Madrid

Alana

I couldn’t look at Raúl, I couldn’t believe what I’d heard. I felt myself shaking from head to toe, how could he say something like that, and leave me in this restlessness?

– Are you cold?

– Cold? I tried to manage a smile but I couldn’t. – No, I’m not cold.

How could I be cold when I feel somehow warm inside? It’s strange, very strange!

– I scared you, sorry!

– I’m not scared. Why should I be? I…

Embarrassment hangs in the air, and I feel that Raúl is as tense as I am.

– So, shall we go for a walk? – he asks.

– It’s a good idea!

He started, and we headed towards the special place he referred to. The weather was a little chilly despite the sun. Raúl follows a path I’m not familiar with, it doesn’t seem like we’re in Madrid anymore, after passing the main road, he entered a secondary road, which at first had asphalt, but now I can only see dirt. The car continued along this path until it reached a bridge, we passed over the river. All the while we said nothing, as the car climbed a steep slope, and now traverses pastures and clearings. Honestly, I have no idea where Raúl is taking me.

When we reach the top of a slope, I see a huge rock and Raúl stops the car.

– So where are we?

– Before I say the name, I have a story about this place, do you want to hear it?

– Yes.

unbuttons his jacket, and I stare at him without understanding much, I continue to look at his hands . cause shivers.

What am I doing?

Alana, focus!

Even trying not to look, I notice that underneath his jacket, he wears a knit shirt, which shows off his physique and shows off his tattoos, which makes me a little disconcerted. I run my hand quickly over my neck, through my hair, and then look back at him.

He shifts in his seat and his leg lightly touches mine, and it affects me somehow, and I start not recognizing myself anymore. Calm down, it’s just Raúl!

The enclosed space inside the car starts to get stifling, he tosses his jacket into the backseat as I watch his tattoos, and I feel my breathing shift from normal to a choking sensation that reminds me of the day he kissed my neck.

– It’s hot? he asks, and snaps me out of my trance.

– What? Oh! No, eh… I ‘m fine! I stutter, and it makes me feel like an idiot.

– I think so, you’re sweaty! – he insisted .

Raúl stares at me in a disconcerting way, and that’s not good, is it? The sensations he causes me confuse me. He touches my forehead, and it scares me as his hand seems to burn my skin, I pull away, looks straight ahead.

– So… What… What is this stone? – I ask, stuttering, looking at that huge boulder in front of us, and trying not to think about the tension that wants to seize me. Raúl seems to want to provoke me, and he puts his arm on the back of my seat.

– They call it the Witches’ Stone. It is one of the few vestiges of the Ice Age.

– Why do you have that name? You said there was a story about her…

– Yes, it’s a place full of legends. They call it that because witches in the Middle Ages used to gather here, and they say they still do, but there’s a legend about a couple in love who couldn’t be together, their families wouldn’t allow it, and they ran away here, and found the witches, and they helped them escape and live their love. Since then, the place has become a refuge for lovers…

– I mean, do couples use this as a motel?

– Oh, Alana, where’s the romanticism?

– Oh Raúl, are you serious? – it is obvious that he made up this story, and he brought me here with another intention.

– I’m serious!

– You made all this up, and what did you bring me here for?

– Alana, stop being skeptical! This place is special, and an unknown tourist spot that needs to be valued more, and I brought you here to enjoy it!

– Okay, but what exactly is this rock?

– I’ve read anything about phenomena like that. I remember once seeing a rock similar to this one, but it was much smaller, and scientists attested that it would be a meteorite or a shooting star…

As he talks, he gets closer, and when I really notice he’s so close that my breathing becomes irregular again, his hand touches my neck, and caresses the back of my neck. I open my mouth, in disbelief at his closeness. I lean my head towards the window, hiding my face.

– You told me you’d behave like a friend, and… – I try to complete my sentence, but I’m surprised by his fingers stroking my hair, pulling it behind my ear, and then touching my face. I can’t give in to it, it’s taking a huge toll, and it scares me.

– I think it’s time you took me home! – I say firmly, but not looking at him.

– Sorry! – he says and walks away, leaving me a little desolate. After all, did I want him to continue?

I didn’t see it, but I felt his sudden movement, and then a current of air rushes through the car. I turn and see that he’s gone, he’s standing outside, looking out over the plains in the distance, his hands shoved in his pants pockets. By Dios , what happens? While I feel angry that he brought me here with another intention, although I imagined it, but wanted to pay to see, I feel that I’m wasting time, that I should talk to him, let him get close to me, and… To Alana!

These thoughts provoke a choking sensation, and I feel unbearably hot. I can’t take it, I have to get out of that suffocation. I opened the door and walked out without looking in Raúl’s direction. I walk in the opposite direction of him and turn off the road, pass through some bushes without caring about the scratches I was making on my legs. I take a deep breath several times in a row and feel a different feeling take over me. Ahead of me, the sun begins to give signs of its departure, the wind whistles menacingly around the Witches’ Stone.

A noise in the woods not far away startles me, but it was just a pair of red squirrels disturbed by my presence in their habitat. The woods were full of them, it looked like a squirrel sanctuary. I fold my arms, aware that I have to get back to the car, but trying to put off this moment as long as possible.

I was so absorbed in her thoughts, watching the families of squirrels, when a bird jumps out of the woods in front of me, startling me, and making me lose my balance, taking a step back, I get the heel of my boot stuck in a hole. . I feel a searing pain as my ankle buckles for good, causing me to drop to my knees, and let out a groan of pain. I try to get up, and I scratch my hands. All that was needed was to play the helpless girl! Struggling to hold back the tears, I get to my feet before Raúl appears. And speaking of him… He stands in front of me, with a slightly worried expression.

– What happened, Lana?

– I sprained my ankle.

Raúl comes closer and examines me critically.

– God my! – he says, and instinctively puts me in his arms, and everything I least wanted in that moment happens, to have this contact with him, his skin, his heart beats very hard, and mine too.

– Really hurts?

– Yes.

He took me to the car, and when we arrived he put me on the ground in front of the car. He reached down, took off my boot, sock, and lightly touched my ankle area, which made me groan.

– Is here? – he asks, and I shake my head to confirm. I feel guilty, not for the ankle, but for being in this mess of feelings, wanting to push him away, and at the same time loving this closeness. He walks away, and goes towards the car, and when he comes back, he brings a small first-aid kit.

– Raul, I’m sorry…

– Whereby? – he asks and lowers it again.

– For now…

– I owe you an apology, after all I gave my word that it was a friend’s outing, and I tried to take advantage of it!

As he speaks, he wraps a small orange pouch around my ankle, which gives me a cold sensation in the bruised area, and then wraps it with gauze so it’s attached to my foot. Put your belongings away and get up. I put my arm around his shoulders, and he helps me to the car door. In a split second that seems like an eternity, our eyes meet, my breathing becomes irregular again, and my heart seems to want to burst out of my chest.

With a quick movement, he wraps his arms around my waist, and a heat envelops my body, he comes closer, and I feel his perfume that makes me a little drunk, his gaze takes up residence in my mouth, and I have no more strength to hold on, giving in to the desire that dominated me all afternoon, I put my lips on yours.