Twisted Loyalties

07

After a while, with Val and Matteo here, it starts to feel... almost normal. For a moment, the weight I've been carrying around eases up, and I'm just here, hanging out with friends.

The three of us are actually talking, joking even, like things haven't changed all that much.

But then, right in the middle of the laughter, Matteo's expression shifts. "Hey, did you ever figure out what was up with Sabrina?"

Val's gaze snaps to him, concern creeping in. "What do you mean?"

Matteo glances at me, then shrugs. "I ran into her earlier today, leaving his office. She looked upset... like, crying upset."

I feel a pang of guilt. Sabrina had been there, in my office, needing a friend, and I barely noticed what was going on. "I didn't get a chance to ask her what was wrong," I admit, realizing how lousy that sounds.

Sabrina's been there for me more than I probably deserve, and I just... let her leave like that.

Val sighs, already fishing out her phone. "I'll call her, invite her over."

She steps away to make the call, and Matteo and I exchange a look, both of us uncomfortably silent.

A few minutes later, Val comes back, slipping her phone into her pocket with an unreadable expression.

"She's with Alejandro," she says finally, settling back down.

The name alone gets an instant reaction from both me and Matteo.

I groan, and Matteo makes a face, muttering, "Of course she is."

Val raises an eyebrow. "I know Matteo's not a fan of him but you too Julian?"

"Yeah, not really a fan," I mutter.

Alejandro's one of those guys who thinks he's got the world figured out, and he's always been a little too cocky for my taste. Seeing him cozying up to Sabrina? Doesn't sit right with me.

Val crosses her arms, giving both of us a pointed look. "Well, you know, Sab and I have been friends with Ale since we were, like, five. He's always been there for us."

Matteo lets out a small groan, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I get that. I'm just saying, he's... a lot."

I roll my eyes. "A lot is putting it nicely."

Val raises her hands in surrender, chuckling. "Look, I know he can be a bit much, but he's always been there, especially for Sabrina. He's practically family."

Matteo huffs, glancing away. "Doesn't mean I have to like him."

There's a beat of silence, and I can't help but wonder if Alejandro's ever felt that way about me.

When my phone rang and Val's name flashed on the screen, I wasn't expecting much. I hadn't heard from her as much lately, and I figured this would just be a quick check-in.

But when she mentioned everyone else—Matteo and Julian all hanging out together—it threw me.

"We were all just talking," Val said with her usual warmth, like nothing had changed. "Matteo mentioned he saw you earlier, and we thought maybe you'd want to come over?"

My mind immediately went to Julian. After how cold he'd been, would he even want me there? I was with Alejandro, and it was comfortable here, easy—without the weight of trying to figure out what went wrong between me and everyone else.

"Maybe I'll come by later," I said, forcing my tone to stay light. "I'm with Ale right now, just catching up."

"Oh," she sounded a little surprised, but then she recovered. "Of course! We'll be here if you decide to come by. I miss you, Sab."

"Miss you too," I replied, hoping she couldn't pick up the doubt in my voice.

As I hung up, I felt Alejandro watching me, reading the hesitation all over my face. This was the first time in a while I felt like I could just be Sabrina, no expectations or pressure.

Just someone's friend—without the messiness that had tangled up everything else.

"Thinking about going?" he asked, his voice gentle.

I shook my head, letting out a sigh. "No. Not right now."

Alejandro glanced over at me, a soft smile breaking through his usually serious expression. "Well, if you're not going, why don't we head out? Get some food or something. Take your mind off things."

I hesitated, then shrugged. "Yeah, okay. That sounds good."

Before long, we were in his car, Alejandro looked over at me with a casual grin as he turned the key in the ignition. "Alright, so what are we thinking—burgers? Tacos? Or do we class it up with some pizza?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Classy pizza, huh? Let's go with burgers."

"Good choice," he nodded, pulling out of the parking lot and merging onto the street. As we drove, he started talking about his latest gym venture, going on about a funny client who kept asking if push-ups were "really necessary."

"Wait, they actually said that?" I laughed, imagining it.

"Oh, yeah. Like, the guy looked me dead in the eye and said, 'Ale, come on, isn't there an easier way?'" Alejandro chuckled, shaking his head. "I swear, some people don't understand the concept of hard work."

"Maybe he just needs a new trainer," I teased, nudging him.

"Hey, I don't want to scare everyone off," he shot back with a grin. "Though, yeah, maybe I do make it look a little too easy."

We pulled up to the burger place, and Alejandro parked, still laughing as he held the door open for me. Inside, we ordered quickly and found a booth by the window.

t felt good to talk about nothing in particular, with no heavy emotions hanging in the air.

Ale looked up from his fries, wiping his hands. "Alright, be honest—who would win in a fight, me or your friend Julian?"

I raised an eyebrow, laughing. "You're seriously asking that?"

"Hey, I gotta know where I stand!" He grinned, crossing his arms.

I leaned back, pretending to size him up. "Alright, alright... you'd probably give him a run for his money. But Julian's pretty scrappy."

Alejandro laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, that sounds like him. But if it were between Matteo and me, no competition. I'd have him out in seconds."

I stifled a laugh. "Sure you would," I said, rolling my eyes. "Though I'd pay good money to see you try."

We bantered a bit more, teasing each other as we finished our food.

On the way back to the car, he turned to me and said, "So, what do you think about seeing your friends?"

I paused, caught off guard. "You really think I should?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Come on, I'll drop you off. They'll be happy to see you."

I hesitated but then smiled. "Alright, let's go."

AUTHORS NOTEEE
Is it just me or do I love Ale he's so cuteee
Maybe some drama next chapter??