Skinny Love - Paul Aron

06 - Hospital

⚠️Trigger Warning⚠️
Mentions of drugs and rape

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Willow Bearman, London, 1:03 pm, Thursday, 30th May

"I don't know girl! Just tell him!" I say putting a bit of pasta in my mouth.

"You're saying as if it was easy." Sofia says while aggressively stabbing a ravioli? I don't know, this girl is weird.

We came out to eat at our favourite restaurant. Sofia is having a crisis about Arvid again and I seriously don't know what to do or say.

"Now you're not even listening. Girl!" She says aggressively shoving the last ravioli in her mouth.

"Sorry, it's just very boring hearing people talking about liking someone." I say finishing my food.

"I had to hear you talking about the dumbass of your ex for a whole year." She says.

"I know, but Arvid's like my brother, it's weird." I say.

"Oh wow. That's right. Sorry!" She says.

"I don't even know why you like him to be honest, care to explain?" I say curiously.

"That's what I was telling you before!" She says.

"Ok. I'm really sorry!" I say. "I'm listening now."

"He's just really sweet, funny and he's very handsome also." She says. "I don't know, I think I just really like his personality."

"I get it girl. I really do. When the personality just feels right there's nothing you can do." I say. "Just be yourself. Girl, I don't think anyone can hate you. And have you look in a mirror? Girl, you're beautiful!"

"Thank you." She says blushing. "But I don't know what to do."

"Tell him! The worst he can say is no!" I say while picking a dessert.

"Not the worst, actually." She says also picking a dessert. "It will be a panna cotta for me."

"A tiramisu please." I smile to the waitress. "If you don't want to tell him, you'll have to forget him."

"And how the fuck do I do that?" She asks.

"I don't know, but now let's cut the conversation and eat the dessert." I say, I love tiramisu, I can't be talking while I eat this. Probably the only dessert I'll be eating for a while.

We pay and leave the restaurant. We have practice at 3:30 so we will probably just go home and relax a bit, since until the competition ends the stress and pressure will be high.

We arrive at her parents' apartment, my parents live a bit far, our house is in Chelmsford, a city in the northeast of England. It's an hour and a half to get to my studio by car, so I just stay at Sofia's for the competition weeks.

"Sofia!" We hear a high pitched scream that belongs to her little sister, Isabella, she's 6. She also has an older sister, on her mother's side, Belén, she's 34 and currently living with her boyfriend, Luiz and their sons, Diego who's 3 and Mateo a 5 month old baby in Barcelona. "Te extrañé mucho! Hola Willy!"

"I missed you too, pequeña! Don't forget to speak English." She says picking up her sister. "Where are mamá and papá?"

"They are working." She says her accent very strong. Sofia puts her down and the youngest hugs me.

"Hi Isa, how are you?" I ask looking at her. She leads me to the living room.

"Look! Bel made me one of the plushies she gave Ollie last year." She says showing me a crochet giraffe, it's Isa's favourite animal. Last year Belén made a crochet bear for Ollie after his win in the feature race.