Chapter 5 Unusual Feelings

Adriel

That morning, upon waking up, the memory of my failed attempt to confess my feelings to Cecilia pounded in my mind. The relief that Manuela had prevented that disaster was indescribable. I reflected deeply and came to the obvious conclusion that harboring feelings for my best friend's wife was neither right nor appropriate. I needed to forget that madness once and for all, especially now, on the eve of my Senate campaign launch, with Liam and Frederico Ricci as sponsors.

Convicted of my decision, I planned to thank Manuela for her friendship and good sense in preventing me from making a huge mistake. However, the day was hectic, with several meetings with my father's political allies, and I ended up not finding the right moment for it. The unexpected encounter with Manuela, enjoying a romantic dinner with Logan, left me bewildered and strangely unsettled.

The whirlwind of emotions that engulfed me at that moment was difficult to comprehend. Gratitude for Manuela's intervention mingled with an inexplicable sense of discomfort at the scene before me. I tried to ignore the confusion that settled in my chest, but Logan's presence beside her stirred up an intrigue that I couldn't explain.

After Logan and Manuela left the restaurant, I hurried toward the exit, instructing my driver to discreetly wait outside the establishment. On an inexplicable impulse, for which I wasn't seeking any rational explanation at that moment, I asked the driver to follow Logan's car. Augusto, my trusted security guard, asked me about the reason for this sudden change of plans. I maintained suspense, revealing only the need to see something with my own eyes.

I followed Logan's car through the city streets. With a racing heart and a mind full of doubts, I asked the driver to wait while I discreetly observed Logan's car parked in front of Manuela's building. Augusto couldn't hide his curiosity.

"The fact that we're following your best friend directly relates to the fact that he's with your best friend inside the car, doesn't it?" Augusto, perceptive as always, suggested.

I replied with a terse "maybe," my attention fully devoted to the black and luxurious car parked there. Perhaps it's just a normal concern for my friend or perhaps it's something deeper, something that I can't even clearly define.

As I watched the movement of the black car, I tried to understand the confusion that had taken hold of my mind. What am I doing here, following my friends, as if I were a stranger invading their privacy? What was happening inside that vehicle? What was Manuela doing with Logan? A mixture of anxiety and curiosity danced in my chest, eager for answers.

When I saw Cecilia get out of the car and watched Logan drive away, an indescribable relief washed over me, to the extent that I let out an audible sigh that elicited a smile from Augusto. I instructed the driver to wait until Manuela was safely inside the building before we departed. The driver followed my instructions to the letter, but as soon as the car started moving, again an unusual impulse took hold of me. I ordered him to return to the previous location.

With the car parked again, I informed the driver that I needed to have a very important conversation with Manuela and was already preparing to open the car door when Augusto, ever vigilant, closely followed me. Even after assuring him that it wasn't necessary, Augusto insisted that he wouldn't let me enter a modest and insecure building like that alone. He was there to follow my father's orders, not mine. I took a deep breath, resigned in the face of Augusto's determination, knowing I couldn't persuade him otherwise.

We walked together toward the building, while I tried to understand what was compelling me to seek out Manuela at that moment. As we reached the entrance, I felt the tension rise, mixed with a strange blend of anticipation and apprehension.

As Augusto had pointed out, the modest building where Manuela lived offered no security. I seized the moment when another resident, whom I had crossed paths with a few times before, was entering the building to accompany him, thus avoiding the need to announce my arrival to Manuela.

When I rang the doorbell of her apartment, I was met with a startled look on Manuela's face and a not-so-surprising question from her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" I asked, studying her closely, attentive to all the emotions crossing her face.

Manuela opened the door, inviting me in, and her next words hinted at something I considered unnecessary and slightly curious.

"Yes, of course. You know my friends are always welcome."

I was about to shut the door in Augusto's face and leave him waiting in the corridor, but Manuela intervened, pulling Augusto inside and inviting him to enter. Her gaze held a direct reprimand for me, as she knew Augusto as well as I did, from the days when she stayed at my house and the sporadic encounters we had since then.

I fixed my gaze on Manuela, trying to decipher her thoughts, while Augusto took position by my side, which, in a way, unsettled me. Unlike previous occasions when we were together, at this moment, I didn't want an audience present to hear what I was about to reveal to Manuela.

"Since you're concerned about my safety, can we talk in another part of the apartment?"

"Why all this discretion suddenly, Adriel? You never seemed to mind Augusto's presence before."

"Not this time, Manu. I'd prefer to talk to you alone," I responded, trying to explain the situation.

Manuela seemed intrigued and curious but explained that there was only the bedroom and the bathroom, besides the living room and the kitchen where we were. So, I offered two alternatives:

"Then either we leave Augusto waiting in the corridor, or we can talk in the bedroom."

Augusto then intervened. He made it clear that he had no intention of leaving, arguing that the environment was too unsafe.

"I'd rather not leave, Manuela."

"I'm not understanding all this mystery, but okay," Manuela finally agreed, heading towards a door in the left corner of the room.

I felt a deep relief that she had agreed to hear what I had to say, sparing me from having to expose myself in front of Augusto. There were a few moments when I didn't feel comfortable with my security, and this was one of them.

As we entered the bedroom, I closed the door that Manuela had left ajar.

"I confess I'm very curious about all this suspense," she commented.

Not wasting any time, I decided to get straight to the point.

"Actually, I need to thank you for yesterday. You prevented me from making a big mistake, and I'm immensely grateful for that."

Manuela laughed cynically, catching me off guard.

"That's not how it seemed, Adriel. You were clearly mad at me after what happened at the party at the Ricci's mansion."