Vegas, Baby!

16: Habits.

I had really tried my best not to fall back into my habit of isolating myself but I had failed. My apartment looked even worse than it did after David because I was physically not able to get out of my bed and clean. I was lacking the energy to do anything other than sleep. The difference this time was that Benito and I were still in contact. I had asked him to keep me updated on our divorce. Although he did try to talk to me about anything else, I completely ignored that. Whenever he called me, I fought the urge to just take him back. Laura and Carla sometimes came over to bring me food because I also had no strength to get up and cook. I felt like a sick child that needed care at all times. The closer the end of the one-year-seperation came, the more often Benito called me. In the meantime I had done what his lawyer had suggested and gotten one myself but as Benito had said, he updated me in person before my own lawyer could. It was new years eve and usually I would've gone downtown and celebrate with the girls, I had even done so after David but this time, I didn't. I watched some countdown show on TV, wrapped up in my anxiety blanket my aunt had sent me for Christmas and eating ice cream. At around 11 o'clock my doorbell rang. I groaned and dragged myself over to the door. When I opened it, I could barely keep my eyes open. Laura and Carla both were standing there in the hallway, neither of them had dressed up - usually they were the first ones to wear something glittering on that day - and each of them had a bottle of wine in their hands.

"What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be at Neuraum?" I asked, stepping aside to let them in. Neuraum was a club in Munich that threw the best new years eve parties with the biggest fireworks in the city.

"We'd rather start the new year with you." Laura gave back, pulling me into a hug as she entered my apartment. I didn't return it, just stared at the wall in my hallway blankly. I felt numb and I couldn't even express how grateful I was for the two of them but I didn't have to because they knew.

"You really need to clean." Carla commented on her way to the living room. I nodded and closed the door behind me, then I followed the girls. Both of them sat down on the couch. The two wine bottles were standing on my coffee table. I didn't feel like drinking, but I at least wanted to have a sip at midnight.

At midnight, I clinked glasses with the girls, took my sip and put my glass back onto the table. Just a few seconds later, my phone started ringing.

"He's calling you." Laura said who was sitting next to it. I nodded, showing her that she could hand it to me, so she unplugged my phone from the charger and handed it over. "Hola, hermosa." I heard before I could see his face. Benito still called me that, even after months of me being cold towards him. I didn't say anything, just nodded into the camera.

"Happy New Year." he said softly.

"Thanks, you too." I gave back.

"I wish I could be there." he told me. The sadness in his voice made me want to cry. I hated to see him like this but as I said, I didn't want to let him fool me. To me it was clear that all of this was an act. Both Laura and Carla were quietly staring at the screen. I didn't answer to what he had said, again I just nodded.

"Alright, have fun tonight, I'll let you know when my lawyer called." he added sadly.

"Okay. Bye." I said and ended the call. It sounded like he had said something else but I had cut him off in the middle of saying it.

"He looks miserable." Laura commented and rubbed my back. Putting my phone down, I nodded, then I leaned back on my couch and sighed.

"I'm surprised he's still trying." Carla said, before taking a sip from her glass of wine.

"Can you blame him? Sab's absolutely cold towards him." Laura responded, looking at me. I was already used to the two of them having conversations about me since I barely talked since the incident in August.

"As she should. All of the fans have always said that he would never be able to love anyone but Gabriela and he fooled Sab into thinking he could." Carla told her.

"Have you not seen the interview he gave a few weeks ago?" Laura countered surprised. Both Carla and I looked at her like we had seen a ghost. It's funny how she had been the one not knowing who he was and now she was the one watching his interviews.

"No, I stopped listening to him, I stopped following him and I blocked his hashtags everywhere." Carla responded.

"He was asked about you, Sab, and the way he talked about you sounded like the opposite." Laura told me.

"What did he say?" I asked, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. Although I didn't want to see or hear anything about him, my curiosity was taking over.

"He said that you're the best thing that happened to him in the past year." she answered and took a sip from her wine.

"He's still lying about that?" Carla questioned. Laura shot her a look and shook her head.

"I hate that it has to be me to kick your ass. This dude went out of his way to build you back up after David cheated, rented your dream car for you, flew across the world for you multiple times, got you your favourite flowers, started wearing his wedding ring publicly, made over 20.000 people sing Happy Birthday for you, then bought your dream car for you, introduced you to his family as his wife, told you that he didn't want a divorce anymore while you were on vacation and did everything he could to make you love yourself again. Does that sound like he was putting up a show?" Laura ranted, sounding desperate to convince Carla and me. I hadn't even thought about all of that, my mind had been clouded by what Gabriela had said at the hotel.

"He said it multiple times that he's an honest person and you know me, I'm an incredibly mistrusting person and when I tell you that he didn't lie to you then you can believe it." she went on, causing me to open my eyes and stare at the ceiling.

"To me, it sounds like he was trying to conquer you. Maybe he just wanted to be nice in the beginning but actually caught feelings in the process. I saw the way he looked at you, the way he talked to you and how much effort he put into you. David did the bare minimum just to get you but Benito went out of his way even after he already had you just to keep you and he was right, David broke you so much that you can't see it when someone genuinely likes you. Even more, that dude's utterly in love with you and he has proved it more than once. Even now, he's still putting in effort, he's still updating you personally." Laura continued. Carla stared at her with adoration in her eyes. Laura's little speech moved me so much that I started crying. I was at a loss for words, so I just covered my head with my hands.

"Both of you could only see the one thing that went wrong and completely ignored all the amazing things that have happened before that. I love you, Sabrina, but sometimes I question myself if you even have a brain." Laura said brutally honest.

"Now that you're saying it, you're right." Carla gave back.

"Oh god, I'm so stupid." I mumbled when the realisation kicked in. Laura was right, I had been so blinded by what David had done that I had completely ignored all of the signs.

"Not stupid, just a little slow sometimes." Laura joked, causing me to laugh through my tears.

"And what am I gonna do now?" I asked. I felt like my brain was overheating from all the thinking that happened.

"You should talk to him." Carla said, leaning herself back as well.

"You could tell him when you meet up in two weeks." Laura suggested, then looked around the room.

"But first, you need to get your ass up and clean." she added, causing all three of us to laugh. I loved those two with my whole heart. Although Laura could be a bitch sometimes, it was in moments like this when I realised that I absolutely needed an honest friend like her.