When We Were Young

Chapter 3

The manager apologized endlessly to Rafael who was covered in pasta. But he spared no attention to the frantic older man . His dark eyes were busy glaring the petite woman besides him.

Rafael didn’t expect to see her working in a cheap , small restaurant of all places considering she was once a rich and spoiled brat.

Paula cast her eyes to the floor with her heart thumping widely against her ribcage. After six years , she had finally met Rafael Ramirez. The man she wished she would never met again in her lifetime. He was now rich , powerful and more handsome than she ever recalled. His handsome face graced most fashion magazines in the United States and Spain.

The dark eyes that had once looked at her with longing and joy now glared at her with great animosity.

"Forgive us , Senhor Ramirez. I will correct this mistake," her manager apologised again bowing his head in courtesy.

"Solano follow me!," her manager said in a stern voice and disappeared into the back kitchen.

Paula heard Rafael talking with his date behind her as she strode away.

"Do you know her ?"

"She only looks familiar , querida. You don't need to concern yourself with such petty issues, Camilla," he said as he clasped her hand.

Camilla!

A shiver spread through Paula at the mention of that name. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I only love one woman and that's Camilla. I will never dishonour her by engaging in sinful acts with you ."

Paula recalled in pain that cold voice when he once rejected her .

~****~

Rafael set down his fork suddenly feeling his appetite gone. Seeing Paula Solano again had greatly disturbed him. Rafael felt angry at her and at himself for feeling this way.

That damn traitor wasn't supposed to affect him in any way!

Camilla sensed his distress and called him.

"Rafael.."

His cell phone rang in that instant, stopping whatever she was going to say to him. Rafael's face turned to ice as he quietly spoke into his cell phone. He ended the call and looked at Camilla with gloomy eyes.

"She had another seizure," he told her.

~****~

Rafael stood in the doorway staring at her backside. She sat on the bed staring at the wall with a hollow face. Rafael clenched his hands into fists fighting back tears. She was no longer that lively woman he had grown up to love. Her face was pale and her eyes sullen and empty.

"Therapy is not showing any effect. She needs familiar surroundings and people,” he recalled the therapist's words.

~****~

Paula strolled along the sidewalk feeling gloomy. She was now jobless and up to her eyeballs in debt. Mean old Jason had fired her for one silly mistake after two years of working her butt off at his restaurant.

"Do you have any idea who the hell you just offended! You are fired Paula! ," he had shouted at her.

Paula snorted to herself. With Jason's temper , she bet whoever replaces her won't last a week . The old guy had serious anger management problems.

A sleek black Mercedes Benz parked on the curb hooted at her. Paula sucked in her breath when the backseat tinted window rolled down to reveal Rafael. He removed his dark Ray ban glasses and stared right through her eyes with one of his unreadable looks. Paula clenched the strap of her bag tightly sucking in her breath.