Drowning

Chapter Thirty-One

I was halfway through making our weekly dinner when Mariana walked in.

"What are you making this week?" she asks, grabbing water from the fridge.

"Lasagna,"

"No, really?" Pasta is Mariana's favorite food, and since I'm in the mood of celebrating I decided to make a dish I knew I was good at and that is lasagna.

"We have celebrating to do,"

"We should celebrate more often then," she says sitting at the counter. "So lunch was fun yesterday," that comes out of nowhere. But lunch with Aiden was good, everything went smoothly.

"I guess," I say cautiously, not knowing where this was coming from.

"You like him don't you," she says, surprising me again. After the whole comment incident got me thinking what would happen if I would've cut him off, and I guess I realized I wouldnt like to cut him off.

"As a friend, sure," I say, taking out a container to put all the pasta in.

"He likes you too, Vale." she says, me not really knowing what she was referring to. Then I hear the door opening again, and Lidia walks through the kitchen.

"Girls," she greets us, and as soon as she walks in the music starts flowing through my apartment, Lidia has a thing for putting music on everytime there is something resembling a party.

"Is Mark coming?" I ask Mariana. He has a few times where he comes and other times he can't because of work. I like him here, but I don't really mind as long as Lidia and Mariana are here. "Yeah I told him he had to come, we're celebrating." she responds, grabbing a wine from the cellar and opening it.

She serves the three of us a glass and so the night begins.

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By now my hair is up, the apron is hanging loosely on my waist, and the music is still blasting, and I may be a little tipsy from all the wine. I'm waiting for Mark to come, since I refuse to let Lidia help me, and Mariana is useless in the kitchen. I already prepared the lasagna. I just need to start with the side dishes. I move to fix my apron, I can't get this clothes dirty and I don't want to change, when the doorbell rings. Finally, some help.

"I'll get it," Mariana says, hopping off my couch. When I hear her opening the door I scream on top of the music, "Mark, get in here. I need help," but Mark is not the one who walks through.

"Actually, Mark is changing in our apartment, but Aiden is here," Mariana says and my head immediately turns to her, and the man standing besides her. He looks awfully casual, with just a fitted dark sweater that shows every muscle in his upper body and some dark wash jeans. I've never seen him not wearing a suit. "Hey," he says, eyeing me. Behind the apron I'm actually sort of casually dressed, with crème pants, a silk button up and some pumps, I always wear heels, always.

"Hey," I said, "what are you doing here?" I say taking off the apron and walking towards the living room where they stand. Thank god I have an open living space, where you can see the kitchen, living room, and dinning room from wherever you stand.

He moves his hand up, which is holding a yellow folder. "I just got the papers, I figured you'd want to sign them as soon as possible," he says, giving me the folder.

I open it and skim it, "Everything is ready?" My eyes leave the paper in my hand and I see him nod. "Well then let me grab a pen," I say and head back to the kitchen. In one of the drawers I grab a pen, I quickly sign it and head back to the living room where Mariana does the same.