by M. D. Melai
The time ticked away, and before I knew it, it was time for me to leave.
“Thank you again for letting me come. Maybe one day Faith and I can both make a trip here to see you.”
“I would like that very much. You are such a sweet person, Caterina.”
It was getting dark outside as we said our goodbyes and I made my way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow I would be heading back to Palermo and back to finding out more about my family. I wished I could stay here with Stefani and her husband. For the first time in a week, I didn’t feel alone.
***
I arrived back in Palermo the next day at noon. The apartment was just as I left it, and honestly, I was looking forward to sleeping in the bed. The one in Germany was more uncomfortable than this one.
I had just finished eating lunch when my phone rang. It was Violet.
“Hey Vi, what’s—” I didn’t even get to finish my question when she interrupted me.
“Lily! Listen to me, because you don’t have much time. You need to get out of there! Dante just told me your father found out where you are and he had some of his men fly out last night to track you down. You need to pack as soon as possible and get to the airport.”
What? He found me! How did he find me?
“As soon as you get there,” Violet continued. “Go to the check-in counter and ask for your ticket. I have everything ready for you as soon as you get there. You just need to get there. Now! And don’t worry, I will have a new place lined up for you when you land.” Then she quickly gasped. “Someone’s coming, I'm sorry I have to go, but please Lily get out of there as fast as you can! Love you.”
“Wait, Vi!” I said, but she was already gone.
Chapter 13
I had been in Barcelona for two and a half months now, and I couldn’t be happier. Violet couldn’t have picked a better place to send me to. But, the best part was my family had no idea that I was here and the manhunt for me had settled.
After Violet hung up the phone with me and I knew that they had found me, I threw everything in my bag and ran out the door.
I ended up texting Gianna on my way to the airport. I told her that I was leaving early and that I had left the keys in her box, and that I didn’t need a refund for the days left. She thanked me for the stay and said that if I ever wanted to visit again, then she would make the apartment available and give me a discount.
The ride to the airport was intense. I kept feeling as if there were eyes watching me and that I was being followed. When I arrived at the airport, I checked the immediate area and didn’t recognize anyone. I blended in the best I could before going to the check-in counter. When I told the lady my name, she pulled up all my information and asked if Barcelona was the correct place that I was heading. I agreed with a smile. Violet knew me so well. I had always wanted to visit Barcelona.
It didn’t take long to get through security and find the gate. The whole time I kept my hood up as I weaved in and out of people. When I took a seat by my gate, I made sure to sit in the middle of the group of people. Boarding wasn’t for another thirty minutes, so I put on my headphones and listened to music as I waited. Several songs passed before someone tapped me on the shoulder. My body immediately clenched. I opened my eyes to see the flight attendant hovering over me.
“Excuse me miss, we are now boarding,” she said as I sat up.
“Thank you,” I replied as she walked away.
I took a scan of my surroundings before I stood up. I didn’t see anything or anyone out of the ordinary, so I walked over and handed my ticket and passport to her and quietly boarded the plane. A sigh of relief escaped me as I was now home free.
I wouldn’t be caught today.
When I arrived in Barcelona, I texted and assured Violet that I was okay and that I had made it. She was relieved and texted me everything else I needed to know.
I would be staying in another apartment that was vacant. Violet said that she told the owner that she didn’t know how long I would be staying there and that I needed to get that settled upon arrival.
The owner was waiting for me when I reached the apartment. Luckily she spoke English, because I didn’t know any Spanish. Her name was Esmeralda and she told me the apartment would be vacant for the next five months and that I could stay up to that point. I told her I had not planned to be here that long and if we could go week-by-week, then that would be great. We set up a payment plan and at the end of each week I would pay her for the next.
The apartment was a lot bigger than the last one I had lived in. When I walked in through the door, to my left was the small dining area. There was a television and a small clear table with black chairs in the middle. Past that was the outer part of the apartment. It had a futon and a red lounge chair, but that wasn’t even the best part. Esmeralda pulled up the blinds and across the street was the Sagrada Familia. It was the perfect frontal view of it. I could lounge on the futon and just stare straight at it. I may be staying here longer than I planned.
The rest of the apartment was just as nice. On the other side of the entrance was a long hallway and all the rooms were on the right. The first room was the kitchen. It was very small, but it had a refrigerator, oven, stove, and microwave. The next room was a full bathroom, completely stocked. Next came a small room that had a few pictures and another futon. I could tell that this was the spare bedroom. Then at the end of the hallway was the main bedroom. The bed was a queen size and just by the look of it, it seemed way more comfortable than the one in Palermo. There were nightstands on both sides of the bed, a dresser facing the bed, and a closet to the right of the dresser.
Then she showed me the second best thing about this apartment. In the bedroom, there was a door that led to the outside terrace. When I stepped out onto it, I could see all of Barcelona. It was the middle of the day, so I could see everything. It went on for miles, and I could see the very edge of the Barcelona beach. This, apart from the living room, would be a place I could relax at night.
I sat on the terrace that night and decided that I would need to make some changes if I wanted to blend in better and not take the risk of getting caught.
The next day I went to a salon and had my brown hair lightened and caramel highlights put in. I ordered colored contacts deciding on the honey brown color Chelsea had picked out for me when I had my makeover.
Violet had deposited more money into my account, and since I had not brought more than a handful of outfits with me in the first place, I went shopping. I held myself together and didn’t go overboard. The money would need to last me for a while.
After my first couple of days here, I decided that I needed something to actually do. There was plenty to see, but if I ended up staying here for a few months, then that would get too familiar too soon. I decided that I would get a job, and I found one at a local coffee shop not too far from the University of Barcelona. It was hard at first trying to learn Spanish, but it was quite similar to Italian, and it didn’t take me long to adjust.
Emily was the first girl I met when I started working at the café. She was a student at the University and was studying abroad for a year. When I first met her, she was really shy, but as soon as I got to know her, she reminded me a lot of Violet. Emily was energetic, funny, and a little bit accident prone. She was shorter than me and had dirty blonde hair with light brown eyes. We quickly became good friends and she was my source of entertainment over these past couple of months.
“So, the semester starts on Monday and I really want to go out this weekend to get it out of my system. This semester is going to kill me and I don’t know how much time I’ll have,” Emily said as soon as she walked in the door to start her shift.
“That sounds good to me. Is Gabriel going with us?” I asked with a wink. Emily had had a crush on Gabriel since last semester. I knew with her being a shy girl that she was scared to ask him out, so I decided right then that if he went out tonight with us, then my job would be to finally get them together
.
“Yes, and Miguel is coming out too,” she replied as she gave me a smirk.
Miguel was a friend of Emily and Gabriel’s. We had gone out a few times as a group and he quickly took an interest in me, according to Emily. He was attractive and smart, but I wasn’t looking for anything romantic at the moment. I had filled Emily in on the whole love triangle between me, Emilio, and Lucas. She understood and said she wouldn’t force Miguel on me, but that never stopped her from teasing me about it.
“You sure do have a way of making me not want to go out,” I said with a slight grin.
“Oh come on, Cat you know you want him!” she said and then growled like a tiger.
I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me.
“I’m just kidding. But for real, it’ll be fun,” she said, making things less awkward.
“Count me in. What time do you want to go?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t get off until nine, so around ten? Is it cool if I just come over to your place and get ready?”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” I replied.
Emily and I weren’t able to talk very much the rest of my shift. People were in and out constantly. I guess with it being Friday there were a lot of coffee runs and people visiting.
Once my shift came to an end, I told Emily bye and that I would see her later before walking home to my apartment. Knowing Emily, she wouldn’t be the only one showing up at my place tonight. The last few times we went out she had been in the habit of inviting Miguel and Gabriel over. I really didn’t have a problem with it, but they always arrived at the worst times.
When I got back to the apartment, I cleaned up the place and put my clothes into the washer before heading to the shower. There were so many stains on my apron and shirt from today that I was sure I would never be able to get them out.
I had just stepped out of the shower and was starting to dry my hair when I heard a knock at the door. My alarm clock beside my nightstand said that it was only eight-thirty. Maybe Emily had got off a little early? I rewrapped my towel around my body as I headed towards the front door.
“You are here earl—” I began, but didn’t finish. Miguel and Gabriel were standing there when I flung the door wide open. My jaw dropped and my eyes bulged out as embarrassment consumed me.
“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around my chest, securing my towel.
“Emily said we could go ahead and come over and that she would be off soon,” Gabriel explained. “But if it’s a bad time, we can come back.”
“No, it’s fine,” I said as I moved aside for them to come in. “I just got out of the shower, that’s all.”
I’m going to kill her!
“Just make yourselves comfortable. I’m going to go get dressed.”
They made their way into the living room as I headed down the hall toward my room. When I entered and shut my door, I looked at myself in the mirror. My cheeks were red and anger filled my eyes. I didn’t mind her inviting them over, I expected that, but she could have given me a warning!
I put on a t-shirt and some shorts before heading to the bathroom. My straightener was already hot when I started on my hair. I was still fuming over what happened when I heard Emily come through the front door.
“Hey guys! Ready for tonight?” she asked.
From the sounds the guys made they were beyond ready to go out. Emily talked to them for a couple more minutes before she walked down the hallway. When she passed by the bathroom, I grabbed her arm and pulled her inside with me.
“Oh hey Cat, I was just heading to change,” she said.
“Is there a reason you didn’t give me a warning that you invited the guys over early?” I asked.
“I didn’t think it would be that big of deal. They always come over before we head out.”
“Well, as always, they have amazing timing. I answered the door in a towel thinking it was you!”
“Wow, that’s unfortunate,” she said as she laughed. “I’m sure Miguel loved the view!”
“This isn’t funny Em, it was embarrassing!”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Anytime you need a shift covered, or want a new outfit, just give me a call.”
“How about you pay for my drinks tonight?”
“Deal,” she said as we shook on it.
Emily left the bathroom and headed to my bedroom to get all of her things together. I finished my hair and traded rooms with her, so she could take a shower and do her hair. I was in the middle of doing my makeup when a knock came at my door. I knew it wasn’t Emily, she wasn’t that polite.
“Come in,” I said.
“Hey,” Miguel said as he walked in and shut the door behind him.
I nodded in response.
“I just wanted to apologize for earlier. Gabe and I didn’t know that you were unaware we were stopping by,” he said.
“It’s okay. It just took me by surprise,” I said as I stopped putting on my eyeliner and looked at him.
“I just don’t want things to be awkward. I’m looking forward to tonight. This is the last time Gabe, Em, and I can really go out since the semester starts next week.”
“I understand. And it won’t be awkward, I promise,” I replied.
“Cool. Well, I’ll leave you alone so you can finish getting ready.”
Miguel turned and walked out the door. I breathed out slowly. I appreciated that Miguel had apologized. Most of the men in my life wouldn’t have done that. They would have just teased me every time they saw me and complimented on how much they loved the view.
***
We arrived at the bar not too long after Emily and I finished getting ready. The guys went to order drinks as Emily and I headed to find an empty table. After I talked to Miguel, I felt a little better about tonight. He really was a nice guy, but I wasn’t looking for a relationship right now. The less complicated I made my life, the happier I would be.
All of us talked throughout the night about what classes they were going to be taking, how each of our jobs were going, and how this was going to be the best weekend ever.
I kept waiting for the best moment to bring up Emily to Gabriel, and it finally came when Miguel and Emily both went to the restroom.
“Hey Gabe, I got to ask you a question,” I stated nonchalantly as I leaned across the table.
“Okay,” he said intrigued as his blue eyes met mine.
“What’s the deal with you and Emily? Do you like her?” I said, thinking the best way would be to bluntly ask.
A smile slowly started to spread across his face as he leaned back and ran his fingers through his tousled brown hair.
“You do like her!” I said a little too loud.
“Yeah I do, but I know that she doesn’t see me in the same way, so I try to not make it too obvious.”
“What are you talking about? She’s crazy about you!” I half yelled at him. Could he really be that ignorant?
“She is? Since when?” he asked.
“Since last semester. You really didn’t know?” I asked.
“No, I just thought she was really nice. I didn’t think an amazing girl like her would like someone like me.”
“Well, she does, so you better do something about it!” I threatened.
“Now that I know, I definitely will,” he said as he smiled.
“You’ll definitely what?” Emily asked as she came to sit back down.
“Nothing,” I said smiling.
Gabriel changed the subject after that and we all continued to talk for the rest of the night. When the time started to approach one, Gabe said that he was going to head home and Emily agreed. Miguel had asked me if I was ready to go. I wasn’t tired yet and didn’t want to go back to a lonely apartment, so I decided to stay and he said he would keep me company.
“Do you want to dance?”
“You know me, I don’t really dance. And this is a bar, no one dances here,” I replied.
“
Well, if I'm right, ninety-percent of the people in here are wasted, and I don’t think they would even notice.”
“You’re right,” I laughed.
Miguel stood and offered me his hand before leading me to an open area. When the next song started to play, I had no idea what to do. It was an up-tempo Latin one.
“Do you know how to salsa?” Miguel asked as he took my hand and turned to face me. His hazel eyes were soft and curious.
“Ha, that would be a no!” I laughed nervously.
A smiled started to spread across his face.
“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you,” he replied as he held up my right arm with his left, grabbed my waist, and pulled me close. “Just follow my lead,” he whispered in my ear and I nodded in response.
Starting out, I was horrible. I was all over the place, but Miguel stayed with me, instructing me the entire time. I slowly got more used to the movement and started matching him step for step.
He was such a good dance partner, so I really didn’t have to do much work at all. Before I knew it he spun, lifted, and dipped me several times. The song ended as our dance came to an end. Our faces were inches apart, and my hair wrapped around us in a crazy mess.
I pulled back immediately. I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. While I liked Miguel as a friend, he wasn’t a guy to take out of the friend zone.
“I think I'm going to head home. I’m getting a little tired,” I said as he stood me up straight.
“Okay, you want me to walk you home?” Miguel asked.
“No, it’s just down the block, I’ll be okay,” I assured him as I headed to get my coat and purse.
“Alright, at least text me, so I know you made it home safe.”
“I will,” I said before turning and heading out the door. Tonight was a fun and I had a good time, but every time I was out with my new friends it only made me miss my old ones more. I was happy here. I never wanted to leave, but I missed being Lily.
***
“So, I hear you had a good night with Miguel last night,” Emily said the next morning as we were preparing to open the cafe.
