Chapter 3 That Girl...

Heitor

After much insistence from Heloísa, I had agreed to accompany her to spend New Year's Eve in São Miguel do Gostoso, and now I questioned why I always ended up giving in to the whims of my annoying and impulsive sister. Soon, I answered myself: I love her, despite everything.

"You should try to have some fun, Heitor!" Heloisa repeated the same phrase for the umpteenth time that night. "You're always so proper."

"I'm a responsible guy, is that what you meant?" I suggested ironically.

"A bore! That's what Heloisa meant," Bernardo said, butting into the conversation.

"I don't remember anyone asking for your opinion, Bernardo," I replied rudely.

"Guys, can we just enjoy New Year's Eve?" Heloísa tried once again. "Is that possible or not?"

"Heloísa is right," Catarina says in a conciliatory tone. "What do you think about going down and joining the other guests to watch the fireworks?"

Everyone agreed to Catarina's suggestion, and we asked for the check for the drinks we had at the hotel bar. We joined the majority of other guests in the party area near the pool, where several tables were set up with a complete and appealing buffet, featuring many traditional New Year's Eve dishes and also regional Northeastern cuisine.

While trying some delicacies, I looked around the venue, recognizing some faces and hoping that Heloísa and Bernardo would soon find interesting company and forget about Catarina and me. Once that happened, I planned to return to my suite and sleep. I was bored; that was the only word that could define my current state. I was sure my girlfriend wouldn't mind missing the rest of the "party."

Catarina and I have been dating for two years, and I plan to propose to her on my grandfather Vicente's birthday, which will happen in a month. This will be my gift to the patriarch of the Alves de Bragança family, considering that his greatest wish at the moment is for his grandchildren to get married and have children. He can't wait to have children running around the gardens of his mansion.

Despite the plans for an imminent marriage, I can't say that I love my girlfriend because I don't believe in love and don't think I will ever fall in love. The only reason I chose her to be my wife is the bond between our families and the fact that I've known Catarina for years, and we have a lot of affinity with each other.

I don't see any problem in having a calm relationship, or as Bernardo always insists on saying a lukewarm and unexciting relationship. But my best friend's opinion and that of the biggest womanizer I know don't matter.

"What do you think about going back to our suite?" I asked discreetly, right after midnight and after losing sight of Heloísa and Bernardo.

"Let's stay just a little longer..." Catarina asked in a strange tone of voice.

I looked closely at my girlfriend when she took another glass of champagne from the passing waiter's tray, and I'm sure that should be at least the fourth time I've seen her do that.

"Do you think you've had enough to drink for one night?" I asked, not disguising the disapproval in my voice.

Catarina seemed to be very focused on something on the other side of the huge pool and didn't even bother to pay attention to what I was saying, which bothered me a lot.

"Catarina?" I tried.

"Yes?" Despite the response, I didn't have her attention, and I noticed a clear expression of displeasure on her face.

I looked once again in the direction Catarina was so interested in, but I didn't understand what she was seeing. However, I soon realized that Bernardo was already kissing some random girl, something quite common for my friend and shouldn't be a surprise to any of us.

"What's the problem?" I asked, already irritated with Catarina's strange behavior.

"There's no problem at all," she replied with annoyance. "We're all free to do whatever we want, right?"

That question left me astonished and seemed more rhetorical, as she didn't even wait for me to respond and was already turning the glass and drinking the entire content in a single, long gulp.

"What's bothering you? I don't understand."

Catarina didn't answer me and, in a quite inappropriate and surprising manner, turned her back and walked away through the crowd without even looking back, leaving me without understanding anything that had just happened.

I decided to wait sometime before returning to our suite, the place where I believed Catarina might be. However, when I arrived at the room, there was no sign of her passing through the luxurious accommodations of the luxury hotel where we were staying.

"Where could she be?"

Now I was truly worried about my girlfriend. After all, she wasn't in her normal state, and being alone out there could be very dangerous.

Catarina is a beautiful black woman with straight hair, cut shoulder-length. She has a slim and delicate body with extremely elegant long legs, creating a very striking image that could attract the attention of some ill-intentioned person, which is quite concerning.

Thinking about it made me return to the location where the celebration was happening, and it was even more crowded now that a very successful singer had started performing. Still, I walked through the entire area, attentive to any sign of Catarina or anyone who could provide information about her.

Luckily, I found my sister, who, as I expected, was hugging a man with whom she seemed to be having a great time. I felt quite uncomfortable interrupting their moment.

"I don't know where Catarina is," I said all at once.

Heloísa became as concerned as I was, and we agreed to go in different directions, communicating with each other in case either of us found my girlfriend.

I also decided to search along the beachfront and walked, attentive to everyone around. However, a lonely girl sitting by the sea caught my attention. Even though I was sure it wasn't Catarina, something made me stop and observe her actions.

The sea seemed to be getting closer to where the girl was, as each wave broke closer to her, and she didn't seem to mind getting wetter. I thought she might have fallen asleep, but her shoulders were shaking strongly, and I understood that she was crying copiously.

Another concerning fact was that the beach in that area was almost deserted, with few people walking toward the busier part, indicating it would become even emptier over time. However, the girl either didn't realize or wished to be completely alone to cry her very painful tears.

For some reason, I couldn't walk away and pretend I hadn't seen that clearly sad and even... depressing scene of a girl crying alone on New Year's Eve, while the beach waves soaked her more and more.