Having Carlos' number is both a bonus and a burden. What excuse could I use to talk to him? No doubt Carlos would ask how I got his number... After many days of thinking, the only plan that seemed feasible could only happen after school resumes. So I spent another fifteen days with the phone in my hands while I solidified the idea. Carlos seems like the kind of man who helps damsels in distress, and that's what I'll be to win him over, even though I don't like being a helpless damsel.
So on a beautiful hot afternoon, I sit with my phone in hand: it's time to put my plan into action. I dial Carlos' number, and with each ring, my heart races. A thousand things go through my mind, from hearing his voice to the possibility of the call being forwarded to voicemail. Then the rings stop, and that moment between the end of the ring and the anticipation of hearing his voice makes me nervous. I take a deep breath with my eyes closed...
"Hello?" answers Carlos' deep voice. I open my eyes to make sure he's not in my room. He breathes and says, "Hello?"
"Hi..." I respond with a trembling voice. I hate it when I'm nervous and my voice gets higher. I take a deep breath and say, "Hello, Carlos."
"Hello..." Carlos replies with a tone of doubt. "Who am I speaking to?"
"What rudeness on my part," I say seductively. "This is Dalia Penedo, we met at Julio Castillos' party."
"Ah... of course," Carlos says without much enthusiasm. His tone irritates me because it seems like my memory of him is as significant as any other guest's. "How are you, Dalia Penedo?"
"I'm very well," I replied, coldly. I take a deep breath and forget the formality of asking how he is because I decide to get straight to my plan. I change my tone to a sweeter one, without being annoying. "I got your number from Julio the other day because I have a school project about the Barcelona fishing market, and he told me you work in the field. I was wondering if you could help me?" The next words finalize my bait. "I'm desperate because I don't have anyone else who can help me."
"Of course, I can help you," Carlos responds more willingly, confirming my suspicions: he's a prince who doesn't refuse to help a helpless damsel. "What do you need?"
"Many things," I say. Then I decide to make a risky move. I know he could refuse, but I'm truly desperate to see him. "Is there any chance we could meet in person? I think it would be better even to show you how the project would be... What do you think? When are you available?"
"I think it's a great idea," Carlos says, excited. "How about tomorrow?"
"Excellent," I promptly reply. I think about how easy it was to lure him. "What time?"
"Let me just check if my fiancée is available," Carlos responds, almost making me fall off my chair. Fiancée? How is he going to bring his fiancée? You really can't count your chickens before they hatch... "You know, her parents also work with seafood. It'll be great to see our area valued..."
"Wow!" I almost scream into the phone. I need an excuse to get out of this mess. "I just remembered that tomorrow won't work... I have to study Calculus... for the exam..."
"That's a shame," Carlos says with a disappointed voice. "Well, find a day that works for you, and let me know; I'll be at your disposal."
"Sure, I'll check," I reply sweetly. "You can be certain that it will be a day when your fiancée won't be around." I breathe a sigh of relief for him to hear and thank him. "Thank you, you have no idea how grateful I am for your help."
"I'm glad to hear that," Carlos says shyly. I listen to his breathing and lose track of time. "Well, call me to arrange our meeting. Take care."
"See you soon, Carlos," I say, hanging up my phone.
My heart is about to leap out of my chest. I throw myself on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, grab my phone, and fill it with all the kisses I would have liked to give Carlos in person.
***
Of course, the excuse of the school project had an expiration date, but every time I tried to make plans with Carlos, he always wanted to involve his darn fiancée. And each time, I used a different excuse: illness, travel, school... it's starting to drive me crazy. So, to eliminate that excuse from the equation, I ask him to send me everything he had about the fish market to my email.
Being the gentleman he is, he promptly sends a long email with everything I needed. If my project were real, I would certainly get an A. I thought about saving that email until I read the end:
"Sincerely,
Carlos Salazar and Antônia Vegas"
I can't believe she had to appear even in the email. I immediately throw the email into the trash and delete it. It's an insult I won't tolerate. I take a deep breath and pick up my phone to send him a message:
"Thank you for the email. You saved me, and I'll be forever in your debt."
It doesn't take five minutes, and my phone vibrates with his message appearing on the screen:
"Always at your service, Miss Penedo."
I bite my lips and then write:
"Call me Dalia, Carlos. I hope to repay the favor someday..."
His message arrives shortly after:
"Dalia..."
And so, for the next three months, we exchange messages. But usually, I couldn't resist and ended up calling him. We talked about trivial matters, like school or his work. Almost any kind of subject was discussed between us, except for the topic of his fiancée. Whenever he mentioned her, I made a point to show my dissatisfaction, but either he was too naive or he played it very well because he never contested it.
Our "friendship" was going well, except for the fact that we never met again after New Year's. Not even when I told him I got a perfect score on the fake project could I celebrate with him. It's already killing me when, on a beautiful Friday, my phone rings. Seeing Carlos' name, my heart races, I run from the living room, where I was watching television with Valeria, to my bedroom. I answer my phone, even before catching my breath:
"Hello..."
"Dalia?" Carlos asks. "Are you okay?"
"Yes..." I reply breathlessly. "I... I was working out... doing some sit-ups..."
"Since when do you work out?" Carlos asks suspiciously. Indeed, I am a truly sedentary blessed with a fast metabolism.
"I started a few days ago... I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if I could keep up with this new routine... but you didn't call me for that, right?" I ask nervously.
"No..." Carlos says, mysteriously. He chuckles softly and continues, "I'm calling to see if you want to go out tonight?"
"Go out... Tonight?" I repeat, surprised. For a moment, I feel like I'm floating in my room; it feels like a dream, the dream I've been longing for. Now it's happening.
"Dalia, are you sure everything is okay?" Carlos asks, concerned.
"I accept... I accept going out with you," I respond as quickly as I can, almost with all my desperation and relief.
"Great. I'll meet you at Mallorca in an hour, okay?" Carlos asks excitedly.
"Without a doubt," I reply, excited.
"I'll be waiting. See you later," Carlos says, hanging up.
I throw my phone on the bed and rush to the closet. I need to find something suitable. I disregard jeans and simple tops; I don't want to be too casual. However, I have to eliminate half of my dresses too; I don't want to seem like I'm making things too easy. So what's left is a flowery white dress and a purple dress. Based on what I know about Carlos, the flowery white one is the best choice since I still have to be the vulnerable damsel. I take a shower and make a beautiful braid in my dark brown hair, leaving my bangs loose. When I return to my room, I startle; my mother is looking at all my clothes scattered on the bed.
"What's going on here?" she asks, with a stern look on her face.
"Nothing... I was looking for my dress, which was practically hidden," I explain, making light of the situation. I sit at my vanity and put on some lipstick. I notice my mother analyzing me. "What's the matter?"
"You're going out?" she asks, crossing her arms.
"Yes, I am. I have a school project to do with Alicia," I lie, involving my best friend Alicia. Don't worry; she always covers for me and knows all the excuses I use. Not to mention that her house is very close to Mallorca. The perfect crime.
"And you're going like that?" my mother asks, suspicious. "All dressed up?"
"Yes," I reply, putting on my pearl earrings. There, I'm the perfect princess. "You always said we need to be ready for anything. What if her parents invite me to dinner? I can't be coming and going, right?"
"Fair enough," my mother responds, not entirely convinced. "Do you want me to drive you?"
"Yes," I say, trying not to show how much that would disrupt my plans. But if I refused, it would raise a lot of suspicions. Not to mention, I know it could be a bluff from my mother. She hates driving downtown, so we always take the subway." If it won't bother you, you know how terrible the traffic is on weekends.
"True... now that I think about it, it's better for you to take the subway," my mother agrees, touching my shoulder. "Just make sure to come back home before I notice. Your father and I are going out, and I need you to stay with Valeria."
"No problem, Mom. I'll be back before you know it," I reply.
But I hope she doesn't count on that too much because, as far as I'm concerned, I'll spend my life at tonight's rendezvous.
***
That Friday is beautiful. I've never seen such a blue sky and peaceful streets. People around me are walking happily. I take the subway, and in front of me, there's a young couple sitting. They seem so in love... the way I wish I could be with Carlos. I get off at the station two blocks away from the restaurant, checking my appearance in the escalator mirror. My heart is racing, I'm short of breath as I turn the corner leading to the restaurant. I see him sitting at a table, lost in thought. It's exactly how I saw him on New Year's. I smile, quickening my steps. Just as I'm about to wave, my eyes widen. Elson sits at the table where Carlos is. I nearly have a heart attack from anger. I decide to leave, but Carlos waves at me, smiling. As if that wasn't enough, he has to come towards me... with that relaxed smile... those green eyes...
"Hi, Dalia," Carlos says awkwardly. "I'm glad you came."
"Hello," I say, irritated. I can't help but ask right away, "What is Elson doing here?"
"I invited him too," Carlos replies, saying goodbye to his friend. "I came to drop off Antônia at work, and since I have to wait for her to finish, I called Elson. And of course, you too, since we've been meaning to go out. Shall we?"
I pass by him, irritated. This wasn't exactly the afternoon I had planned to spend with him. While we're talking, I wonder if he's so naive that he doesn't notice my true intentions. Elson seems like a chatterbox, while I remain monosyllabic. I'm immensely grateful when the beautiful day becomes windy, indicating that a storm is coming.
"I have to go," I say, getting up hastily. I think that was the longest sentence I said during the conversation. "I promised my parents I'd be home early."
"That's fine," Elson says. He winks at me and says, "Nice talking to you."
"It's a shame you're leaving," Carlos says, making a disappointed face. I almost give up on the idea of leaving when he says, "I was planning on introducing you to my fiancée. I talk about you so much to her that I think it's time you two met."
"Goodbye," I say, coldly, turning towards the street.
That crossed all my limits. I simply can't stay another minute near Carlos. How dare he treat me as if I were... as if I were... just a friend of his. Raindrops start to fall, and I have to run to get to the station. Inside the subway, my angry tears start to fall. I've never been treated with such indifference by someone, as I was by Carlos.
My anger doesn't subside until I get home. I pass by my parents and go straight to my room. I tear off that stupid dress and throw myself onto the bed, punching my pillow as if it were Carlos' face. Three months a young couple is sitting waiting for him, and nothing... but the anger still lingers, until I decide to grab my phone and call Carlos. I'm tired of waiting; it's time to lay it all out with him, even if it destroys everything I've built. He takes his time, but he answers, and before he can say his usual hello, I burst out:
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't want to be your friend. Our relationship will never be that of friends. I want to be with you! So when you get rid of your little fiancée, give me a call! Because I'm already tired of this cat-and-mouse game!"
"Dalia..." Carlos begins to say, but I don't care. I hang up on him.
I lie on my bed and take a deep breath. Even if this direct approach pushes him away from me, I don't care. In fact, I don't care about anything anymore.