Chapter 31: Protective
Reina was unusually punctual to Lu's party.
As she stepped through the grand doorway at 8pm, she smiled to herself, knowing that Kate and Emilia – or any of her old friends from San Patricio, honestly – would die from shock if they heard that she, Reina Velásquez, had not shown up two hours late for something.
But it was just for tonight. For Ander's sake – who wanted to plan out the strategy for his dare with Matteo during the school year end party.
Because he's my good friend. And we can't afford to mess this up. The stakes are too high.
Reina's eyes roamed, attempting to find familiar faces.
Anyone would do. She wasn't choosy.
If it wasn't Ander, it could be Marina.
Or Christian.
Heck, even Guzmán or Carla would have been fine.
"Well well, you're here."
That was not the voice she was expecting to hear.
Reina turned around slowly and mustered a smile at the host of the party. "Hi Lu. Nice house."
Lu shrugged and replied frostily, "It's not my house. But I'll be sure to tell my father that you approve of his place."
"Great. Tell him that he raised a really warm and friendly daughter too," Reina quipped.
Lu actually laughed. "I am warm and friendly. To my friends."
"Good to know."
"I am also protective of my friends. If anyone has the potential to hurt them in any way, I can't tolerate it. So please don't take it personally that I don't like you, okay?" Lu flashed a wide fake smile and batted her eyelashes.
"I'm heartbroken, but I'll try to get over it." Reina tilted her head. "Hey I'm thirsty. Do you want to tell me where the drinks are, or do I need to find my own way?"
Lu tossed her hair. "Follow me. I still know how to be a gracious host."
Reina was led through the living room where a throng of Las Encinas students were moving to the irresistible beats spun by a DJ at the corner.
The two girls walked on toward the staircase and stopped at the table next to it that held countless bottles of alcohol.
"I'll make you my famous Vieux Carré cocktail," Lu decided as she reached for a vintage scotch glass. In two minutes, she had deftly mixed a cocktail swimming in dark amber hues.
Reina took the glass from Lu and sipped once. Then twice.
"What do you think?" Lu prompted.
"I really like it," Reina replied.
Lu bestowed her with a genuine half smile. "Good. Welcome to the Montesinos House."
Reina took the final sip of her drink and was about to go look for Ander when her phone buzzed.
When she fished the phone out of her clutch and laid eyes on the caller's name on the screen, she momentarily froze.
Matteo. Why the fuck was he calling her?
I'm not interested in finding out.
With one swift motion, she rejected the call.
Now she was definitely in need of more alcohol.
But before she could pour herself a generous glass of Priorat, her phone buzzed once more.
It was Matteo again.
Muttering curse words in three different languages, Reina hit the reject button for the second time.
Some people just can't get a clue! Why did I ever date this loser?
Almost on cue, the phone resumed its buzzing.
This fired up Reina's agitation so much that she found herself answering the call.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT, MATTEO?" she snarled.
"Reina, I want to see you," Matteo's eerily calm voice traveled through the line.
"No thanks," Reina replied coldly. "I'm going to hang up now. Do NOT call me again. I'll be blocking your number."
"You don't want to do that. I know where you are, and I'll go there."
What the actual fuck?
"Since when did you become a professional stalker? Too much time on your hands? Just fuck off, okay? Or I'll call the police."
"I miss you. And I know you miss me too, Reina. Just give me a chance to talk to you..."
"Just stop. Goodbye Matteo."
With a few taps on the phone screen, Reina had sent Matteo into oblivion.
"Reina?"
She jumped about a feet high when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Jesus, Ander! You scared me," she yelped after whirling around to see who it was.
Ander quickly took a step back, showing his raised palms. "Sorry. Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Reina said, raking a hand through her hair impatiently. "I just need a drink."
As she was reaching out for the Priorat bottle that she had been eyeing, Ander's hand caught her wrist.
"No, seriously, what's wrong?" he prodded gently.
It was only then that Reina realized that her hand was trembling. She looked into Ander's concerned eyes and mumbled, "Nothing. Just that Matteo called me."
She could feel Ander's grip tighten around her wrist.
"That asshole? What did he want?" he asked, frowning.
"It was a lot of crazy talk, like how he wanted to see me. That he misses me and that he knows I miss him too. Like, seriously? It was so fucked up."
Ander gazed hard at Reina. "I hope you blocked him."
"Yeah I did." She hesitated before adding, "But there was something else he said..."
"What?"
"He mentioned that he knew where I was, and he would come find me. I don't know. He's probably just bluffing."
Ander instinctively looked around them, his jaw tight. "The dude's psycho. We don't know what he's capable of."
Reina was about to dismiss Ander's concern, but her words got caught in her throat and she almost choked.
The truth? She was absolutely terrified. Of what Matteo could be thinking – and doing – right this instant.
Her lower lip trembled, which did not go unnoticed by Ander.
"Hey," he murmured in a soothing tone. "Don't worry, okay? I won't let anything happen to you."
Reina nodded, her heart involuntarily fluttering at Ander's protectiveness. "I just – "
"There you are! My party people. Why are you two hiding here?" Omar's cheerful voice boomed behind them, causing Reina to be startled all over again.
It also did not escape her attention that Ander had let go of her wrist at the sound of Omar's voice.
When Omar saw Reina's expression, he immediately switched modes and went, "Umm what's going on?"
Ander pinched the bridge of his nose. "Matteo – Reina's ex. He's harassing Reina over the phone. With crazy stalker vibes."
Omar exhaled loudly. "Shit. What's wrong with that guy?"
"He's taking this way too far."
"Yeah. Didn't all of this just start from some stupid dare game?"
"Looks like he's playing for keeps," Ander replied, glancing at Reina.
Reina sighed. "I'm sorry. This whole thing has spiraled out of control. I don't know what to do... I'm not sure I'll even feel safe if I go home now. Matteo is pretty chummy with our security guards and household staff – they might let him in if they see him."
"Why don't you stay over with me tonight?" Ander suggested. "Matteo doesn't know where I live... Does he?"
Reina hesitated. "He would have his ways to find out, I'm sure."
"Let's see him try." Ander's eyes had never looked so determined. "I'll be ready with my baseball bat. And my rusty karate skills that had not been practiced for a few years."
Omar chuckled, but placed a hand on Ander's arm. "Are you sure this is the smartest thing to do? I wish I could be there too because two people protecting Reina would be better than one – but I need to leave in like ten minutes to help my dad with something at home."
Reina looked at Omar with surprise and gratitude. They weren't even proper friends and yet here he was, offering to help keep her safe.
"I'll be fine," Reina decided, trying to be strong. "Maybe I'm just being silly and overly paranoid..."
"No way. You're not going to be alone. Not tonight. And that's final," Ander said firmly. "Okay?"
Reina gave a slow nod and answered, "Okay."
So I'll just be spending the night with you. Someone who makes me feel things that I can't define and can't fully suppress. Someone who means too much to me. Someone who already belongs to someone else.
This should go really well. Yeah.