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Chapter 1: First contact
That day, the sun shone weakly, as if sad. I assumed it might have wanted to make everyone feel the same way by denying the warmth of its rays. In the meantime, I decided to escape momentarily by distracting my attention with what was around me. Glancing around, I swore that every corner offered all kinds of sensations. It was a shame not to indulge in at least one of them; unfortunately, time, that indestructible tyrant, immediately claimed me.
I sat for a moment as if that would give me back the energy I no longer had. The last month had been exhausting. I was sleepless, consumed by a world of work, and, to top it all off, I was late for my first class. I finally arrived and asked to be admitted, the only response being a slam of the door almost in my face.
It was the final straw. The patience that had always characterized me reached its limit.
The day got worse as it went on and seemed to be coming to an end. I discerned my future; I had the weekend all to myself. I was free, no commitments, and even though my car was broken down, all I wanted was to go straight home. Of course, my bad luck wouldn't let me down. I couldn't find my wallet, I felt really bad, couldn't even afford the bus fare, and then I began my long journey, not entirely resigned, but I had no choice.
When I got home, I knocked, and no one was there. They'd probably gone out to see Grandpa. I just wanted to lock myself in my room and sleep until I got bored of bed. Surely everyone would be back by dinnertime. When I was ready to go to bed, the doorbell rang. "I won't go, I'm not interested." They knocked two more times.
"Don't you realize no one's going to answer the door?" Then, there was finally silence, when I was beginning to lose myself in my reverie, I heard voices, it was my sister, calling me.
"They're looking for you. Hurry downstairs. I have to go out. I just came to get Grandma's purse. She left it yesterday and needs her prescription. As soon as you're done, you can catch up with us. Okay, if you want."
I didn't hear anything else, just a few murmurs. "Who was it?" "Oh, right? Jacobo, my best and most reckless friend, for God's sake! He couldn't pick me up at school? But he'll see what's waiting for him when he's in front of me. I'll tell you..." I was grumbling under my breath as I went down the stairs, buttoning my shirt, and that's when I saw her. She was beautiful.
I was so impressed. I simply couldn't stop looking at her; I took in every detail of her, especially those intense eyes with their sweet expression. Long, wavy brown hair framed her face.
On the surface, I was calm, but the reality was different. My chaotic insides began to tear me apart mercilessly while an uncontrollable impulse invaded me. It was unknown. I just felt as if my body were falling into an abyss, unable to perceive anything, much less hear what my mind was desperately commanding. I knew I had to talk to her. It was useless. Not a sound came out of my mouth, and I stood there, motionless, trying to hide the color rising in my face as much as possible.
In a matter of seconds, a multitude of thoughts crowded into my head. She spoke to break the silence; I guess my expression wasn't entirely trustworthy. She handed me my wallet, staring at me intently.
"I found it. I wanted to give it to you right away, that's why I came here. I thought you'd be a little worried. I lost mine once, and everything I did to get my credentials replaced was a real ordeal."
I listened. I couldn't speak. Frozen by that feeling of butterflies in my stomach that kept getting worse and worse. What was someone like that doing in front of me in my living room? I couldn't believe it. I felt terribly stunned. She suddenly looked embarrassed, hesitated a little, and said, "Well, that was all. I don't want to bother you anymore. I'm really sorry for showing up here and invading your privacy. It's clear you didn't like it at all. Well, goodbye, and sorry again."
She left, just walked away. I had to stop her, or maybe I'd regret it later.
"No... don't go, please," I heard myself say, as if I wasn't the one speaking. I was so nervous I was stuttering. "I... I'm asking you, ah... um... n... please, that was very kind of you. You shouldn't have gotten so upset."
I looked down, praying for the ground to open up and swallow me. I must have looked so pathetic.
"Forget it, it's no bother. Well, it's nice to meet you. My name is Monica."
"Great, ah... nice to meet you. I'm..."
"Luca. Yes, I know, remember your wallet..."
We laughed, and everything went as it should. We talked about everything. She told me her age. She was a year older than me. She told me her mother had lived here until she got married and they had to move because of her husband's job. That they had returned because her father died a couple of years ago and her mother wanted to get away from everything that would remind her of that, that things had improved a lot since they had arrived, plus many more descriptions of the people, the place, and whatnot.
I just listened to her attentively. I felt so good, I would have given anything for her to stay a little longer, but she couldn't. Before we knew it, it was almost seven. Her mother must have been worried, because it took longer than she had thought.
We agreed to leave on Saturday. I arrived for her at 4. We would be together all afternoon again. We strolled, I showed her my favorite spots, and without further ado, I'd told her every detail about myself. It was as if there was a strong bond between us. I'd never felt anything like this for any woman. At 17, I was a complete novice in that field. The more subtle would call me shy; most would say ignorant. Yes, I'd met girls, but getting up close and personal with them and going out was another matter entirely. I'd never before had the desire to do so that I felt when I met her.
The hours flew by, and soon we were back in front of her door. We said our goodbyes. I walked a few steps, moving away with great regret. Although we had agreed to go out again, the days until we would see each other again seemed endless. I wished they would vanish immediately, I thought.
I didn't know what to do. It was so obvious my nerves were eating me up. I took a deep breath. I had to calm down, I told myself a thousand times. Afterwards, it was like being in a movie.
We exchanged knowing glances. Gently taking her hand, I moved a few inches closer to her face. She smiled, closing the minimal distance between us. I could feel the touch of her lips as they tenderly caressed mine. For my part, I nervously ran my hands over hers, biting them lightly. Then I slowly moved away, still staring at her, as if I wanted to immortalize that moment. Only a few seconds had passed, but it seemed like an eternity. I noticed the silence between us was crushing, interrupted only by the strong beating of my heart.
I just stared at her. What should happen now? It was as if I were about to fall, as if a crowd were crashing against me again and again, making me lose my balance. She noticed my reaction, so she hugged me. She was warm, soft. I shared not only her embrace but also that essence of hers that I sensed from the moment we met. I wrapped her in my arms, staring at her intently as if trying to scrutinize her thoughts through those eyes, and I kissed her again. I felt tranquility return to me, accompanied by a feeling that left no room for anything else in my soul.
I turned around. I was walking away, having already reached the porch of the house when I heard her voice. When I looked back, she was right behind me.
That moment undoubtedly marked a before and after in my life. I have no words to describe everything it provoked. There was simply no room for reason anymore. I could only feel an emotion, immense, indescribable, that had taken over every fiber of my being, turning me into someone else, totally vulnerable to her desires. Nothing mattered to me, only her. I thought I could have remained like this forever. It was hard to wake up to reality and move away; the goodbye hurt a lot, but thanks to the gift of that afternoon, I could tolerate her absence a little longer.
it will continue...
