15

It had been five days since Lia left. Routines weren't very different since then, Lázzaro was locked inside the office solving pending matters for his companies and when it wasn't that, he was inside his room watching movies and drinking himself to sleep.

Even dissatisfied with her departure, the proud man did not go after her. It was better that way, after all wasn't that what he wanted? Drive her away? In the end, she succeeded and would not let her insignificant feelings interfere with the life of a girl full of dreams and with a bright future ahead of her.

I didn't want to be selfish.

The young woman was really enjoying living with Magdalena, the lady was also very happy, perhaps even more so than the girl. Always used to living alone because she had never had children, now she had someone to talk to and was almost close to a family, Mag already loved the girl Lia.

The days were divided between studying to pass an architecture competition that Magdalena managed to register for on her laptop, and helping with the household chores, as she couldn't help financially – yet – she did everything she could to compensate the lady who gave her shelter. .

In three days she would have a job interview, saw some advertisements in the newspapers and with the help of a friend of Magdalena's she managed to be called for the selection process. I still didn't know what I was going to do, but I was willing to do anything to be independent and build my dream of living well.

I also missed Lazzaro twenty-four hours a day. She no longer cried for him, it only lasted two days, after which she realized that it wouldn't make him change his mind and want her. She needed to overcome something that never existed and even though she was in love, she was determined thanks to Lázzaro himself that she was going to fight for her life, she wasn't going to give up, no matter what her trauma-marked psyche told her to do.

"Good morning, Mag." Lia greeted the woman who was drinking her bitter coffee.

- Good morning daughter. — she loved being called that — Today I won't be working, Mr. Bartholomeu gave me the day off.

- And even? — he felt his curiosity sharpen — And why would that be?

"Looks like he's going away." — the girl helped herself to coffee with a lot of sugar.

"Do you know where?" Or if... I don't know, if he went with someone?

It had been days since she asked about him and that was really hard for her. However, this time it was impossible not to inquire.

— He told me he was going to do specific tests in another country. I think in Scotland. I was worried but he said it was fine, he just wanted quick results with a good medical team.

Lia just nodded and just knowing that about Lazzaro already made her heart clench. What she felt for him was inexplicable, something hot and painfully good at the same time.

She spent the rest of the day thinking about him, about everything that had happened, his touch on her skin, the teasing, the mischievous smile, the jokes, the big thing between her legs that made her wet and very excited, and when she realized end was crying. She felt a compulsive urge to see him, to look at him, she wanted him so much it hurt.

Three days later, Lia found herself standing erect in the office of a company specializing in animal care services. Imagine the girl's happiness when she found out that she would be working with animals – if she passed the interview – she would be the third to be called, there were only five candidates.

— Lia Hamilton. Come with me, please. a young intern called out to her.

After several questions were answered on paper, Lia wrote a short essay about the importance of animals around the world. Then it would be time to demonstrate how it was related to some species.

“Cats, dogs and monkeys. We'll see how they react to you. Go ahead and play with them. the woman from HR said.

The eyes soon lit up, it wouldn't be any effort, he loved animals, especially cats. He immediately remembered his kittens that he had to give them to a shelter, he would do his best to go back there someday and adopt them.

"Hey cutest little things in the world!" —he joked in a soft voice, the little animals began to jump excitedly —You're beautiful, yes... You are... —he caressed the little head of each one inside the iron boxes.

Minutes later, when the observation was over, she was the one who didn't want to stop. The animals loved her and when she left the puppies cried.

- Wow. They really liked you. the intern commented.

"And so do I!" Wow, my dream is to adopt my three kittens back. he murmured and smiled at the woman, delighting her.

The young woman left there confident and with a good feeling. On the way back, he stopped by the beach, took off his shoes and started walking on the sand. His thoughts on Lazzaro.

It's funny how longing is not measured by the time we've known someone. You may have fallen in love in just an hour, or even in a second, and that doesn't measure up. Feelings are not measured. However, the longing can be even greater than that. If you loved a lot, the longing is MUCH greater, if you lived together for a month, the longing can last a year or in certain cases, forever.

Lia was only sure at that moment, she was missing something that was never real.

He ended up walking more than he should have and stopped near a bridge where the beach pier was, there were several boats and speedboats, people laughing, happy families, that's when his eyes found the only lonely person standing on a speedboat far from the others, it was impossible not recognize that silhouette. Her Lazzaro was there, her heart leapt immediately and her hands sweat, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

He would go back, pretend he didn't see him. But she couldn't escape the gaze of the man who also found her, where he wanted her most, at the exact moment he was thinking about her.

The longing I felt was no less than hers, I thought of her every minute of the day and every time I thought, I wanted to see her on the same frequency. It was taking too long and the time the two of them together hadn't been so much, that combined too much with Lia's thinking and that only confirmed that they couldn't be more connected.

She was stuck in the same place waiting until he drove his speedboat towards her, it was so fast that he felt surprised. When he realized he was already stepping on the sand going to Lia, his haste making him trip and fall.

The girl ran to him holding his hand helping him to stand up.

- Thanks. The voice he loved was filling his ears again after so long.

- You are welcome. She bit her lip nervously.

- Are you well? he asked her and... Heavens! How I wanted to scream no.

That she wasn't well and that she was in love with a man who didn't want her. With the same intensity that I also wanted to hug him and tell him how much I missed him.

- I am fine. And you? he asked smiling.

"I wouldn't exactly say well." — he shifted his gaze to the red face — I noticed that you dismissed Mr. Bartholomeu this time. - she smiled.

“It wasn't automatic this time. He looked away from her beautiful mouth.

Lázzaro felt his chest burn from the moment he saw her. Was Lia more dangerous to her heart than her illness?

"Do you want to go upstairs?" He pointed to the boat.

- I don't think so. We'd better keep our distance... You said that one time and...

“It doesn't matter what I said that time. Forget about that and go upstairs with me, I really, really need someone right now. he insisted.

"Are you just calling me because you need someone?"

“Not from anyone, from you. And I just realized that. She felt her body vibrate.

- All good. — of course she would.

He wouldn't let his love slip away again, even if he had to fake his feelings to do so. Pretend you didn't feel it. She didn't know exactly why he didn't want her to have feelings for him, but he would do his best to demonstrate what he wanted, indifference.

Lazzaro's trip to Scotland had not been successful, no news about his health, the tests claimed the same things as everyone else. A year of life due to a lump between the heart, surgery impossible, transplant impossible.

It was a shard, shattered, crumbling, wasting away. And the only thing he could think of was: Lia Hamilton. When he saw her on that beach, he just thought that it could have been God who sent her there, at the moment when he wanted her so much and was thinking about her.

He knew that he promised to stay away for his feelings for him to die, he also knew that he promised not to make her suffer when he died and that's why he wanted her to hate him. But it was getting harder and harder to live with it, torturous to be exact.

Made the decision alone, could she opt for something different? Continue by his side and watch him collapse on a bed? How cruel would that be?

But at that moment he just wanted to feel her close, the only good thing that happened in his life, her light. Even if for that, I had to be selfish when I said I wouldn't be.

The two would pretend they didn't feel it, when they felt it too much.