Bruno was pretty sure that this was a ruse by Julieta to get him out of his oppressive room and into the sun. "Still, going to see Aya is always nice," Bruno told the potted cactus he was carrying. Because Aya lived so far from Casita, it was Julieta that visited her most frequently.
"Aya, it's Bruno. Julieta sent me," he called as he approached the hut.
Dressed all in black with a black headscarf covering her dark hair, Aya grinned brightly at him. "Oh, that is a gorgeous San Pedro cactus!" Aya squealed as she greeted Bruno at the door. "Just put it on the counter over there. Oh, Bruno, are you okay?"
"What do you mean?" Bruno chuckled nervously as he set the potted cactus down.
He gasped softly when Aya cupped his face with her hands. Her eyes inches from his own, she examined his face. Her worried face relaxed after a moment. "Oh, I thought you had bruises on your eyes," she said, relieved. "Have you not been sleeping?"
"No. I was busy jerking off," Bruno tried to joke, but Aya's worried frown deepened. She didn't believe him. Bruno looked away. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Aya stroked Bruno's hair and then hugged him. "I've missed you, Bruno. You don't really visit anymore. And Julieta tells me about what she does for you." Her hands moved to his wrists. Aya kept frowning as she noticed how easily she could wrap her hands around Bruno's wrists.
Bruno wanted to escape, but Aya's eyes held him as strongly as her hands. He couldn't understand Aya's affection for him. He couldn't understand why she didn't hate him or blame him like the others. He would rarely visit Aya by himself. He always feared that she would lash out at him if they were alone, but here she was, worried about his health.
His eyes fixed on their hands, Bruno asked, "What does Juli tell you?"
"That you hurt yourself," said Aya, her voice breaking. "Bruno, I know Julieta is the one closest to me, but you can always come to me, too. The three of you are so dear to me."
Bruno squeezed his eyes shut. His broken heart couldn't accept her words.
Sniffling, Aya continued, "You and Juli and Pepi are the closest to family that I have anymore. So, it scares me to think that I might lose you, too. You took care of me. Please, don't be a stranger to me, Bruno. You used to sing to me, 'Cuatro Preguntas,' wasn't it? And I would sing 'La Rosa Enflorece.' You gave me María by Jorge Isaacs; I still have it. And you would hold my hand when the four of us would pray together. Those moments make me feel whole again. You love me. Let me love you."
Aya led Bruno to a bench nearby where he cried in her arms. He wasn't even sure why he was crying anymore. There was only fear tearing its way out of him. "Estoy aquí. Te quiero," Aya whispered.
A little later, Bruno was reclining on the bench with his head on Aya's lap. He told her how tired he was and how he wished to never wake up. He told her that he had started cutting at thirteen but only made his first real suicide attempt at sixteen. He had slit his throat, but Julieta had managed to bring him back, barely. Aya wept. Bruno still couldn't understand Aya's affection for him.
