The Sun was setting down behind the Guadarrama mountains in Northern Madrid as Carlos drove his shining silver Maserati Quattroporte through the busy ring roads. On his right side, the only four skyscrapers in Madrid stood out among the city skyline, bathed in the orange-coloured and reddish dusk light. On his left side, the industrial area of the city had a more decrepit aspect, nothing compared to the views opposite. He chuckled at the contrast as it was also a metaphor of how he was feeling. When he was close to Leah, he would be the right side. When she disappeared, he became the left side.
He took the exit that will lead him to La Moraleja, probably one of the most posh and expensive neighbourhoods in the outskirts of Madrid. He sighed when the skyscrapers were no longer visible on his rear-view mirror. He wished he still lived in the centre of Madrid, in his nice penthouse in Serrano Street overlooking the Retiro Park. Of course, he had to move there because his wife couldn't deal with the constant hustle and bustle of the city centre and he, as always, just did as she wished.
He pressed the button in the remote control to open the fence and parked the car on the driveway. He took a deep breath before stepping out and grabbed his backpack. He entered the house without knocking and the back Spaniel Cocker ran to receive him. Behind, there was a little girl on her pyjamas already. Her dark hair was messy and she looked at him with a big smile and bright blue eyes.
"Papá!" she rushed towards him and she held her in his arms when he stood up. The little girl kissed him on the cheek and put her little arms around his neck holding him tightly. "How was your day? Mamá is in the kitchen"
"It was good, Lara. How was yours?" Indeed it was good, he thought to himself as he walked towards the kitchen at the end of the corridor. Knelt in front of the oven, there was a blonde woman. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she was wearing dark jeans and a green blouse. She stood up and made her way to Carlos and the girl in his arms. "Hello, cariño" he greeted her.
"I thought you were not going to appear today" she answered and gave him a quick kiss before leaving to the dining room to set the table. "Long day in university?" Long day in my office.
"Nothing new..." he responded matter-of-factly. Things had been getting weird lately and he was not in the mood for anymore explanations. "I'm going to take Lara to bed, we'll have dinner together afterwards, right?"
"Sure" she approached him to kiss her daughter and wish her goodnight. Little Lara yawned before resting her chin on her father's shoulder, slowly falling asleep.
Carlos took her little girl upstairs and stepped into her room. The green walls were decorated with some of her drawings and there were some pictures on the chest of drawers. He put her down in her bed and tugged her into the sheets. Lara cuddled up with her teddy bear and he kissed her on the forefront. He slowly walked out of the room and turned off the lights, closing the door behind him.
Before going downstairs again, he went into his shared room and took out the sweated shirt he was wearing together with his trousers. When he opened the wardrobe to take out some sweatpants and a clean T-shirt, he looked at his reflection. He had a tired look, as he hadn't slept in days. And he actually hadn't, at least not properly. He closed his eyes and clenched his fingers, wishing with all his heart that the one who was waiting for him downstairs was Leah and not Julia. But no matter how strongly he wished, he knew that was impossible. What is happening to me?, he thought to himself. She's just a girl, why is she driving me so crazy? Of course, there was no answer for him.
Once he was dressed again, he went downstairs and waited for his wife on the dining room. He sat down on his chair when she walked in. She smiled to him and served him some chicken as he poured wine into the two glasses of the table.
"So, how was your day?" she inquired as she sat down and took a a sip of wine.
"Nothing interesting, just the same as always" he shrugged. "And yours?" he actually didn't care at all but felt the necessity to ask to avoid creating an uncomfortable silence.
"Your sister Blanca came over. She said she really wanted to see you but you were never here when she came"
"Maybe because I have a job?" he answered a bit irritated by the accusation as it was not the first time. Julia realized it and decided to ignore it, just not to deal with a pissed off Carlos (lol how I wished to deal with a hot pissed off Carlos in bed)
"Ehm... I thought she was right; it has been a while since we've been together with your family so I decided to invite them for lunch this Sunday. Ana wanted to see you too" he pretended to be fine with the idea but he was fuming on the inside. He just didn't want to deal with anyone at that stage and he was planning to make a little escape from Madrid for the weekend and his wife had just spoiled the idea. "Oh, and I've also been busy with the Mallorca house. I was thinking that the bathroom tiles could be blue because..." and he disconnected, letting her ramble about who knows what about tiles and colours. He wasn't in the mood for anymore house decoration and his mind wandered to other scenarios.
He could picture himself and Leah walking in La Latina after having some beers in a nice terrace. She was holding his hand tightly as he explained the history of his city. Slowly, they would reach Lavapiés to have dinner in an Indian restaurant he loved after showing her his wonderful hometown. Then, Malasaña would be their next stop. They would drink some gin tonics in a bar decorated like a beach, with fake white sand and plastic palm trees. For him, Madrid was the best city to fall in love in. Wait, was he falling for Leah?
"Cielo, I'm tired" he interrupted her when the topic changed to carpets. "I'm going to have a shower and then go to bed" he stood up and took his dish and glass to the kitchen sink, followed by Julia. "I'll wait for you upstairs" she nodded and he let inertia lead him to his bedroom.
He took out his clothes in front of the bathroom mirror. He stepped into the shower and let the water run. He felt the tiredness wearing him up as the water ran through his numb body. Showers had always relaxed him, helped to see things more clearly, but not this time. He couldn't get off his mind the ginger locks that had been on his mind for more than he wished now. He shook his head and closed the tap to grab his towel to put it around his waist. He went back to the bedroom and there was Julia, putting on her nightgown. He dried himself and took his pyjamas.
"You seem so off these days, Carlos" Julia commented as Carlos lay on next to her. "Are you okay?" she rested her hand on his bare chest and he rolled to avoid facing her.
"I just need some rest" he whispered and she sighed and kissed his back before turning the lights off.
"Okay, then I hope you sleep well" but he didn't answered, his mind was already a couple minds away. Exactly, he was thinking how he would take Leah from Malasaña to his apartment in Serrano Street. The moon would be up high and bright, full moon and the noise of the cars driving through the streets would set the rhythm of their love-making. And then, they both drift off cuddling looking through the window, admiring the glow and beauty of the Spanish night.
A/N: I've realized writing this that maybe I just give too many details about Madrid you don't really care about so if you don't like feel free to tell me and I'll try my best to avoid it. I can't promise anything because I'm so in love with this city I live in (just see the picture above !!!) but yeah at least I'll try.
Also this chapter was a bit different and short but I think it was nice to get a bit of Carlos POV. Let me know what you think!
Enjoy your week! xx
t
