Page 52 of Entangled With You
“Mi angel, you say you found this out by yourself? These people are dangerous.” He looks so worried. I hate that I’m adding to his stress and anxiety.
“Don’t worry, bae. The PI has worked for Luca’s family for years; he’s a professional. And I’m not going to out her. I know it wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do. Romina even blackmailed Melissa, the team’s PR girl. That's why she wasn’t willing to help me out when I reached out to her. For all that I know, the police might even be on their payroll.”
Mati releases a deep breath, raising his gaze to the sky. Like he’s trying to look for an answer to how to deal with all this mess. After a couple of seconds where all I do is enjoy his warmth and being held by his strong arms, Mati’s gaze falls on me, and a beautiful lopsided smile forms on his lips.
“As much as all this sucks, we still need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t want to let it take away from the fact that you were fucking incredible out there, mi ángel,” he says against my ear, and my mind goes to touching him, being with him, getting stretched by him.
“You’re not playing fair, bae.” My voice sounds breathy. Instead of replying, he grabs my earlobe, biting me gently. A shot of desire runs through me, straight to my core.
“I can’t wait to see how wet you are.”
I’m about to tell him that he can find out right now when I hear my mom’s voice.
“Mija, what a game. I’m so happy we were able to cheer you on tonight. I can’t wait for the final.”
Mati releases me with a peck on my lips, and I go to where my parents are standing, waiting for us. I need to tell them what went down in the locker room, but first, we have to go grab a bite—I’m starving.
I decided not to tell my family about the text; I knew my dad would immediately have gone to the police, and I couldn’t do that to my teammates. This is a team decision, and as much as I want to deal with it immediately, the entire team has to decide. Today is my day off, and Mati is dreading having to attend another meeting in which he has to deal with Luciano’s silent threats. At least he can’t hold our relationship over Mati, but he still wants him to cooperate in the money scam. I really hope my dad can do something to help us out. The last thing I want is for Mati to lose his job for being an honest man, or worse, go to jail because he agreed to help his boss.
I decide to ask my mom to join me for lunch, so instead of going out, I invite her to my place.
“Mija, thank you for inviting me over. I’m so glad we get to spend this time alone,” my beautiful mama says as she enters my apartment.
“Ay Mami, you guys are still paying the rent for this place even though I make enough to pay my own bills. The least I could do is have you over and chat all afternoon with you. I miss our time together.” My mom’s eyes immediately well with unshed tears, and I can’t hold back my own.
“Ugh, we’re going to start crying, and we haven’t even started chatting. I miss you so much, mija. But I know you’re an adult, and your life is here now.”
I wipe my eyes as I go to the kitchen, not looking at my mom. She stayed home with us, and now she’s an empty nester. I know that’s the way it’s supposed to be, but I just feel for her. Especially with the both of us living so far away from them. I prepared a simple lunch—lentil soup, rice, steak, and salad.
“Smells delicious,” my mom says as she serves her plate, and takes a seat at the dining table.
“Don’t be fooled, Mami. Matías and I are terrible cooks, so we got a food service that brings us pre-prepared meals every week.”
My mom barks out a laugh. “Ay, Cattleya. Well, at least it was something you both agreed on.”
I know she’s dying to know the details about how I ended up with Mati, so I don’t make her wait.
“Yeah, Ma. It was magical. You know I’ve had a crush on him since Playa Blanca, but you know we never spoke after that. Recently, I learned his guilt came from the night Sofi got kidnapped. I was chatting with him at the time, and he was upset that I was with him instead of with all of you looking for Sofi. So he thought I’d blamed him for it, and never spoke to me again out of shame.”
My mom’s in shock. “Seriously, mija?” It’s all she says, and I look at her intently for her to elaborate. “Well, he’s a sensitive man. But the fact that he just basically stopped talking with you? I don’t know, mi amor. I mean, how can you trust someone who doesn’t communicate? Someone who, instead of expressing their feelings, simply buries them? No sé, Cata. (I don’t know, Cata).” I scoop a spoonful of my soup, buying some time while I decide how much to share with my mom. Mati hasn’t told me his visits to the therapist are a secret, but I understand that this part of his life is private.
“Yeah, Mami. I know he didn’t handle things in the best way four years ago, but he has grown up, and so have I. He’s been working at getting better about expressing his feelings and so far, we’ve had very good communication.” My mom smiles at me as she takes another bite of food, not really agreeing or disagreeing with what I just shared. I know the more she gets to know him, the more she’ll see how great Mati is.
“You want to tell again how you two were only chatting?” My mom makes a tsk sound, and I laugh nervously. “No, mi amor. I wasn’t born yesterday. I’m glad all that is in the past and you were able to talk to him, and give him a chance at something I knew you deeply wanted.”
I squeeze her hand. I love how easy it is to speak with her. Never judgment, only love and understanding.
“So you think this is it? Are you staying in Argentina for good?” I decide to eat a huge bite of salad instead of immediately replying. “Oh, oh. What is it?” my mom asks, a mix of worry and excitement in her voice.
“Well, funny you should ask, Mom. This morning, Santiago, my manager, remember him? He called me. He said there’s a team in Spain that’s interested in me.” My mom simply stares at me, waiting for me to continue. “Yeah, he said they’ve seen my performance here this season, plus they really like the fact that I was called for the two upcoming friendly matches with the Colombian national soccer team.” I shrug like it’s no big deal when I know deep down it is.
“Have you told Matías?”
I close my eyes and shake my head no. “He left for work by the time Santiago called.” Her eyebrows furrow, and I mimicked her expression.
“Are you guys living together?” Oh, I guess I hadn’t shared that detail with her, either.
“We kinda are. He came home with me one night and hasn't left since.”