Mystery in Red

Chapter XLVII - The week off

Monday was the first day I didn't wake up to an alarm, but only to the rays of the sun. I stretched out on my bed and turned around looking around the room. Everything was so different and even unreal. I was still thinking over Charles' words and wondering what exactly this "fight for my heart" was going to be, but meanwhile I could see that there was another obvious candidate for it and that was Carlos. Last night when we got home he tried to kiss me on the lips again right before I went to bed as he stopped by my room to say good night. Sainz was quite assertive, he didn't give up easily, and I could see that what made him court me even more was my cold attitude. It used to be easy for me with him - we communicated without inhibitions, but now every word of his sounded different, every gesture of his meant something, and I increasingly began to feel discomfort from these things. No, it wasn't that I disliked Sainz's wooing, I was just afraid that I was betraying Charles, never mind that he betrayed me first. And maybe my life would be a lot easier if I stopped thinking about things so much and just rode the waves of life.

The day was warm and sunny. After getting myself in decent appearance, I went to the kitchen where Carlos had once again prepared a hearty breakfast - this time it was pancakes. Fluffy and warm, rolled up and filled with a huge amount of chocolate spread, accompanied by a big bowl of kiwi and strawberries and my favorite hot cappuccino. I don't know how he knew all my favorite foods, but there was no better way to start my day off than this.

The rest of the day we spent together again, first we went out for a walk in the outskirts of Barcelona, ​​then Carlos found a small cozy restaurant with a terrace overlooking the sea, where we had lunch, and later in the afternoon we went back to the apartment to take some rest from the heat outside. During this time we watched a movie (as I slept most of the time), and afterwards I was given my favorite invigorating drink prepared by my Spanish host, which we drank on his terrace while watching the crowded beach and we shared different moments of our lives. That's how we welcomed the sunset. And finally, when the night fell and the beach was empty, we both went out for a night walk along the beach. It was kind of romantic, heartfelt and actually quite nice.

During that day, I saw a much different side of Carlos and realized that he is actually quite a sensitive person, even though he has a hard time showing his emotions on the outside. He also had a good heart, despite his cold expression and image of a cocky ruffian who tries to steal the title from Charles by any means necessary. He may have been more of an introvert, but that didn't stop him from being a romantic, and even when he relaxed he was a genuinely funny person who made you cry with laughter. That's how my day was good and well spent, and Sainz was so attentive to me that I really wondered how I had not noticed it before. Maybe because when we met he had a girlfriend and I wasn't interested in him at all. But recently that changed and with his growing interest in me, mine was getting bigger too.

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On Tuesday, Charles was back on track for the tire tests. I still felt very mentally drained that's why I've decided to stay at home. That same day, a special seamstress was called in to take measures for my dress for Carlos's sister's wedding. The woman was old, very old, but she touched me so gently as she took my measurements. She only spoke Spanish, so Carlos stayed with me to translate for me. He looked at me with admiration, never mind that we were just trying on fabrics and she was stretching the tape measure on me. Instead of feeling happy about that, though, my thoughts drifted to Charles. I wondered how he was doing on the track today, if he was feeling something about my absence, and if he had been here, how he would have reacted to my choice of outfit for the wedding.

The woman who was working with me stopped at one point and gave me a stern scolding. Then she mumbled something, shaking her head. I learned from Carlos that the seamstress had told me to smile more or the dress would turn out gloomy. I tried to smile, but how could I, when my whole life was such a mess.