Chapter 100: The Kiss

Two months had passed since the argument between Analú and Nicolás. Analú was in her room, deep in thought, when she decided it was time to give young Britney a reality check and confess her feelings to Nicolás. She knew she couldn’t keep quiet any longer, especially after Britney's insinuations and the growing tension between them. So, with determination, the young woman contacted Roxana and revealed what had been in her heart.

"Count on me, Analú," said Roxana with enthusiasm, but also a hint of sadness, as if her words carried an unspoken message. "I will make sure you see my brother today. I would give anything for you to be my sister-in-law; Samuel would be so happy to have you as his aunt."

Analú felt a lump in her stomach at Roxana's generosity. Sometimes she thought that if the circumstances were different, her friendship with Nicolás could have turned into something much more. But that was just a distant dream.

"Thank you, Roxana. I knew I could count on you."

After hanging up, Analú stared at herself in the mirror, deep in thought. She needed to look perfect, or at least feel confident. She put on the most beautiful dress she had, a delicate pink shade that accentuated her skin. She styled her hair more than usual, creating soft waves that fell gently over her shoulders. She applied some perfume that she knew Nicolás liked, and when she felt ready, she put on the necklace with the dove pendant he had given her some time ago. It was her way of keeping him close, of having him with her.

With determination on her face, she left the mansion and headed to meet Nicolás. She had to do this, she had to be honest with him, even though her heart raced nervously at what she was about to say.

Minutes later, Nicolás walked into the clothing store where Analú was. He was a little surprised to see her, but he didn’t suspect that his sister Roxana was behind it all. The coincidence seemed strange to him, but he hid it well.

"Hello, Analú! How are you? What a coincidence to run into you in the same store."

"Hi, Nico! Yes, it's kind of strange," she said, smiling faintly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to hide his surprise.

"I just came to help Roxana with a t-shirt for Samuel. She said he had a presentation at school and couldn’t go out to buy it. Also, she mentioned that you were very busy."

"I see. This seems like one of my sister’s tricks. I'll call her to see what she's planning."

"No, Nico, don’t worry about that. Let's just go get some ice cream, I’m really thirsty."

"Alright, Analú. We can catch up while we’re at it. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you. How’s university going? I know you were on vacation, how was it?"

"Nico, the truth is I’ve been really bored since you started dating your girlfriend. I don’t go out to have fun anymore, and Alexia is really happy with Mateo, so I spend all my time alone in the mansion... Nicolás, there’s something I want to tell you."

"Sure, tell me, you know you can always trust me."

"Nico, the other day Britney invited me to her dad’s restaurant to talk, and she told me that you two are getting married. Is that true?"

"What do you mean, Analú? I don’t understand why Britney would tell you that, we were supposed to keep it between us. We’re still just considering the possibility of getting married."

"So, it’s true then? Are you planning to marry her? I don’t understand when our relationship started to change. Why didn’t you tell me about your plans? We’re supposed to be friends."

"We’re not sure if the marriage is going to happen. It’s just a possibility. Britney is a good person, but I’m not in love with her."

"But you’ve thought about it, right? I thought we were really good friends and that you’d trust me, that I’d be the first to know if you ever decided to commit to someone. This really hurts, Nico. Since Britney showed up, you’ve changed for her."

"That’s not true, Analú. Britney is my girlfriend, but you’re and always will be my best friend, no matter what happens."

"Then why did your girlfriend tell me to stay away from you? That she didn’t want me around because I was interfering with your relationship, that I was taking up your time. She also said that from now on, your time would only be for her..."

"I really don’t understand why she’s saying all that to you... Wait a second, I need to take this call."

"Hello, love. How are you?"

"Hi, Britney. Tell me, what do you need?"

"Babe, I’d like you to come over to my house. I’m a little bored. What are you doing, babe?"

"I can’t right now. I’m looking for a shirt for Samuel, my nephew. He has a presentation at school."

"Are you going to take long?"

"Yes, babe. I’ll see you tonight when I visit you, okay?"

"Alright, see you tonight. Kisses..."

"Nico, why didn’t you tell her you were with me?"

"I didn’t tell her to avoid problems. Analú, the truth is Britney says you’re in love with me, and she gets jealous every time she sees me with you. That’s why I wanted to avoid a conflict, even though I’ve told her we’re just friends, she doesn’t believe me. She says she can see in your eyes that you like me."

"Really, she says that?"

"Yeah, but I know you only see me as a friend. And if you were really in love with me, you would have noticed my feelings a long time ago."

"How? Are you in love with me?"

"Oh, Analú, come on! Everyone knows how I feel about you. There’s no way you haven’t noticed. Why do you think I always let you win in the chess competitions? It wasn’t because I liked your crazy penalties, but because I liked seeing you smile, seeing your little eyes shine when you beat me, and then the moment for the penalties came."

"Nico, why didn’t you ever tell me anything?"

"Believe me, I tried. That trip to Brighton was to confess my love for you, but you didn’t want to go."

"Nico, please, don’t bring up the trip again. You know something came up, and I couldn’t go. But you didn’t make an effort to cancel, you decided to go with Alexia and leave me behind, even though I really wanted to go with you."

"Analú, I went to the airline that same day to cancel the trip, but they wouldn’t change it. And to not lose the money I had worked so hard for, I decided to go."

Nicolás and Analú continued talking while eating their ice cream. She was wondering whether she should confess her feelings, since she was now sure that she didn’t just feel friendship for him but wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Those days without him had shown her how much she needed him. She looked at him and noticed things she hadn’t seen before: the color of his eyes, his fine, tempting lips.

"Hey... why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong? If you need help with something, just tell me."

"I’m sorry, Nicolás, but yes, something’s wrong."

"How so? Tell me, you know you can always count on me."

"This is what’s going on..." —Analú stood up from her seat and walked over to him, taking the ice cream from his mouth and kissing him passionately.

Nicolás was stunned, but he kissed her back. His mind went blank, unsure of what was happening, but he felt such a strong connection with her. When they pulled away, he grabbed her by the neck and kissed her again. After such passion, Analú sat back in her seat, while Nicolás remained speechless.

"I’m sorry I kissed you like that, Nicolás. The truth is, lately I’ve realized that I like you a lot."

"Nicolás, why are you telling me this now, right when I’m seeing Britney? She’s a good girl, and I’m sorry I did this."

"I’m sorry, Nico, I couldn’t stop myself."

"I’m sorry, Analú, but I have to go."

Nicolás left the money on the table, put on his helmet, and quickly got on his motorcycle, riding away. The kiss from his best friend was something he had waited for a long time, but Analú had chosen the most inconvenient moment to give it to him. Even though he wasn’t in love with Britney, he didn’t want to hurt her because she was in love with him. Analú sat there, her ice cream completely melted. She slowly left the place and walked back to the mansion, reflecting on how awkward the moment with Nicolás had been.