As always, Dominick had fought to take Jade with him—but it was Maximiliano who ended up doing it. When he heard from a woman coming out of the bathroom that there was a commotion in one of the lounges, he immediately thought of Dom and went to see what was happening. That's when he found her—and took her away.
In the car back to the hotel, he tried to wake her, but she remained unconscious.
"You don't deserve for things like this to be happening to you, Jade," Maximiliano murmured, glancing back at her sitting upright with her seatbelt fastened.
He reached the hotel as quickly as he could, handed the key to the valet, then opened the back door, unbuckled her, and gently lifted her into his arms.
"It's okay now…" he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "You're safe."
He walked into the hotel with every guest and employee staring at him and Jade, who still hadn't woken up. He ignored them all and headed for the elevator, juggling her in his arms as he pressed the button to open the doors, then did the same again to enter.
He reached his floor, already feeling tired. Jade, though slim, was not exactly light. When the doors opened, he walked toward his room. A young woman was passing by, and he stopped her.
"Can you do me a favor?" he asked. She hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Take the key from my left pocket and open the door for me."
She did exactly as Maximiliano instructed and entered the room with him. He placed Jade on the bed and turned to the girl.
"Maximiliano Anderson," he said, introducing himself and extending his hand.
She looked at it, then shyly took it.
"Irina Nóvikova, but everyone calls me Iris." Her small hand was lost in his.
"Do I know you?" he asked, squinting. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
"I don't think so," she lied, pulling her hand away. But he kept trying to remember.
"Oh! Yes, my sister, Shana, introduced us a few days ago. I think she had a… fling with your friend," she said, trying to change the subject.
"A fling?" Maximiliano chuckled. "It was probably just a one-night stand..."
He cleared his throat when he noticed her horrified expression.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to say that. It's just… Dominick..."
"Don't worry. Shana has lots of boyfriends, so it's normal. I have to go, they're waiting for me."
"But are you sure we haven't met before?" he pressed.
"No… I think I'd remember a man like you…" she whispered before stepping out of the room.
Maximiliano watched the door for a moment and shook his head. He went to the first-aid kit for some rubbing alcohol, but when he returned, Jade was starting to wake up.
The blonde's vision was slightly blurred, and her throat felt dry.
"What happened to me?" she asked, sitting up.
"Seems like you had a fight with Dominick and Christian…"
The memories hit her like bullets, each one flashing through her mind: the phone call, the kiss… what she'd heard.
"You fainted," Maximiliano added, pulling her back from her thoughts.
"Oh, God…" She held her head in her hands. "Now I remember everything."
"Jade, do you want to tell me something? Are you okay? I mean, health-wise?" he asked gently.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine. It just hasn't been my best week—or month… But I'm healthy, don't worry." She took his hands.
A loud, insistent knock on the door made them both look in that direction.
Maximiliano stood up from the edge of the bed and went to open it. Nerea burst in like she owned the place, running in whichever direction would get her to Jade fastest.
"Where are you?! Jade!"
She reached the bed, sat beside her, and immediately began checking her: touching her forehead, cupping her face, and turning it side to side.
Maximiliano watched the scene from a respectful distance.
"I'm fine, Nerea," Jade assured her, trying to calm the brunette, who looked on the verge of a breakdown. "Calm down!"
Nerea took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then opened them again.
"Explain what happened. Why did you faint? Sometimes I think you're wrong and you are pregnant," she blurted out in the middle of the commotion, making Jade's eyes go wide.
Maximiliano, who had just reached for a glass of whiskey, dropped it in shock.
Nerea realized her mistake immediately, and both girls turned to where Maxi was trying to pick up the shards of glass.
"Idiot…" he growled when a piece embedded itself in his palm. Blood started to flow instantly.
"Maximiliano!" Jade tried to get up, but Nerea stopped her.
"Leave it to me."
She went over to him and made him sit on one of the small sofas.
Maximiliano muttered curses under his breath while the brunette went into the bathroom for the first-aid kit. The bottle of alcohol was sitting on the nightstand—she grabbed it.
"Can I?" she asked. He nodded, and without hesitation, Nerea yanked the shard out.
"Shit!" he howled, wincing in pain.
"It's better to do it quickly," Nerea smiled. "And the alcohol stings."
She soaked a cotton ball with alcohol and began cleaning the wound.
"I hope you never become a nurse," Maximiliano muttered, eyeing his palm. "You'd get so many—Auuugh!" he winced again when Nerea, deliberately, applied a bit more pressure.
Jade laughed from the bed.
"Come on, Nerea," she teased as Maximiliano shot her a look. "Don't torture him."
"Only because you asked so sweetly."
Nerea finished cleaning and wrapped his hand with a bandage.
"You need to change it tomorrow. Don't let it get infected or they might have to cut your hand off," she warned, her expression suddenly serious. "This is a serious wound… very deep. My dad was a marine doctor, I know what I'm talking about."
Maximiliano's pained expression shifted to alarm. The burst of laughter from Jade and Nerea told him it was a joke.
"You two are evil, I hate you," he grumbled, glaring at them. "I'm out of here. You can sleep here tonight, Jade. You, witch," he pointed at Nerea, who grinned, "stay with her. If anything happens, call me. I'll be in Dominick's room until late."
"Do you know where my bag is?" Jade asked.
"I think Dominick has it. I'll have it sent up in a few minutes," he replied. "Order something to eat, you're looking really pale."
Maximiliano left the room, and Nerea threw herself onto the bed.
"We're gonna sleep like queens!" she squealed, bouncing on the mattress.
"Nerea," Jade narrowed her eyes, "what did Maximiliano ever do to you to deserve that treatment?"
"It's his fault you're like this. He never goes to those events, and this year, out of nowhere, he decides to go and brings Dominick with him. Something happened with him, tell me I'm wrong." Nerea sat cross-legged, arms folded. "And in your condition, that's not good for you."
"Nerea, I'm not pregnant. How many times do I have to tell you?" the blonde rubbed her forehead in frustration.
"Until I see a negative test result, I won't believe it. Poor baby… stuck with such an idiot for a father," she lamented, placing a hand on her friend's belly.
"I'm not pregnant!" Jade slapped her hand away, scowling, while Nerea burst out laughing at her face.
"Whatever you say. Now tell me, what exactly happened at the event?"
"Well…" Jade began to recount everything, from the moment Dominick showed up at her table, to when he left with that Shana girl, to when he intercepted her on the balcony. Once again, she was overwhelmed by guilt and cried on her friend's shoulder, telling her how bad she felt for Christian.
Through tears, she repeated every word she'd heard. When she finished, her head rested on Nerea's lap.
"Jade, it was obvious," her friend murmured, running her fingers through her hair. "The way he looked at you, treated you... God, when that man talked to you, it was like he was about to pass out. Christian's been in love with you for a long time."
"Don't say that. I feel awful… like, somehow…"
"You don't have to," Nerea cut her off, knowing where she was heading. "You never led him on. You just thought he saw you like a sister. And he never said anything romantic to you. Jade, stop carrying everyone else's pain. Live your life. You can't make everyone smile if you're the one left hurting. In the end, we'll never be able to make the whole world happy."
"But…"
"No buts. Let's go to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day. You need to talk to Christian and clear things up," Nerea advised. "Alright?"
"Thanks for being my friend, Ner," Jade whispered, closing her eyes.
"You're like a sister to me, and you know that. We're here to take care of each other."
They got comfortable and drifted off to sleep. The last thing lingering in Jade's mind was that she needed to set things straight—with Dominick, with Christian, but most of all… with Nerea.
Saturday, February 4th
Without an alarm clock, they woke up late. That meant they had to rush—just enough time for a quick shower before starting their shift. The head housekeeper was going to kill them…
5:39
With just a little time left before her shift ended, Jade stepped out of Christian's room. Her job was just to clean, but she couldn't help snooping a bit—finding a photo of the two of them. She saw herself smiling with a smudge of sauce on her cheek, while Chris looked at her… and in his eyes, that spark she had never noticed before. That day had been her twenty-second birthday. He had convinced her to go out for pizza. She'd had so much fun…
She shook her head to clear the memory, pushed the cleaning cart back to its place, and headed to her room. Her bag had been returned. She took out her phone and connected to the internet. She began reinstalling all the apps from her old device. The first one to download was WhatsApp. She entered her old number and recovered her contacts.
We need to talk ✓✓
He read and replied instantly.
Chris
Alright. What time should we meet ✓✓
At eight, at the café across
from the hotel ✓✓
Chris
I'll be there ✓✓
She read the reply and didn't answer. She left her phone charging and went into the bathroom to shower. She stood under the stream of water for a while, lathered her body, and washed her hair with shampoo. She rinsed off the foam and let the water wash away every trace of soap. Then she applied more again...
[...]
She finished up and got dressed. She felt melancholic, drained, with a bitter weight in her chest.
She put on a pair of jeans, a sporty top, and a black coat. She tied her hair back, pulled the hood up, and unplugged her phone. Then she left the room and headed for the stairs—she didn't feel like taking the elevator.
She arrived at the café, checked the time—ten to eight. She looked around for a seat to wait for Christian, but to her surprise, he was already there.
The blond was staring ahead, seemingly lost, looking sad and completely defeated. She let out a long breath and walked over. The table they had chosen was by the large window. She sat down.
"Hi," she said once she got settled. She felt strange, like something between them had shifted—like he was a stranger now.
The comfort they used to have, the ease of talking about anything, was gone. It had vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Hi," he replied, with a faint smile. The joy he used to show around her was gone, and that hurt. Because she did care about him, just not in the way he wanted. "How are you? Did a doctor see you?" he asked. She gave him a weak smile.
"I'm fine, don't worry," she assured him, pulling back her hood and running her hands through her hair. "We need to talk about what happened yesterday. Do you really… have feelings for me?"
A waitress interrupted.
"Would you like to order something?"
"I'll have a guava juice, just that," Chris said, looking down at his hands.
"I don't want anything." She wasn't hungry. In fact, she'd barely eaten anything all day.
The girl left…