything is as it Seems

  CHAPTER 4

  Sinking

  CHAPTER 5

  Don’t Lose Hope Just Yet

  CHAPTER 6

  The Stranger

  CHAPTER 7

  A New Era

  CHAPTER 8

  Change of Course

  CHAPTER 9

  You Again

  CHAPTER 10

  Butterflies Gone Wild

  CHAPTER 11

  It’s Not Too Far Away

  CHAPTER 12

  If It’s Meant to be, It Will be

  CHAPTER 13

  Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose

  CHAPTER 14

  Another Chance

  CHAPTER 15

  The imprudent Waitress

  CHAPTER 16

  New Horizons

  CHAPTER 17

  Butterflies Fly Free

  CHAPTER 18

  I Promise It’s a Small Party.

  CHAPTER 19

  The Secret She Kept

  CHAPTER 20

  Love is Not That Simple

  Part Two

  CHAPTER 21

  Two Years Later

  CHAPTER 22

  Carpe Diem

  CHAPTER 23

  The Truth

  CHAPTER 24

  The Letter

  CHAPTER 25

  “Who Are You really?”

  CHAPTER 26

  Doubts

  CHAPTER 27

  4 Months Later

  CHAPTER 28

  Destiny Calls Sooner or Later

  CHAPTER 29

  Vita Mia

  CHAPTER 30

  Luminous Path

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Part

  One

  CHAPTER 1

  Love is in the air

  The sun sneaking through the window woke Eva up in the morning. The light was so bright it made her incapable of fully opening her eyes. It was perfect for the beach. “Wake up, lazy bum! I don’t know how you manage to sleep so deeply with all this light coming in,” Eva howled at Cece, giving her a slight push on her shoulder.

  She was glad to have her friend sleep over more often than ever. Now that they were both sixteen, they gossiped while getting their nails done instead of playing board games and watching horror movies. Though, every once in a while, they still filled up the popcorn bowls, turned the lights off, and scared themselves to death by watching the last Freddy Kruger movie.

  Eva’s room had become their sacred place where they could vent and gossip without fear of being judged. It was a small room, but the experiences shared in it certainly made up for its size. Eva had recently gotten a queen bed, just so that Cece could sleep comfortably. They had been managing their sleepovers in a single bed, and while that had been fun, they no longer fit.

  “Ugh,” Cece mumbled as she rolled back inside the covers. “I’m coming,” she said, making an attempt to get out of bed.

  “Come on. Weren’t we supposed to go to the beach? It was your idea,” Eva sneered as she nudged her on the shoulder for a second time.

  “Yes, yes. Of course, we are going. I’m up already,” Cece answered as she made her way into the bathroom.

  They had been perusing fashion magazines the night before and talking about Cece’s interesting love life. Eva could not deny the certain curiosity she was starting to feel about boys. Maybe it was her hormones, or maybe Cece was becoming a bad influence on her. Either way, she still tried to delay the process as much as she could.

  Though Eva strived to blend in with the crowd, she knew boys in her school had started noticing her. Some would try to get her attention, saying things like, “Hey, beautiful,” to which she wouldn’t even respond. She was getting to the age where everyone was dating, and all the boys were dying to hook up.

  With her velvety brunette hair, big round green eyes, and her face dotted with freckles, it often surprised her to receive such praise from boys since she didn’t necessarily think of herself as beautiful. She could see where maybe they considered her cute or sweet, but she was definitely not “hot,” as they called her sometimes. Instead, she was shy and reserved, which is why she didn’t flaunt her thin frame. She preferred to be an observer rather than a participant.

  As Cece got out of the bathroom, she quickly laid in the bed next to Eva, rolled over onto her stomach, and propped her chin with both hands. “So… I think I kind of like Robert.”

  “What? You do? You didn’t mention it last night,” Eva said, surprised.

  “Yes, I know. Don’t you judge me, Eva Coleman. I know he’s not the usual type of guy I go for, but I don’t know. He is cute and sweet. There’s something about him.”

  Eva tried not to laugh, but she had to cover her mouth so Cece wouldn’t see. “Well, if you like him, then I guess you should give him a chance. I’m not judging at all.” Cece had spoken of Robert a few weeks back and had stated, “He’s just so annoying! I can’t stand him. He’s just always there, looking at me,” to which Eva also tried to contain her laugh. It wasn’t that it was crazy for her to like Robert. He was sort of cute in a nerdy kind of way. But Cece always went for the football player or the popular guy in the class, so this was very unlike her. Her best friend was like that, though; she changed her mind as often as she changed her socks. And this time, Eva couldn’t hide her amusement.

  Cece then hit her with the pillow and laughed. “Yes, you are. Stop laughing.”

  “I am not! Stop it,” Eva giggled. “But no, seriously, you should talk to him if you like him.”

  “Speaking of giving boys a chance, when will you finally date one so I can listen to your stories for a change?”

  Um never. She took a few seconds to answer. “I honestly don’t know if I will date anytime soon. Boys our age are so stupid, Cece, you have to admit it. I won’t just experiment for the sake of it; it has to mean something,” Eva said in a more serious tone. “I just don’t know if I’m ready for any of that.”

  For Eva, the meaning of love was clear. But to admit it for what it was also meant admitting that her father didn’t love her. When she turned ten-years-old, her father left—no notice, no letter, nothing. He just vanished. Her mother, Melissa, as devastated as she appeared, kept telling her it was temporary and ensured her father’s prompt return. But who was she fooling? Most of his belongings were gone, and no matter how many different excuses Eva built up in her head as to why
he was taking so long to come back, the reality was obvious. He’s left us.

  Eva wanted to say so much, but every time she tried, the sentences never came together. She wished there was something she could say or do to make her mother feel better. Instead, her words remained trapped in her mind screaming to get out but never finding the correct order. The feelings she repressed were too difficult for her to fully comprehend since her father had always been her hero, and she loved him deeply.

  Every single day after her father’s departure, Eva wandered around the house trying to make sense of it all but the only emotion she felt in her heart was anger. Pure anger. She quaked with moans that rocked her core but couldn’t let out a single tear. Her gut felt as if it was tousled in a million different ways, and her heart felt as if it had been squeezed tightly into someone’s fist. Deep furrows in her brows became rather apparent and constant. She didn’t mean to, as she was one to always avoid conflict.

  In fact, she never understood why people fought in the first place. Life seemed so simple and peaceful through her eyes, and for her to have these emotions felt strange and almost wrong. The way her dad had hurt her mother was something she couldn’t look over or forgive, though. Whatever reason he had for leaving was certainly not good enough. She often wondered if being angry with her father was easier than missing him. Perhaps it was a theory she would have to test.

  Her mother had taught her to believe in love nevertheless—no matter how ironic that was—and to be open to the possibility of it. She would remind her, “Honey, you must be strong and unafraid of being hurt because that is part of life. Living and getting hurt is better than not living at all.”

  But Eva didn’t believe her. She had her own opinions. It would just get complicated to have another person to care for, and it was much easier to keep her circle of loved ones small to avoid getting hurt.

  “I know it’s scary, Eva, but who said anything about love? We are only sixteen. Maybe you can find a boy that you really like and see what happens from there. That would be cool, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know, who knows? I’m not saying I won’t, but for now, I think we will focus on your love life instead since it’s much more fun,” she teased.

  Cece hit her with a pillow again. “Shut up! I will give Robert a chance, and I will not tell you anything about it.” Eva quickly grabbed the pillow from her hand and stroked her back. They both laughed hysterically, knowing full well that Cece would tell Eva everything.

  “Let’s go, then? I’m ready,” Cece said in her usual enthusiastic manner that always cheered Eva up.

  She loved her best friend. Cece had brought joy in her life when she had none, and she would always love her for that. More often than not, she recalled the day when it all started, as they walked back together from school one afternoon.

  “So, I was thinking that we should have a sleepover one day.” Ten-year-old Cece uttered completely out of the blue. The way she expressed herself always seemed as if she was spilling one big secret after the other. It had been a few weeks since they started accompanying each other on their way back from school. Cece had joined her class earlier that year, and ever since the first day, she declared, “We are going to be best friends, Eva, I just know it.”

  “A sleepover? Where? And with who?” Eva asked, surprised.

  “Just you and me at your house, silly! It would be cool, wouldn’t it? We could stay up all night and watch horror movies.” Blonde-haired, blue-eyed Cece couldn’t contain her excitement about anything and everything. Her positive energy was contagious.

  “I guess we could, but I don’t know if my mom will let me,” Eva said hesitantly.

  “I can ask her. Today after school, we will ask her together, deal?”

  “Okay.” Was this for real?

  When school was over, they walked together back to Eva’s house. Her mom wasn’t home from work yet, but it wouldn’t be long. She had started working full-time plus weekend shifts to make ends meet since Eva’s father had cleaned out their bank accounts when he left. She was one of the best hair-stylists the salon had, or so she said.

  Once her mother finally arrived, she looked surprised to see her hanging out with someone. It was a bit strange for Eva to have company since she hadn’t had many friends in the past, so she understood her reaction. Even though it took her a few seconds, her mother welcomed Cece with a smile, “Hi, honey. Who is this beautiful girl we have here today?”

  “Mom, this is Cece, my friend from school,” she answered with a wide smile.

  Cece answered in her usually bubbly fashion. “Hi Ms. Coleman, it's great to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, Cece. What are you girls up to? Do you need anything?”

  “Nope, we are good. Eva made us some sandwiches, but thank you.”

  Her mother laughed at Cece’s spunky and smart attitude.

  Eva had gotten used to doing everything on her own at that point. She cooked, cleaned, did her own laundry, and even stayed on top of her homework. Her mother was barely home because of work, and responsibility had dropped on her shoulders more abruptly than she could have ever anticipated.

  “I did want to ask you, Ms. Coleman…”

  “Oh, please call me Melissa, sweetheart.”

  “Oh, okay. Melissa, we wanted to ask you if Eva and I could have a sleepover tonight?”

  Eva tensed, knowing she had put her mother on the spot, but it was too late to back out now. She waited anxiously for her mother to say something.

  Her mother looked at her daughter questioningly.

  “Um, yes. Can we please?” Eva begged as she blinked with her big eyelashes several times in an effort to be persuasive. Please say yes.

  Her mom paused as if mulling it over. “Eva, I wish you would have let me know earlier, but okay. Cece, just make sure to tell your parents, please, and I would like to speak to them as well.”

  “Of course. Thank you, Melissa!” Cece said happily as she proceeded to hug Eva. And that’s how it all began. It was that night of their first sleepover that Eva had her first emotional breakthrough. Before she closed her eyes to sleep, she realized it was the first time in a while since she felt excited.

  As she stared at the familiar ceiling, a tear slowly and without permission caressed her cheek. The instant she noticed, another heavy drop of saltwater finally dropped on her pillow, and then another and another, until she could no longer control it. Her father hadn’t crossed her mind all night, but for some reason, fear and guilt surrounded her soul at the thought of forgetting about him one day. Maybe it’s better this way. Maybe it’s better not to think about him at all.

  “Let me quickly throw something on, and we will get going.”

  Maybe it was out of habit, but ever since Eva started her teen years, she avoided looking at herself in the mirror. It was easier to ignore the obvious resemblance of her father and to pretend like his face didn’t flash before her eyes every time she went to brush her teeth or combed her hair. She would have figured the image of his face would be long erased from her mind by now, but that wasn’t the case. She supposed her anger hadn’t done its job properly, and maybe she had wasted her time experimenting with it all this time.

  The boardwalk was crowded with people shopping, eating, sightseeing, and a couple of young boys riding bikes and skating—but that’s how Pensacola beach was almost all year round. Further down the beach, the blue water glimmered, and the gentle breeze felt soothing as it rustled through Eva’s hair. “Can you believe the magic of this place?” she asked Cece as the smell of the salty sea rushed through her nose.

  “Yeah, it’s definitely something.”

  “I wish I could capture everything I’m feeling right now in this photo,” Eva said, looking through the lens of her camera.

  “I cannot believe you brought that thing,” Cece said, looking at Eva’s old Nikon camera.<
br />
  Her father had given it to her a while back, and she had brought it in case she felt inspired. “Oh, leave me alone, you know I love taking photos. It makes me happy.”

  “No kidding. I know you love that thing, but it’s so inconvenient. You should just use your phone.”

  “It’s not the same,” Eva said as she prepared to take another shot. Definitely not the same. “The whole point of taking a photo is looking through this small lens and drawing all the focus and attention into whatever you are looking at. That’s when you are truly able to capture the beauty and splendor of it all.”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Cece said, distracted. Eva often found it peculiar they had become such good friends since they were complete opposites. Cece was the social queen, and Eva was the introverted bird. The way she carried herself with so much confidence was often a trait Eva admired about her. It did not matter to Cece who was around; she always spoke her mind freely.

  She had also grown to be quite the knockout, as evidenced by the boys at school practically falling at her feet. She was tall with a voluptuous body—as opposed to Eva, who was on the short and scrawny side—she had spiky short-blonde hair, supple lips, and a big bum that she liked to show off a bit too much. But there was something about her most people didn’t know. Cece was selfless and supportive, ridiculous yet caring, and she had been there for Eva through the most important times of her life.

  “Look at all of those people on the beach, for example, tanning, listening to music, and enjoying the water. Look at those two little girls eating ice cream or at the old couple holding hands by the side of the boardwalk. It’s so authentic and spontaneous. I love it,” Eva explained, inspired. She didn’t know if she was good at photography, but she sure enjoyed it.

  “You’ve always been a weird bird for sure, but I still love you.” She gave Eva a teasing smile while pretending she wasn’t completely bored. “I’m starving,” said Cece as she changed the subject abruptly. “Can we please eat already?”

  “Yes, let’s go to the cove before we head to the beach.”

  “Thank you!”