take my hand, because we are fragile and imperfect (ii/iii)
(nop, not real. part i. this is part ii).
"This is my second movie," Eva tells him one evening when they're sitting by the set, covered with dressing gowns and waiting to be called for the next scene. She's holding a bottle of water on her right hand and Martín has been staring enough to notice how the drops from the bottle fall on her fingers.
"Makes sense why I hadn't heard your name before," he says, and when she's looking at him with what he assumes is curiosity, he adds. "I've been doing this for three years now, I don't make many movies because I'm not a professional or anything, I only need the money, but I've been in the industry long enough to remember names."
"Ah, and here I thought I was sitting next to the Argentinian Ron Jeremy," the amusement in her voice is impossible to miss.
"You're mocking me," he reacts, astonished.
"You called this the industry Martín, you needed to be mocked," she explains and Martín would argue with that if he wasn't too in awe for how she said his name.
"We're an industry," Martín says, when he feels smart enough to talk again, "sort of."
"Sort of, key of the idea," Eva answers, "I tried modeling but that didn't give me enough money for me and my sister's studies, so I ended up here. Why do you need the money?"
"Myself, my family is happy living in Córdoba, I wanted a way out. They couldn't afford my life in Buenos Aires, so I took the matter in my own hands, and this was a handy option; maybe not the best, but it works."
"What are you going to be?" Eva asks, eyeing him "please don't say doctor, I'm sure there's a movie about that."
"About a guy that does porn to get into med school?" Martín smiles, "if there isn't, there should be, it's a fantastic idea."
"Now you are mocking."
"I shouldn't be, I actually think it's an amusing idea," he's still smiling and after a moment he recalls he hasn't answered yet, "I want to be a lawyer."
"Fits you," she says, getting up and offering him her left hand, the one that wasn't in contact with the water which is why it's dry. Martín takes it even without knowing why she's offering it.
"Are we going somewhere?"
"The set," she says, sounding amused again, and just then Martín notices everyone is getting ready to film again.
"Fabián is going to get me the number of who may be your future coach, so we can talk to him and then register you to the club as soon as you want," Diego announces over dinner, delighted to see Leandro smile.
"Cool," he finally says.
"What is it now? Because if you wanna try out for the swimming team instead, you gotta tell me now champ."
"No, no, it's not that," Leandro makes a face, "dad I even hate bathing, why would I willingly be in the water all the time? Besides, boys and girls aren't together in the swimming team."
Diego believes that second one is the real reason, but says nothing about it; instead he asks again, "what's worrying you then?"
"Do you think I could be a good player dad?"
"I think we need to see you playing more to know that, doesn't that make sense for you?" Diego gives him a small smile, "You're going to start playing regularly and that's something you're not used to, so maybe it's a bit hard or even tiring at first; but as long as you remember you want to do this for fun, and of course for Nadia; I think you'll be all right kiddo."
"Okay," Leandro nods, "but if I suck you'll tell me right? You won't let me embarrass myself in front of everyone else, and let me at least retire with some pride, right?"
"Of course."
"Promise?"
"Promise champ."
Diego calls this Gonzalo guy because Heinze told him he already had a word with him. The guy sounds younger than Diego thought and the idea of a High School kid training children comes to Diego's head and he hates that, but tries to push it away while fixing an afternoon to go to check the club and talk in person with Gonzalo; who sounds incredibly eager about having a new kid on the team.
When Diego tells Leandro all this, his kid hugs him and decides they should celebrate with pizza and movies. Diego decides that it's a good age to make his kid watch Casablanca, mostly when he's in love. He can hear Fabián and his brother mocking, but he doesn't really care.
Leandro loves the movie, if Diego ever wondered if he was raising the kid fine, here's the answer.
When Sergio calls him to let him now he won't be there, because he needs to sort some papers to start working in February at the club as helper, Oscar panics for a whole minute before deciding there's nothing to fear. He decides it, but clearly his heart-rate and his elaborated breathing when Lio texts him saying he's on his way up clearly don't get the memo.
Lio is, of course, holding a bag from the bakery. He's grinning and saying thank you before Oscar has done anything besides opening the door and nodding to his comment about December's heat.
"There wasn't much to save," he says, sitting down in the desk in front of the computer with Messi.
"What do you mean?"
"Most of what I recorded was a mess, everything moving and flashy, and there were a lot of awkward angles of tables and people."
"But you were recording a lot of time," Lio says, Oscar can't tell if there's any intention besides curiosity on his voice because as usual Messi sounds so earnest.
"Maybe I was drunker of what I thought," and is the cheapest, fakest line he can come up with, but Messi says nothing while he focuses his attention in the screen in front of them.
The video is not longer than ten minutes, it's badly edited and it doesn't show much. Watching it Oscar feels even worst, he feels like he was constantly lying with every forced shot of Lionel and Sergio, of their friends and the party. He had been doing so well, he thinks to himself as he tries to fix his eyes on the pastries untouched in the side of the desk, he hadn't even been thinking about - well, about anything. The compilation had been furiously fast and he had deleted anything that looked way too focused on Lio, or anything that-
"Is that all?" Lio asks when the video is done playing and the black screen stares at them and Oscar can't, he just can't lie anymore.
Silently he pulls away from his chair, gets up and grabs a DVD-case on the shell on top of his desk and gives it to Lio. It says "Lio&Kun's wedding" with the date.
"You can watch it, you cannot show it to anyone else, for Sergio and for your families I made you a copy of that short version," he doesn't sit again, not even when Lio takes the case from his hands, "I need to go now."
"Why?" Lio asks, and just a second after clarifies, "why just me?"
"Because that's what the video is about," Oscar replies, "you."
"But you don't talk to me, you don't stay around when I'm around," Lio offered, "you don't like me."
"It's, uh, a self preservation thing, I guess."
He walks away after that, trust Lionel to be smart enough to find his way out. Oscar wonders if it's too late to pick Gabriel Milito from his office, heaven knows he needs a friend now.
Sebastián comes for dinner early on the week, as usual, with huge present for the kids, he's spoiling them.
"You should have stayed in arts," Fabián says while they're setting the table, "I miss having someone who's not older than eight to paint with."
"I hate painting," Sebastián says simply, "I've always been a chalk sort of guy."
"That's a good pick up line," Gabriel points out from the kitchen where he's opening the wine.
Sebastián promises he'll try it while Fabián rolls his eyes.
"I know that," Ayala says, trying to go back to their original conversation, "but I miss the company and the critic view you always had."
"I haven't lost that, I can do it, on weekends, but I can," Sebastián goes to the kitchen and comes back with colorful paper napkins. "That is if I don't quit my job, in which case, I'll be over every day."
"You won't quit," Fabián says, "any job is hard on the first few weeks."
"Try first few months," Sebastián sighs, "I don't know why they didn't wait to the start of the year to name me CEO."
"Because you're too good?" offers Gabriel walking into the room, two full glasses in hand, "or, you know, that old man was being more a pain in the ass than anything."
"Yeah, that," Sebastián takes the glass and takes a zip, because he clearly has nothing else to say.
"You're a damn workaholic, you'll be fine soon."
"I knew you'd say that," Sebastián grins, "what are we having for dinner?"
"Lamb, you love lamb, feel the love we have for you," Fabián says.
"That explains the awesome smell and that you two banned me from the kitchen."
"Go get the boys." Gabriel answers with a rather authoritative tone.
Diego walks towards the gym to find the man he's meeting. There's a guy who's most likely on his twenties (Diego is thankful that he's not wearing a uniform and seventeen) dressed in sportive pants and a black River jersey with his back to the entrance. Diego is pretty sure he's found who he came to meet with.
"Gonzalo Higuaín?" he calls once he's close enough the guy, he extends his right hand, but when the guy turns he nods and approaches to Diego to say hello with a normal kiss; Diego is too surprised to even find it awkward.
"Hi," he says, "Diego Milito, right? Good to meet you."
"Likewise," Diego answers.
"Wanna watch around?" Gonzalo offers and unsure Diego agrees.
"Well, clearly this is the gym; I don't like to be here with the kids, but it'll do if it's very cold outside or raining." Gonzalo explains, he starts walking so Diego follows him, he's curious to ask if he's trained to work with kids or if he at least is going to become a teacher, but Gonzalo seems too eager to be interrupted and just in case Diego doesn't want to make him uncomfortable.
"There are two pitches used for children soccer, one for seven players and another for eleven; normally I don't like kids younger than ten to play in that one, so Leandro is going to be playing in this other one." Gonzalo stops there, letting Diego time to watch around if he wants to but Diego is a bit distracted by the fact that Gonzalo remembered Leandro's name; he's glad the guy is taking his job seriously even if he looks more ready to play a game than to coach one.
"He only played soccer in school, I have no idea what he's used to play, but I agree with you, younger kids are better in baby fields."
"They indeed are," Gonzalo nods, "and I asked around to see who was the teacher on his gym class, and then talked to him, so don't worry about that."
"Oh, great, thank you."
Gonzalo grins this time, he seems very glad to have done things right and to have surprised Diego.
"You told me he hasn't played soccer besides school right?"
"Yes," Diego nods, "he wants to start in January, if that's okay."
"Of course it is, he'll get used to the rhythm perfectly fine, he's young and if he wants to play, then we have nothing against us." Gonzalo explains, and it is basically the same that his brother and Fabián said, but Diego doesn't feel like he'll be informing them that anytime soon.
"Yeah, he definitely wants to." Diego can't hide the smile when he says that.
"Can I ask why?" Gonzalo looks to the floor, before lucking up again, "I mean, I like knowing why my kids start playing, I'll ask him later too of course, but you're here, so, maybe you don't mind sharing it with me. I understand if you prefer Leandro telling me…"
"A girl," Diego answers still amused, in part because of the answer he's giving and also because Gonzalo's small babbling.
"A girl?" Gonzalo beams, "Is he trying to impress her?"
"I think that'll be a plus, mostly he wants to still be in touch with her," Diego explains, "I'm pretty sure I'm the father of the only kid that doesn't want school to finish."
Gonzalo laughs to that, his whole face lights up when he does and his eyes are almost closed; Diego doesn't think his comment was that funny, but clearly this boy is easily amused.
"But he has a good reason, you gotta give him that." Gonzalo says, he still sounds breathy for laughing, "Do you know what she does here?"
"She's in the swimming team."
"Sweet," Gonzalo grins, "I normally take my boys to run carefully circling the pool before playing, so seeing her won't be an issue at all."
"He'll be very happy to know that."
Gonzalo is walking again, probably with the gym as destination, so Diego follows him.
"Oh, hey, do you wanna come to see the games?" Gonzalo asks.
"Can I?"
"Yeah, of course," he's smiling again and Diego believes it's his default state. "Most parents don't stay the whole time, but you're free to come in and out whenever you want to."
"Wonderful, thank you."
"Sure, but, ah," Gonzalo looks up to him before talking, "in your particular case, check with Leandro, okay? You don't wanna mess with your kid's intentions towards a lady being around all the time, right?"
Diego grins to that, "of course not."
"So, so, how did it go?" Leandro asks before even saying hello when Diego picks him up from school after meeting with Gonzalo.
"Very well, your coach is a nice guy and he's very happy with you starting."
"I can tell Nadia now," Leandro smiles widely, it looks so much like his mother's smile that Diego can't help the small pain in his chest. "I can tell her we'll see each others in summer, too."
"Yes champ, you can," Diego grins at him, "oh, and Gonzalo wants to meet you before January, so we're going after class one day, okay?"
"Gonzalo is my coach, right?" Leandro asks, making sure, to which Diego nods and the kids answers an agreement.
Javier starts writing again after he gets used to the cold and to the noises Nicolás makes in the kitchen, fixing meals even when he doesn't have to and just sitting around and reading the rest of the time. Javier is very curious to find out what Nicolás is reading about, but asking Nicolás will be either pointless or a very exhausting deduction exercise that Javier isn't up for, at least not yet.
If Javier is being honest with himself, he's writing again because he really has nothing else to do; the novelty of the place has started to worn off and his own head is tired of his whinnying and his questions about "what would have happened if...?". If he's coming with many scenarios that could have solved his love life earlier that very same year (or ten years ago) he may as well put them together somewhere, for future use or (much likely) future storage. After all Juampi has always been right, writing is cheaper than therapy.
The ritual remains intact: he opens his personal computer and stares at it for about ten minutes before deciding that he's not ready to type the words yet; just like it has always happened for Javier. He needs the words on paper at the beginning, needs to see them and bond to them before they actually make it to what could be a real final draft. So he takes the pen and paper he had put away earlier and starts writing. There are full sentences and only words, an idea that begins and doesn't end, a character name here and there, a description and... and Nicolás' name in the left margin of the paper, where it's actually uncomfortable to write something, with a question mark after the small calligraphic 's'. Javier wonders largely if Nicolás has a story worth telling.
He's inclined to believe that yes, he does; but he doesn't scratch the question mark as he goes own with his brainstorming.
"And what are you studding for?" Martín asks as following the conversation from the last day they saw each other, his voice lower than usual because they're filming and even if the sound isn't important he doesn't want everyone listening to them.
"I'm going to become a nurse."
Martín stops moving and stares, Eva is actually wearing something that looks a lot like a kinky nurse uniform; but before he can respond in any other way she's quietly laughing and punching him in the arm to bring him back to reality.
"God, your face," she says, trying to hold in her laugh. "It was so worth it."
Martín is having second thoughts about if he likes Eva as the director asks if everything is all right and they both lie with a short "yes" and resume on caressing each other's bodies as if they were into it.
"I don't like you," Martín finally says, decision made.
"There's a part of your anatomy that begs to disagree."
Martín rolls his eyes with intent to that, "I'm not even going to answer that."
Eva smiles, she's still beautiful when she does, and that wins over basically everything right now.
"I'm going to be a teacher," she finally says, with her voice normal as if she wasn't grabbing his ass while doing so.
Heinze arrives early for the second time that week, another good thing about the end of the year and the lack of duties around the magazine. The house is in complete silence and that makes him remember that Diego Milito was picking up the twins from school and they were all at his house until the night when they'll meet for dinner. That, thought, doesn't explain the lack of his husband around; yet it gives enough clues to Gabriel about where Fabián could be.
The sound of music from the room more far away from the entrance finally gets to Gabriel's ears as he walks in that direction, Fabián's study is away from the rest of the house for his and the family's comfort. Gabriel can't tell the song that's playing but he identifies Lito Mestre's voice alongside with Charly García's; Fabián is a cursi old man in many things, mostly when he's painting.
"I can't believe that record isn't broken yet," he says when he enters, Fabián has his back to him but Gabriel still knows he's smiling.
"Luckily they make them from more resistant materials these days, eh?" is the reply before Fabián turns, his face looks relaxed and has a stain of brown paint in his cheek, even after all this years, Gabriel still finds it adorable.
"Luckily," he agrees, and walks to Fabián with a small smile, kissing him lightly as a hello. "Inspired?"
"A very silent day actually," confesses Fabián, putting the brush away in a small cabinet next to the lectern he was using. "How was yours?"
"Slow, we're ready to print many of the things for January, Esteban just came back with the racing reports, so when he's done with that and I have it to read we'll be closing the year."
"That sounds remarkably good," Fabián smiles, he has his arms crossed over his chest and Gabriel is so used to seeing him like this it feels perfectly at ease.
"I know, right?" he smiles, "what time do we need to be at Diego's?"
"Eight-thirty, we'll have a calm dinner and enough time to bring the boys back and into bed early. We're taking Leandro with us, Diego needs to pick up a few old papers from Jessica's house in Rosario and he doesn't have the time to take Lean to class."
"All right," Gabriel nods, "can we say once more how adorable is that the boy is going to start soccer just to be around the girl he likes?"
"We all do stupid things for love," Fabián says with a knowing voice, Gabriel can tell he's talking about them; about how Fabián lost two subjects in Art School to hang around him when Gabriel was at Fabián's university. They didn't study in the same place, and the only reason Gabriel was there sometimes was the University's soccer team and their games; that was how they met. It cost Fabián almost his whole studding year and Gabriel was even dating a girl those days; but Ayala says he doesn't regret it at all, because even if the odds were against him, he couldn't just let Gaby walk away from his life without even trying.
"Yes, yes," Gabriel feels himself weak, like every time that memories about the start of their relationship come by, he feels like all that happened so long ago, in another life. And now he's full grown man with two kids and an important work position, not a teen that fell for the older art-nerd when he was supposed to love the same girl he was with since he was thirteen. Gabriel misses that boy sometimes, and misses the boy he fell for; that's why when Fabián puts Sui Generies on and he paints for the whole day Gabriel feels oddly comfortable, peaceful, back in time even.
"Peny for your thoughts," Fabián asks, he has his brush on his hands again, but his attentions still on Gabriel.
"I was thinking about the younger Milito brother," he lies, just a bit, because he has been thinking about Gabriel Milito quite a lot these days, "and about Cambiasso, you know, the blonde that Sebastián says that looks like a chick."
Fabián snorts, "I remember him, yes, what about them? Besides Gabriel's doomed crush of course."
"I don't think it's that doomed honestly, Gaby overreacts, as usual; but I was wondering…" Gabriel sighs. "How can I talk to an employee about his love life without it sounding like sexual arrestment?"
Fabián's only answer is laughing; Gabriel glares and on his way out he turns off the music. That'll teach Fabián who he's messing with.
The next time Sebastián is confronted with this Sorín guy has already a better start than their last encounter because, for starters, Sebastián is in a better mood, meaning he doesn't have the impulse of running away from the office and he doesn't hate his job that much. Surely the dinner at his friends' house from a few nights ago did the trick, also the fact that the weather isn't that hot today (Sebastián despises the heat almost as much as he despises 'Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata', and that's saying a lot). All that is actually very good, because Sorín comes to his office with a bunch of papers and books that apparently Sebastián needs to go through during the day.
"You always have this much work?" he asks, trying to sound more concerned than surprised.
"It's the end of the year, everyone wants their financial record clean for the next one, every department comes back with a nice book for my team to look over in hours and I need to proof read them all, which means you need to proof read them, too." Sorín sounds more amicable than last time, or maybe Sebastián's impression of him is different.
"And you need my approval for the end of the day?"
"That would be lovely," there's something about how Sorín says 'lovely' that makes Sebastián smile against his will.
"Well, it's not like I have a life, so I'll take care of it."
"You were just promoted to CEO, of course you don't have a life, I was counting on that."
Sebastián doesn't even try to fight the smile this time, "I'll leave them in your office before leaving, considering you're my CFO, I'm thinking you don't have a life either."
"Of course I don't." Sorín answers while he starts leaving the office; when Sebatián watches him go he can't take his eyes away from that hair. Just like the first time.
When Sebastián is back from lunch he finds a new pile of financial books on his desk, different from the ones he saw the day before with a note on top that says "I can't believe you actually left the office for something like lunch". The intent on the last word can be even seen in paper and the signature is Sorín's initials, Sebastián laughs at the handwritten message.
Later that day, when he's done, he waits for Sorín to be outside his office before dropping the books leaving with them a note as well "next time I'll stay in and you and your books can join me."
He's not quite sure why he makes the offer, he thinks he's just amusing himself and bothering Sorín.
"Gonzalo told me you went to see him," Fabián comments over a shared coffee cup outside the school; the kids have shorter classes and goodbye acts most days, so it's better to stay close to pick them up.
"Did he?" Diego is distracted with the car on the street; he always wanted a green car.
"Yep," Fabián says. "He called you Diego; he said, 'your friend, Diego, came to see me about his kid'. He sounded glad."
"Good thing he called me Diego, being that my name and all," he replies, focusing again on Fabián and leaving the car alone.
"He still calls me Juan's dad, and I've known him for about three years or even more; he calls Gaby that, too."
"So? He doesn't know Leandro just yet, he'll start calling me Leandro's dad in no time, I'm sure." Diego says before drinking from his cup, "are you ever going to lose the habit of looking for something that's not even there? Hell, I don't even know what you're looking for."
"He's a striker in the staff team, you always liked strikers."
"I know you're desperate to set me up with someone, but isn't this too much even for you?"
"That's because you didn't see him saying 'Diego came to see me', his face probably hurt after so much smiling."
"Sometimes I think I'm friends with a teenager girl."
"One with a very good record of matchmaking."
"I'm asking for the check and we're leaving, you need fresh air."
There's a whole scene in which Martín isn't needed. He could have even come in later if he wanted. Eva has to shower, they're going to take angles of her body getting wet and covered in soap to replace later with the original girl and Martín can't help but think that Eva is prettier than whoever the other girl is, but it's not his place to even comment on that.
Normally he doesn't care for those scenes. When he's not in them he just gets lost in set, avoiding talks with people who have seen him basically naked, and not eating because most food from the set taste like plastic when it's only for them. In this case he cares, but not because he wants to actually see Eva naked, but because he wants to make sure everyone else behaves with her.
It's stupid and he knows it, but that's not going to stop him.
So he stays in one of the chairs they've been in when they had free moments, holding an extra dressing gown that belongs to Eva because he has this idiotic need of covering her as soon as he can. As if that would actually help, considering that many people outside this set are also going to see the images. Martín has never considered or even been a bit concerned about the people that saw the movies he appeared on, after all his face wasn't actually there, he was just a double for a few body shots and the money was pretty good. But now, when it's about Eva's delicate figure, her fair skin and her precious curves, he despises the idea.
"We're done sweetheart," says the director's voice, and the guy minds so little about the naked bodies in front of him… He's only worried about getting the right take, and getting the lights in the correct angles with his team for when the real actors get in, that Martín likes him best; mostly over the whispers of "oh, what a shame, that was a nice show" that he hears from more than one crew member.
Martín gets up from his seat as fast as he can without looking stupid or desperate and waits for Eva to move away from the made-up bathroom to offer her the clothe to wrap her. The weather both on set and outside is hot, so Martín is sure she's not cold, but he still wants to enfold her tightly. Eva walks right to him, and in place of taking the clothe she lets Martín cover her with it; he gives her a tiny smile, unsure, but she grins back at him with a calm "thank you" leaving her lips, that makes his heart skip a beat.
Martín is so doomed and he doesn't even care.
Another summer storm hits Buenos Aires' hot December and it's just like all the previous ones were and the future ones surely will be: the clouds make the sky impossibly dark so it doesn't look like the start of the day, the humidity is disgusting and the somehow coldish breeze does nothing besides directing the heavy drops everywhere.
Sebastián hates it on principle: it's happening in summer, his least favourite season of the year. He's oddly amused about how all the office talks are somehow related to the storm, he's been there for less than an hour and has heard at least twenty variants of the comment "what an awful weather", including the sarcastic remarks and the bitchy complains in favor of ruined plans. Sebastián finds it funny when people are so predictable.
The knock on his office door distracts him from watching the dark sky from his huge window; he says "come in" while wondering what sort of "terrible weather" comment he'll get now. In almost full silence, with a barely muttered "good morning", Sorín walks in and settles four books on his table. Sebastián is about to comment on the weather himself, just to see the man react but the words caught on his tongue when he notices Sorín's hair. It's not only untidy, but also soaked, soaked enough that surely it was dripping a moment ago.
"Did you get wet with the rain?"
"No, I just showered in the office." Sorín replies without looking up and Sebastián would be offended for a comment like that if it wasn't for the smile he saw forming in Sorín's face.
"Kinky."
"Always," Sorín's smile is now a grin as he points the books that Sebastián had almost forgotten. "Could you be done before lunch? I have a whole other bunch in my office, too."
"Of course." Sebastián answers, and as Sorín starts to walk away he calls "wouldn't it be easier if you cut it? Your hair, I mean."
Sorín stops on his track, turns and glares at Sebastián with enough intent that it makes him feel like retreating and begging for forgiveness. Finally Sorín answers, "no, you ignorant bald, it wouldn't."
Sebastián isn't sure if he can laugh at that, so he does nothing, not even breathing until Sorín leaves the office without any other word.
Sebastián takes the four books under his arm and walks to Sorín's office still wondering if he owes the man an apology or not. He knocks and there's barely a faint answer that allows him entrance.
"I'm done with these," he announces with a smile that isn't immediately returned, but when Sorín lifts his head from his own work, he manages a tiny beam.
"You can take the ones on the chair now if you want." Sorín answers, his voice sounds more resigned than bossy or anything else.
"Or we can go to lunch and come back in an hour, refreshed and better to deal with the worst part of the job."
When he doesn't get an immediate response, Sebastián thinks about making up an excuse and taking the books with him and never, never ever again trying to be nicer than necessary with someone from work.
"It's still raining outside, I'm not going out and risking getting wet," Sorín explains and without letting Sebastián add anything he goes on after a breath, "you can go out and bring us something, I'll make room for you in my desk and everything."
He's going to say no, he really is. But what comes out instead is: "fine, in protection of you and your precious hair, I'll go out and get wet."
Sebastián isn't even sure why he brought up the hair thing, but Sorín's grin to that makes it worth it, "I'll take anything from the fast food place in the corner."
"You better, I wasn't walking much more than that."
Gabriel Milito doesn't follow his plan. And it's awesome.
The day after Esteban comes back, he goes over his desk with the finished article and his usual smile; when Gabriel receives both things in place of saying "thank you" he says "do you wanna go out with me?". For the first few seconds, when realization of what he just said hits him, Gabriel wants to be swollen by earth or killed by any merciful soul that's close enough to finish him now. But when his eyes meet Esteban's blue shiny ones, and he realize he hasn't ran away but only smiled wider, Gabriel considers that earth can stay in one piece and that he doesn't need to be killed just yet.
It gets even better when Esteban says "yeah, I do."
In the mornings Javier feels lazy.
He doesn't remember being like this before, he wonders if it has to do with the remains of the jet-lag or if it's because he's just suffering of that natural wish to hibernate that most human beings have in winter. Less, clearly, for Nicolás; for what Javier knows and sees the boy always wakes up before dawn, warming the house up and getting it ready for Javier to wake up whenever he wanted to.
"You don't have to do all this," Javier says when he's up and in the kitchen, much later than what he usually would have gotten up if this was Buenos Aires. Nicolás gives him a long look and Javier slowly repeats himself five times, uses his hands a lot, pointing out the brewed coffee and the heater already on in the middle of the living room just behind him.
When Nicolás finally gets him, or gets something of what Javier is trying to say, he only shrugs it off and mutters a few words that Javier searches in Google when he turns on his computer, it means something like: "but I want to". Javier isn't sure how to take that.
By contrast, when the day is starting to fade out and the sun looks like it's disappearing in the lake behind the cottage; Javier feels more awake and active that when he was fifteen and still aiming to become a professional soccer player.
He should be running inside when it gets this chilly, but there's something he can't waste from the view and the air around him. That's why he stays out, notebook on his legs with pen playing on his mouth and a bunch of papers over the desk outside to his left (words he likes or that he could, maybe, use; a sentence here and there, things that don't follow the line he's writing but may be useful at some point, or not).
The wind is colder than the past few days and Javier writes on the side of one of the papers that are on the desk to ask Alberto (or maybe Nicolás if he's feeling adventurous) about the weather for the next week. As soon as he takes his hand away from the papers, a particular harsh breeze flies them away from Javier's reach and into the lake in front of him, he has no real time to reach when he sees Nicolás (and since when he was around there?) going not only in direction to get them, but also inside the lake after them.
"Please don't!" Javier calls out, leaving aside his notepad and pen, rushing towards the edge of the lake, where Nicolás is already inside and wet and possibly, surely, about to suffer a case of hypothermia.
But Nicolás is actually laughing as he takes as many papers as he can, and when he's close enough to the deck, he takes the hand Javier has out for him to grab. He's laughing with his whole face, the sound is musical and childish at the same time and it wakes up more than one part of Javier's mind and body. Nicolás' eyes are also shinning with amusement as he stands there, one hand still holding Javier's and the other with the papers that are dripping, he's not shacking even if the shirt he's wearing is completely stick to his (rather muscular, that's new) body and just then Javier notices the boy must have discharged the other layers of clothing he had.
"They better be good," Nicolás says still clearly amused and even if Javier isn't sure of what he said, he's pretty confident he can guess it and tries to smile as apologetic as he feels meanwhile Nicolás waves the watery paper in front of him. Just there, because he notices their proximity and wants to find a reason to it, Javier lets go Nicolás' hand, the one he hadn't notice he was holding.
Javier signals the house with his head and Nicolás nods, they walk back with a small distance between them, mostly induced because Javier takes some steps away to recover his forgotten notepad and the still dry papers. Nicolás hasn't let go of the wet ones.
"I may start writing your story, even if I have to make everything up," Javier confess when they're entering the house and when Nicolás gives him another confused look, laugh leaving his face, Javier just shrugs it off and obliges him to sit in front of the fire while he goes for some towels.
Javier also tries not to stare at Nicolás' naked chest when he's taking off his wet shirt. He fails.
He wishes he cared, at least.
Oscar doesn't see or hear about Lio for the next days, but he talks with Sergio more than once in that time and everything sounds as good as ever. Oscar wonders if he managed to scare off Messi enough and for good and decides that even if it doesn't feel right, he did what he had to. Gabriel agrees with him and so does Micho; and even if they both suck at relationships, they're good friends who care about Oscar.
Although Oscar doesn't feel like he's closed this yet. He almost can foresight Sergio's future birthdays or celebrations he may have to share with them being awkward if he doesn't do something about Lio. But what can he do? He basically told the guy he's obsessed with him and now he wants to go and knock on his door and - and apology? Say he's sorry because of how he feel? Oscar isn't sorry. He isn't even the one to blame, he had fallen for Lio before knowing who Lionel was, it happened when Oscar saw him in one of the friendly matches Kun and his partners from gym school played sometimes. Messi was wearing a National Team Jersey, his cheeks were crimson from running, his hair was a mess and he was smiling fondly to the world. It was love at first sight, and Oscar didn't even believe that could happen, until that day. Yet, when he found out who Lio was and what intentions Sergio held on him, Oscar backed up and away, he stayed off the way and remained like that, as he watched his best friend woo and get to marry the man that he wanted too.
"You're over thinking," he says to himself and sighs to the empty apartment before deciding is time for a shower.
The 'having lunch together' becomes a ritual that Sebastián won't admit they have. Sorín is actually nice company and even if he gets really defensive when Sebastián makes any sort of joke about his hair, he's mostly fun to be around.
"I think we'll be done by the start of next week," Sorín comments over the fries they're sharing (they share because Sorín is the first person who's smart enough like Sebastián himself to order their Burger King greasy meal with different things: one with fries, the other with onion rings).
"We don't have much time anyway; we're closing everything a few days before Christmas as usual."
"As usual my ass, they're making us work more than last year and by next year, we'll be spending Christmas in here, be sure of that."
"Sometimes I believe you hate corporate jobs like this one."
"I do," Sorín informs him with a smile, "but I'm really good at them."
"I have to agree with that."
"Ugh," Heinze says when he hangs up his cellphone with a foot outside his office. "I actually hate Christmas."
"No, you don't," says Fernando without even looking up from his work.
"How are you so sure? I do hate it, can't you feel my hate?"
This time Gago does look up, but fixes his eyes on the Christmas lights and garlands that are hanging at the top of the door and to the sides, he makes a show of what he's watching to get Heinze's attention and finally he says, "I can totally feel the hate now boss."
Heinze cracks to that, he walks closer to Gago and messes with his hair, the boy looks younger than he actually is and Gabriel can't help treating him like that.
"My hate is motivated because I need to go join my husband for the late shopping; that I do hate, a lot." Gabriel explains, Fernando offers him a sympathy smile.
"Plus the only thing I do is stand there and nod, nothing else. He's the one who chooses everything and knows what we need to buy and where, I nod; and well, I hold bags."
"Holding bags is important," Gago says solemnly, and then he turns to Heinze with a grin, "are you gonna get me something for Christmas?"
"I don't know, are you?"
"You should know by now that anything you want from me, you can have it," Fernando answers, still smiling as if he was talking about nothing but the weather. Gabriel looks away, he mumbles "yeah, okay," before leaving with nothing but a wave.
It takes him the four blocks to his car to regain composure and grab his phone. He calls Gago.
"What do you need?" he asks, trying to sound as calmed as he tells himself he feels, "shiny stationary things?"
"I don't want something I need," Gago responds, "I want something I want. We can stay with the shinny idea; I'm a very conventional gay boy at times, so I like fashion and shiny things."
"Right. Okay, I'll see you later."
It takes Gabriel five minutes to start his car and drive away.
"Did you talk to Esteban?" Fabián asks after they say hello to each other's.
"No, he was busy all morning; I'll do it when I'm back surely."
"All right," Fabián smiles, "well, why don't you entertain yourself somewhere while I go get the boring family stuff?"
"Sounds perfect," Gabriel nods, receives the kiss that his husbands gives him and sees him walk away.
He takes the other path, to where the electronic store is, something that always keeps him busy. On his way there, a jewelry in the middle of the mall catches his eyes; there are a bunch of lined up watches in showcase, he stares because it's very easy to notice them dazzling under the lights. They make him think about what Fernando said and on an impulse he approaches to one of the smiley man on the stand.
"Hello sir, may I help you?" the man asks with a smile so big, it is almost creepy. Gabriel barely nods while pointing to a slim silver watch.
"Hello," Heinze says, "I'd like to take that one."
"Oh, but what a wonderful choice, sir," the man responds while grabbing it from its stand, it was quite shinny and Gabriel smiles thinking that it'll look perfect in Fernando's thin wrists.
"Would you like the unconventional gift grapping?"
"Unconventional?" asks Gabriel, incredulous, as his eyes travel around the mall searching for any sign of Fabián, he doesn't like the idea of explaining this gift.
"Oh, yes, you'll see," the man grabs something from where Gabriel can't see, "we used a perfectly squared lavender box that makes it harder to tell what's inside and people may-"
"Yes, yes, that gift grapping is fine." Gabriel rushes the man, who starts moving around and putting things into the box; he watches with desperation and the man takes all the time in the world to do it. "I'm kinda rushed," he says, trying to still sound nice.
"That's okay, I'm almost done."
Almost doesn't at all means almost for this man, as he spends more than thirty seconds trying to choose what transparent bag to use for the gift.
"Please," Gabriel repeats, and the man says something again, but he doesn't hear it because he sees Fabián approaching.
Gabriel then walks to his husband trying to make it look as if he wasn't even watching the jewelry.
"Oh, hey, are you done?"
"Don't stress yourself," Fabián laughs, "I'm not expecting anything from you besides a tie. You always get me ties."
"Well you love ties."
"I do," Fabián laughs, "and to answer to your question, I'm not done yet."
"Have I mentioned that I have a date?" Gabriel beams to the room, "because I do."
"Dad," Leandro calls from the floor where he's sitting with his controller, eyes not on the game but on Diego now. "Dad, if I act like that when I get my date with Nadia, you can lock me in my room, I wouldn't blame you."
"Thank you champ, if you do become a version of my brother, I'll be taking that offer."
"Hey, hey, come on!" Gabriel sits straight in the sofa, "aren't you two happy for me?"
"We are," Diego nods, "when were you leaving again?"
"Oh, go to hell," Gabriel is smiling so it doesn't really sound mean.
"Hey Seba…" Sorín opens the door without even knocking and Sebastián glares at him, for about a second or two, because the other man is smiling and saying something about books and all that time Sebastián can't take his eyes away from the ballet bun on Sorín's head. His hair looks tight together and if Sorín wasn't a big manly guy Sebastián's first thought would be "he looks like a ballet dancer."
"If you're mad because I came in without knocking just say it, don't ignore me when I'm talking about work," says Sorín with an exasperated sight.
"No, no, sorry, I was completely off even before you came in."
"Well, when you're done planning vacations with tons of parties, work, please?"
"I wasn't… never mind, what were you saying?"
"That these first two books need special focus, can you do that today?"
"Yes Juampi."
Sebastián gets an eye roll to that and Sorín turns to leave after he leaves the books on the desk. Like usual when he walks away, Sebastián is staring at him (Sebastián does that a lot, he says it's a habit he can't get rid of from art school, he always looks at people and things with enough concentration to copy them later).
"You did that with a pencil?" Sebastián asks when he notices what's holding the bun up.
"Uhm, yes," Sorín is smiling a bit, "it's rather easy."
"A pencil."
"It's what I had in hand, stop hyperventilating about it."
"Long hair was bothering you?"
"If you make another comment or suggestion about cutting my hair, I'll kill you with this very same pencil."
"Violence is not the answer my friend," Sebastián says, and just in case he has his hands up high in signal of defeat.
Sorín doesn't even answer to that, Sebastián considers it a small victory.
Javier is dying for a mate.
It's been more than two weeks since he's been here and there's no way he has survived this long without it and, worst, that he hasn't notice its absence till today, when writing a scene he mentions the disgusting taste of cold yerba mate on your tongue. When he's about to freak out because he has no idea where he's going to find yerba in this country he remembers he's not only a smart man but also one of habits. Since he was a kid and his family went on trips they took with them a basic mate kit with yerba, the mate, a thermo and a straw. Javier never stopped doing that, which means that somewhere in his room there's a mate kit waiting for him.
There is. And it's glorious.
Nicolás left not long ago to get - Javier has no idea what, but it's not like he asked again when he didn't get it, he just assumed he'll be back later like he always is. That means that Javier has the kitchen to himself, so he could bring his computer (yes, we're already in that stage) here and write in the wooden table with his freshly made mate to his right; but doing things in the kitchen feels like invading Nicolás' personal space, and it's stupid, after all Javier is the one staying in the cottage and Nicolás has his house and his room and his own kitchen where surely lies his true personal space. But it still feels like that.
While the water boils Javier decides that if he relates the kitchen to Nicolás is because of something and considering he is after all writing about Nicolás (somehow, in an altered reality) he should be surround with things that make him think about the boy. So he brings his computer and his notebook and takes a sit in one of the chairs in the table, being careful enough to not take Nicolás' usual spot.
Nicolás arrives at evening, he has some grocery bags under his arms and he stares at Javier for half a minute before starting to put them in order. When he's done Javier offers him a mate; Nicolás watches it untruthfully and that makes Javier laugh softly under his breath, but Nicolás ends up taking it.
He makes a strange face when he drinks the first sip, but he doesn't give up right away; when he gives it back to Javier he asks "mate?" and Javier nods at him, grinning.
They drink mate in silence until is dark; Javier is writing, or trying to because the main subject of his work is sitting across him on the table, Nicolás is reading and he just lifts his eyes from the book when he's handed the mate.
&3;
"This is my second movie," Eva tells him one evening when they're sitting by the set, covered with dressing gowns and waiting to be called for the next scene. She's holding a bottle of water on her right hand and Martín has been staring enough to notice how the drops from the bottle fall on her fingers.
"Makes sense why I hadn't heard your name before," he says, and when she's looking at him with what he assumes is curiosity, he adds. "I've been doing this for three years now, I don't make many movies because I'm not a professional or anything, I only need the money, but I've been in the industry long enough to remember names."
"Ah, and here I thought I was sitting next to the Argentinian Ron Jeremy," the amusement in her voice is impossible to miss.
"You're mocking me," he reacts, astonished.
"You called this the industry Martín, you needed to be mocked," she explains and Martín would argue with that if he wasn't too in awe for how she said his name.
"We're an industry," Martín says, when he feels smart enough to talk again, "sort of."
"Sort of, key of the idea," Eva answers, "I tried modeling but that didn't give me enough money for me and my sister's studies, so I ended up here. Why do you need the money?"
"Myself, my family is happy living in Córdoba, I wanted a way out. They couldn't afford my life in Buenos Aires, so I took the matter in my own hands, and this was a handy option; maybe not the best, but it works."
"What are you going to be?" Eva asks, eyeing him "please don't say doctor, I'm sure there's a movie about that."
"About a guy that does porn to get into med school?" Martín smiles, "if there isn't, there should be, it's a fantastic idea."
"Now you are mocking."
"I shouldn't be, I actually think it's an amusing idea," he's still smiling and after a moment he recalls he hasn't answered yet, "I want to be a lawyer."
"Fits you," she says, getting up and offering him her left hand, the one that wasn't in contact with the water which is why it's dry. Martín takes it even without knowing why she's offering it.
"Are we going somewhere?"
"The set," she says, sounding amused again, and just then Martín notices everyone is getting ready to film again.
"Fabián is going to get me the number of who may be your future coach, so we can talk to him and then register you to the club as soon as you want," Diego announces over dinner, delighted to see Leandro smile.
"Cool," he finally says.
"What is it now? Because if you wanna try out for the swimming team instead, you gotta tell me now champ."
"No, no, it's not that," Leandro makes a face, "dad I even hate bathing, why would I willingly be in the water all the time? Besides, boys and girls aren't together in the swimming team."
Diego believes that second one is the real reason, but says nothing about it; instead he asks again, "what's worrying you then?"
"Do you think I could be a good player dad?"
"I think we need to see you playing more to know that, doesn't that make sense for you?" Diego gives him a small smile, "You're going to start playing regularly and that's something you're not used to, so maybe it's a bit hard or even tiring at first; but as long as you remember you want to do this for fun, and of course for Nadia; I think you'll be all right kiddo."
"Okay," Leandro nods, "but if I suck you'll tell me right? You won't let me embarrass myself in front of everyone else, and let me at least retire with some pride, right?"
"Of course."
"Promise?"
"Promise champ."
Diego calls this Gonzalo guy because Heinze told him he already had a word with him. The guy sounds younger than Diego thought and the idea of a High School kid training children comes to Diego's head and he hates that, but tries to push it away while fixing an afternoon to go to check the club and talk in person with Gonzalo; who sounds incredibly eager about having a new kid on the team.
When Diego tells Leandro all this, his kid hugs him and decides they should celebrate with pizza and movies. Diego decides that it's a good age to make his kid watch Casablanca, mostly when he's in love. He can hear Fabián and his brother mocking, but he doesn't really care.
Leandro loves the movie, if Diego ever wondered if he was raising the kid fine, here's the answer.
When Sergio calls him to let him now he won't be there, because he needs to sort some papers to start working in February at the club as helper, Oscar panics for a whole minute before deciding there's nothing to fear. He decides it, but clearly his heart-rate and his elaborated breathing when Lio texts him saying he's on his way up clearly don't get the memo.
Lio is, of course, holding a bag from the bakery. He's grinning and saying thank you before Oscar has done anything besides opening the door and nodding to his comment about December's heat.
"There wasn't much to save," he says, sitting down in the desk in front of the computer with Messi.
"What do you mean?"
"Most of what I recorded was a mess, everything moving and flashy, and there were a lot of awkward angles of tables and people."
"But you were recording a lot of time," Lio says, Oscar can't tell if there's any intention besides curiosity on his voice because as usual Messi sounds so earnest.
"Maybe I was drunker of what I thought," and is the cheapest, fakest line he can come up with, but Messi says nothing while he focuses his attention in the screen in front of them.
The video is not longer than ten minutes, it's badly edited and it doesn't show much. Watching it Oscar feels even worst, he feels like he was constantly lying with every forced shot of Lionel and Sergio, of their friends and the party. He had been doing so well, he thinks to himself as he tries to fix his eyes on the pastries untouched in the side of the desk, he hadn't even been thinking about - well, about anything. The compilation had been furiously fast and he had deleted anything that looked way too focused on Lio, or anything that-
"Is that all?" Lio asks when the video is done playing and the black screen stares at them and Oscar can't, he just can't lie anymore.
Silently he pulls away from his chair, gets up and grabs a DVD-case on the shell on top of his desk and gives it to Lio. It says "Lio&Kun's wedding" with the date.
"You can watch it, you cannot show it to anyone else, for Sergio and for your families I made you a copy of that short version," he doesn't sit again, not even when Lio takes the case from his hands, "I need to go now."
"Why?" Lio asks, and just a second after clarifies, "why just me?"
"Because that's what the video is about," Oscar replies, "you."
"But you don't talk to me, you don't stay around when I'm around," Lio offered, "you don't like me."
"It's, uh, a self preservation thing, I guess."
He walks away after that, trust Lionel to be smart enough to find his way out. Oscar wonders if it's too late to pick Gabriel Milito from his office, heaven knows he needs a friend now.
Sebastián comes for dinner early on the week, as usual, with huge present for the kids, he's spoiling them.
"You should have stayed in arts," Fabián says while they're setting the table, "I miss having someone who's not older than eight to paint with."
"I hate painting," Sebastián says simply, "I've always been a chalk sort of guy."
"That's a good pick up line," Gabriel points out from the kitchen where he's opening the wine.
Sebastián promises he'll try it while Fabián rolls his eyes.
"I know that," Ayala says, trying to go back to their original conversation, "but I miss the company and the critic view you always had."
"I haven't lost that, I can do it, on weekends, but I can," Sebastián goes to the kitchen and comes back with colorful paper napkins. "That is if I don't quit my job, in which case, I'll be over every day."
"You won't quit," Fabián says, "any job is hard on the first few weeks."
"Try first few months," Sebastián sighs, "I don't know why they didn't wait to the start of the year to name me CEO."
"Because you're too good?" offers Gabriel walking into the room, two full glasses in hand, "or, you know, that old man was being more a pain in the ass than anything."
"Yeah, that," Sebastián takes the glass and takes a zip, because he clearly has nothing else to say.
"You're a damn workaholic, you'll be fine soon."
"I knew you'd say that," Sebastián grins, "what are we having for dinner?"
"Lamb, you love lamb, feel the love we have for you," Fabián says.
"That explains the awesome smell and that you two banned me from the kitchen."
"Go get the boys." Gabriel answers with a rather authoritative tone.
Diego walks towards the gym to find the man he's meeting. There's a guy who's most likely on his twenties (Diego is thankful that he's not wearing a uniform and seventeen) dressed in sportive pants and a black River jersey with his back to the entrance. Diego is pretty sure he's found who he came to meet with.
"Gonzalo Higuaín?" he calls once he's close enough the guy, he extends his right hand, but when the guy turns he nods and approaches to Diego to say hello with a normal kiss; Diego is too surprised to even find it awkward.
"Hi," he says, "Diego Milito, right? Good to meet you."
"Likewise," Diego answers.
"Wanna watch around?" Gonzalo offers and unsure Diego agrees.
"Well, clearly this is the gym; I don't like to be here with the kids, but it'll do if it's very cold outside or raining." Gonzalo explains, he starts walking so Diego follows him, he's curious to ask if he's trained to work with kids or if he at least is going to become a teacher, but Gonzalo seems too eager to be interrupted and just in case Diego doesn't want to make him uncomfortable.
"There are two pitches used for children soccer, one for seven players and another for eleven; normally I don't like kids younger than ten to play in that one, so Leandro is going to be playing in this other one." Gonzalo stops there, letting Diego time to watch around if he wants to but Diego is a bit distracted by the fact that Gonzalo remembered Leandro's name; he's glad the guy is taking his job seriously even if he looks more ready to play a game than to coach one.
"He only played soccer in school, I have no idea what he's used to play, but I agree with you, younger kids are better in baby fields."
"They indeed are," Gonzalo nods, "and I asked around to see who was the teacher on his gym class, and then talked to him, so don't worry about that."
"Oh, great, thank you."
Gonzalo grins this time, he seems very glad to have done things right and to have surprised Diego.
"You told me he hasn't played soccer besides school right?"
"Yes," Diego nods, "he wants to start in January, if that's okay."
"Of course it is, he'll get used to the rhythm perfectly fine, he's young and if he wants to play, then we have nothing against us." Gonzalo explains, and it is basically the same that his brother and Fabián said, but Diego doesn't feel like he'll be informing them that anytime soon.
"Yeah, he definitely wants to." Diego can't hide the smile when he says that.
"Can I ask why?" Gonzalo looks to the floor, before lucking up again, "I mean, I like knowing why my kids start playing, I'll ask him later too of course, but you're here, so, maybe you don't mind sharing it with me. I understand if you prefer Leandro telling me…"
"A girl," Diego answers still amused, in part because of the answer he's giving and also because Gonzalo's small babbling.
"A girl?" Gonzalo beams, "Is he trying to impress her?"
"I think that'll be a plus, mostly he wants to still be in touch with her," Diego explains, "I'm pretty sure I'm the father of the only kid that doesn't want school to finish."
Gonzalo laughs to that, his whole face lights up when he does and his eyes are almost closed; Diego doesn't think his comment was that funny, but clearly this boy is easily amused.
"But he has a good reason, you gotta give him that." Gonzalo says, he still sounds breathy for laughing, "Do you know what she does here?"
"She's in the swimming team."
"Sweet," Gonzalo grins, "I normally take my boys to run carefully circling the pool before playing, so seeing her won't be an issue at all."
"He'll be very happy to know that."
Gonzalo is walking again, probably with the gym as destination, so Diego follows him.
"Oh, hey, do you wanna come to see the games?" Gonzalo asks.
"Can I?"
"Yeah, of course," he's smiling again and Diego believes it's his default state. "Most parents don't stay the whole time, but you're free to come in and out whenever you want to."
"Wonderful, thank you."
"Sure, but, ah," Gonzalo looks up to him before talking, "in your particular case, check with Leandro, okay? You don't wanna mess with your kid's intentions towards a lady being around all the time, right?"
Diego grins to that, "of course not."
"So, so, how did it go?" Leandro asks before even saying hello when Diego picks him up from school after meeting with Gonzalo.
"Very well, your coach is a nice guy and he's very happy with you starting."
"I can tell Nadia now," Leandro smiles widely, it looks so much like his mother's smile that Diego can't help the small pain in his chest. "I can tell her we'll see each others in summer, too."
"Yes champ, you can," Diego grins at him, "oh, and Gonzalo wants to meet you before January, so we're going after class one day, okay?"
"Gonzalo is my coach, right?" Leandro asks, making sure, to which Diego nods and the kids answers an agreement.
Javier starts writing again after he gets used to the cold and to the noises Nicolás makes in the kitchen, fixing meals even when he doesn't have to and just sitting around and reading the rest of the time. Javier is very curious to find out what Nicolás is reading about, but asking Nicolás will be either pointless or a very exhausting deduction exercise that Javier isn't up for, at least not yet.
If Javier is being honest with himself, he's writing again because he really has nothing else to do; the novelty of the place has started to worn off and his own head is tired of his whinnying and his questions about "what would have happened if...?". If he's coming with many scenarios that could have solved his love life earlier that very same year (or ten years ago) he may as well put them together somewhere, for future use or (much likely) future storage. After all Juampi has always been right, writing is cheaper than therapy.
The ritual remains intact: he opens his personal computer and stares at it for about ten minutes before deciding that he's not ready to type the words yet; just like it has always happened for Javier. He needs the words on paper at the beginning, needs to see them and bond to them before they actually make it to what could be a real final draft. So he takes the pen and paper he had put away earlier and starts writing. There are full sentences and only words, an idea that begins and doesn't end, a character name here and there, a description and... and Nicolás' name in the left margin of the paper, where it's actually uncomfortable to write something, with a question mark after the small calligraphic 's'. Javier wonders largely if Nicolás has a story worth telling.
He's inclined to believe that yes, he does; but he doesn't scratch the question mark as he goes own with his brainstorming.
"And what are you studding for?" Martín asks as following the conversation from the last day they saw each other, his voice lower than usual because they're filming and even if the sound isn't important he doesn't want everyone listening to them.
"I'm going to become a nurse."
Martín stops moving and stares, Eva is actually wearing something that looks a lot like a kinky nurse uniform; but before he can respond in any other way she's quietly laughing and punching him in the arm to bring him back to reality.
"God, your face," she says, trying to hold in her laugh. "It was so worth it."
Martín is having second thoughts about if he likes Eva as the director asks if everything is all right and they both lie with a short "yes" and resume on caressing each other's bodies as if they were into it.
"I don't like you," Martín finally says, decision made.
"There's a part of your anatomy that begs to disagree."
Martín rolls his eyes with intent to that, "I'm not even going to answer that."
Eva smiles, she's still beautiful when she does, and that wins over basically everything right now.
"I'm going to be a teacher," she finally says, with her voice normal as if she wasn't grabbing his ass while doing so.
Heinze arrives early for the second time that week, another good thing about the end of the year and the lack of duties around the magazine. The house is in complete silence and that makes him remember that Diego Milito was picking up the twins from school and they were all at his house until the night when they'll meet for dinner. That, thought, doesn't explain the lack of his husband around; yet it gives enough clues to Gabriel about where Fabián could be.
The sound of music from the room more far away from the entrance finally gets to Gabriel's ears as he walks in that direction, Fabián's study is away from the rest of the house for his and the family's comfort. Gabriel can't tell the song that's playing but he identifies Lito Mestre's voice alongside with Charly García's; Fabián is a cursi old man in many things, mostly when he's painting.
"I can't believe that record isn't broken yet," he says when he enters, Fabián has his back to him but Gabriel still knows he's smiling.
"Luckily they make them from more resistant materials these days, eh?" is the reply before Fabián turns, his face looks relaxed and has a stain of brown paint in his cheek, even after all this years, Gabriel still finds it adorable.
"Luckily," he agrees, and walks to Fabián with a small smile, kissing him lightly as a hello. "Inspired?"
"A very silent day actually," confesses Fabián, putting the brush away in a small cabinet next to the lectern he was using. "How was yours?"
"Slow, we're ready to print many of the things for January, Esteban just came back with the racing reports, so when he's done with that and I have it to read we'll be closing the year."
"That sounds remarkably good," Fabián smiles, he has his arms crossed over his chest and Gabriel is so used to seeing him like this it feels perfectly at ease.
"I know, right?" he smiles, "what time do we need to be at Diego's?"
"Eight-thirty, we'll have a calm dinner and enough time to bring the boys back and into bed early. We're taking Leandro with us, Diego needs to pick up a few old papers from Jessica's house in Rosario and he doesn't have the time to take Lean to class."
"All right," Gabriel nods, "can we say once more how adorable is that the boy is going to start soccer just to be around the girl he likes?"
"We all do stupid things for love," Fabián says with a knowing voice, Gabriel can tell he's talking about them; about how Fabián lost two subjects in Art School to hang around him when Gabriel was at Fabián's university. They didn't study in the same place, and the only reason Gabriel was there sometimes was the University's soccer team and their games; that was how they met. It cost Fabián almost his whole studding year and Gabriel was even dating a girl those days; but Ayala says he doesn't regret it at all, because even if the odds were against him, he couldn't just let Gaby walk away from his life without even trying.
"Yes, yes," Gabriel feels himself weak, like every time that memories about the start of their relationship come by, he feels like all that happened so long ago, in another life. And now he's full grown man with two kids and an important work position, not a teen that fell for the older art-nerd when he was supposed to love the same girl he was with since he was thirteen. Gabriel misses that boy sometimes, and misses the boy he fell for; that's why when Fabián puts Sui Generies on and he paints for the whole day Gabriel feels oddly comfortable, peaceful, back in time even.
"Peny for your thoughts," Fabián asks, he has his brush on his hands again, but his attentions still on Gabriel.
"I was thinking about the younger Milito brother," he lies, just a bit, because he has been thinking about Gabriel Milito quite a lot these days, "and about Cambiasso, you know, the blonde that Sebastián says that looks like a chick."
Fabián snorts, "I remember him, yes, what about them? Besides Gabriel's doomed crush of course."
"I don't think it's that doomed honestly, Gaby overreacts, as usual; but I was wondering…" Gabriel sighs. "How can I talk to an employee about his love life without it sounding like sexual arrestment?"
Fabián's only answer is laughing; Gabriel glares and on his way out he turns off the music. That'll teach Fabián who he's messing with.
The next time Sebastián is confronted with this Sorín guy has already a better start than their last encounter because, for starters, Sebastián is in a better mood, meaning he doesn't have the impulse of running away from the office and he doesn't hate his job that much. Surely the dinner at his friends' house from a few nights ago did the trick, also the fact that the weather isn't that hot today (Sebastián despises the heat almost as much as he despises 'Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata', and that's saying a lot). All that is actually very good, because Sorín comes to his office with a bunch of papers and books that apparently Sebastián needs to go through during the day.
"You always have this much work?" he asks, trying to sound more concerned than surprised.
"It's the end of the year, everyone wants their financial record clean for the next one, every department comes back with a nice book for my team to look over in hours and I need to proof read them all, which means you need to proof read them, too." Sorín sounds more amicable than last time, or maybe Sebastián's impression of him is different.
"And you need my approval for the end of the day?"
"That would be lovely," there's something about how Sorín says 'lovely' that makes Sebastián smile against his will.
"Well, it's not like I have a life, so I'll take care of it."
"You were just promoted to CEO, of course you don't have a life, I was counting on that."
Sebastián doesn't even try to fight the smile this time, "I'll leave them in your office before leaving, considering you're my CFO, I'm thinking you don't have a life either."
"Of course I don't." Sorín answers while he starts leaving the office; when Sebatián watches him go he can't take his eyes away from that hair. Just like the first time.
When Sebastián is back from lunch he finds a new pile of financial books on his desk, different from the ones he saw the day before with a note on top that says "I can't believe you actually left the office for something like lunch". The intent on the last word can be even seen in paper and the signature is Sorín's initials, Sebastián laughs at the handwritten message.
Later that day, when he's done, he waits for Sorín to be outside his office before dropping the books leaving with them a note as well "next time I'll stay in and you and your books can join me."
He's not quite sure why he makes the offer, he thinks he's just amusing himself and bothering Sorín.
"Gonzalo told me you went to see him," Fabián comments over a shared coffee cup outside the school; the kids have shorter classes and goodbye acts most days, so it's better to stay close to pick them up.
"Did he?" Diego is distracted with the car on the street; he always wanted a green car.
"Yep," Fabián says. "He called you Diego; he said, 'your friend, Diego, came to see me about his kid'. He sounded glad."
"Good thing he called me Diego, being that my name and all," he replies, focusing again on Fabián and leaving the car alone.
"He still calls me Juan's dad, and I've known him for about three years or even more; he calls Gaby that, too."
"So? He doesn't know Leandro just yet, he'll start calling me Leandro's dad in no time, I'm sure." Diego says before drinking from his cup, "are you ever going to lose the habit of looking for something that's not even there? Hell, I don't even know what you're looking for."
"He's a striker in the staff team, you always liked strikers."
"I know you're desperate to set me up with someone, but isn't this too much even for you?"
"That's because you didn't see him saying 'Diego came to see me', his face probably hurt after so much smiling."
"Sometimes I think I'm friends with a teenager girl."
"One with a very good record of matchmaking."
"I'm asking for the check and we're leaving, you need fresh air."
There's a whole scene in which Martín isn't needed. He could have even come in later if he wanted. Eva has to shower, they're going to take angles of her body getting wet and covered in soap to replace later with the original girl and Martín can't help but think that Eva is prettier than whoever the other girl is, but it's not his place to even comment on that.
Normally he doesn't care for those scenes. When he's not in them he just gets lost in set, avoiding talks with people who have seen him basically naked, and not eating because most food from the set taste like plastic when it's only for them. In this case he cares, but not because he wants to actually see Eva naked, but because he wants to make sure everyone else behaves with her.
It's stupid and he knows it, but that's not going to stop him.
So he stays in one of the chairs they've been in when they had free moments, holding an extra dressing gown that belongs to Eva because he has this idiotic need of covering her as soon as he can. As if that would actually help, considering that many people outside this set are also going to see the images. Martín has never considered or even been a bit concerned about the people that saw the movies he appeared on, after all his face wasn't actually there, he was just a double for a few body shots and the money was pretty good. But now, when it's about Eva's delicate figure, her fair skin and her precious curves, he despises the idea.
"We're done sweetheart," says the director's voice, and the guy minds so little about the naked bodies in front of him… He's only worried about getting the right take, and getting the lights in the correct angles with his team for when the real actors get in, that Martín likes him best; mostly over the whispers of "oh, what a shame, that was a nice show" that he hears from more than one crew member.
Martín gets up from his seat as fast as he can without looking stupid or desperate and waits for Eva to move away from the made-up bathroom to offer her the clothe to wrap her. The weather both on set and outside is hot, so Martín is sure she's not cold, but he still wants to enfold her tightly. Eva walks right to him, and in place of taking the clothe she lets Martín cover her with it; he gives her a tiny smile, unsure, but she grins back at him with a calm "thank you" leaving her lips, that makes his heart skip a beat.
Martín is so doomed and he doesn't even care.
Another summer storm hits Buenos Aires' hot December and it's just like all the previous ones were and the future ones surely will be: the clouds make the sky impossibly dark so it doesn't look like the start of the day, the humidity is disgusting and the somehow coldish breeze does nothing besides directing the heavy drops everywhere.
Sebastián hates it on principle: it's happening in summer, his least favourite season of the year. He's oddly amused about how all the office talks are somehow related to the storm, he's been there for less than an hour and has heard at least twenty variants of the comment "what an awful weather", including the sarcastic remarks and the bitchy complains in favor of ruined plans. Sebastián finds it funny when people are so predictable.
The knock on his office door distracts him from watching the dark sky from his huge window; he says "come in" while wondering what sort of "terrible weather" comment he'll get now. In almost full silence, with a barely muttered "good morning", Sorín walks in and settles four books on his table. Sebastián is about to comment on the weather himself, just to see the man react but the words caught on his tongue when he notices Sorín's hair. It's not only untidy, but also soaked, soaked enough that surely it was dripping a moment ago.
"Did you get wet with the rain?"
"No, I just showered in the office." Sorín replies without looking up and Sebastián would be offended for a comment like that if it wasn't for the smile he saw forming in Sorín's face.
"Kinky."
"Always," Sorín's smile is now a grin as he points the books that Sebastián had almost forgotten. "Could you be done before lunch? I have a whole other bunch in my office, too."
"Of course." Sebastián answers, and as Sorín starts to walk away he calls "wouldn't it be easier if you cut it? Your hair, I mean."
Sorín stops on his track, turns and glares at Sebastián with enough intent that it makes him feel like retreating and begging for forgiveness. Finally Sorín answers, "no, you ignorant bald, it wouldn't."
Sebastián isn't sure if he can laugh at that, so he does nothing, not even breathing until Sorín leaves the office without any other word.
Sebastián takes the four books under his arm and walks to Sorín's office still wondering if he owes the man an apology or not. He knocks and there's barely a faint answer that allows him entrance.
"I'm done with these," he announces with a smile that isn't immediately returned, but when Sorín lifts his head from his own work, he manages a tiny beam.
"You can take the ones on the chair now if you want." Sorín answers, his voice sounds more resigned than bossy or anything else.
"Or we can go to lunch and come back in an hour, refreshed and better to deal with the worst part of the job."
When he doesn't get an immediate response, Sebastián thinks about making up an excuse and taking the books with him and never, never ever again trying to be nicer than necessary with someone from work.
"It's still raining outside, I'm not going out and risking getting wet," Sorín explains and without letting Sebastián add anything he goes on after a breath, "you can go out and bring us something, I'll make room for you in my desk and everything."
He's going to say no, he really is. But what comes out instead is: "fine, in protection of you and your precious hair, I'll go out and get wet."
Sebastián isn't even sure why he brought up the hair thing, but Sorín's grin to that makes it worth it, "I'll take anything from the fast food place in the corner."
"You better, I wasn't walking much more than that."
Gabriel Milito doesn't follow his plan. And it's awesome.
The day after Esteban comes back, he goes over his desk with the finished article and his usual smile; when Gabriel receives both things in place of saying "thank you" he says "do you wanna go out with me?". For the first few seconds, when realization of what he just said hits him, Gabriel wants to be swollen by earth or killed by any merciful soul that's close enough to finish him now. But when his eyes meet Esteban's blue shiny ones, and he realize he hasn't ran away but only smiled wider, Gabriel considers that earth can stay in one piece and that he doesn't need to be killed just yet.
It gets even better when Esteban says "yeah, I do."
In the mornings Javier feels lazy.
He doesn't remember being like this before, he wonders if it has to do with the remains of the jet-lag or if it's because he's just suffering of that natural wish to hibernate that most human beings have in winter. Less, clearly, for Nicolás; for what Javier knows and sees the boy always wakes up before dawn, warming the house up and getting it ready for Javier to wake up whenever he wanted to.
"You don't have to do all this," Javier says when he's up and in the kitchen, much later than what he usually would have gotten up if this was Buenos Aires. Nicolás gives him a long look and Javier slowly repeats himself five times, uses his hands a lot, pointing out the brewed coffee and the heater already on in the middle of the living room just behind him.
When Nicolás finally gets him, or gets something of what Javier is trying to say, he only shrugs it off and mutters a few words that Javier searches in Google when he turns on his computer, it means something like: "but I want to". Javier isn't sure how to take that.
By contrast, when the day is starting to fade out and the sun looks like it's disappearing in the lake behind the cottage; Javier feels more awake and active that when he was fifteen and still aiming to become a professional soccer player.
He should be running inside when it gets this chilly, but there's something he can't waste from the view and the air around him. That's why he stays out, notebook on his legs with pen playing on his mouth and a bunch of papers over the desk outside to his left (words he likes or that he could, maybe, use; a sentence here and there, things that don't follow the line he's writing but may be useful at some point, or not).
The wind is colder than the past few days and Javier writes on the side of one of the papers that are on the desk to ask Alberto (or maybe Nicolás if he's feeling adventurous) about the weather for the next week. As soon as he takes his hand away from the papers, a particular harsh breeze flies them away from Javier's reach and into the lake in front of him, he has no real time to reach when he sees Nicolás (and since when he was around there?) going not only in direction to get them, but also inside the lake after them.
"Please don't!" Javier calls out, leaving aside his notepad and pen, rushing towards the edge of the lake, where Nicolás is already inside and wet and possibly, surely, about to suffer a case of hypothermia.
But Nicolás is actually laughing as he takes as many papers as he can, and when he's close enough to the deck, he takes the hand Javier has out for him to grab. He's laughing with his whole face, the sound is musical and childish at the same time and it wakes up more than one part of Javier's mind and body. Nicolás' eyes are also shinning with amusement as he stands there, one hand still holding Javier's and the other with the papers that are dripping, he's not shacking even if the shirt he's wearing is completely stick to his (rather muscular, that's new) body and just then Javier notices the boy must have discharged the other layers of clothing he had.
"They better be good," Nicolás says still clearly amused and even if Javier isn't sure of what he said, he's pretty confident he can guess it and tries to smile as apologetic as he feels meanwhile Nicolás waves the watery paper in front of him. Just there, because he notices their proximity and wants to find a reason to it, Javier lets go Nicolás' hand, the one he hadn't notice he was holding.
Javier signals the house with his head and Nicolás nods, they walk back with a small distance between them, mostly induced because Javier takes some steps away to recover his forgotten notepad and the still dry papers. Nicolás hasn't let go of the wet ones.
"I may start writing your story, even if I have to make everything up," Javier confess when they're entering the house and when Nicolás gives him another confused look, laugh leaving his face, Javier just shrugs it off and obliges him to sit in front of the fire while he goes for some towels.
Javier also tries not to stare at Nicolás' naked chest when he's taking off his wet shirt. He fails.
He wishes he cared, at least.
Oscar doesn't see or hear about Lio for the next days, but he talks with Sergio more than once in that time and everything sounds as good as ever. Oscar wonders if he managed to scare off Messi enough and for good and decides that even if it doesn't feel right, he did what he had to. Gabriel agrees with him and so does Micho; and even if they both suck at relationships, they're good friends who care about Oscar.
Although Oscar doesn't feel like he's closed this yet. He almost can foresight Sergio's future birthdays or celebrations he may have to share with them being awkward if he doesn't do something about Lio. But what can he do? He basically told the guy he's obsessed with him and now he wants to go and knock on his door and - and apology? Say he's sorry because of how he feel? Oscar isn't sorry. He isn't even the one to blame, he had fallen for Lio before knowing who Lionel was, it happened when Oscar saw him in one of the friendly matches Kun and his partners from gym school played sometimes. Messi was wearing a National Team Jersey, his cheeks were crimson from running, his hair was a mess and he was smiling fondly to the world. It was love at first sight, and Oscar didn't even believe that could happen, until that day. Yet, when he found out who Lio was and what intentions Sergio held on him, Oscar backed up and away, he stayed off the way and remained like that, as he watched his best friend woo and get to marry the man that he wanted too.
"You're over thinking," he says to himself and sighs to the empty apartment before deciding is time for a shower.
The 'having lunch together' becomes a ritual that Sebastián won't admit they have. Sorín is actually nice company and even if he gets really defensive when Sebastián makes any sort of joke about his hair, he's mostly fun to be around.
"I think we'll be done by the start of next week," Sorín comments over the fries they're sharing (they share because Sorín is the first person who's smart enough like Sebastián himself to order their Burger King greasy meal with different things: one with fries, the other with onion rings).
"We don't have much time anyway; we're closing everything a few days before Christmas as usual."
"As usual my ass, they're making us work more than last year and by next year, we'll be spending Christmas in here, be sure of that."
"Sometimes I believe you hate corporate jobs like this one."
"I do," Sorín informs him with a smile, "but I'm really good at them."
"I have to agree with that."
"Ugh," Heinze says when he hangs up his cellphone with a foot outside his office. "I actually hate Christmas."
"No, you don't," says Fernando without even looking up from his work.
"How are you so sure? I do hate it, can't you feel my hate?"
This time Gago does look up, but fixes his eyes on the Christmas lights and garlands that are hanging at the top of the door and to the sides, he makes a show of what he's watching to get Heinze's attention and finally he says, "I can totally feel the hate now boss."
Heinze cracks to that, he walks closer to Gago and messes with his hair, the boy looks younger than he actually is and Gabriel can't help treating him like that.
"My hate is motivated because I need to go join my husband for the late shopping; that I do hate, a lot." Gabriel explains, Fernando offers him a sympathy smile.
"Plus the only thing I do is stand there and nod, nothing else. He's the one who chooses everything and knows what we need to buy and where, I nod; and well, I hold bags."
"Holding bags is important," Gago says solemnly, and then he turns to Heinze with a grin, "are you gonna get me something for Christmas?"
"I don't know, are you?"
"You should know by now that anything you want from me, you can have it," Fernando answers, still smiling as if he was talking about nothing but the weather. Gabriel looks away, he mumbles "yeah, okay," before leaving with nothing but a wave.
It takes him the four blocks to his car to regain composure and grab his phone. He calls Gago.
"What do you need?" he asks, trying to sound as calmed as he tells himself he feels, "shiny stationary things?"
"I don't want something I need," Gago responds, "I want something I want. We can stay with the shinny idea; I'm a very conventional gay boy at times, so I like fashion and shiny things."
"Right. Okay, I'll see you later."
It takes Gabriel five minutes to start his car and drive away.
"Did you talk to Esteban?" Fabián asks after they say hello to each other's.
"No, he was busy all morning; I'll do it when I'm back surely."
"All right," Fabián smiles, "well, why don't you entertain yourself somewhere while I go get the boring family stuff?"
"Sounds perfect," Gabriel nods, receives the kiss that his husbands gives him and sees him walk away.
He takes the other path, to where the electronic store is, something that always keeps him busy. On his way there, a jewelry in the middle of the mall catches his eyes; there are a bunch of lined up watches in showcase, he stares because it's very easy to notice them dazzling under the lights. They make him think about what Fernando said and on an impulse he approaches to one of the smiley man on the stand.
"Hello sir, may I help you?" the man asks with a smile so big, it is almost creepy. Gabriel barely nods while pointing to a slim silver watch.
"Hello," Heinze says, "I'd like to take that one."
"Oh, but what a wonderful choice, sir," the man responds while grabbing it from its stand, it was quite shinny and Gabriel smiles thinking that it'll look perfect in Fernando's thin wrists.
"Would you like the unconventional gift grapping?"
"Unconventional?" asks Gabriel, incredulous, as his eyes travel around the mall searching for any sign of Fabián, he doesn't like the idea of explaining this gift.
"Oh, yes, you'll see," the man grabs something from where Gabriel can't see, "we used a perfectly squared lavender box that makes it harder to tell what's inside and people may-"
"Yes, yes, that gift grapping is fine." Gabriel rushes the man, who starts moving around and putting things into the box; he watches with desperation and the man takes all the time in the world to do it. "I'm kinda rushed," he says, trying to still sound nice.
"That's okay, I'm almost done."
Almost doesn't at all means almost for this man, as he spends more than thirty seconds trying to choose what transparent bag to use for the gift.
"Please," Gabriel repeats, and the man says something again, but he doesn't hear it because he sees Fabián approaching.
Gabriel then walks to his husband trying to make it look as if he wasn't even watching the jewelry.
"Oh, hey, are you done?"
"Don't stress yourself," Fabián laughs, "I'm not expecting anything from you besides a tie. You always get me ties."
"Well you love ties."
"I do," Fabián laughs, "and to answer to your question, I'm not done yet."
"Have I mentioned that I have a date?" Gabriel beams to the room, "because I do."
"Dad," Leandro calls from the floor where he's sitting with his controller, eyes not on the game but on Diego now. "Dad, if I act like that when I get my date with Nadia, you can lock me in my room, I wouldn't blame you."
"Thank you champ, if you do become a version of my brother, I'll be taking that offer."
"Hey, hey, come on!" Gabriel sits straight in the sofa, "aren't you two happy for me?"
"We are," Diego nods, "when were you leaving again?"
"Oh, go to hell," Gabriel is smiling so it doesn't really sound mean.
"Hey Seba…" Sorín opens the door without even knocking and Sebastián glares at him, for about a second or two, because the other man is smiling and saying something about books and all that time Sebastián can't take his eyes away from the ballet bun on Sorín's head. His hair looks tight together and if Sorín wasn't a big manly guy Sebastián's first thought would be "he looks like a ballet dancer."
"If you're mad because I came in without knocking just say it, don't ignore me when I'm talking about work," says Sorín with an exasperated sight.
"No, no, sorry, I was completely off even before you came in."
"Well, when you're done planning vacations with tons of parties, work, please?"
"I wasn't… never mind, what were you saying?"
"That these first two books need special focus, can you do that today?"
"Yes Juampi."
Sebastián gets an eye roll to that and Sorín turns to leave after he leaves the books on the desk. Like usual when he walks away, Sebastián is staring at him (Sebastián does that a lot, he says it's a habit he can't get rid of from art school, he always looks at people and things with enough concentration to copy them later).
"You did that with a pencil?" Sebastián asks when he notices what's holding the bun up.
"Uhm, yes," Sorín is smiling a bit, "it's rather easy."
"A pencil."
"It's what I had in hand, stop hyperventilating about it."
"Long hair was bothering you?"
"If you make another comment or suggestion about cutting my hair, I'll kill you with this very same pencil."
"Violence is not the answer my friend," Sebastián says, and just in case he has his hands up high in signal of defeat.
Sorín doesn't even answer to that, Sebastián considers it a small victory.
Javier is dying for a mate.
It's been more than two weeks since he's been here and there's no way he has survived this long without it and, worst, that he hasn't notice its absence till today, when writing a scene he mentions the disgusting taste of cold yerba mate on your tongue. When he's about to freak out because he has no idea where he's going to find yerba in this country he remembers he's not only a smart man but also one of habits. Since he was a kid and his family went on trips they took with them a basic mate kit with yerba, the mate, a thermo and a straw. Javier never stopped doing that, which means that somewhere in his room there's a mate kit waiting for him.
There is. And it's glorious.
Nicolás left not long ago to get - Javier has no idea what, but it's not like he asked again when he didn't get it, he just assumed he'll be back later like he always is. That means that Javier has the kitchen to himself, so he could bring his computer (yes, we're already in that stage) here and write in the wooden table with his freshly made mate to his right; but doing things in the kitchen feels like invading Nicolás' personal space, and it's stupid, after all Javier is the one staying in the cottage and Nicolás has his house and his room and his own kitchen where surely lies his true personal space. But it still feels like that.
While the water boils Javier decides that if he relates the kitchen to Nicolás is because of something and considering he is after all writing about Nicolás (somehow, in an altered reality) he should be surround with things that make him think about the boy. So he brings his computer and his notebook and takes a sit in one of the chairs in the table, being careful enough to not take Nicolás' usual spot.
Nicolás arrives at evening, he has some grocery bags under his arms and he stares at Javier for half a minute before starting to put them in order. When he's done Javier offers him a mate; Nicolás watches it untruthfully and that makes Javier laugh softly under his breath, but Nicolás ends up taking it.
He makes a strange face when he drinks the first sip, but he doesn't give up right away; when he gives it back to Javier he asks "mate?" and Javier nods at him, grinning.
They drink mate in silence until is dark; Javier is writing, or trying to because the main subject of his work is sitting across him on the table, Nicolás is reading and he just lifts his eyes from the book when he's handed the mate.
&3;