Page 17 of Entangled With You
Matilde starts jumping up and down, and with a serious face, she tells her mom, “See mom? I told you Cata would be the best. Now we have to come to the next home game.” Her mom simply chuckles as she shakes her head, amused at her daughter’s antics. After waving goodbye, I join Sofi and Franco who have dovey eyes.
“That’s the most adorable girl I’ve ever seen,” Sofi says, then she rushes to add. “After Victoria, of course.” Victoria is their “niece.” At some point, Franco thought he was her dad, but then he learned he had been tricked by Victoria’s mom, Alma.
“No pressure, mi cielo. But I’ll love you forever if our first child is a girl.” Franco takes a hand to his chest, feigning being hurt.
“What do you mean you’ll love me forever if I give you a daughter as our first born, Mi Sol? What if it’s a boy?” Sofi laughs hard as she grabs his hand and pulls him toward their car. “You better not find out,” she says as she gives him a sassy wink, and he spanks her ass as he opens the car door for her, followed by a kiss.
A pang of jealousy hits me right in my heart. I know my sister deserves the world and I’m happy for her. For them, really. They had a rocky journey to get where they are now, but sometimes I wish I had someone who loved me unconditionally. Someone who would be my biggest fan. Someone who would understand me on a molecular level. Someone who would love me for who I am and not for who they want me to be. And the worst part? I thought I had met that someone long ago.
“Cata, let’s go,” Sofi says from her seat in the car, and I rush to get in and buckle up.
Tomorrow is another day, and maybe I should try out that app Stefa installed on my phone. Right now, I’m going to enjoy annoying the shit out of my big sister. Just like old times.
Chapter 7
Matías Moreno
For the past two months, I’ve been going to therapy with Dr. Sosa without missing an appointment, and to my surprise, it has been going incredibly well. We’ve been tackling one by one, all those instances when I feel everything that goes wrong it’s my fault. The key to dealing with these thoughts is to “hit them with the facts.” Dr. Sosa says that every time I feel something is my fault, I need to study the situation and rely on actual facts before spiraling down the rabbit hole. Startlingly, Dr. Sosa also suggested I give online dating a try. When she first mentioned it, I was hesitant, to say the least, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I don’t need to put myself out there completely, not at first at least. I can see if there’s any chemistry with a mina before I become more invested, and if not, I simply log out.
Cattleya’s team is playing again tonight and as much as I'd love to see her, I now know it’s not a healthy habit to keep obsessing over her if I’m not going to “face her.” I’m sure all the “beef” between us is only in my head, but I still don’t feel ready to see her face to face and explain to her what happened after our night together.
My phone lights up like a Christmas tree, and I frown at the thread of notifications on the home screen.
Luca
Boludos! Karina and I are on our way to the hospital, I’m going to be a dad.
Marco
Holy shit, good luck man. Keep us posted.
Franco
Ohhh, the fachero mayor (the biggest show off) is about to be owned. *laughing emoji*
Luca
What are you talking about, dude? Karina has owned me for the last four years.
Marco
Yeah, but now you’ll be double-owned. My parents say that once you become a parent, there’s no turning back.
Franco
True that, man. Sofi and I will start trying for babies soon. *party emoji*
Marco
Dani and I can’t wait either! We’ll be the coolest dads in the Southern Hemisphere. *cool emoji*
I read and re-read my friend’s messages. Happiness exudes through their words, and I’m happy for them, I truly am, but when did I grow so far apart from them? My life is completely different from theirs. The little voice in my head tries to speak, but I squeeze it down before it can even start spewing lies. My journey is different, and that’s okay. They’re not including me in the text thread to make me feel bad but because they love me and want me to be part of their happiness.
I repeat the mantra as I type my text to join the conversation.
Matías
Che boludos, where should I get my prize? I’m the last man standing. No prospect of a wife or kids on the horizon for me. Instead, I’m debating which dating app to download.