Page 10 of Entangled With You
Matías
Yeah, I’ll see you all soon.
The moment I enter the bar, I find my group easily. They’ve claimed a couple of tables by the darts area at the back of the room. Vale is the first one to spot me and starts waving her hand at me with a huge smile on her face. She's one of the HR girls; she’s nice and sweet and has the hots for me, but I just can’t. Every time she approaches me, I feel nothing. When I get to the table, I wave my hand in greeting, and Pablo, another engineer, greets me with a cold beer.
“Thanks, man,” I say as I take a sip of my drink.
“Don’t mention it. So, decided to come out after all?” he asks as Vale makes her way toward me and gets in between Pablo and me.
“Hi Mati, I’m so glad you changed your mind,” she purrs as she grabs the lapel of my leather jacket, and I feel the need to detach myself from her immediately. I don’t shit where I eat, and having a one-night stand with Vale would be a mistake of monumental proportions—the girl gives all the clingy vibes. It would make my work hell, and I actually like my job.
“Yeah, I needed to eat and decided to do it here, shooting the shit with the boys instead of staying home.” Vale deflates at my words but recovers quickly, plastering a saccharine smile on her face.
“Well, the girls are here, too, and I would be more than happy to keep you company,” she says as she bats her eyelashes at me. Pablo actually chokes at her words. I can’t help it and laugh too, but I try to cover it with a cough.
“Vale, I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re a great girl, but I’m not looking for anything with anyone at the moment,” I say in a flat tone. I don’t mean to be rude, but if I keep my niceties, she’ll never get the hint. I would rather be seen as an asshole now than later when she thinks I’ve strung her along.
“Oh yeah, of course. We’re coworkers; that would be crazy,” she says, not meeting my eyes anymore, and I notice a hint of pink covering her cheeks. I give her a curt nod, and she goes back to her seat.
“Dude,” Pablo says with a chuckle, and I simply shake my head.
“I meant what I said, she’s a nice girl but going there would be a mistake.”
Pablo doesn’t say anything. He simply clicks his beer bottle with mine. After ordering a burger and fries, I take off my jacket and finally sit down.
Women’s soccer isn’t as big as men’s soccer, but after the last Women’s World Cup, more people have started following, and the fan base is slowly growing. It’s not surprising that when the sports segment of the news comes up on the TVs mounted to the bar walls, the first thing I see is Cattleya being followed by a ton of reporters.
“What the hell?” I say low, but I guess I was loud enough for Pablo to hear me.
“Who’s that mina? She’s hot as fuck.” I throw a murderous look his way, and he chuckles. “What? You know her?”
I take a sip of my beer before replying, I need to be cautious here. I don’t want to share any details with Pablo.
“As a matter of fact, yes. Her sister is married to one of my best friends back in La Plata,” I say, and the little voice in my head immediately pops up. Little sister? You despicable, cruel bastard. You took her away from her family when they needed her the most. I grind my teeth, and my jaw clenches. I don’t want to think about the past right now.
“No shit, man. You’ll have to introduce me to her, then. I’ll make sure to give her a warm welcome to Buenos Aires,” Pablo says, a smirk on his lips. He raises his eyebrows like I should give him a medal for lusting over the woman who I’ve decided to claim as mine—even though I have no right whatsoever. Instead of replying, I finish my beer in one big swig to avoid commenting on his stupidity.
Over my dead body.
After eating my food and having one more beer, I stand up to play a round of darts. I follow the pace my coworkers have set for the night, and before I realize it’s four in the morning. Though they’re ready to keep the party going at a club, I decide to head home instead. I’ve had enough peopling for one night.
Chapter 3
Matías Moreno
According to Bleacher’s Pulse, Cattleya will officially be introduced as a Golden Warrior before the Sunday match. I’ve never seen a deal go faster than her transfer from Medellín to Buenos Aires. They must have been working on it for a while before she came for the medical exams, and the press got a whiff of what was going on.
Franco, her brother-in-law, Marco, and his wife Dani will be there. They're all tight, Dani being Colombian herself.
When they asked if I wanted to tag along, I made a lame excuse and said I already had plans. Truth is, I’m going, but I don’t want them to see me sweating or having to face Cattleya and not being recognized by her or something worse. I know I’m a puny motherfucker, but I’d rather drown in my insecurities alone than face the only woman who has made me feel something in my 26 years in this world with an audience.
On Sunday, I wake up at my usual time, which is surprising given that I was tossing around all night. The idea of being so close to Cattleya is triggering my anxiety to levels my medication can’t deal with. After a quick run, I shower and head to the stadium. In Argentina, women’s soccer matches never sell out but since the media has been hyping up this match and Cattleya’s arrival, I’m not sure how long the lines to get into the stadium will be.
I get there at noon, and even though the game starts at three in the afternoon, the lines to get in are substantial. As I scan the crowd, I see lots of people sporting their Colombia national team soccer jerseys. The number of people here has my palms sweating and my heart racing. I wonder how Cattleya is feeling and how she’s handling the nerves.
I still remember everything we talked about that time we pulled an all-nighter at the beach. I love how easy it was to chat with her and how she was always so attentive to everything I had to say—as if what I was saying was important, like I mattered. My mind slips into a memory.
“So Matías, are you up for a twenty questions sesh?” I chuckle at her choice of words, but I know my eyes are sparkling. It’s the only way I can describe how I am feeling right now: sparkling, glowing, shining.