Timeless love

by Priscila Serrano

So Elsa told her father exactly that and he laughed out loud. He hugged them both and went back to the house. His daughter saw him leave, feeling a bit calmer for the moment.

  “Come on, Elsa,” Alicia said, taking her hand and pulling her along. But Elsa didn’t budge. “What’s wrong?”

  She looked at Alicia feeling really nervous. She felt she had to talk to her, ask about her uncle to know about him. She had the urgent need to understand a thousand things, knowing about them firsthand, without having to look for answers in other people. She couldn’t wait for one whole week to know why he hadn’t sought out her company after that night in the basement. She needed to know why he hadn’t said goodbye to her, knowing that was something that would complicate matters at home.

  “Elsa, you are acting odd.”

  “Did Stefan wish you a happy trip?” Alicia went silent for a second, and then nodded. “And why didn’t he do the same to me?”

  “I don’t know. Anyways, we are only going to be away for one week. We will be back at home soon.”

  “That is true. Sometimes I behave like a brat, but… it’s so weird. I thought he would at least give me a hug,” she muttered, trying hard to avoid making Alicia imagine things.

  But it was complicated to hide something that was so obvious most of the time. There were times when Alicia realized what Elsa claimed to feel for her uncle was stronger than what she wanted people to believe. She wasn’t stupid and even a blind person would be able to see they loved each other more than what they wanted to admit.

  “Elsa,” Alicia sighed. “You must forget about everything and enjoy the week ahead. Could you do that?” Elsa nodded and Alicia hugged her. “Let’s go then. We have a long trip ahead of us.”

  “Don’t be silly! It’s just a few hours,” exclaimed Elsa, faking a smile.

  “Just a few hours? You are saying that because flying doesn’t scare you.”

  “If you are so scared then, why did you want to take this trip? We could have stayed at home, Alicia.”

  Alicia raised an eyebrow. “And miss this opportunity? No way.” They both laughed out loud. “Well, you are laughing at last.”

  Laughing, they headed to the check-in counters. They still had one hour until they had to board the plane, so they decided to go for some refreshments.

  Time started passing by and Elsa was more and more anxious for being alone. She wanted to read what Stefan had written for her. It was difficult to do that with Alicia around, especially when the brunette’s only intent was to make her laugh so she could forget her uncle’s affront. Not saying goodbye to a girl who loved him so much was strange, especially after knowing how close they were.

  Once in the plane, Elsa could breathe easily, since Alicia was so scared that she took a sleeping pill to sleep through the whole flight. So, when they could unbuckle their seat belts, Elsa went to the lavatory to read in peace. She knew it was a mistake to do it now and that she should wait, but she decided not to do it.

  After checking the lavatory was free, she locked herself inside. With shaky hands, she took the piece of paper out of her pocket—it was a small letter. She started reading carefully.

  I have been turning the whole matter over in my head, Elsa, and I can only reach one conclusion: we cannot be together and you know it. It pains my soul not being able to give you what you need. I believe you know that and understand me. We must follow our own paths, living different lives. That’s why I decided not to say goodbye to you. If I had done that, this letter wouldn’t be in your hands now. I wouldn’t have been strong enough as to give it to you. I hope you have a great time and this trip helps you understand that you and I… well, there will never be a you and I, Elsa. With love, Stefan.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks when she read we cannot be together. She didn’t want to think about that possibility. He was just trying to avoid feeling something different than a simple uncle-niece love, and she couldn’t blame him for that. How could she when she avoided that feeling, too? But she couldn’t help feeling how she felt. Elsa, not even being fully aware that her heart would beat so strongly for him, fell in love. Although, to be honest, that love had always been present, but she had been so young that she never understood the many signals. When he hugged her, she lost track of time and her thoughts. Stefan transported her to a place she never wanted to vacate, and he needed to understand that.

  Hours later, they were leaving the International Airport Marco Polo. Elsa hadn’t had a great time after reading the letter, and Alicia had picked on her mood as soon as she opened her eyes. She didn’t want to say anything to her. There was no point. Their pending conversation would happen any moment now, but she could wait a few more hours.

  They hailed a taxi to take them to the hotel. They were dying to get in the shower. Elsa was really looking forward to that, since she needed to relax and clear her mind more than ever. The taxi ride only took half an hour, so they arrived to the Al Nuovo Teson Hotel quite soon.

  “This is awesome,” expressed Alicia, looking around.

  “It truly is. We need to ride in a gondola,” announced Elsa.

  “Yeah! I like how you think, sister. And then we will find us a couple of Italian guys to give us a tour around here. What do you say?”

  Elsa laughed at her idea; she didn’t feel like meeting guys, especially after having realized she was in love with Stefan. It had been complicated to own something she didn’t want to admit, but the letter and everything that had happened really opened her eyes.

  She thought for a moment about the night they had met in the basement. That memory entered her mind, playing itself as a love movie.

  His hands were around her waist, holding her against his chest, holding onto her, even if for just a few hours. He knew that everything would change after that night. They wouldn’t be able to be alone for fear of kissing or hugging her. That would be dangerous. It was better to meet secretly in that basement that only stored old boxes and stuff nobody used… but now it would store something else than old crap. Inside those four walls they would keep a baffling love, an unstoppable desire, and the great feeling that was starting to flourish.

  “We both know we have no future, Elsa,” he reassured her, unable to stop kissing her.

  “I know, but I don’t want it to end.”

  “I… I don’t want it to end either, but…”

  “Don’t say anything now, Stefan. Let time decide whatever can happen, please,” she begged, pawing at his arms, kissing him again.

  That night, they showed each other something stronger than mere desire. They showed their great love.

  Madrid. 2019

  In two days he would see her. He would see she had moved on with another person. He would learn he had lost her for being a coward. He didn’t feel like going back home, but he didn’t want to risk the hatred of his niece if he didn’t show up. He wasn’t eager to expose his heart to the painful impact of seeing her kissing another man.

  Four years had passed since the last time he saw her, since their last hug, since their last kiss. Four years spent suffering for a love that could have been avoided… a love that had caught him by surprise, without thinking what others could think about it. So what if people disagreed with them? He loved her, he desired having her next to him, hugging her every second of their lives. But all he had now was the memories, the yearning of a skin he had touched, he had caressed for hours, for days. Now he had nothing—just a mirage that pulled him into a void with colossal strength. But then, when he realized it was just his eyes playing tricks, the blow was bigger and hurt even more.

  Chapter 8

  London. 2015

  Stefan had hidden in the basement in hopes of not meeting her when she came downstairs to head to the airport. He didn’t leave the house and it was a worse feeling than he had anticipated, since knowing she was leaving hurt him. Even more since he hadn’t said goodbye. Instead, he had decided to give her sister a letter for Elsa, something he knew would cause him problems; Corina woul
dn’t ignore that and would interrogate him as soon as she could find the occasion. Was he ready to face his sister and tell her what was going on? Of course he wasn’t and he would never be.

  About one o’clock in the afternoon, he left the basement, knowing nobody would be there. He went upstairs, to his bedroom, to change into more comfortable clothes.

  While he was getting dressed, someone knocked at his door. He opened it and his sister was there, raised eyebrow and crossed arms at that.

  “Well, I thought you weren’t here. When did you come back?” she asked, entering without waiting for his permission.

  “Twenty minutes ago. Why?” he replied with calmness he didn’t feel at the moment.

  “I don’t know. You tell me. I think we have a pending conversation.”

  “Yes,” he muttered sheepishly. “But it’s not what you think. I haven’t…”

  “It doesn’t matter what I think, Stefan. I just want you to be honest with me. Tell me the truth. We have never judged or lied to each other.”

  “I know, and I don’t want to lie to you.”

  He sat on the bed, looking down at his bare feet while thinking of a million different excuses to offer to his sister. He desperately tried to come up with some sort of tale so she wouldn’t think he was a pervert for feeling attracted to her husband’s daughter, who was just a teenager. She was still a girl… but she could be so mature. Elsa had a very clear mind and that was something he loved about her.

  Corina sat next to him and touched his shoulder, showing him she was there for him, letting him know he just had to open up and talk to her, just like they did before their lives changed overnight.

  “Nothing has happened, Corina. It’s only that Elsa and I have always shared a special kind of love, and…” He trailed off. “Maybe things got confused, but nothing else.”

  “You are not looking like that just because you are confused, little brother. I know you and I know there is more to tell,” she claimed. He stared at her before nodding. “Don’t worry. I won’t say a word. But whatever it was that happened between you two, you must fix it. You are about to marry Chloe, and Leonard…” she sighed. “Don’t go too far, Stefan. It’s the only thing I ask you.”

  “Corina, the thing is that I truly think I’m in love with her.” His whisper sounded panicky. His sister looked at her wide-eyed and started shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

  “No!” she exclaimed. “You can’t. She is just a girl, Stefan. What were you thinking?”

  “You said we don’t judge each other. Why is this any different?”

  “She is underage and my husband’s daughter.”

  She stood up, determined to leave, to forget what her brother had just told her, which she already suspected. But before leaving, she turned around to make clear what he should do.

  “You cannot fall in love with her. Leonard won’t allow it, and you should carry on with your life in the same way as you had it planned.”

  He nodded, looking down again. “I was going to do it, so calm down. That’s why I didn’t see her go,” he explained, realizing everything was getting out of hand. “This week, I will tell Chloe that we should move the date of the wedding up.”

  After that, his sister left the room, leaving him more confused than ever. He thought for a moment she would help him by not judging him. How wrong he had been.

  He lied down on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling, focusing on thinking about nothing. It was difficult when his sister’s words kept replaying in his mind. She was right. He couldn’t fall in love with his brother in law’s daughter, who was a minor. In what position was he then? He felt like an asshole for having abused Leonard’s trust, especially since he had helped them so much. How could he do it? How could he let it happen? How could he let Elsa get inside his heart? Sometimes, love is worse than a disease; it gets into you slowly, quietly, making way inside your whole being, and then exploding until destroying your soul. Inadvertently, he was thinking about her again, about their kisses, their caresses, and his heart started to pound so strongly that he thought it would escape from his ribcage. He jumped off of the bed and opened the window. He needed air to breathe.

  At one thousand five hundred and fifty-seven kilometers away, Elsa was out in the balcony of her room. While she waited for Alicia to get out of the shower, she was thinking about him. His blue eyes drilled their way inside her mind, and she started feeling warmth crawling up from her feet to her head.

  They had only been there for an hour and, as much as she wanted to enjoy her time there, it was going to be hard for her to relax and realize he wouldn’t want to see her alone once she came back. They were going to keep their distance, to forget about the days they had met in secret, the kisses they had shared, and she wouldn’t feel his caresses any more.

  “That felt so good,” she heard Alice say.

  Elsa turned around and looked at her. Reentering the bedroom, she sat down on the bed.

  “You are very quiet, Elsa. Are you okay? If you need to go back, I don’t mind. We can take the first plane leaving tomorrow for London.”

  Elsa shook her head, holding her tears back. “Of course I don’t want to go back. It’s just that…”

  “Is it because of my uncle?” She sat next to her. “Elsa, you can tell me, please. I know there is something between you two. I’m not as stupid as you think I am.”

  “There is nothing, Alicia. He and I… oh, forget it.” She stood up, trying to escape from something she couldn’t escape from.

  Alicia grabbed her by the arm to make her face her. “Don’t run away, Elsa, and tell me.”

  “We kissed… three or four times. I don’t know…” Alicia looked at her with surprise etched in her features. She would have never imagined they had gone so far. “But don’t worry. What we had is something that will never happen. Stefan made very clear to me that he wants nothing to do with me, so…”

  “Are you in love with him?” Elsa remained silent. “Elsa, answer me.”

  “Yes, I fell for him like a silly girl. And I have realized he would never feel the same for me because I’m not enough of a woman for him.” The tears she had been holding back started falling liberally.

  Alicia hugged her gently, although she was angry because Elsa hadn’t told the truth when asked about it.

  “You must forget him.” She pulled apart suddenly. “I’m not asking you to do that because it’s the correct thing to do… but because you know Stefan is about to get married. And your father… Well, I don’t even want to imagine what he would say if he knew this, Elsa.”

  “I know and I swear I will try, but I cannot promise I will succeed in doing that.”

  “At least I know you will try. But now let’s go and have fun, which is the whole purpose of our trip.” She pulled at her hand.

  “Wait, Alicia!”

  “What the hell is wrong with you now?”

  “I don’t think you should go out like that.” Alicia looked down and laughed out loud. “I think indecent exposure is forbidden here.”

  Unable to stop laughing, Alicia started to get dressed and, after putting on some make-up, they got their handbags and went for a walk. The first thing they wanted to do was ride a gondola. Although none of them knew a word of Italian, they would communicate with people somehow.

  The afternoon passed by in a blur, so fast they didn’t even realize it was getting dark. Night fell, so they looked for a place where they could eat and have some drinks. They stopped at the first pub they found and looked good. They had a look at the menu and everything sounded really appetizing; they were so hungry that they didn’t thought twice about it. The name of the place was Birreria al Vecio Penasa. The place wasn’t too big and they liked that. It was cozy and the staff was really friendly. After ordering their food, they sat at a table.

  They hadn’t revisited the topic during the day and, although Elsa seemed to be enjoying herself, she couldn’t stop thinking about him and his l
etter. Besides, she couldn’t ignore the fact that it was Corina who gave it to her. What if she knew about it? If that was the case, surely her father would like to have a talk with her for having kissed his brother in law. The mere thought made her shiver.

  “This is delicious. I think I will order more,” Alicia announced, licking her fingers one by one.

  “I see you liked it.” Elsa smiled. “I am stuffed.” She leaned back, resting on the back of the wooden chair.

  “I can still eat more, although… Oh my God!” she whispered. “Look at the two hotties who just entered.” Elsa looked at them unashamedly. “But don’t be so brazen.”

  “I don’t know. You told me to look, so I looked,” she expressed with a smile. “They look okay.”

  Alicia put a hand over her chest, faking surprise, and stood up.

  “They look okay? Have you had a proper look at them? I call dibs on the blond one,” she said, heading in their direction.

  Elsa jumped to her feet when she noticed what Alicia was going to do, so she followed her to stop her. But it was too late and she was already talking to them. She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. Holidays with Alicia were going to be crazy times and she wanted nothing but peace and quiet. She wanted to get to know Venice slowly, silently, watching every single detail of the city. It was something extremely difficult to achieve with her stepsister in tow.

  “Look, Elsa, these are Gian and Luka. From now on they will be our tour guides.”

  Elsa smiled sheepishly.

  Luka looked at her with a smile and she liked him. He was tall, slim, and had dark hair and grey eyes. He was pretty handsome. But that wasn’t what caught her attention; it was his smile. She thought it looked familiar to her.

  “Nice to meet you, bella.” Gian kissed her in the cheek.

  However, the blond one, as Alicia had called her, was shorter, had brown eyes, and a devilish smile. He was much more her stepsister’s type.