Chapter 6 My brother.

A whole week had passed since my father's funeral and I still hadn't seen Elián, how was I supposed to take care of him if he didn't want to know anything about me?

Being alone in this house I didn't like it at all, it was too big, I felt out of place and I didn't like being here, it smelled like a field, wood, grass, it smelled like hay.

The animals were in the meadow, I still listened to the cows, I went to the stable and watched the horses from afar.

This life was no longer mine, it had ceased to be since I left here so long ago.

I had tried to find a person to hire to help me with the place, but...they all rejected me, they didn't want me here and they made no effort to hide it, they just needed to throw it in my face. I had done some very basic things and my uncle had helped me with some things, but he also had his responsibilities.

I could say that I survived the first week, but I don't know if the cattle could say the same, my care wasn't the best, I just fed them and that was it.

I couldn't do anything else.

If only Elian would come, he liked all this.

I went back home to see if I could get some signal on my cell phone, I needed to talk to Susana and remind her that she didn't have to talk to Tommy, not to let herself be fobbed off with his words and crying, because I wanted him away from me.

Sitting in the huge living room, a little bit of coverage came in, then I received a bunch of notifications all at once, but the signal disappeared again, giving me time to read everything I had received.

Most of the messages were from Susana, a few unimportant emails and... Tommy.

Yes, I cried, I cried when I read his messages, when I looked at his pictures, the videos, the invitations to our wedding, of course I cried, he was my fiancé, how could I not? I was about to start a family with him, I wasn't sure if I was pregnant and what's worse, I thought he loved me; I didn't want to torture myself thinking about the time he had been cheating on me, but there were many doubts in my head.

I went through the emails again, opened some of them and then I saw that name in big letters.

DIEGO ALBA

Wow, I didn't expect this.

I opened the mail and then I closed my eyes, I don't know if I wanted to know what the content said, I hadn't seen it since I left that hotel room.

I opened my eyes slowly and saw the short words the mail contained.

"Let's meet."

Yes, as direct as ever.

I saw that I had regained coverage and quickly replied.

"No."

This was going to leave him unhinged, poor his new secretary.

I heard the sound of a car and ran to the window, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon.

I couldn't say I recognized that car, but only my uncle or someone close to my father would come here.

She, Julieta, got out of that Mitsubishi Montero full of mud and dust.

I hadn't seen her for a long time and she didn't go to the funeral because she was with Elián.

My cousin.

She approached a little shyly when I opened the door, but I ran to hug her.

"Julieta! How nice to see a familiar face."

"Camila, it's been so long since I've seen you, how are you, how huge you look, I was a grown woman."

"I have been for a long time, you are still as beautiful as ever, Julie."

"And you've gotten even more beautiful," the horn of his car honked, I looked over, noting that there was someone else inside. "I brought Elian. He needs to be home, he misses you and all his animals so much, he needs to get back into his routine, Camila."

"Yes, I've been waiting for him, did you talk to him about me?" besides my father, the only person that all his life got along with him, has been Julieta, for her he was someone normal, because with her he behaved like someone normal, I could never have a good approach with my brother and he only managed to get aggressive with me, the idea of having a sister never pleased him.

"Yes, he remembers you perfectly. Your father always talked to him about you, I can say every day, but...you are an intruder in his house, Camila. For him you are not welcome."

"Julieta, but if I'm going to take care of him, we have to live together, there's no other way."

"I don't want to be the one to say this, but near the stable there is a small shed, it's set up like a small house, did you see it?"

"Yes, which struck me as odd, why? There's bedding, a makeshift bath, why is that?"

"From time to time your father and Elian had arguments, Elian is very territorial and they couldn't be in the same space."

"Are you implying that...?"

"Yes, you should settle in there, it's important for him to know his place and that someone else doesn't invade it, Camila."

And yes, you may call me childish, unreasonable and maybe unconscious, but I resented the fact that one always had to give in to Elian.

I wanted him out of the house.

I had to get out of the house.

And so it was going to be this whole process, in which my patience was not my greatest ally.

"Okay, but do you think this will be permanent?"

"Until you guys come to an agreement."

"What a load of crap!"

"I'm sorry. You know how it is with Elian."

"Fuck!" I stared back towards the vehicle, there he was, like he didn't even care that I was here, he didn't even deign to get out, I was just the intruder in his house. "I guess I need to get everything of mine before he comes in the house."

"Yeah, or he'll get a little...you know."

"Okay. I'll be a few minutes."

"Do you want me to help you?"

"Don't worry, it's not that much. Just my clothes." I ran into the house and into the bedroom, pulling all the clothes out of the closet with everything and hangers, emptied the drawers, grabbed my shoes, went to the bathroom and got everything of mine.

I couldn't believe I was doing this.

I left everything in the damn little shed and then went back to the entrance of the house.

"Elian, this is your sister Camila, your younger sister, do you remember her?" he smiled just a little and in front of me was someone huge, with wide arms, very tall, that several days old beard and his nice green eyes.

It was my brother.

A few tears came to my eyes at the sight of him, Dad had taken good care of him, he was so handsome, the pictures didn't do him any judgment. He was wearing worn out jeans, along with those dirty boots, he was wearing a jean jacket and that necklace that belonged to mom, he never took it off.

"Camila. You're an adult. Dad talked about you like you were a kid." my big brother said.

"Same here. You're an adult, Elian. Is it wrong if I want to give you a hug?"

"It's very wrong. But there's someone who will want to hug you for sure." he went back to the car and with him brought a little girl about five years old. "This is Johanna. She's Julie's daughter." I looked at Julie with my mouth open, I didn't know she was married, I didn't know she had children. And if I was told, I didn't remember. The little girl had long beautiful black hair, just like Julie's, her smile was very cute and those green eyes were very bright.

"Hello, Johanna, how are you?"

"Fine, thank you."

"We have to go, Elian," Julie took the girl's hand and they walked to the car. "I hope you behave yourself with Camila, she's not in your house, she's in the shed, do you know the difference?"

"Now the shed is hers."

"But she expects you to invite her to your house at some point, wouldn't you want company?"

"No."

"Even if it rains and thunders?"

"It won't rain for months."

"Elian...what did we talk about?"

"I'll be nice," he said like a child, despite his enormous size. "I'll invite her over for dinner tonight."

"Very well."

When Julie left, silence reigned between the two of them.

He went into the house and closed the door, locking me out, I had to go all the way around the place to gain access to the back and get to the shed.

Minutes later I watched as Elian paced back and forth, doing the things that needed to be done in a place like this that I had no idea about. I tidied up my things in the small space.

I was lying on the small, uncomfortable bed when I heard the sound of an incoming call.

Here I had reception!

I didn't have the number registered but this ending sounded suspicious and slightly familiar.

"Let's meet." that guttural voice I recognized it instantly, it was Diego Alba, surely not very happy with the answer I gave to his mail.

"Hello and no." I replied at his demand.

"Camila Gonzalez."

"Yes, Mr. Alba. Oh, wait...you're not my boss anymore! You fired me!"

"And you abandoned me in that hotel bed!" Ah...so that's what this was about.

I was hurt.

"What did you want, for me to tuck you in and say goodnight?" he was silent, the first time I'd ever heard my boss with nothing to say in response. Maybe I was being too harsh, but that fucker fired me, what did he want?!

"I heard your engagement was called off." he said calmly.

"And you called for another meeting? Or is it that you now really believe me what I told you that day?"

"I'm sorry." An apology or what?

"Which part, the whole time I worked for you or that moment when you fired me?"

"I'm sorry about your engagement, Camilla."

"You never liked Tommy." she couldn't be hypocritical, she sure was glad.

"And you see what happened, are you okay?"

"What do you want, Diego? "I wasn't up for her pity, not from him.

"Wow...now I remember the sensual way you say my name," over me rained those damn memories of being under Diego and me saying his name. I bit my lips because that had been a very good encounter. "I just wanted us to meet again, where are you?"

"Far, far away." I said dryly.

"Just tell me, I'll come." I was silent.

Would I be able to come here?

Why?

Why did he want to see me now? Maybe he was just upset because I left him in that room after we had a magnificent romp, I think he had liked it as much as I did.

But I didn't want to see him. Maybe if I gave him the name of the place, he would desist from coming.

"Right now I'm living in a ranch yard, inside a tiny shed, with a makeshift bathroom, a signal that comes whenever it wants and...a brother who won't welcome me into his home."

"How many hours does it take you to get here from the city, Camila?"

Damn Alba, did I want to go through with this!!! And he wasn't in town, I had to get out of town just this week, I still knew his whole schedule for the month, I just...didn't know where he was.

"Lots."

"Would he be arriving today?"

"I think so."

"Send me your location, maybe in that shed we could both fit, don't you think?"

At this point I was grinning like a fool, but I hung up the call and sent the address to Diego.

Would he get there?

How interested was he in seeing me again?