Madrid English Version

Chapter 17

Aria took only her phone and just before closing her door, remembered to take her keys, not wishing to sleep on the landing. She crossed the corridor, and first looked in her phone to see what she looked like, so as to be presentable. She thought it ridiculous to check whether she was presentable enough for her neighbor. After all, she was only going because Lando had asked her to. She rang his doorbell and was surprised to see the pilot open the door and see a different look on his face. Something was wrong. He seemed troubled, anxious, disturbed...

- Are you alright? Do you need anything?

- Lando sent me.

- What do you mean, Lando sent you? Knowing that her neighbor didn't know about the last few weeks, which wasn't necessarily easy for her, Aria had the reflex to lie.

- I've run out of food at home, and it's too late to buy or order anything, so Lando told me to come and ask you for food because you liked to cook. At least, that's what he told me. She replied, speaking quickly, moving her hands as if to show her discomfort at the situation.

- At least he didn't lie about one thing, he said, moving away from the door to let the Spanish woman in.

- Which was?

- That I liked to cook.

- You like to cook?

- I love to cook. I cook whenever I'm bored or not doing too well. My Abuela and my mother taught me to cook. I think if I wasn't a pilot, I'd have opened my own restaurant by now.

- Would you like to open one? Aria asked, sitting on one of the stools at the counter as he brought out some food for the two of them.

- I'd love to, but I think I'd spend all my time at the stove and serve only Spanish specialties, and I'd hesitate to open it abroad to really introduce people to Spanish culture. He explained, as he served the plates.

- If one day, you open it, let me know, I'll come and test it, and I'll tell everyone I meet who lives or has to go where it is. At these words, the dark-haired man turned and smiled sincerely at Aria, who returned the gesture.

The two Spaniards settled down and began to eat, when Aria asked Carlos to take a photo of her and send it to Lando, so that he wouldn't worry. Carlos balked, then gave in and took a photo of the engineer. Seeing her through his phone's camera, the anxiety accumulated over the evening began to fade, replaced by a feeling of fulfillment.

- Do you like it?

- Like what? she asked, unable to see what he was talking about.

- Dinner? What did you think I was talking about?

- I don't know, the fact that you've been liking stories of me in a swimsuit. At these words, the Spaniard couldn't help but choke on what he was eating, peppers.

- Did you see that? he asked, thinking his act had a chance of going unnoticed.

- Yes, just after my brother left.

- Do you have a brother? he asked, surprised.

- Yes, he needed help with a physics project, and I helped him. She explained, not understanding the problem. What's the problem?

- Um... I thought you... you had a boyfriend, so I looked up your Insta account to find out. he confessed, scratching the back of his neck and bowing his head in shame as the brunette smiled at the revelation.

- Were you jealous of my little brother? she asked, laughing.

- I wasn't jealous. I wanted to know whether or not you were in a relationship. He said, trying to defend himself in front of Aria, who couldn't hold back her smile at Carlos, who was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

- Yeah, right.

- And seeing as he was the only man, apart from Lando, I saw come through your door... and, well, that made me tick, he said, scratching the back of his neck.

- The only photos you liked were the ones where I was the least covered. Instantly, the pilot's cheeks turned as red as his single-seater.

- I...I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to like it, but...but my finger, it...it slipped and...

- Hey, Carlos, it's okay. Don't worry. Don't worry. she said, grabbing his hand to reassure him, seeing that he was starting to stammer louder and louder, and that he was becoming more and more pale.

- I...I've got to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back.

he announced, rising from his stool and banging his thigh on the end of the counter, before disappearing into the dark hallway of his apartment. He entered the bathroom, each of his limbs trembling harder and harder, his breathing jerky and rapid. The pilot opened every cupboard in the room in search of the pills that would bring him serenity. Once he'd found the box, he opened it and poured two pills into the palm of his hand, before swallowing them from the glass of water at the side of the sink.

He waited a few minutes before reappearing, smiling faintly at his neighbor so as not to worry her about the length of his absence. Carlos noticed a strange detail. His plate contained more peppers than before his absence, and the quantity of this vegetable present in the brunette's house had diminished considerably. He didn't notice, however, and sat back down opposite the engineer to finish their respective plates.

- When are you leaving for the next Grand Prix? Aria asked, breaking the silence.

- Tomorrow morning.

- And where are you off to?

- Turkey

- What's it like there?

- I don't really know; we don't have much time to visit. But I'll take some photos if you like. Aria couldn't help smiling at the pilot's attention. Do you have any business trips?

- Yes, I'm leaving soon for Sidney, but I don't know when yet.

- How long will you be there?

- About two weeks, I think.

The rest of the dinner consisted mainly of idle chatter about their forthcoming travels and the pilot's single-seater. Aria went home and hurried to bed, so tired was her body, while the pilot stayed awake.

He stayed awake, because of her smile.

Because of her laugh.

Because of her piercing, captivating blue eyes.

Because of her dimples, visible when she laughed.

Because of her hair, falling perfectly over her collarbones, standing out strongly.

Because of the shivers brought on, when her slender hand caught his, and instantly relaxed him.

His thoughts jostled, and his heart raced with every thought.