Don't Be Afraid To Love

Chapter 25

"Hey, can I borrow your bike?" I wrote in a text to Robert the next day. I hadn't actually meant to send it, but instead of deleting the words, I had accidentally hit the Send button.

Great...

I was too cheap to use cabs, so I figured the easiest way was to borrow Robert's blue bike. Although I hated that I was asking for his help, I thought that maybe if we met, we would finally talk about what happened.

"I'm only reclaiming my car tomorrow from the shop, and I need to make some light shopping," I wrote another text to Robert, seeing that he wasn't replying.

As I was waiting for Robert to reply, my phone started to ring, but when I looked at the phone's screen, I saw that it wasn't him, but my mom. I had forgotten to call her the previous day, and she was probably freaking out. I would call her back later, I decided.

"If you need a lift somewhere, I'd be glad to take you," Robert texted me back eventually.

"You were already too generous to borrow me your car, I wouldn't know how to repay you for that, so, no, I don't need a lift, I only need your bicycle for tomorrow."

"You do realize you're acting childish, don't you?" Robert wrote. And then another text came. "I take it you're upset, but let me at least explain myself."

He was right - maybe I was being a little childish.

"Do explain!" I wrote back.

I waited a few minutes for his reply, but there wasn't any new message anymore.

The phone rang suddenly, and I thought it was my mom again, but this time it was Robert calling.

I picked up without saying anything.

"Diana..." Robert spoke, and there was silence for the next few seconds, as if he was choosing his words carefully. "When you arrived at the meeting point yesterday with Maria and Jacob, Carmen saw how happy Andreya was to see you, so she asked me who you were. And I...told Carmen you came to our house a couple of times to help me with Andreya. I never said you were a babysitter or anything like that."

"And what did you tell her in regards to who I was?"

"I... told her you're a good friend," he admitted.

"A good friend..." I repeated. "I mean, I truly want to believe I am a good friend to you, but am I really just that, Robert?"

"Diana, please let's not talk about this over the phone," he pleaded. "I'll come pick you up, so you can take my bike, but please let's talk."

I didn't like the prospect of me going to his place. We both knew how that was going to end if we were alone in his apartment. I was too weak to resist him.

"Bring me your bicycle here, and we'll talk," I said and hung up.

Robert arrived in front of my block half an hour later.

I got out of the house and watched him as he produced the bicycle out of the trunk of his car. I was shocked that it actually fitted into the trunk. After he got it out, he opened the back door and folded out the bench from the back seat.

Then he grabbed the bicycle with one hand and came towards me with it.

"Here it is," Robert said, and I put my hand on its handle to prop it. "You might wanna adjust its seat," he advised casually. "Can we talk now?"

He had a serious expression on his face and waited for me to respond.

"Okay," I accepted and waited for him to speak.