The Secret Between Us
Chapter 21

[IZAN]

“How is it that something so common can be transformed into something so incredible?” I push the supermarket trolley as she fills it with things and smile like an idiot at her simple yet unique gestures – organic or regular? – she asks showing me two cans of tomato sauce and I laugh.

-Whichever you want, it doesn’t matter to me,” I answer and he starts comparing the labels.

-Organic, I’m going to start taking a bit more care of what I eat for the baby,” he explains and puts the can in the trolley.

-We should replace a doctor for check-ups and all that…” I comment as we continue down the supermarket aisle and she stops to look at the boxes of pasta.

-I definitely want him or her to be perfect, I’m dying to meet him or her,” she confesses and every minute that passes away from that reality, the more I’m sure that this was the right decision. I am aware that they are probably looking for us everywhere and that in our houses everything must be absolute chaos, that without counting the scandal that Giovanna and Santiago must be making, after all we have abandoned them months before our supposed weddings -my love, can you hear me? – he asks me bringing me back to reality and I nod.

-Yes beautiful, I’m sorry I got distracted,” I admit and he comes closer to me after leaving the merchandise next to the rest inside the trolley.

-You’re worried, aren’t you? – He questions bringing his hands to each side of my face and I give him a slight smile that answers his question, “I’m worried too, but let’s think that they haven’t left us another way out” he says and I nod.

-I know, this is the only way you and I can be happy, besides, it’s not just you and me now, we have this little one to take care of and I’m dying to meet him too,” I acknowledge her and she gives me a brief k**s in response that makes me smile.

-Shall we continue? – she suggests and I nod.

-Come on, you seem to like this quite a lot,” I joke in an attempt not to think about the world we left behind and she smiles.

-I’ve found it relaxes me,” she admits and smiles at me.

I’d do anything to see her like this all the time…

[…]

Like any other couple in this world, after shopping we went to the house, tidied everything up and now we are enjoying such simple pleasures that were forbidden to us in our other “life”. We walk hand in hand through the historic centre of Toledo enjoying this beautiful city that has more than 2,000 years of history. Our gazes are lost among the churches and buildings of Arabic, Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles, each place is more beautiful than the last and for some reason, she turns to look back -What’s going on? – I ask a little worried as dozens of possibilities of something bad happening cross my mind.

-They won’t stop looking at you and you’re holding hands with me,” she complains, making me laugh.

-They were probably looking at something else, don’t pay attention to them,” I tell her amused and pull her gently, making her come a little closer to me so I can put my arm over her shoulder and walk this way.

-I’m very lucky that you’re mine,” she says sensually and I look at her.

-And I’m lucky you’re mine, Mia… I mean… Camila…” I correct myself and we laugh together.

-Do we always have to be like this? – he asks quietly, and I know he’s referring to this situation.

-I don’t know, I’d love to be able to tell you what the future holds, but I have no idea. The only thing I can tell you is that we’ll make that baby grow peacefully inside you and that we’ll be happy, maybe in an unorthodox way, but there are times in life when not all of us can have a “peaceful” life and we had to do it this way…” I confess to him under the effect of his grey eyes looking at me in that beautiful way they do now.

-I wouldn’t change a thing, just so you know… I don’t regret loving you or living our love in the shadows for two years, and I don’t regret running away. I know we’ve given up our families, but in a way they were the ones who made us do it.

-Sometimes I think I should have spoken to your father and uncle, told them that I wasn’t like the rest of my family, but your uncle in particular hates my father so much, I know he wouldn’t even listen to me,” I said.

-He is blinded by his hatred and his quest for justice, he doesn’t understand that you are not like your father or Batista,” he says and I immediately lower my gaze.

-My love, I can’t blame him for that, after all, his wife died because of one of my family’s businesses,” I explain in a guilt-filled whisper and she immediately makes me let go to stand in front of me and take my face in her hands gently.

-I’ve told you a thousand times that you’re not to blame for anything, you were 18 years old and you didn’t know what was going on in your family,” she repeats and I nod.

-I know, but the guilt doesn’t go away,” I confess.

-I’m going to k**s it away, come here,” he says trying to cheer me up and slowly gives me short k****s that make me smile slightly, “come on, let’s go for an ice cream and leave all this behind,” he asks me and as always he manages to make sure that this topic of conversation doesn’t sink me when I remember the shit that is my family and their business.