8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cattleya Cardona

I t's two in the morning, and I'm finally back home after a three-hour bus ride. As comfortable as the seats are, they're not the best when you're trying to take a nap. I wish we could've spent the night in Santa Fe, but the team had us board the bus right after the game. Only Gatorade and power bars to tide us over.

Now I'm at the main door of my apartment building, still half asleep, looking for the key when I hear a little noise. I look around, on high alert, but I see nothing. It's a clear night and the streets are empty. I continue searching my backpack for the damn keys. I should have looked for them in the Uber. I hear the noise again. This time I try to follow the sound, and after a couple of steps, I see a cardboard box next to the street lamp. I approach it cautiously— what if it's a snake? Get it together, Cattleya Milena. Why on fucking Earth would a snake be in Palermo? I chuckle at my sleepy thoughts as I crouch down and open the box very slowly. Two yellow eyes look up at me.

"You're a furball with eyes," I say gently, and the cutest kitty I've ever seen meows at me. My heart melts on the spot. "Who was so heartless to leave you out in the cold alone? Huh, cutie?" I croon as the kitty tries to climb the walls of the box. "Do you want to come home with me?" I say. I slowly open my palm inside the box, trying not to startle him, and the kitty climbs into my palm effortlessly. "Ugh, you're so fluffy," I say sweetly as I pet it gently with my other hand, and he snuggles further into my palm.

"I'm in love," I whisper as I try to find my key. When I finally find it in my backpack, I quickly unlock the door and hurry home.

I place my furbaby on the couch with my fluffiest blanket, then head to the kitchen to warm up some milk. I look at him, sleeping so peacefully, and wonder how someone can be so despicable as to leave a tiny, defenseless animal to fend for itself. The sound of the microwave brings me back from my thoughts, and I quickly pour the milk into a bowl. My stomach grumbles, but it's going to have to wait a little longer. I need to take care of my kitty first. I sit on the couch, gently trying not to wake him up, but his head rises as I pass my fingers through his back.

"Hey, baby. Are you hungry?" I say as I put the bowl in front of him. He timidly approaches it, sniffing at first. Not sure if he should drink it. Deciding to help him, I dip my index finger in the milk and place it in front of his mouth. After a couple of seconds, he licks it. I move the bowl even closer to his mouth, and he quickly starts drinking. "Take your time, furbaby. No one is taking it away from you." I tell him as he continues to drink, his eyes never moving from the bowl. Once he's done, he goes back to his spot on the blanket, and I finally go to the kitchen to look for some food.

The next morning, I wake up, and the first thing I do is check on the furbaby. "I need to find him a better name," I murmur to myself as I stretch my back, still in bed. He's fully awake and ready to go. I moved him to my bed once I was done eating, and he slept on his side of the bed all night long. "I'm going to shower, and then we need to find you a vet, and buy some essentials," I tell him as I warm up some more milk. I open the balcony where I have a few small potted plants, and he quickly finds the biggest one to relieve himself. I'm always close to him, just in case he decides to jump off, but once he's done, he rushes back inside. "You're so cute," I tell him as I fall more in love with him.

After we're back home from running our errands, I turn on the TV for background noise and pour water and kibble for Furball on his brand-new bowl set. He scurries over to inspect his new area in the living room, and he immediately climbs onto his gym.

"I guess the view is way better here than from the couch, huh?" I tell him as I snap a picture of him and immediately send it to Isabella, one of my best friends. We haven't been able to talk much lately; she's in Italy for the summer and the time difference and my schedule make it harder, but I need to share my cute baby with her. Isa's reply comes almost immediately.

Isa

Awww, did you get a kitty? So cute. *heart eye emoji *

Cata

I found him last night in a box *cry emoji* someone left him in the cold.

Isa

WTF? I'm so glad you found him. How's it going? Are you happy you moved to Argentina? I'm sorry I've been so MIA but this summer has been quite eventful. *eyes emoji*

Cata

Yeah, I'm very happy here. The team is amazing, and the soccer level here is incredible. I miss home, of course, but having Sofi kinda close by is nice. She's been to every single home game.

Cata

And eventful? Anything to report? *eyes emoji*

Isa

Have you seen him yet?

And there it is, the elephant in the room. Isa is Luca's little sister. We met at a Taylor Swift concert here in Buenos Aires and immediately hit it off. We're the same age and were about to start college back then. Then we both got invited to Dani and Marco's wedding, so she knows firsthand everything that happened with Matías. Besides my sister, she's been my sounding board all this time.

Cata

I think I saw him the day I was introduced to the fans, but it was so fast, I can't say for sure. When I told Sofi, she said she doubted it because the boys invited him, and he said he already had plans.

Isa

Interesting. That sounds like Matías though, being quiet and lonely. Do you want me to ask Luca?

Cata

No way! Don't you dare! We might be the youngsters, but we don't need to act like it. We're not in high school anymore.

Isa

LOL that's fair. Oh, BTW have you heard Luca and Karina's news?

I frown at her text, I've been so absorbed by my job that I've isolated myself from the outside world.

Cata

No idea. Are they OK?

Isa

More than OK. Meet my nephew, Enzo Bianchi *heart eyes emoji *

A picture of the cutest baby ever comes next, and I immediately start cooing, looking at the sweet babe nestled in the tired yet thrilled embrace of his parents. Karina is glowing while holding her son, and Luca has a possessive arm around her shoulders. Both have big smiles on their faces, but the dark circles under their eyes tell a tale of little sleep and long nights.

Cata

OMG he's so cute. Congratulations, friend. Many blessings.

Isa

Thank you! *cry emoji* I'm so bummed I missed his birth. I wish I could have been there, but adulting sucks. I'm spending the summer (winter for you) trying to get art pieces for my gallery.

Cata

Wow a gallery? I hope I can make it to the opening. Look at you friend, a total boss babe. *fire emoji*

Isa

I hope you can make it, too. I can work around your schedule. *heart hand emoji*

Isa

And look who's talking. The Amazonian Warrior!!

I frown at her nickname for me.

Cata

What are you talking about?

Isa

Oh, haven't you heard? Last night, the commentators gave you that nickname, and it went viral. I saw it on the clock app.

I bark out a laugh, and Furball looks at me like I've gone mad. "I'm sorry baby, I'll be quiet now so you can keep resting."

Cata

No way, I'll have to check it out.

Isa

OK, friend. I gotta go. I'm on a yacht, and we're about to dock. Love you!

Cata

A yacht? Holy shit, there's clearly stuff going on that I'm not privy to. The math ain't mathing!! Love you too.

I decide to check out my new nickname instead of continuing to pry for info. I'm sure she'll tell me when she's ready.

Just as I'm about to tap the clock app, a notification on OfficialCherub catches my eye, and click on it instead. My soul leaves my body for a second as I see the picture of the guy who sent me an icebreaker. What are the fucking odds? Does he know it's me, the girl he reached out to? And even more, what the fuck do I do? I know deep inside me it's him, Matías. But I click on his picture to check his profile anyway. And sure enough, "Dark Angel" is his nickname. He has a pair of angel wings tattooed on the back of his neck. Twenty-six years old, civil engineer, loves reading and eating pastries, exercising, and is obsessed with soccer. Yup, it's him.

Trying not to let my mind spin, I call the only person who I know I can trust with this. She answers after the second ring.

"Cata, are you okay?" I chuckle at my sister's worried tone.

"Yes, sis. I'm perfectly fine. It's just that something happened and you're the only person I can bounce this around with." My sister doesn't say anything but my phone starts vibrating with an incoming FaceTime call from her. I hit accept, and her troubled gaze meets my wild one.

"Cattleya Maria, out with it. I'm worried sick," she says, using her "big sister" voice.

"Sofi, you won't believe this shit," I say as I pass my hand across my forehead. "Remember, I told you I was thinking about downloading a dating app?" My sister's eyes grow so big I think they're going to pop out.

"You didn't tell me anything about this. Ah, Cata, please don't tell me you have a stalker?" Her face twists. I'm sure she's already thinking about calling the police and telling my parents.

" Ay Sofi, don't be so extreme. No, that's not what happened. Let me talk," I say, and she nods. "It wasn't actually me who downloaded it. My teammate Stefa did. But that's not the issue. The thing is, I had forgotten I had that app on my phone, and today I saw a notification. You won't believe who the guy is," I tell her and wait to see if she's going to try to guess .

"Cata, just tell me. The suspense is killing me!" Sofi almost wines at this point, and I laugh, which earns me a glare.

"Okay, Okay, I'll tell you. It's Matías," I admit. It's actually comical to watch my sister's face go from confused to utter shock. It takes her a full minute to react, but once she does, what comes out of her mouth makes me throw my head back in laughter.

" Ay catre hijueputa (oh, fuckity fuck). Shut. The. Front. Door."

After my laughter fades, I nod, completely agreeing with my sister's assessment of the situation.

"The real kicker here is, what the fuck do I do?"

Sofi's face turns serious; she's thinking it over. "Do you want to talk to him?"

"Yes," I answer immediately, with no hesitation. That man is it for me.

"Okay," my sister says as she nods her head slowly. "Are you going to tell him it's you? Do you think he knows?" I honestly don't know if I should tell him or not. Either way, he's going to shut down.

"That's the thing, Sofi, I feel bad for not telling him upfront. But at the same time, I want the chance to talk to him, to reconnect, without him running for the hills when he learns it's me."

My sister gives me a kind smile. "You have your answer then, sis. But be prepared for the backlash when he learns he's been chatting with you. Be kind, and put yourself in his place." I close my eyes as a big smile forms on my face. "Ahhh, I see that smile, and I know what it means," Sofi says teasingly, and it just makes me smile bigger. "Just promise me you'll be careful, Cata. I know how much you feel for him and he's a great guy, but I don't want you to get hurt." And that's my sister. The woman with the biggest heart on the planet .

"I promise I'll keep you in the loop so you can keep me in check."

This time, Sofi smiles at me. "I love you, Cata. I'm so thankful we get to share these moments. Thank you for trusting me." Tears threaten to leave my eyes; we cry for everything.

"I love you too, Sofi. Thank you for being the best sister ever."

Sofi is wiping her eyes with a tissue as she says, "Ugh, you made me cry in the office. Now I need to go reapply my makeup." I laugh at her but blow her a kiss, and she sends one back.

Once we hang up, I go back to OfficialCherub and download his picture to my phone. The only picture I have of him is one we took the first night we chatted for hours by the shore. He's definitely changed in these four years; he's more built now, and he doesn't look like a boy anymore. He's a man now.