Chapter 3

Sergio

Sergio kept phasing back and forth in his living room, his palms sweating from all the nerve of what he is about to do. Never in his life had he felt this nervous before, and most certainly not over a single phone call. He released one last immense sigh and stopped in front his lamp table where his phone is currently situated. He reached for it with a trembling hand. As his palm touched the rectangular device, his eyes unconsciously closed shut.

"Why the hell am I overreacting over a phone?" He thought to himself, immediately feeling foolish.

He brought it close to his chest as if his life depended on it. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a vibrating sensation in between his palms and his chest; it was his phone. He couldn't explain the combined fear and excitement that just rushed through his veins. This is it. Raquel is actually ringing him. And so with one deep breath, he excitingly turned his attention to his phone and looked at the screen.

"CALL THE GIRL NOW YOU IDIOT!" the screen displayed, with a snooze and stop option showing…and the time indicating it's 8:00PM. His mouth hung open.

"Fucking…asshole!" he yelled as soon as his phone stopped vibrating, not entirely sure if he could already see straight. He gripped the phone intensely firm on his hand and then slammed it on the table. While of course he is trying to keep his annoyance at bay, he couldn't help but swear to all entities that could hear him right now that he's going to kill Andres as soon as this night is over.

He cursed again, a little more than necessary even for him, when he imagined how his brother must've been laughing his ass off at this very moment. He threw himself at the couch and removed his eyeglasses then proceeded to massage his temple to regain his concentration- his confidence, as well. As he took a deep sigh, his phone vibrated once more making him hiss.

"Oh I swear Andres…" he muttered while putting his glasses back on, reaching for his phone and then continued, "If you actually put a snooze on this thing I'm gonna-" his sentence was abruptly cut off when he saw that it wasn't an alarm that is being displayed on his screen this time. Instead, it was an incoming call from a certain Raquel Murillo.

Raquel

"Hello?" Raquel greeted for the nth time. She removed her phone from her ear and double-checked if she dialed the correct number and if it was in fact answered. Seeing that it was indeed Sergio's number and that the call was running, she spoke again.

"Uhm, hello? Sergio?" she heard him clearing his throat- if it was him, she thought. When another moment of silence had passed, embarrassment slowly crept in on her. What was she even thinking? The man must've been busy. He could be having drinks with someone or spending time with his friends- the latter more preferable. Not knowing what to say or do anymore, she decided to just apologize for the inconvenience caused by her incautious attempt to go out with a man she barely even know.

"I'm…" she let out a sigh. "…so sorry for calling." now that she thought about it, he probably didn't even save her number thus have no idea who's on the other line. She closed her eyes and face-palmed herself then muttered, "You're such an idiot, Raquel."

"I don't think you're an idiot." A voice suddenly spoke so softly she's not even sure if she actually heard it.

"Hello?" she tried once more.

"Hi, Ms. Murillo." He finally answered. A few seconds passed and then,

"Finally, Mr. Marquina." She replied and gave a soft chuckle.

"I could same the say to you."

"What's that?"

"Nothing. So uhm, you called?"

"I did, yes." She said, then allowing another moment of silence passed.

"How are y-" "How've you b-" both asked at the same time.

"You first." she offered.

"All right…how are you?" he asked.

"I'm feeling well." She answered then followed, "How about you?"

"Never been better. Listen uhm…I know you're the one who called but before anything else, can I ask you something?" Sergio said in a serious tone. She began to feel the thumping of her heart as the anticipation of what's about to unfold strengthened by the minute.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." She tried to act cool by shrugging her shoulder like this doesn't affect her- and then shook her head when she realized he couldn't even see her. Now she's bothered if she sounded cool when she said it. She bit her lip as she waited for him to speak.

"Can I…uhm…would you- okay uhm, I was thinking…" she smiled a little when she figured out that judging by the way he's fumbling for words, she's not the only one who's affected. "At least I sounded cool"- she thought, which made her smile even more.

"Sergio." She called out. "What were you gonna ask me?" she followed up.

"Okay here it is." She heard him took a deep breath, still he sounded nervous. "Would you like to go out with me tonight?" Indeed, there it was.

"Well…I was gonna ask you that when I called. It'd be a real bummer if I say no." she playfully said earning a laugh from him. The images of him laughing flashed on her mind and she felt the butterflies fluttered inside her stomach.

"Let's meet at Hanoi then?" he proposed.

"Yes. I'll see you there." She hanged up before either of them could even say good-bye and hurriedly went straight to her room.

Sergio

To say that he is anxious seemed to be an understatement. He is frightened because he didn't plan for this night at all and he was never the man without a plan. Everyone who knew him well can vouch that he absolutely hates being unprepared or getting into something that isn't carefully planned.

He didn't sit at his usual spot but instead opted for the couch seat for a little more privacy when Raquel arrives. He looked at his watch to check how much time had already passed and saw that it was only 5 minutes from the time he got here but he swore it already felt like hours. He caught Denver's look from the bar who waved at him to calm down.

The bell from the doorway sounded and he suddenly felt his muscles tensed. He raised his head to look at the entrance and his eyes were caught in awe by the sight of the incredibly beautiful woman who has been working up his mind restlessly for the past 24 hours. She was wearing a white loose shirt tucked into her tight jeans with her leather jacket hanging on her right arm. Somehow, she had managed to make something so simple look absolutely breathtaking.

He waved at her when he saw that she hasn't noticed him yet and their eyes met. She smiled and waved back at him. While she's walking towards him, he once again worked up his mind on how he should greet her. Should he extend a hand for a handshake? Or should he give her half a hug and pat her on the back? Okay the second one would be awkward, right? he thought. By the time he could decide on what to do, she was already standing right in front of him.

"Hi." Raquel said shyly while pushing some strand of hair at the back of her ear.

"Hi. Please, take a seat." Sergio said while pointing at the couch.

"So…" Sergio tried to start but couldn't think of anything to follow.

"Are we doing beer or coffee?" she asked.

"Your choice."

"All right. Beer it is."

Their laughter had filled the entire shop. Sergio has never felt this light-hearted with another woman before. Being slightly drunk has always helped his conversational skills.

"I cannot believe he did that! That's so mean!" Raquel said when he shared how his brother set up an alarm on his phone to intentionally fool him that it was a phone call from her.

"I know! I wanted to strangle him to death at the time!" He said happily now that they could make fun of that story. "He's a very good brother though." His expression and smile turned gentle and delicate. "Despite of all the ways he poked fun at me, he always looked out for me and my younger sister." He continued.

"Oh you have a younger sister?"

"Yes. Silene. She's in Tokyo right now, living the life "wild and free" as she referred to it. She loves to travel. She definitely got my brother's liberated attitude and let me tell you, they clash." He gave a soft chuckle. "But they both mean extremely dear to me." He continued.

"I know." She answered, which surprised him.

"You do, huh?"

"Yes. I could see it in your eyes and I could hear it in your voice." She said while staring deeply into his eyes. "And it's a cop thing." She followed and gave him a wink.

"Right. Did you always want to become a cop?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"Hmm I guess you could say that. My father was a cop and growing up I've seen the good things he did for the community and for the city and it stuck to me. What I really wanted growing up is to effect change in this world, it didn't matter how I'd do it. It's a hard ambition but…I'd like to think that somehow, I'm getting there." She said with dreamy eyes. "What about you, professor?" she returned the question then took a sip of her beer.

"Me, not really. It's just that I used to spend my whole day reading books. I was a sick kid so I was always confined at some hospital. I couldn't attend school so I had to learn things by myself. I was always too weak to do all the activities a normal kid or teenager could do so I stayed in my comfort zone. And I guess, just like what you've said earlier, it stuck to me." He finished with a smile. He couldn't remember a time that he had shared intimate personal information about his childhood to just anybody. Then again, Raquel isn't anybody.

"It must've been hard for you."

"It was. But I'm all good now."

"I'm glad."

The night had been nothing but spectacular. Sergio still couldn't believe that he is sitting in front of such a wonderful woman, who as the time passed by, managed to amaze him even more. He kept looking at her mouth and wanted nothing but to kiss her right there and then but he couldn't muster up the courage to do so. Instead, he slowly moved his hand to touch hers so he could intertwine his fingers with hers.

Raquel was looking out the window, watching the busy streets of Madrid so she really couldn't see that he was about to touch her hand. When his hand was only inches away, he took a deep breath and finally placed it on top of hers- only he didn't expect her reaction.

She flinched. She gasped. Her eyes widened not in surprise, but in horror. She put her hand on her mouth to cover the whimper that escaped from her lips. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Raquel?" Sergio asked in a concerned voice. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?" he was starting to panic because it seemed like she was already panting. He stood up from his seat and went beside her to help her slow down her breathing.

"Raquel, breathe." He tried to instruct her. However, Raquel shoved him away and ran for the door.

"Wait!" he made his way to the exit. Denver gave him a worried look as he passed by him but ignored him. He pushed the door open and was confronted by the cold breeze. He turned around to look for Raquel and there he saw her at the corner of the street evidently crying. He walked towards her and announced himself this time.

"Raquel…I'm really sorry."

"Stop." She finally faced him, tears streaming down her face. "It's not you. It's me. This is a mistake. I shouldn't have gone out with you. I thought I was ready. But I'm not. And I don't think I ever will be."

"What do you mean?" he asked- confused. She looked at him in the eyes and shook her head. She placed her hand on her chest, right where her heart is.

"I'm broken, Sergio. I'm so broken." Seeing her like this shattered his heart and he couldn't help but also shed a tear.

"Let me help you." He whispered so softly. "No scratch that. I'm here. I will help you." He extended a hand hoping that she would take it. He could see the sadness in her eyes- the very eyes that not so long ago was filled with so much mirth. Whatever happened to her, he would help her fix herself.

Raquel must've seen the determination in his eyes because she moved her hand and reached for his. He held her; his thumb comfortingly caressed her skin. He slowly pulled her and she willingly let him. They were so close to each other now. One feeling the other one's breathing. Raquel closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. Then she leaned her head on his chest, feeling the rapid thumping of his heart.

"Why are you not running away from me, Sergio?" she whispered. "All the others did." She followed. He felt her tighten her hold on his shirt.

"I told you, I'm not normal. I'm not like the others." He assured her.

They stayed like that for a while. Neither one of them spoke. Both embraced the silence. At that moment, he promised to himself that he wouldn't be letting her go anytime soon.