12

ALEXANDER

I'm in a bad mood and I don't feel like going to that dinner with Natasha, but I don't want to feel weak and vulnerable because of Mariela. Night fell and she is not with me. Nobody knows anything, not even the police have been able to find her. As the days go by and I don't hear from her, I become convinced that she left and she will never come back. I went down to the kitchen and looked at the cat sleeping in the same place where the two of them used to sit down for dinner. I felt sorry for the cat, it seems that he had become very fond of her. Like me, I approached him and pet him, after all he was just an animal that also needed love.

"Meow," he purred.

“I think you have to get used to the idea that Mariela won't come back, my friend, I'm so sorry. I don't even know if you can stay with me,” I told him. The cat stood up and began to brush its tail against my legs. “Are you hungry?” I got back up and opened the fridge, pulling out a can of tuna. There was only one left, I would have to go buy something tomorrow so the kitten doesn't go hungry. I left him eating in the kitchen, left the house, got in the car and went to Natasha's house. Her house was not far from me, it was in the neighboring neighborhood, a luxurious neighborhood where only the wealthiest families lived. I parked, at the same time that another car did. When I came out I met Margarita and Augusto.

“What a surprise.”

“I'm saying the same thing, Alexander, I thought that Natasha and you weren't speaking anymore.” Augustus told me.

"We're still in contact," I reply.

“And Mariela agrees?” Marguerita asks.

“If you do not mind.”

We advanced inside the house where everything was perfectly arranged. I don't even know why Natasha invited us to dinner. Inside there were more guests, as if we were celebrating something. I recognized the children of the mayor of the city, her friends from her university and some of her ex-boyfriends. Margarita and Augusto greeted, I didn't.

"Alexander, darling." Natasha came down the stairs in a perfect red dress that clung to her slim figure. She was impeccable as always, if Mariela didn't exist in my life I would marry her without hesitation. She has shown me to always be there for me, supporting me and encouraging me. “You came, I honestly thought you wouldn't come.” she approaches me and she gives me a hug and a kiss very close to my lips.

Mariela, sometimes I feel like I hate you for leaving me alone. I want to forget you but I can't, where are you? I need you to never come back so I can get over you. If before I wanted to find her now I doesn't.

"I had nothing else to do," I replied.

"Come, let's pass the table." She took me by the hand. Margarita was somewhat uncomfortable with how Nat treated me, but she had to get used to it. Natasha greeted her friends, I also had to. Then we went to the dining room where we were served an exquisite dinner.

"Tell us about your future wife, Alexander," a girl says to me. I think her name is Anielka, and she's a friend of Nat's from college.

"What do you want to know?"

“How is? We don't know her, we should organize another meeting to celebrate Alexander remarrying” Anielka raises her glass in the form of health and drinks from it.

"She's very pretty and you can see they're very much in love," Margarita answers for me.

"That's right, my friend found his ideal girl again," adds Augusto. I rolled my eyes because that had sounded so cheesy.

I thought that I had found my ideal girl but it was not like that. Natasha put her hand on my leg, remembering those old days.

"But let's not talk about that. The elections are coming up, Jordan, how's your dad?” She asks the mayor's son.

“Very stressed,” Jordan replies. “He is afraid of losing.”

“I don't think he'll lose” adds another girl, her name is Francisca “He's been winning for five consecutive years.”

“That's right” Anielka raises her glass again “let's toast our great friend, son of the mayor, Jordan.”

"Cheers," everyone toasted but me. I feel uncomfortable in this place, I have never been so friendly with anyone, I like to be independent and surround myself with people who are really worth it. Dinner continued as normal, talks about money, travel and romance. While my mind was only on Mariela and what she could be doing right now. Will she miss me? I doubt it, she must be happy that she was finally able to get rid of me.

"I'm going to get some air." I stood up and left the room, looking for the exit to the garden. There I sat down, lit a cigarette and smoked for a while. The moon is very big and pretty, I imagine Mariela seeing it and thinking the same thing. My cell phone rang so I answered it. “Hello.”

"Alexander, my friend, I have news." It was my friend the prosecutor.

“What news?”

“We found the stolen car on the outskirts of the city, it's abandoned, there was no one in it.”

"And is there any clue as to who might have done it? Or where are the people who stole it.”

“Nothing, it's as they took it. I just wanted to give you the news.”

"Thank you," I ended the call.

Was not. It was obvious that the person who went with Mariela was very intelligent. I wonder who was that person who took her and why she did it. Will it be a boyfriend? As far as I know, Mariela didn't have boyfriends in Europe, let alone here. It doesn't matter, I don't want to know anything about her again. I finished smoking my cigarette and decided to see the room. Everyone was dancing to soft music and the others were drinking wine and talking sitting on the sofa.

“I was looking for you” Natasha took me by the arms and made me go to a corner “I've missed you, Alexander” she says, kissing me on the lips. Looks like Natasha was looking for sex.

“Nat, wait, not here.”

"No, let's go upstairs," she proposes, "I have a surprise for you."

I watched a wedding couple go upstairs as well. I guess it was for sex too.

"Run, Alexander," his girlfriend tells him. And the boy is also called Alexander.

"I don't think it's a good idea," I answered, "we'd better go back to the others."

"No, don't you like me anymore? Even if it's one last time since you're getting married soon and maybe we won't have our meetings again.”

I Hesitate a bit, I shouldn't be wasting opportunities just for Mariela. She didn't even mind leaving me alone.

"Okay," I agreed. "I'll go talk to Augusto and I'll go upstairs," I told her.

She nodded, kissed me on the lips, and went up the stairs. I went to the living room and signaled to Augusto to come closer.

“What's happening?” He asked.

“Do you have balloons?” I wanted to know.

“What?” He frowned.

“Condoms, idiot.”

Augusto's eyes widened in fright.

“What? No, I don't need that with my wife. Alexander, why are you asking me that? Has Mariela already lived?” He looked behind me as if looking for her.

“No one said they are for Mariela” I replied.

Augusto looked at me with horror.

“What? What the hell is wrong with you? Did you go crazy? You are about to get married, Alexander. I will not be a part of this.”

"It's a long story, Augusto.”

“What are you taking about?”

“It is probable that Mariela will not return. She abandoned me” I confessed, there was no point in continuing to maintain the lie.

Gus didn't seem to understand.

“As? It just can't be.”

“If it can be. She didn't go to Chicago like I told you, she took off and I don't even know where.”

"Have you already looked for her? Alexander, according to me you were very much in love. What happened?”

I snorted, not sure if I would tell him about the contract.

“Right now I can't give you so many details, as you can see I'm a single man who can be with any woman.”

“Alex, I'm so sorry... if that's the case, it's fine, I give you permission.”

I laughed.

“You're crazy.”

The front door opens and the person I least wanted to see right now walks in: Lex.

"Great," I snapped.

“Your competition arrived” Gus told me “I left them” he went to his wife.

Lex approaches me.

“Wow, I thought I would never see you around this house again” he annoys me.

“Me less. What are you doing here, do you come to make sure that Ana is not unfaithful to you?” I bothered him too. We all knew that Ana was a very libertine person and that she has cheated on Lex on several occasions and he is still with her. I seriously don't know why, maybe he is in love with her or maybe he doesn't care at all.

"I was also invited to the party," he told me, "I just didn't come before because I had important work to do," he replied, "if you'll excuse me, I'll go say hello to my girlfriend," saying that, he went to Ana who was talking animatedly with Jordan.

I went up the stairs so as not to make Natasha wait, which room will she be in? I don't want to enter the wrong one and find myself with the couple who had just uploaded. I guess Nat is in her room, I walked slowly towards there, when I got there I heard voices but not only from a woman but from a man as well. The voice seemed familiar to me and, with a hand on my heart, I opened it.