In the blink of an eye, it’s time for the Fiesta Nacional festivities.
Estrella Berrocal had called to ask Paula Rouco if she wanted to go home and, if she was sure, she would book her flight in advance.
Paula Rouco said she wanted to go back, but on second thought, Severo Laris might as well go home to La Ciudad Santa.
Then she said to Estrella Berrocal, “Mom, if I go home, I’ll book my own ticket, don’t worry about you and my father, I’m eighteen years old, can’t I even book a ticket?”
Estrella Berrocal didn’t think twice and said yes, it would be good for her daughter to have more experience away.
Before going to college, Paula Rouco’s whole life was arranged and taken care of, like a flower in a greenhouse, with Roberto Rouco and Adam Rouco sheltering her from the inclement weather and pampering her in the palm of their hands, without any setbacks.
“Fine, but remember to call me and your father if you can’t catch a ticket. You haven’t been back since school started and we all miss you quite a bit, especially your grandfather and father.”
On the phone, the cold and mischievous voice of Lucio Rouco: “Mom, don’t talk nonsense, I don’t want my sister to come back and beat me in bed, if she wasn’t a girl I wouldn’t let her.”
After a few playful words, Paula Rouco hung up the phone.
With the phone in my hand, I called Severo Laris.
The phone rang for a while and was picked up.
Severo Laris’ low, pleasant voice came on, “Hmm? What’s up?”
Paula Rouco squashed her little mouth and mumbled, “Can’t I call you if nothing’s wrong?”
“Yes.”
Severo Laris is silent for a moment, puts his phone on the table, puts it on speakerphone and goes to work.
Paula Rouco heard the faint rattle of paper turning beside her, “Am I interrupting your work?”.
“No, you talk, I listen.”
She sweetened to the fact that she was still a little on top of her work.
“I just wanted to ask you, are you coming back to The Holy City for the November vacations?”
“There’s no going back.
He has a lot to do, on the one hand he has a graduate thesis to choose and consider, on the other hand Bufete S, R and L have a lot of things to do, big and small, Rufio is basically a hands off person, Lastra is in charge, but he hasn’t read law, he reads finance and can only do accounts.
So it was Severo Laris who carried most of the load and inevitably was too busy to make time.
Upon hearing his negative response, Paula Rouco let out an “oh” and sulked as her small hands clutched at the bars of her dorm bed.
“I was going to say that I would come back to The Holy City with you so I could meet you to play during the vacations as well.”
Severo Laris’ thin lips curved slightly, “I have too much work, honey, you can come back before your November break, I’ll look at my schedule and take a couple of days to spend with you around Imperial. ”
“No, I want to see you every day.”
Sweet and cloying, Severo Laris is irresistible.
The man closed the file and turned off the hands-free phone, his long fingers picked up the phone and put it to his ear, his other hand pinched his brow bone, his clear, handsome face contained a smile of helplessness and affection.
“lita…”
He called her and the girl on the other end of the line said, “Okay, I know you’re going to say no again, that work is more important than me. But if you don’t promise to come home with me on vacation in November, then I want to see you now and have dinner with you, Severo Lawyer, promise?”
The smile on Severo Laris’ forehead deepened, yes, of course.
“Okay. Any particular restaurant you would like to eat at?”
Paula Rouco replied, “I want to eat in the school cafeteria.”
Severo Laris frowned slightly, his voice low and soft as he asked, “Save me money?”
“I just want to eat the canteen, are you satisfied?”
Severo Laris was still smiling, “Satisfied.”
…
Paula Rouco was already waiting in front of the girls’ dormitory when Severo Laris rode his bicycle from the floor to the dormitory floor.
As soon as she saw him arrive, she ran to him and hugged his waist, gently frowning her little white brow, tilting her little face in his arms and saying, “It’s been three days since I’ve seen you, are you third graders that busy?”
Severo Laris slipped his arm around her waist, reached up and stroked her long hair, looked down at her resigned little face and said amused, “It’s been three days since I’ve seen you, how do you make it seem like three years?”
“Severo, don’t you know the saying, one day without seeing you is like three years without seeing you? I don’t care, from now on you’ll have to spend more time with me.”
“Good. It’s not like I’m hungry, let’s eat.”
The two walked towards the canteen, hand in hand.
Upstairs, Buena was standing in the hallway bending down to dry her clothes on the hangers outside when she happened to see the couple downstairs in the bedroom.
If you look closely, it appears to be Severo Laris and Paula Rouco.
If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t have recognized them from this height, but these two were so striking that it was hard not to notice them.
Buena hurried back to the bedroom after she was sure it was the two men.
“I saw Severo and Paulita hugging in front of the lodge!”
Rio unplugged the headphones from her ears with a stunned look, “What did you say, did I hear you right?”
Buena said passionately, “You heard me right! I’m sure and convinced that it was Severo Laris and Paulita!
Rio laughed, “No way, Paulita is in a relationship with Severo so soon? That’s too damn fast.”
Analeigh had just finished grooming herself from the bathroom and wasn’t surprised. “They’ve been together for a while, it’s not like it’s a weird thing.”
Buena frowned, “No, wasn’t Paulita with Gaspar in our class before, how come she’s back with Severo in the blink of an eye, what’s going on?”
Analeigh said, “Why, she and Gaspar weren’t really together, Paulita had liked Severo before, she just wasn’t sure what he was doing to her at the time, but after that camping trip, it was official.”
Buena slapped her thigh, “This Paula Rouco can do it, Severo Laris! Paula Rouco, she’s only been at Imperial University for a month and she’s already knocked Severo Laris down with her bare hands! Shit, I have to take lessons from her! It’s unbelievable!”
Rio said objectively, “Well, don’t blame me for being honest, I’m not surprised that Paulita is with Severo, Paulita is good looking and Engracia is good looking, but she’s nowhere near Paulita. So it’s normal for Severo to fall in love with Paulita. ”
Analeigh agreed, “Rio is right, Paulita is pretty, a goddess and charming, with a nice personality and a good temperament, what guy wouldn’t like that?”
Buena brushed her lips and looked up at her face in the nearby mirror.
Her skin is fair and delicate, her eyebrows are well defined and not bad.
“I don’t look any worse than Paulita!”
Rio and Analeigh laughed.
Rio said, “Well, you do look great, everyone has different looks, so don’t keep comparing yourself to Paulita. I hear there is another beauty pageant at our school forum, and I think Paulita might make the cut.”
Buena got into bed and looked at the bedpan above her head, unbalanced for no reason, “I’m in! Maybe I’m a schoolgirl too! We won’t know until we try!”
Rio and Analeigh smiled at each other and said nothing.
Buena puffed out her lips, “If I get in, you’ll all have to vote for me! You heard that!”
Rio and Analeigh raised their hands in surrender, “Okay, okay, okay, okay, here’s your vote.”
Voted and not selected by Colonel Flowers.
But Rio and Analeigh wouldn’t dare say that, as Buena is usually quite outgoing and competitive, and would stand up if her confidence was undermined.