This chapter is intense! The tension between the past and the present is reaching a breaking point. Here is the translation for you:
Translation: The Confrontation
Flashback off
Without realizing it, I fell asleep.
"—Theo!" a voice whispered against my neck while a nose brushed against my skin.
"—Theo!" the voice said again—I knew now it was my boyfriend—but this time it was in my ear, followed by a playful bite.
"Chace, go away," I said, pulling the blanket over my head to cover myself completely.
"No, my princess, I agreed to spend the day with you," he said, pulling the blanket off my face and exposing me to the bright light.
"I don't feel like it. Who let you in here?" I asked, trying to pull the blanket back.
"You're sleeping too much; it's 11:30 AM."
Seriously?
"And please, we're about to hit our two-year anniversary; I think I can see my girlfriend whenever I feel like it," he said, yanking the blanket away entirely and tossing it on the floor.
"Chace, leave. I don't feel well," I lied.
"Well, I do. Let's just combine the useful with the pleasant. Come on, Any."
"You're being completely unpleasant," I grumbled as I got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom.
...
"If I knew we were coming here, I would have stayed home," I said as we entered the pizzeria.
"The place doesn't matter, it's the company."
"Sure," I said sarcastically.
"Sorry for not thinking of everything, madame," he said, making a gentlemanly gesture for me to sit.
"You should have, since you woke me up just to go out with you," I said as I sat down. He signaled for the menu, which arrived seconds later.
"You can't think of everything overnight, Theo," he said while reading. "I want a tropical pizza and a Coke Zero," he told the waiter and handed the menu back.
"If you came around more often, you wouldn't have to think 'overnight.' If you came around more often, I believe a lot of things... a lot of things would be resolved," I said. "I want a chorizo pizza and a fruit juice." I handed my menu back as well.
"We aren't going to talk about that here, Theo."
"Then when are we going to do it?"
"Not here, Theo."
"Right, but when? Since it's never the right moment? Since you never feel like talking? Since you're never in the mood to speak? If life and the entire universe only revolve around what you think, feel, and want, is there anyone else who is actually part of this vicious, idle cycle of yours, Chace?" I asked.
"I—said—we—aren't—talking—about—this—here," he said, emphasizing every word.
"We're never going to talk about your sudden trips, your constant bad mood, your distance, your anonymous calls, the deleted messages, the murmurs when you think I'm not listening—and God knows what else you do out there!"
"I said stop!" he shouted, slamming his hand on the table. It startled me and drew the attention of everyone around us.
Without hesitating, I stood up and headed for the exit. Outside the establishment, I nearly bumped into someone, but the person was faster than me and caught me.
"I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry," I said quickly until I looked up into those beautiful eyes again.
"Theo! What a surprise to see you here..." He started to speak, but didn't finish because Chace arrived.
"Any, we didn't finish wha—" He also stopped talking when he saw me with Bruno.
He looked at Bruno strangely. He didn't even need to say a word for me to know what he was questioning.
"He is... He's Bruno," I said simply.
This is not going to be good. Not good at all.
"I'm Bruno. Bruno Stuart, Theoany's friend," he said, extending his hand to Chace with a clearly fake smile on his face.
"I'm Chace Williams, the boyfriend," he replied with the biggest, fakest smile in the world.
"Boyfriend?" Bruno asked, confused.
"She didn't mention she had a boyfriend?" Chace asked, looking at me. I looked away.
"There wasn't an opportunity," Bruno said, still perplexed.
"And when is it considered the 'right opportunity' to say you have a boyfriend?" Chace snapped.
"I believe that question shouldn't even be directed at me, but... I imagine it's not when one is drunk or passed out in my car," Bruno said with that smug smile.
"Well, that's not unusual," Chace replied. "What would be unusual is me thanking you for taking my drunk and unconscious girlfriend to your house."
"Why? Your pride won't allow it?" Bruno asked defiantly.
Chace just looked at him, saying nothing.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Does your ego also not allow you to admit that you're a terrible boyfriend?" Bruno smiled.
I didn't understand what he was talking about either. They didn't know each other, right? Chace remained silent, but I knew he was likely boiling inside.
"Cat got your tongue?"
Bruno's question was answered by a punch to the jaw from Chace. Bruno didn't let it slide; he hit back, and suddenly I was witnessing an exchange of punches until the pizzeria security guards pulled them apart.
"Are you okay, Bruno?" I asked, going over to him and seeing a small cut on his lower lip.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said as Chace tried to lunge at him again.
"No, Chace, enough!" I screamed. "Let's go."
For a few seconds, he didn't even seem to care what I said.
"Please, let's go," I said, hugging him and resting my head on his chest. Finally, he returned the hug and walked toward his car. Before getting in, he looked back at Bruno—who was now standing there with a bewildered Dakota—and said:
"Don't let this become a habit." Then he got in the car.
Bruno laughed and bit his bleeding lip. "We'll see," he said as Chace sped off.
Why? I asked myself after minutes of silence on the way home. Why did they do that?
Chace always had that possessive, jealous air. He always acted like a caveman—"Me Chace, you Theo, Theo belongs to Chace." But Bruno? I didn't understand why he acted that way; they don't even know each other.
After about two minutes, a lightbulb went off in my head. When I was at Bruno's house and Damon called, I complained that they had abandoned me there. Bruno heard it... it's possible he deduced I was talking to Chace and complaining about him leaving me. That's why he said Chace was a bad boyfriend.
Before I realized it, we were at my house. He didn't get out of the car; he remained silent. I looked at him. Compared to Bruno, Chace only had a small cut on his left eyebrow. After the continued silence, I got out of the car and went inside.
It's Sunday. Lia and Chris must still be at their meeting. They attend a sort of couples' therapy group. I sat on the sofa and massaged my temples, leaning my arms on my knees. I was exhausted.
Chace walked in minutes later.
"What was he talking about?" he asked with his arms crossed after closing the door.
"What?" I asked, sinking into the sofa.
"Your friend said I was a bad boyfriend... he doesn't even know me, but he said it with such certainty." He sounded sad as he spoke. "Why?"
"When I was at his house, Dame called me and I complained to him about being left at the club. He must have deduced I was talking to you," I said. He seemed to reflect on this.
"Wait... Dame and Weza were with you and left you there? Is that why you got drunk and went with that guy?"
"Dame and Weza have their own lives. They weren't obligated to stay there with me like I'm a child."
"I'm not saying they don't, but Damon is my cousin and the only thing I asked him to do while I was away was to look after you. He couldn't even do that," he said, approaching me.
"I'm not Damon's girlfriend, Weza is. He has to look after her, not me. No one is to blame if you're never present to fulfill your own role, Chace," I said, closing my eyes.
"I wasn't here. Damon is the only one who studies at the same place as you. My brothers work; they don't have time. I only asked him for one thing. If he had told me he couldn't, I would have come back immediately."
"But Damon isn't obligated, Chace!"
"But he's my fucking cousin! What if something happened? What if you were raped? What if they beat you? What if you were knocked out? Those are all possibilities!"
"But they didn't happen, Chace."
"But they could have! I WASN'T HERE!"
"And why weren't you here, exactly? You can tell me."
He stopped his tantrum.
"I just... I can't say..." He looked away from me, and I started to laugh. I laughed out loud. He looked at me, visibly worried.
Why was I laughing in a situation like that? Was I going crazy? No. I was just tired of all that shit.