When Where and How to Love

Chapter 32: A little kitchen!

Communal area of Valentina building - Saturday morning

"Can you put the toys and games at the back of the garden please? I don't want the children running around the cake table." Valentina was giving instructions on how to organise the tables and entertainment for her daughter's birthday party. "And can you tell the grumpy Latina over there that I need her!" The blonde had left her friend in charge of the desserts, and for the last two hours Lauren had been yelling at anyone who dared to even look at her prized desserts. "Ugh," the photographer sighed exhausted. The week before her daughter's birthday had been... intense, so to speak.

For starters, after the night of the 'tragic' park accident for which Juliana was found guilty and sentenced to spend the night in her recently vacated apartment, Valentina Carvajal had woken up early, ready to start her work week until an unexpected scene emotionally destabilised her.

Juliana Valdés was not in her own apartment; she was sleeping on Valentina's sofa. And... she was not alone, curled up on her feet was a small beagle puppy and snuggled in her arms was a small blonde girl, who looked identical to Valentina but was becoming increasingly like Juliana.

For the rest of that day, she couldn't focus on anything, she couldn't focus on her work, she couldn't concentrate long enough to find a place to hold her daughter's birthday party... she couldn't do anything. Her mind was constantly wandering between several images: Juliana and her together, Juliana and Kara sleeping on the sofa like two angels, a Sunday morning spent in bed playing with five or six mini-Valentina or Juliana. The picture of a perfect family haunted her throughout that day. Valentina wanted Juliana by her side for her whole life and she wanted her now.

The next day, during the dress fittings for Lauren's wedding, the blonde had decided to share her thoughts with the Latina. 'Are you crazy, drunk or what?' was the Latina's first response, apparently this was already a common saying among her friends. Not only was Lauren opposed to the large family idea, but she also thought Valentina was rushing things. So, the photographer forced herself to remove the images from her mind.

But Juliana wasn't helping. That same day the brunette was playing a home game, and despite the player insisting that Valentina, her daughter, and her friends watch the game from the box, because she did not want her girlfriend to hear the things that were shouted from the stands. The group, led by Derek and Lauren, were not convinced and so they sat in the same row as the first game. The photographer had to assure her girlfriend that she did not have to worry, but since the brunette did not want to spend another night alone in her apartment, she resorted to public demonstrations.

When the stadium announcer introduced her as 'the star of the team' Juliana came out on to the court but before getting ready to play, the athlete climbed several rows of the stands to reach her girlfriend, grab her by her waist, and kiss her while practically screaming, 'HEY LOOK EVERYONE, THIS IS VALENTINA CARVAJAL AND SHE IS MY GIRLFRIEND!' This gesture not only made Juliana score points with the VPB, but it also made the images of their perfect family return, making her crave it even more, if that was possible.

Obviously that night no magazine or newspaper cared that Juliana had scored forty-seven points, breaking the clubs record. No, the journalists had already decided on a different story, they even had their cover photograph.

Journalists, another subject that Valentina did not like very much. They were not only camping out at her studio but they were also lurking at the door of her building and even at Kara's school. Lauren had also complained about spotting them hanging around her neighbourhood.

Not to mention that after her girlfriend's famous declaration of public love, the cell phones of both women did not stop ringing. Valentina received all kinds of calls, family, friends, businessmen and firms that wanted her to work with them. She even received threats from different women, but one in particular caught her attention because the woman's voice was suspiciously similar to that of teacher Kim.