The cool breeze fogged Maya's face as her feet frolicked on the soft sand. The saltwater tickled her ankles as they sank gently with lulling toes.
The sun shone down on her, she looked directly at the light source. She noticed a silhouette looming, and gradually a smile emerged. It was a manly jawline, with lines of expression on his cheeks, as Maya was about to touch that face, a sudden bombshell jolted her awake to her reality.
"Maya, did you finish Mr. Cloud's report?" Sandra, her co-worker, said. Maya was dumbfounded, she looked at her co-worker as if contemplating a stranger.
"Uh... yes... I just need to fine-tune a few details," Maya replied with a nervous smile. As her companion withdrew, Maya sighed in front of the computer screen. She pulled back her orange hair and tried to concentrate on her work.
As the days passed, it was easier for Maya to fall into those memories. She could never forget that place or that precise day. She used to hate the beach. She didn't like getting sand on it or getting her feet wet with salt water. She found the intensity of the sun overwhelming and the noise of too many people wandering everywhere was overwhelming.
She preferred the forests or the mountains; quiet places with little human presence. Walking among the rocks, listening to the sound of flowing rivers. She abhorred the noise of people, so she disliked beaches, but when her cousin Estefany invited her to spend a weekend at her aunt's apartment, she couldn't refuse.
"If you don't come, I will understand that you don't want to see me," Estefany expressed. Maya could not free herself from that sentence.
The apartment was only a few meters away from the beach, Maya planned to stay cooped up or walk around downtown and buy a few things.
"You're going to come to the beach with me whether you want to or not," Estefany said. Maya twisted her eyes as she read her cousin's message and replied with an affirmative answer.
The place was beautiful, Maya could not help but contemplate from the terrace of the apartment the seawater reflected by the sun, but when she looked at the crowd on the beach, she twisted her mouth not very convinced of wanting to go down.
"Why aren't you wearing your bikini?" Estefany asked her cousin. "You brought it, didn't you?"
Maya was silent for a while.
"I knew I'd have to make you. I'll lend you one and you better put it on and come down with me," Maya grunted, she didn't want to go down to the beach, but then she thought it would only be a moment and she would look for a way to get away from her cousin.
After being ready, they both immediately went down to the entrance of the building. There were people in bathing suits everywhere. Maya felt uncomfortable, it had been a long time since she had worn a bikini. When they were already on the beach, Estefany immediately ran out into the water, leaving her cousin alone.
Maya sighed angrily, she thought it was the right time to leave, but since the sand felt so good on the soles of her feet, she decided to walk a bit before leaving.
The sun was nice that day, the sound of the waves dominated more than the noise people were making. Maya smiled at the tickle the water made on her toes and ankles. She saw something white and shiny on the sand, so she decided to take a look at it and upon closer inspection noticed it was a seashell.
Maya was about to take it when she heard a voice that stopped her.
"You should leave it in its place," said that stranger. Maya was surprised to see him. The first thing she noticed was that he was very handsome. He possessed a big smile, and almost perfect, ivory-white teeth. The pupils of his eyes were dark and his eyebrows were bushy. He had jaw-length brown hair and a beautiful, athletic body.
Maya couldn't help but notice how the sunlight illuminated him as if he were an angel fallen from the sky. She felt uncomfortable in front of that handsome man and clenched her hands.
"Excuse me, is that seashell yours?" Maya said. The man smiled before answering.
"No, don't worry, I was just telling you not to pick it up since the shells keep the beaches from eroding, but I think I was very impertinent. Sorry to have bothered you," before the man turned to leave, Maya stopped him.
"Wait! Take it easy, you weren't impertinent at all. What you're saying is very interesting," Maya said, her voice trembling. The man smiled at her again and Maya looked like a nervous wreck.
Oh, God, what am I going to do, I'll have to say something clever now! I can't think of anything, I think I'll leave before I say something stupid, Maya mused as she looked into the man's beautiful abysmal eyes.
"What's your name?" he asked her. She reacted immediately.
"Maya, nice to meet you."
"Maya..." the man paused for a second. "Like one of the Pleiades."
Maya didn't understand what he meant, she just smiled for a few seconds. "And your name?" She asked him.
"I'm Robert, the pleasure is mine."
The two chatted for a while longer. Maya's nerves were diminishing as Robert was a very intelligent and charming man. He had a lot of content to converse with and that truly captivated her. They spent the whole afternoon walking along the beach until the sunset came. They decided to meet again, but at a different location, Robert gave Maya his contact number, but she was so excited that she wrote the number down wrong.
The next day, when she tried to call Robert, the operator turned her down, warning her that it was the wrong number. Maya was disappointed; that day she didn't leave the apartment all day. She thought that Robert had given her a fake number on purpose, and she even doubted that this was his real name. Her self-esteem dropped at that instant and all she could think about was going home.
"Maya!" Sandra shouted. "Are you dreaming in front of the computer again?"
Maya had been plunged into that vivid memory again. She reacted. She shook her head and looked into her partner's eyes firmly.
"You better print out that report right now. Mr. Cloud is about to arrive with his new partner, and if he sees that report isn't on his desk, he'll most likely fire you and then he'll come after my head."
"Coming!" said Maya hurriedly. She set to work in earnest, drafted the final details of her report, and then printed it out. She headed to her boss's office and left the brief on the desk. She tidied up and cleaned up a bit, feeling ready to receive it. While she was distracted, a voice startled her.
"You never called me, Maya," she recognized that voice immediately.
"Robert?" her eyes misted over with joy. This time she wasn't dreaming. He was standing in front of her. Robert was her boss's new partner. After that surprise, the two settled down to talk. Maya wasn't going to lose touch with Robert this time.
THE END
La brisa fresca empañaba el rostro de Maya al mismo tiempo que sus pies retozaban sobre la suave arena. El agua salada hacía cosquillas en sus tobillos, mientras se hundían suavemente con los dedos arrullados.
El sol la cubría, miró directamente a la fuente de luz. Notó una silueta que se asomaba, y paulatinamente se perfiló una sonrisa. Era una quijada varonil, con líneas de expresión en sus mejillas, cuando Maya se disponía a tocar a aquel rostro, una bomba repentina la hizo despertar a su realidad.
“Maya, ¿terminaste el informe del señor Cloud?” Dijo Sandra, su compañera de trabajo. Maya quedó boquiabierta, miró a su compañera como si contemplara a una extraña.
“Eh… si… solo me falta afinar unos detalles,” Maya contestó esbozando una sonrisa nerviosa. Al retirarse su compañera, Maya suspiró frente a la pantalla del ordenador. Recogió su cabello anaranjado e intentó concentrarse en el trabajo.
A medida que pasaban los días, era más fácil de que Maya cayera sumida en aquellos recuerdos. Ella jamás pudo olvidar aquel lugar ni ese día tan preciso. Antes odiaba la playa, no le gustaba llenarse de arena ni mojarse los pies con agua salada. La intensidad del sol le parecía agobiante y el ruido del exceso de gente deambulando por doquier era algo que la abrumaba.
Ella prefería los bosques o las montañas; sitios tranquilos con poca presencia humana. Caminar entre las rocas, escuchar el ruido de los ríos fluyendo. Aborrecía el ruido de la gente, por eso no le gustaba las playas, pero cuando su prima Estefany la invitó a pasar un fin de semana en el apartamento de su tía, ella no pudo negarse.
“Si no vienes, entenderé que no quieres verme,” expresó Estefany. Maya no pudo liberarse de aquella sentencia.
El apartamento quedaba a solo unos metros de la playa, el plan de Maya era quedarse encerrada o pasear por el centro de la ciudad y comprar unas cosas.
“Vas a venir a la playa conmigo quieras o no,” increpó Estefany. Maya torció los ojos al leer el mensaje de su prima y contestó con una respuesta afirmativa.
El lugar era hermoso, Maya no pudo evitar contemplar desde la terraza del apartamento el agua del mar reflectado por el sol, pero al observar a la aglomeración de personas en la playa, torció la boca no muy convencida de querer bajar.
“¿Por qué no te has puesto tu bikini?” Le preguntó Estefany a su prima. “Lo trajiste, ¿verdad?”
Maya guardó silencio por un rato.
“Sabía que tendría que obligarte. Te prestaré uno y más vale que te lo pongas y bajes conmigo,” Maya gruñó, de verdad no quería bajar a la playa, pero luego pensó que solo sería un instante y buscaría la manera de zafarse de su prima.
Después de estar lista, ambas bajaron inmediatamente a la entrada del edificio. Había gente en traje de baño por doquier. Maya se sintió incómoda, hacía tiempo que no usaba un bikini. Al estar ya sobre la playa, Estefany salió corriendo de inmediato hacia al agua dejando sola a su prima.
Maya suspiró enojada, pensó que era el momento propicio para irse, pero como la arena se sentía tan bien en la planta de sus pies, decidió caminar un poco antes de marcharse.
El sol estaba agradable ese día, el sonido de las olas dominaba más que el ruido que hacían las personas. Maya sonreía por las cosquillas que el agua hacía sobre sus dedos y tobillos. Vio algo blanco y brillante sobre la arena, decidió echarle un vistazo y al verlo más de cerca notó que era una concha de mar.
Maya iba a tomarla cuando escuchó una voz que la detuvo.
“Deberías dejarla en su lugar,” dijo aquel desconocido. Maya se sorprendió al verlo. Lo primero que ella notó fue que era muy guapo. Poseía una gran sonrisa, dientes casi perfectos y blancos como el marfil. Las pupilas de sus ojos eran oscuras y sus cejas muy pobladas. Tenía el cabello marrón y largo hasta la quijada y un cuerpo hermoso y atlético.
Maya no pudo evitar notar como la luz del sol lo iluminaba como si fuese un ángel caído del cielo. Se sintió incómoda ante aquel hombre tan atractivo y apretó las manos.
“Perdón, ¿esa concha de mar es tuya?” Dijo Maya. El hombre sonrió antes de contestar.
“No, tranquila, solo te decía que no la recogieras ya que las conchas evitan que las playas erosionen, pero creo que fui muy impertinente. Disculpa por haberte molestado,” antes de que el hombre diera media vuelta para marcharse, Maya lo detuvo.
“¡Espera! Tranquilo, no fuiste impertinente para nada. Lo que dices es muy interesante,” dijo Maya con la voz trémula. El hombre volvió a sonreírle y Maya parecía un manojo de nervios.
¡Oh, Dios! ¿Qué haré? ¡Tendré que decir algo inteligente ahora! No se me ocurre nada, creo que me marcharé antes de que yo diga algo estúpido. Cavilaba Maya mientras miraba los hermosos ojos abismales de aquel hombre.
“¿Cómo te llamas?” Él le preguntó. Ella reaccionó de inmediato.
“Maya, mucho gusto.”
“Maya…” el hombre hizo una pausa un segundo. “Como una de las pléyades.”
Maya no entendió a lo que se refería, solo sonrió por unos segundos. “¿Y tú nombre?” Ella le preguntó.
“Soy Robert, el gusto es mío.”
Ambos conversaron un rato más. Los nervios de Maya disminuían ya que Robert era un hombre muy inteligente y encantador. Tenía mucho contenido para conversar y eso verdaderamente la cautivó. Pasaron toda la tarde caminando por la playa, hasta que llegó la puesta de sol. Decidieron volver a reunirse de nuevo, pero en otro sitio, Robert le dio su número de contacto a Maya, pero ella estaba tan emocionada que anotó mal el número.
Al día siguiente, cuando intentó llamar a Robert, la operadora la rechazó advirtiéndole que era un número erróneo. Maya quedó decepcionada, ese día no salió del apartamento en todo el día. Pensó que Robert le había dado un número falso apropósito, incluso dudó de que ese era su verdadero nombre. Su autoestima bajó en ese instante y solo pensó en volver a casa.
“¡Maya!” Gritó Sandra. “¿De nuevo estás soñando frente al ordenador?”
Maya había quedado sumida en ese vívido recuerdo de nuevo. Reaccionó. Negó con la cabeza y miró los ojos de su compañera firmemente.
“Más vale que imprimas ese informe ahora mismo. El señor Cloud está a punto de llegar con su nuevo socio, y si ve que ese informe no está sobre su escritorio, lo más probable es que te despida y luego vendrá por mi cabeza.”
“¡Ya voy!” Dijo Maya apresuradamente. Se puso a trabajar en serio, redactó los últimos detalles de su informe y luego lo imprimió. Se dirigió a la oficina de su jefe y dejó el escrito sobre el escritorio. Arregló y limpió un poco, se sentía ya lista para recibirlo. Mientras estaba distraída, una voz la sorprendió.
“Nunca me llamaste, Maya,” ella reconoció aquella voz inmediatamente.
“¿Robert?” Sus ojos se empañaron de alegría. Esta vez no estaba soñando, él de verdad estaba frente a ella. Al parecer Robert era el nuevo socio de su jefe. Después de aquella sorpresa, ambos se instalaron a conversar, ahora Maya no iba a perder el contacto con Robert esta vez.
FIN
