How To Disappear - KiVi [Engl.]

Chapter 4

It takes Chiara a while to settle into Madrid. After two months, Chiara stops rolling her eyes every time she leaves her apartment. She gets used to it.

"So, I was thinking..." Alba says one morning; legs curled under herself as closes the book that she had previously been engrossed in. She has on glasses that are too big for her face and a t-shirt that's too big for her body but Chiara thinks she looks best this way. Adorable. "What if we went away for a weekend sometime?"

"Away?" Chiara raises an eyebrow and looks up from her Sudoku book, "Me and you?"

"Yeah, is that... is that weird? Is it too soon?" Alba frowns and buries her hands in her lap - one of her many nervous ticks.

"No!" Chiara immediately backtracks, "It's... that sounds great, Albita. Where do you want to go?"

Alba shrugs, "I don't know. Somewhere quiet, maybe. I like the idea of -"

When Chiara's phone starts ringing, Alba pauses. On a usual Sunday morning, if Chiara's phone were to go off, she would immediately silence it and turn her attention back to her girlfriend. But as Chiara's eyes lock onto the name that flashes across her screen, a smile spreads through her face and she presses the phone to her ear.

"What's up, man?"

Chiara doesn't notice Alba's face fall.

"Guess where I am right now?" Violeta's voice rings through the phone, loud and clear and perfectly Violeta.

"No clue. Where are you?"

"Atocha! Madrid main station!" Violeta responds, "About to catch a cab to my new apartment."

"You're... wait, what?!" Chiara's eyes widen and Alba's mouthing the words 'what's going on?' beside her.

"Well, not my apartment. I'm just renting it for a month while I'm recording my new single. Anyway, surprise! I'm in Madrid!"

Chiara grins and runs a hand through her hair, "Dude, that's amazing! Well, I mean, not for you because Barcelona is the most beautiful city in Spain, but... for me! I can't believe you're here!"

Chiara and Violeta talk for about ten minutes before Violeta starts complaining about cell reception. Chiara promises to help Violeta get sorted out in her new flat and Violeta promises to buy her lunch in return. They fall back into the way things used to be even though they both know that nothing is the same.

And suddenly Madrid doesn't suck so much anymore. Chiara can feel her chest contract in the way it used to whenever she talked to Violeta. It's a feeling she'd missed.

"You look happy. Who was on the phone?" Alba smiles and lays on her side, folding her hands under her head and staring over at her girlfriend.

Chiara shrugs and offers up a soft grin, "I am happy. My friend Violeta... you know Violeta, one of my OT contestant? I showed you her music." When Alba nods, Chiara continues, "Violeta is in Madrid for a little while for work stuff. I'm gonna help her move in today."