Intrigue and Disguise
I applied a bit more concealer over my dark circles, absolutely no way Filomena could know that I spent the night sleepless, and it had nothing to do with Carlos. I put my mirror back in my purse and waited for Filomena to show up so we could go to work together. In a few minutes, she appeared, and I held my breath: the advantage of being friends for a long time is that I always know when she got what she wanted from men. I observe closely, praying that she doesn't run her hands through her hair... damn... don't look both ways with that carefree smile... Damn!... Don't come my way and shrug while opening the car door with a guilty look... DAMN!
"Hey, friend!" says Filomena, getting into the car. She turns to me with the biggest smile in the universe, waiting for me to ask about her night with X.
"So, how was it?" I asked, disheartened as I drove away. I have no interest whatsoever in knowing what their night of sex was. Yes, sex, because the two of them are like wild animals who can't go a single night without having sex with someone.
"It was amazing!" Filomena replies, spreading her arms. "First, he invited me to dinner at the hotel..."
Typical of X, I think to myself, turning the corner without slowing down at the stop sign.
"Then, of course, I accepted. I ordered wine."
"He ordered Ice tea," I muttered automatically.
"He ordered Ice tea," says Filomena almost at the same time as me, and then she looks at me surprised. "How do you know?"
"I spent two days with him in Africa, and that's all he ever ordered for meals," I replied quickly. "Go on."
"So, we chatted and chatted, and I finished the bottle. Then he asked for coffee..."
I accelerated the car, irritated. He could have been at least more creative. My anger is so intense that I run two red lights, to Filomena's desperation, who holds onto the car door.
"Go on," I said, annoyed. "And then he took you to the room, undressed you, and gave you the best night of your life?"
"No..." Filomena replies. "After dinner, he called his driver and asked him to drop me off at home."
"Oh... I thought you were hitting it off," I commented, trying to pretend I didn't feel happy about Filomena's frustrating night.
"Well, we were," says Filomena. "At least until I did something very wrong. I even need to apologize to you."
"What do you mean? What did you do?" I said, paying attention to the road.
"I asked him if he knew X," Filomena reveals.
"What did you do?" I asked, looking directly at Filomena.
"Watch out!" Filomena screamed, pointing ahead.
I look ahead and try to break...
Centimeters, centimeters separate my car from the car in front. I am still disoriented, not because of the scare, but because of Filo's last words as she now tries to talk to me. My car has only a few scratches as well, and no one is hurt, which is a good sign. Filomena stares at me as if I were an alien:
"Dália, are you okay?" my friend asks, frightened.
"Why did you ask him that?" I asked, ignoring her question. "What did he say?"
"Dália, what difference does it make now?" Filo questions, looking at me. "You really need to go to the hospital."
"No, I'm fine," I reacted, seriously. "I just need to know why the heck you asked him that?"
"Since you want to know so badly, it's because of how you reacted to him yesterday. You have changed completely, Dália. And that led me to two conclusions: the first is that he met Mr. X and you're afraid he'll reveal your little secret. And the second is that he is Mr. X himself. Of course, I discarded the second option because he would never show up in Barcelona, especially not personally get involved in something so public. From what little I know about him, he doesn't seem like the type of guy to expose himself. So I had to ask, I needed to know if he knew Mr. X and how much danger he could put you in."
"And then?"
"Don't worry, he simply said he met you in Senegal and there was no man with you, except for Richard. Then he asked me if you and Richard had an affair, but I vehemently denied it."
"If you have any questions about Mr. X, ask me," I said, irritated. "You exposed a personal situation to a stranger, Filo. That's unacceptable."
"Then tell me, what is Mr. X like?"
"Believe me, he's completely different from the financier," I replied, starting the car again.
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