Chapter Two

June 29th, 2011 – Ciudad de la Plata, La Plata

My eyes were wide in appreciation as we entered the fancy hotel. It was famous throughout Argentina to be one of the best, and it was once of the perks of being a professional footballer to stay at such places. I never imagined, though, that I would get to sleep there as well. However, Leo assured me that he’d gotten a room for me when the rooms had been booked by the AFA.

So there I stood, next to him, in the line to check in.

“Reservation under Messi,” he said once they finally reached the counter. The man smiled politely at him, though his admiration for the star player showed through. “Ah yes, you’ll be in room 221. I hope you enjoy your stay,” the man said, handing over the room keys.

He then headed toward the elevator, and I was helpless to just follow along. I was still caught up in the grandeur of the place.

Expensive chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and there were many crystals used throughout. He pressed the up arrow on the elevator as we waited. Several minutes passed before the doors slid open with a ding, and we walked in. He pressed the button for floor two, and up we went.

I pulled my suitcase along, looking around me. Even the halls seemed immaculate, if that was possible.

“Here it is,” Leo said, opening the door. It was the nicest room I’d ever been in. The huge king sized bed was dressed to perfection, the linens perfectly arranged. The walls were typical beige, but crown molding lined the ceiling and floor. The room was carpeted a beautiful, plush navy blue. The comforter was golden, matching the sofa in the sitting area. The television was one of the newest models. In disbelief, I stuck my head in the bathroom, marveling at the size of it. There was a glass shower, with glass tiling. The fixtures were all gold, and the marble countertops were stunning.

“Leo, this is amazing,” I said, popping back out of the bathroom. God, I could live in there alone. He smiled brightly, “I’m glad you like it.” I shook my head, “Love it, you mean.”

I had only ever really been in dumpy hotels before, the ones that reeked of chemicals and cigarette smoke, even if they were designated as ‘non-smoking’ rooms. That was the type that Carlos would pay for. He would never waste money on something like this.

I sighed as I thought about my boyfriend. He’d once again accused me of cheating on him with Leo, saying I was just going to be his sex toy.

That had resulted in some rather nasty bruises. At least it was wintertime, and I could hide the evidence under layers of clothing without sweating like a pig, as I sometimes had to do in the summer. Still, I was in physical pain, and winced when I accidently put pressure on one of the bruises.

I folded the last shirt, placing it neatly in my suitcase. Zipping it up, I was relieved to see it shut, but that feeling quickly left as I heard the door slam shut from downstairs.

Heavy footsteps ascended the stairs until the bedroom door opened. “Lia, are you seriously going?” Carlos demanded, frowning at the suitcase. “Of course I am. And I am not cheating on you, for the hundredth time!” He snorted, “Yeah right, Lia. Just shut your fucking mouth.”

My mouth snapped shut. I knew well what could happen if I didn’t comply.

“So why the hell did he invite you for, if not sex. I mean, what else would you be good for? Conversation – yeah right! You only can talk about random shit that no one cares about. So why would he want you along?”

“Please stop,” I whispered. As if I didn’t know all of that already.

“Stop?” he asked, advancing. I knew that look in his eye. I backed up, nearly tripping over a shoe. I hit the wall, and my dread grew in the pit of my stomach. I knew what was coming. Seconds later his fingers curled tightly around my upper arm, hard enough to bruise. “You think I’m going to stop for you, bitch?” he asked, shaking me. I could only whimper, afraid of what anything I said might lead to. He smirked, but I knew better than to think he was done.

Sure enough, his fist slammed into my stomach. As I fell to the floor, he spun, ripped open my suitcase, tossing the contents around the room. With a final sneer, he pounded down the steps, the door slamming behind him on his way out. She quickly threw everything back in, desperate to escape, if only for a few weeks.

“Lia, are you ok?”

Leo’s voice pulled me from my memories. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just amazed by this all,” I said, and while that was the truth in sorts, I knew better than to tell him what really happened. I didn’t need him to realize just how worthless I really was.

June 30th, 2011 – Barcelona, Spain

Most would assume that after dancing with Víctor Valdés, in a park, in the moonlight that we were dating, and all was happy and good.

That, however, wasn’t the case.

It had been lovely, but after the dance, I realized I had to go home because my babysitter need to get going. So I had run away, shouting over my shoulder it had been fun, leaving him in the park. I had sprinted the distance home, panting heavily as I walked through my door, only to realize I had given him no means of contact, so he probably hated me, or thought that I hated him.

With those thoughts in mind, I avoided another girl’s night out, opting to hide inside the comfortable walls of my home instead. Days turned into weeks, and eventually weeks turned into months.

The what ifs plagued my mind. But it was too late for that all.

I sighed as I took the cheese from the woman behind the counter, thanking her softly. I added the item to my shopping cart, looked over my list, and decided I had everything. I checked out, grimacing at the inflated bill, and hauled the bags out to my car. I dumped them in, glad to have the day off while Felipa was at school to get my errands done.

I shut the trunk of the car, and walked around to the driver’s door. After dropping everything off at my home, I ventured back out to get a cup of coffee before picking Felipa up.

I located my favorite café, and sat outside, enjoying the warm summer air. A breeze rustled the leaves of the overhanging trees. Around me, other customers kept quiet, reading newspapers and books, or on their computers.

“Ariela?”

My head turned, taking in the sight of the same attractive man I’d run away from half a year ago. He was still the same.

His gorgeous brown eyes were trained on me in disbelief, his mouth tugging into a smile. “Hi,” I breathed out, stunned that he’d recognized me amongst the crowd of Barcelona. “I can’t believe it!” he exclaimed, walking closer, stopping at my table. “Can I sit?” he asked. I nodded almost mechanically.

He dropped into the wrought iron chair, resting his elbows on the table.

“I hoped you’d come back to the club that we met at, but you never did. I also tried the park,” he said, his voice softer than I remembered, and deeper as well. My eyes widened, “You were looking for me?”

He nodded fervently, “I thought I did something wrong, but you said you had a good time. It’s just, I didn’t have your phone number, so I didn’t know how to get in touch, because believe me, I did. Here I was, intent on giving up, and you’re sitting here.” His voice trailed off as he shook his head.

He reached out, grabbing my hand from across the table, enveloping it in its warmth. My heart fluttered dangerously.

His teeth were incredibly white as he smiled at me, and I could only return one shyly, a blush spreading across my cheeks like a wildfire. “I have to pick my daughter up from school soon,” I breathed out, hating to break the moment. “Can I have your number this time?” he asked, squeezing my hand tighter. I nodded, pulling away to write it down on the napkin I had grabbed earlier. As I turned to leave, his voice called my attention back. “Say hello to Felipa to me,” he said.

I was left stunned. He’d remembered my daughter’s name? I was royally fucked.