Rita (english version)

Chapter 3

- You have a giant moisture stain on the ceiling. – he sentences.

- Love your ways of breaking the ice. –

He turns his head and looks at me, but he stays quiet. He goes back to the former position, and answers me, arrogantly: - I don't know if you have noticed, but we are in your apartment, in your bed, and naked.

- I could have sweared we were in Alto Palermo, buying Christmas' cards. – I answer, and pull my arms out from the blanket.

- I mean, well, at this point, is needless that we break the ice.- he says, always looking at the moisture stain.

- How common is for you to have sex with strangers?

- First, less than you would think. Second, you shouldn't care. And third, you're not a stranger.

I sighed. – What's my second name?

- If I knew it, it would mean we are more committed?

- What if?

- I don't know it, but I hope it's better than Rita.

- You don't like my name?

- I heard better... - he doesn't put an effort in faking his smile, and he closes in to give me a kiss in my lips.

He goes back to his place, and looks me in the eyes for a moment. Could I count the times he said something with his look? Trying to know what he really is thinking is impossible.

- So, miss – he makes a pause to think – stranger. What do you want to do now?

I smile. – And a nickname?

- Mmmmh? – he answers, while he's busy kissing my neck.

- That. A nickname.

His mouth tickles my skin. – Car*.

- Like the vehicle, or like Carla, or Carmen?

He stares at me, and I realize, he always looks at me profoundly when he doesn't want to talk about some subject anymore. Like he puts a final period to the dialogue. – Like 'cariño'. – and he seals his words kissing me on the mouth.

- Don't you like it?

- No.

- Perfect.

*NA: The translation here was tricky. I kept the original "Car", so that the word play/joke Facundo uses spells "cariño", like in the original Spanish transcription, which means "Darling".