Ronda, 4 p. m.
It had gotten dark early in the winter, but since it was Christmas, the streets were full of revelers.
Esteban Zaragosa and Dulcina Calvo walk hand in hand through the village streets, Dulcina Calvo has Esteban Zaragosa’s black cashmere scarf around her neck, and even with the occasional cold breeze, she doesn’t feel cold.
Ronda did not have much to offer, so they had lunch at one of the restaurants in town before returning to the hotel for the afternoon.
Dulcina Calvo was undecided, wondering if she should go home now.
As I was thinking about it, the phone rang.
The caller ID was none other than his mother.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Dulcina, is your class reunion over yet? Your uncle hasn’t left yet, he’s waiting for you to come back for dinner tonight, do you want your father to pick you up?”
Dulcina Calvo said, “No, no, I’ll be home later.”
Esteban Zaragosa, who had overheard the conversation, said in a cold voice, “Are you so uncomfortable with me that you lie to your mother about a class reunion?”
“But my mother now believes that you are Lazaro Morejon and that we are now officially together, so it wouldn’t be good for her to get the wrong idea, I want to find an opportunity to explain it to my parents.”
Dulcina Calvo looked at him in silence, Esteban Zaragosa was still cold, Dulcina Calvo was the most critical of all and immediately reached out a small white paw and poked Esteban Zaragosa’s big hand, only for the man to take it in his own.
Esteban Zaragosa looked at her coldly, “Doing what?”.
Dulcina Calvo tilted her little face and winked, “I’m groping you.”
“…”
Dulcina Calvo had a naturally pretty face, and even with such a serious and even poor ingratiation technique, it was hard to be offended.
Esteban Zaragosa’s heart skipped a beat, he leaned over, looked at her with burning eyes and spoke in a deep voice: “Is a simple pout enough?”
Dulcina Calvo thought she had a very difficult boyfriend.
His eyes rolled like a hamster’s and, after a furtive glance around to make sure he didn’t know anyone else was there, he threw his arms around her neck and pulled her up to kiss him.
But Esteban Zaragosa was so tall, especially when the man was deliberately uncooperative, that Dulcina Calvo could not even kiss him.
After Dulcina Calvo tried several times, but the man kept looking at her coldly, she lost her patience, let go, turned around and snorted, “Now I’m angry too!”
The corner of Esteban Zaragosa’s mouth curved and he pulled her back, taking the nape of her neck in his large hands and lifting her up to kiss her.
Dulcina Calvo leaned back until her neck ached and closed her eyes, not enjoying the kiss.
A silent sigh of relief: Esteban Zaragosa is very tall.
It wasn’t until Dulcina Calvo was out of breath that the man released her, but still holding the back of her neck, his forehead resting gently on hers, he spoke in a muffled voice, “Will you stay with me tonight?”
Dulcina Calvo blushed a little, “But I already told my mother I’d be home later and my uncle is still at my house…”
“I’m heading back to The Holy City first thing in the morning.”
Hearing Esteban Zaragosa’s magnetic voice, Dulcina Calvo couldn’t bear to say no, but what would she say if her parents asked her if she didn’t stay out for the night?
“Or I’ll be back in The Holy City soon after New Year’s Eve, okay?”.
Esteban Zaragosa’s eyes shone with a tinge of patience and darkness. “I will return to The Holy City in the morning, and the day after tomorrow I leave for Italy.”
“To Italy? What are you going to do in Italy? When are you coming back?”
“Doing academic study, I guess I’ll be abroad most of the month.”
Dulcina Calvo muttered, “That’s too long. …”
“Hmm.” The man reached up and cupped his little cheeks, “Come on, I’ll take you home.”
As much as he wanted to stay with her a little longer, he wasn’t sure he could contain himself if he left her out there tonight.
I had just started a relationship and didn’t want to scare her off yet.
When Esteban Zaragosa grabbed her hand and moved forward, Dulcina Calvo suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.
The girl’s face pressed against her back as she suggested in a shy whisper, “How about … I tell my mother another lie?”.
A warm current flowed through Esteban Zaragosa’s heart.
Esteban Zaragosa had driven to Ronda the night before just to see her this time, because not only would he not see her for a long time, but he wouldn’t be able to contact her …
But now that he had met her, he felt greedy.
When Dulcina Calvo saw that he didn’t say anything, her little head rubbed against his back and she asked softly, “I’ll tell my mom we’re going to a party tonight for the class reunion, okay?”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a familiar middle-aged voice suddenly appeared, “Dulcina?
“Dulcina, it’s Dulcina, isn’t it?”
Dulcina Calvo shuddered with fear and the hand holding Esteban Zaragosa by the waist immediately released her.
He turned his head to look, “Uncle Loreto, good year.”
Uncle Loreto smiled and said, “Good New Year, Dulcina is getting prettier and prettier!”
Dulcina Calvo had a smile on her face, “Well, Tio Loreto, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave you.”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“Ah … no no, a friend, a normal friend”.
Dulcina Calvo pulled Esteban Zaragosa and hurried away.
As she ran into a more secluded alley, Dulcina Calvo leaned against the wall and cocked her head to one side for a moment. “I’m glad I didn’t catch up with him, how I ran into him, if he had gone to my house and told me off it would have been a disaster.”
Tío Loreto, who lived above his house in the same neighborhood, was a regular neighborhood gossip, and was especially fond of making up stories.
“Ordinary friends? Whose ordinary friend are you?”.
Esteban Zaragosa pressed his small body against the wall.
Dulcina Calvo’s scalp tingled, “I’m afraid I’ll go home and tell my parents nonsense, not that I don’t want to admit you.”
The phone rang again, it was Dulcina’s mother urging her to go home.
Dulcina Calvo takes a deep breath and picks up the phone.
“Dulcina, why aren’t you home yet, when are you coming home? I’m ready to fry.”
“Mom, I … I was dragged to a party by my classmates, they said an all-night party, and I’m not coming back tonight.”
After saying that, he unconsciously went to look at Esteban Zaragosa’s expression, who was indifferent and seemed to have little reaction.
“Why don’t you come back again? In this … your uncle is still at home, you told your classmates you had guests at home…”
Dulcina Calvo covered her ears with one hand and put the phone away, “Hello …? Mom … can you hear me? I can’t hear you … The KTV is too noisy… bad signal… I’m hanging up… ”
Esteban Zaragosa looked at her suspiciously, “You’re a good liar, you don’t lie much when you take time off with me, do you?”
“…”
Dulcina Calvo felt aggrieved and flattened her mouth, “I lied to keep you company, you don’t like me lying so much, so I’m leaving.”
“Go where?” Esteban Zaragosa pulled her in and hugged her.
“I’m going home.”
The man frowned slightly, “If you have told a lie, keep it up, didn’t your teacher teach you not to be half-hearted?”.
Dulcina Calvo tilted her face to meet the man’s mocking, casual gaze, thinking that Esteban Zaragosa was a sly old fox.
Esteban Zaragosa lifted her up on his shoulders: “Since you are so eager to spend the night with me, I will fulfill your dream”.
Dulcina Calvo punched him in the back with her small hands, “Who wants to spend the night with you! Put me down Esteban Zaragosa you big idiot I regret it! I don’t want to stay with you!”