Page 85 of Until You Came Along
“Well, I’m sorry to say that I have every right to get involved if you want to separate me from my friend,” he responded.
“Invite someone else, Delfina is not going with you and this discussion ends here,” he declared, in a louder tone than he had been using until that moment.
“That’s for me to decide,” I exclaimed.
“Delfina, don’t push me,” he said, looking at me seriously, but his ogre-like stares no longer intimidated me.
“Baco, I accept your invitation. Tell me what time I should be ready,” I stated, turning to look at Baco and completely ignoring his brother, though I could feel his gaze burning into me.
“Eight o’clock is fine,” replied the addressee, who seemed to be already starting to regret having invited me.
“Delfina, if you’re going to ignore everything I say, this isn’t going to work,” he complained, as he rose from his chair with anger written all over his face.
“As long as you keep imposing your criteria or way of thinking without asking for my opinion, which seems to be of no importance to you, it’s obvious that ‘this,’ as you call it, isn’t going to work,” I responded, holding his gaze.
“It’s clear that’s how it is! After all, you’re nothing but a spoiled little girl who always wants to get her way. Grow up! Have fun!” he exclaimed, and left with a loud slam of the door as he exited the apartment.
Baco looked at me and I noticed he was beginning to feel guilty about how everything had unfolded.
“Don’t worry, Delfi, I’ll talk to him and tell him we’re not going anywhere. He’s a proud and possessive bastard and I don’t think we’re going to change him, but this time I promise to make him see reason.”
“No; you’re the one who shouldn’t worry. These arguments about his authoritarian personality and his way of saying things are becoming commonplace and it’s not right. Your brother completely lacks empathy and is intolerant. I’m going with you because I want to, not to make him angry. You’re my friend and I want to accompany you. I ask that you don’t say anything to him, let us resolve this between ourselves, maybe there is no solution.”
“Don’t say that. I admit that I went too far trying to make him jealous, but I also understand that he can’t decide for you,much less forbid you from going out with your friends. Hermes always tries to manage other people’s lives according to his way of seeing things, and he’s doing the same with you, but I have no doubt that he feels something for you and will do his part to do better. I told you once that you would need to arm yourself with patience; my brother isn’t easy, but he’s a person who takes care of all those he cares about.”
“I know. I understand that Hermes is a good man, but he has the temper of a thousand demons!” I exclaimed, both furious and disappointed.
“I won’t deny it, but I repeat, he’s a good person and he probably does it because he’s insanely jealous about you.”
“Don’t worry, if we come to understand each other, it will be resolved. Otherwise, it’s better for this relationship to end as soon as possible and avoid greater damage.”
“It won’t end, I assure you. My brother is crazy about you.”
“I don’t know. Anyway, let’s leave this topic and tell me where we’re going tomorrow.”
“Do you really want to go? I assure you I won’t be upset, I can go alone,” he stated.
“I’m going with you, it will do me good to go out for a while, distract myself and have a conversation without being given orders,” I declared.
???
That day I had no news from Hermes; he didn’t contact me and I didn’t want to reach out either. I was tired of these arguments and began to think that distance was the best way to safeguard my emotional integrity. I had no doubt that I was in love with this man, but he was so complex that there were moments when I didn’t know what to expect or how to act.As the hours passed, disappointment took hold of me and I became increasingly distressed. I tried to focus on everything I had to finish to prevent my mind from returning to Hermes and questioning everything again, but I often failed and ended up staring at the computer, not knowing what I was reading.
I arrived home after eight in the evening. I took a shower, had dinner, and went to bed early. Obviously, it wasn’t easy for me to fall asleep; I was too distressed and ended up crying and cursing myself for having allowed the situation to reach this point. I shouldn’t have entered into this relationship knowing that he was a person incapable of loving me, incapable of bonding and connecting emotionally, which meant that what we had would never go beyond desire and sexual attraction, something so fragile that it would break irreparably with just one argument. What we had would always be something superficial, and it was clear that when I rebelled against his authoritarian rules, he left and everything ended as quickly as it had begun.
I don't know what time I finally fell asleep, but I was sure I had barely closed my eyes because when I woke up to the sound of the alarm the next day, my body was begging for more hours of sleep.
I got up like a robot and went to the kitchen to make myself a strong coffee. While the revitalizing brew was preparing, I took a quick shower to help wake myself up. That day I had a meeting at ten to present some financial reports and I needed to be fully alert.
After the caffeine did its job, I managed to leave home with a better appearance and quite lucid.
The day at the office was very hectic. I had several meetings and barely had time to eat something or think about my personal life. That night I had the exhibition that Baco had invited me to and, even though I was exhausted and my spirits were low,I planned to accompany him and enjoy a nice moment with my friend.
I still hadn’t heard from Hermes, and at this point, I thought we wouldn’t speak to each other again. It seemed ironic that in one of our last conversations we had been considering living together, and a short while later he had left, ending everything. I tried to console myself by thinking that perhaps this was for the best, perhaps it was good to disappear from his world to save my own.
When I arrived at my apartment, I got ready for the painting exhibition. I was going to do my best to distract myself and have fun. For the occasion, I chose a scarlet midi dress with a plunging neckline, thin straps, and a delicate lace hem, paired with black stilettos. I styled my hair swept to one side in a cascade of waves and did my makeup with smoky eyes and dark pink lipstick. Baco picked me up at eight because the exhibition was starting half an hour later. He was wearing an elegant dark blue suit with a white shirt and no tie.
“Hello, gorgeous. How elegant!” he exclaimed.
