More Than Once by Dominique Wolf

CHAPTER 19:

W

ednesday evening after work I strolled into my apartment and was welcomed by the smell of something delicious brewing in the air.

“Oh my word, that smells amazing!” I shouted and slipped my jacket off, hanging it on our coat rack by the door.

I walked to the kitchen and Reyna stood behind the stove, stirring a hot pot of simmering soup. I breathed it in - the delightful aroma of spices filling the air.

“I'm making my famous tomato soup,” she announced proudly. She turned and reached for one of the spices next to the pot and tossed some in. She had an apron on and her thick hair was pulled into an untidy bun.

“You look like the perfect housewife right now.”

She chuckled. “Don't get used to this.”

I smiled and brought myself onto the barstool in front of her. She already had a bottle of white wine and two glasses laid out on the counter so I reached for the bottle and filled our glasses.

“How have you been?” she asked. “I feel like I haven't seen you.”

She was right. We kept missing each other these last few days. I spent the rest of Monday and Tuesday with Giovanni and by the time I got back this morning to get ready for work, she had already left. Between her seeing Diego and me having shifts at the restaurant, we didn't see each other as often.

“I've been good,” I admitted. “What about you? Are you excited to be going home tomorrow?”

She nodded and reached for her glass. “Oh yes. I can't wait! I love living in Barcelona but you know how much I miss my parents.”

For as long as I have known Reyna, her family has always been close. Her parents were the most loving people you could ever meet. They were always so warm and welcoming and they made you feel like you were part of their family. I went to Madrid with Reyna during my first few weeks here and the energy of the Cazarez family helped a lot with this crazy life transition I was going through. They loved their hometown too much to move to Barcelona where Reyna and Katrina lived, but birthdays and special holidays were always very important to them.

“They're going to be so happy to see you. Have you told them about Diego?”

“Not yet. I wasn't sure if I wanted to at first but now I know I have to.”

Her eyes lit up as she spoke about him and she couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face. I had never seen Reyna like this with a man. She was always so calm and collected about these sorts of things but Diego had her hooked.

“Look at you,” I teased. “Diego is a great guy. I really think your parents will like him.”

“Oh, I know they'll love him! I'll probably take him to meet them next time around.”

“So things are getting pretty serious then?” I sipped on my wine.

She blushed, “Yeah they are. I didn't think this would happen but he's just amazing and for the first time in my life I can actually see a future with someone.”

I was so happy for her. Reyna was the best person I'd ever known and I'd always wanted her to find someone that would make her happy. It was what she deserved. She had always been hard-headed and independent but now she finally found someone that was not intimidated by that. Too many guys ran away from what made her, her. She didn't mean to be overpowering, she was just very clear about what she wanted. I never understood the intimidation in the first place and thankfully, Diego wasn't threatened by it either.

I reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You deserve this. You deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks, Izzy. I'm so glad that you're here.” She smiled. I was happy to be living here and it was all thanks to her. She allowed me the escape I was so desperately seeking and the pieces of my life had started to fall back into place.

“Me too, Rey.”

She stirred the pot again and filled the spoon with just enough to taste. She brought it to her lips, “That is good if I do say so myself.”

I reached for her spoon and repeated her action. I brought the soup to my lips. The tangy tomato and basil was the perfect combination and my stomach rumbled at the taste.

“This is amazing.” I stole another quick spoon before she tapped my hand away.

“Save some for dinner,” she mused.

She moved the pot off the stove and allowed it to simmer. She pulled herself a barstool and pushed herself onto it, now seated in front of me. We continued to sip on our wine.

“So, are you not going to update me on you and Giovanni? Last I knew you were angry at him for bringing Casey but then he called me trying to get a hold of you so I figured there must have been some sort of progress.”

“He actually came banging on our door at two in the morning after the whole Casey thing.”

“Two in the morning?” She repeated, shocked. “I'm guessing he was drunk.”

“Of course. He said we needed to talk so we did. At first, I didn't even want him here - I actually told him to leave but he told me that Casey wasn't his date.”

Reyna snorted. “That's not what it looked like.”

“That's exactly what I said but then he said that he couldn't stop thinking about me but he doesn't know how to handle this 'cause it's all so new to him,” I explained.

“I've known Giovanni for a few years now and I have never known him to be in a relationship. He has major commitment issues.”

“Why does he have commitment issues?” I asked, curious to know more. “Where does it come from?”

Reyna placed her glass back down and leaned on the counter, “So we're not close so I'm sure there is more to this story but all I know is a couple of years back a story broke in the press about his father having an affair.”

I choked on my wine. “What?!”

“Yeah it was a really big scandal,” she recalled. “His dad's company was in talks to work on the La Sagrada Familia which, you know, is the most popular tourist site here so anything that happened with it, everyone had to know about it. And then the story broke with pictures and everything and apparently that was how his wife found out.”

I was shocked. I already got the feeling that Cecilio Velázquez was a difficult man and I already had a small taste of his general disrespect but I did not expect to hear that he was unfaithful to his wife. I felt so bad for Giovanni's mother - to find out something like that in the press must have been awful.

“No wonder he has such a problem with his dad.” It gave me a better insight into the very clear animosity between Giovanni and Cecilio. That could be the kind of action that would cause a child to harbor the kind of anger that Giovanni had. Especially if he was closer to his mother.

“Yeah, I heard he even physically retaliated towards his dad,” she explained. “I don't know the exact details but that could probably be a reason why he avoids relationships.”

I couldn't blame him. A situation like that could leave some underlying issues. I would have liked to find out from him but I was glad that I was aware now - it made me understand him a bit better.

She shrugged. “I'm sure there is more to it though but you must know that I have never known him to make the kind of effort he's made for you.”

I smiled. I was surprised by his appearance at the coffee shop and the way he made an effort with me. I could notice it too.

“Look at that smile!” Reyna teased. “You are so smitten with him.” I could feel the heat spread across my cheeks. It was impossible to deny that I had feelings for Giovanni. They were as clear as day.

“I can't help it,” I admitted. “He's amazing.”

“Well, I am rooting for the two of you. I just hope he keeps his shit together because you don't deserve any more hurt in your life.”

She downed the rest of her wine and got off the chair. She got two bowls out for us and placed them on the counter. She grabbed a brown paper packet from the bread bin and pulled a loaf out.

“This is going to be great with the soup,” she said and started cutting it into slices before going back to our previous conversation. “So, where do the two of you stand now?”

“I don't know to be honest. We're just getting to know each other better but I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't already feeling something more for him. I didn't want to, I really didn't, but I can't seem to stop it.”

“I think it's great that you guys are getting to know each other but I hope he's not still seeing someone else.”

“He's not,” I answered quickly.

“I'm on your side, Izzy, I want you two to work out because honestly, he could use someone like you in his life and I can already see the way he excites yours. I'm just being a friend and wanting you to be careful.”

I understood where she was coming from and as much as the thought of him seeing someone else disappointed me, I really believed that was not the case. I knew now that he felt the same as me but I really didn't want to be blindsided again. I could allow my lingering fear to creep in and take over but I could also choose to trust him and just focus on where things could go.

“I understand. For now, I'm okay with us getting to know each other. I don't want to put pressure on us with labels and all that. I just want him.”

“Then you have him,” she mused and placed a hot steaming bowl of soup in front of me. “Enjoy!”

I breathed it in. “This is great, thank you.”

She placed her own bowl in front of her and sat down on the barstool again. I dipped a piece of bread in my soup and brought it to my mouth. It was amazing. The perfect meal for this colder day that we were experiencing. Autumn went from breezy to freezing very quickly and we were going to have to break out our full winter clothing pretty soon, but for now, we had our soup to keep us warm.

“When are you coming back again?” I asked her.

“Next week, Friday. I actually forgot to let you know that I extended my trip a bit longer. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”

I reached for the wine and filled our glasses up again, “I'm a big girl, I'll be fine. Plus I already have plans with Giovanni so I am sure I'll be with him for most of the week anyway.”

She nodded. “Okay, that's good. You seem really happy, Izzy and I am so glad about that.”

Here we sat on this cold autumn day eating a bowl of delicious soup and talking about our romantic lives. My life was nowhere close to what I expected it to be and I was actually so glad about that. I wanted a simple life. I wanted a happy one.

“I am happy.”

And I truly meant that.