12:37 a.m.
Witch?
1:45 a.m.
Why don’t you answer the phone?
2:20 a.m.
Did you fall asleep?
9:05 a.m.
Raquel, I’m starting to get worried. Are you okay?
10:46 a.m.
Shit, Raquel, I’m really worried now.
That was his last message.
I bite my lower lip as I begin to type a response; however, I don’t even finish typing the first word when my phone rings in my hand.
Incoming call: Ares <3
My heart speeds up, threatening to burst out of my chest. I take a deep breath.
“Hello?”
There’s a second of silence, as if he didn’t expect me to answer, as if he was used to me not answering.
“Where are you?” he asks, and the seriousness in his voice surprises me.
“At my house,” I reply.
“Look out the window.” And he hangs up. I stare at the phone in confusion before my gaze falls on the window. It’s snowing again, so the window is closed. I get up and walk over to it, moving the curtains aside.
Ares is standing on his patio. He’s wearing jeans and a black jacket over a white shirt, and he looks a little tanned. His black hair is in that messy style that suits him perfectly, just him. I’d like to say that I’m getting used to seeing him, that I’m getting used to the depth of those blue eyes, the confidence of his posture, and how beautiful he is, but I’d be lying. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it, and especially now that I’ve gone two weeks without seeing him.
My body reacts to him as usual, my heart pounding desperately, my stomach turning, and my hands sweating a little. However, it’s not the physical reactions that always take me by surprise but the sensations, what he makes me feel, the excitement that fills my chest, how he makes me forget that there is a world around me.
Snowflakes fall on him, landing on his jacket and in his hair. I can’t believe he’s really here. I fumble to open the window. He gives me that smile that would take anyone’s breath away.
“Hello, Witch.”
I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless, and he seems to know it, because he quietly hops the fence that divides our yards and climbs up the ladder to reach my room. I step back, facing him. His eyes look right through me. I want to speak and tell him what happened, but from the way he looks at me, I know he already knows. Without warning, he pulls me forward until I crash onto his chest. He holds me tight, making me feel safe. And at that moment, I don’t know why, but tears well up in my eyes, and I find myself crying inconsolably. Ares just comforts me, caressing the back of my head.
“He . . . almost died . . .” I struggle to say the words. “I don’t know what I would have done if he . . . I feel so guilty.”
He just lets me cry and mumble all the things I want to say, pressing me tight against his chest. God, I’ve missed him so much. We break away, and he takes my face in both hands, his thumbs wiping away my tears, and then he presses his lips lightly to mine, giving me a soft, gentle kiss.
He rests his forehead on mine.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. I step back, putting distance between us. I can’t concentrate with him so close to me.
“I . . . I don’t know, it all happened so fast. Besides, you were so far away; I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Bother me? Raquel, you are one of—if not the—most important person in my life. You will never bother me; your problems are my problems. I thought the whole point of being a couple was to be able to count on each other. It upsets me that you feel you can’t count on me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, that’s not what I want, I just want you to tell me if you’re ever in a difficult situation. Don’t keep quiet because you don’t want to bother me, okay?” I give him an honest smile.
“Okay.”
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” he asks. I take a deep breath.
“No,” I reply.
“Okay.” Ares picks up a dark backpack that I hadn’t noticed on the floor and puts it on the computer table. From it, he pulls out a beautiful gift bag.
“Merry Christmas, Witch,” he says, extending his hand with the gift. I stare at him, surprised.
“You didn’t have to give me anything,” I say. He strokes his chin as if in thought.
“I think you told me you only accept gifts on special occasions, so I have to take advantage of this moment.”
“Do you remember everything I tell you?” I ask.
“Yup. Everything I care about stays here.” He touches his forehead. “Come on, take it. You don’t have any excuse to refuse.”
Sighing, I grab the bag. Ares looks at me impatiently. He seems more excited than I am, and his excitement spreads to me a little. I put it on the bed and open it. The first thing I pull out is a golden box with chocolates that not only look expensive but foreign.
“Chocolates?”
“I know, I know, I’m a cliché,” he says, raising his hands. “There’s more.”
“Hey, I thought it was one gift,” I accuse him.
“As I said, I have to take advantage of this opportunity.”
The next thing I pull out is a small square box that I remember very well: the iPhone. I give him an are-you-kidding-me look.
“It’s a new one! It’s not the one from that time, I swear,” he says quickly. “I know you like iPhones and you haven’t been able to buy another one, and that phone Dani lent you is one phone call away from self-destructing.”
“You are . . .”
“Please?” He has those begging eyes that remind me of the cat from Shrek.
“You just want a phone so I can take sexy photos to send you.”
Ares acts surprised.
“How did you know?” he demands. I roll my eyes, smiling, and pull out a small, elongated box. When I open it, my heart melts; it’s a gold necklace with a pendant with my name on it, but the R in Raquel is crossed with Ares’s name. It looks like a little cross of our names. No one has ever given me something so detailed and cute. I don’t know why I feel like crying again.
He helps me put it on and gives me a short kiss on the back of my neck before stepping back and leaning against the computer table, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Thank you so much, Greek God, that was really nice of you,” I tell him honestly. “I never thought you’d be this sweet.”
“I have my moments.”
“I bought you something too,” I say. His eyes widen. He wasn’t expecting it. “It’s not much, and it’s not wrapped because I didn’t expect you to get back so soon.”
Nervously, I reach under my bed and pull out the plastic bag containing the two little things I bought and give it to him.
“I feel terrible for giving you your gift like this after you gave me something so nice,” I say quickly. Ares gives me a tired look.
“Could you stop saying things like that? Let’s see. . . . Let’s see . . .”
The first thing he takes out is a book and reads the title aloud: “Medicine for Beginners.”
His smile fades, but his face fills with so many different emotions that my heart expands against my chest. He stares at me silently for a few seconds. “Thank you.”
“Keep going, there’s more.” I watch as he carefully takes out a stethoscope. “I wanted to give you your first doctor’s instrument, so you can always take me with you when you’re a doctor.”
I wish I could describe how he looks right now, with the emotions crossing his face, but I’d be at a loss for words. His blue eyes are watering as he slowly licks his lips.
“You really think I can make it,” he says quietly. I give him a confident smile.
“I don’t think so, I know you can make it,” I say, giving him the thumbs up. “Dr. Hidalgo.”
Ares puts the stethoscope on the table and rushes over to me.
“Shit, I love you so much.” His lips are on mine before I can tell him that I love him, too, and that even if no one else supports him in his dreams, I always will no matter what.
FORTY-NINE
The Support
Three Months Later