That Spanish Tutor (BxB)

CAPÍTULO 9

With the cold stroke of wind brushing past my skin, and the gentle waves of the sea while we bask under the moonlight, and the slow breathing of the boy beside me as we're lying on the sand, ocean washing over our feet, it makes me feel like I've achieved the ultimate peace I never knew I needed in my whole life.

Mikel is silent. His arms are stretched out towards the vast sky, painted with dark hue and grey clouds, his palms spread open as he watches them. His lips are set in a thin line. His cheeks have also become pinkish due to the cold weather, I bet.

"Why can't you sleep?" I ask him gently.

Mikel puts his arms behind his head and lets out a sigh, then he turns to look at me. His bangs almost cover his eyes, but he immediately swipes it off. Then he blinks, and he looks like he's in a deep thought for a moment, like a lot of stuff has been bugging him. He breaks the eye contact with me and grabs a handful of sand, raises his arm, and watches the sand as he lets go of it bit by bit. I watch him do it.

For a moment, I get scared because we're not really that close enough to share problems, and I basically asked him that. Maybe it's too personal for him to even share it with anyone other than his real friends, and I'm just a guy he recently met. And he probably won't share it with me.

"Just my ex-girlfriend," he replies finally after a long pause. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," I turn my body to face him. I'm pretty sure the sand is clinging hard to my clothes and skin, but I just shrug them off and focus my attention to Mikel. "What about Sofía?"

"You remember her name," he chuckles. "But yeah. Sofía called me."

Another pause again, and this time, it's a bit longer. Mikel just looks towards the sky and takes a deep breath. I can practically see the cogs turning and working inside his head. Eyes a little intense, lips set in a thin line, and his brows, a bit thick but groomed lightly, are furrowed.

He runs his tongue across his bottom lip and remains quiet, and I'm afraid that I might have ruined the moment. He may have invited me to go here, but he probably wants to be somewhere quiet, that can bring tranquility to his soul, and I'm possibly ruining that for him. I'm just a guy he just invited here because we both can't sleep. Maybe.

Under the moonlight and waves crashing over our feet, Mikel looks really vulnerable. The expression on his face, the way his fingers twitch, and the pattern of his breathing. He has been thinking a lot.

"Well, um, she called me and tell me... told... me that uh," he takes another deep breath, grabs another handful of sand, and continues, "she's going to Barcelona, and... she wanted me to come with her."

"Why? I thought both of you are no longer together."

"She wanted our relationship to work, but the long distance... I don't think it's going to work for the both of us. I can't leave Tarifa now." Mikel sits up and rests his arms on his knees, staring at the waves. "Papa and abuelita are here, and I still have to take care of abuelita because Papa is always working, and abuelita is really old. I gave up university, you know. Not because I didn't want to study anymore, but because I... I felt like it just wasn't for me. But abuelita wants me to continue my study, and I feel like I'm disappointing her. And papa."

"You don't," I immediately tell him, the words come tumbling out of my mouth. "You're not disappointing them. Your dad and abuelita seem to love you a lot, and they only want what's best for you. But it doesn't mean that they are disappointed. I mean, look at you, despite that you not wanting to go to a university, you still like to... study."