C1 Welcome Home

He woke up with shortness of breath and a stabbing pain in his chest, jumping in bed, which startled the girl sleeping next to him. She pulled herself together and with affectionate gestures caressed his bare back, asking him between yawns:

"Are you all right honey, nightmares again? "

He tried to let go of the fear that remained in his chest. Sitting up in bed, he took a deep breath, running his fingers through his black hair. He got up walking towards the giant window that stretched out in front of them. He paused admiring the view of the city from the magnificence of its skyscraper. He tried to overcome the bitter taste that those dreams always left in him.

The sight of the naked manly body, together with the panoramic view of the majestic city that awoke, pulled a lustful sigh from the chest of the girl who was watching him from the bed. That image was her concept of perfection and happiness.

" I don't know how long I can live without this view " she murmured, letting himself fall backwards on the bed.

" Don't worry my love, it won't be for long " he whispered. " I have no interest in going back to that decadent hole. It'll only be a few days, just long enough to deal with all the paperwork regarding the damn will...I still don't understand why my grandfather left me that infernal house."

" Well, my love, it's the house you grew up in, isn't it? I don't think there's anyone better to leave it to. And i´ve learned from what you've told me, I don't think there's anyone else either" she said, with a seductive look.

" I don't know, honey. I honestly just want all this to be over, we can go back to our normal lives and not think about that place anymore." he said, crawling back into bed, seeking refuge in his beloved's chest, like a frightened child.

" Come on. Stop complaining, you're such a crybaby. Everything will be perfect, besides, this way we'll have time to take a trip together, you never take me anywhere. " she joked.

" Now come on, let's get going, otherwise we'll be late, like always. " she said nibbling his ear.

" Don't hurry my beautiful Alice, we still have enough time left. " he commented smiling mischievously before wrapping her in a burning kiss.

"Tell me again, how long will it take us to get there? " Alice asked pulling her blonde hair into a carefree ponytail as she waited in front of the car, her bags on the floor.

" About six hours, if we're lucky and there's not too much traffic. " he replied as he hurriedly lifted the half-packed suitcases and threw them into the back seat.

" I warned you, Rafa! " she protested " now we are well behind schedule because of you. Hurry up!. "

"I didn't hear you complaining much." he replied with a lascivious smile.

He got into the car, and started the engine while his eyes roamed over her body with desire.

" It took us quite a while, if I'm being honest. "

Alice burst into an amused laugh and caressed his cheeks with her hand. Rafa smiled, he had never loved anyone so much. His life had been a constant parade of love and disappointment. One followed the other, leaving him with no hope of finding someone who could ever love him. Him and not his money.

Until he met her, one summer afternoon in a park. He was alone, sitting on a bench, thinking about how unhappy his luck in love was. She walked past him, a book in front of her eyes. Immersed in her reading, she stumbled and fell face first to the ground. Rafa came to her rescue, and like in a romantic movie, fell madly in love with her blue eyes.

The attraction was mutual and they started dating. Alice never asked about his car, his house, or his salary. She insisted on paying half price for dinners and gave him small gifts whenever she could.

When she first discovered that his apartment was a luxurious loft at the top of a skyscraper she seemed more amused by the view of the city than the amenities around her.

She refused every extravagant gift Rafa pretended to give her and although she loved him like nobody else, she never quite moved in.

Even two years after sharing her life with him she kept her own apartment and slept in it a couple of times a week. Rafa felt an indescribable happiness, he knew he had found a woman who loved him for who he was, not for what he could offer her from his economic position. He could give away all his money and property, he had no doubt that Alice would remain by his side, as happy as ever.

The trip was long. The asphalt stretched out before them like an endless road. Songs flew inside the car along with selfies, affectionate videos and Alice's kisses. Every couple of hours, sleep would find her staring at the road and drag her back to her dark domain in intermittent naps. Rafa would stare at her in delight, as if he had a work of art in front of him.

The hours passed and as evening fell they came face to face with their destiny. Rafa stopped in front of an old sign that swayed in the wind.

"You are trespassing," the sign read. He sighed regretfully and his face took on a nauseated, worried expression that Alice had never seen before. She tried her best to brighten his countenance and exclaimed in a childish tone:

" Yeyyyy, here we are at last! "

But her beloved's face did not change, on the contrary, it seemed to darken more and more with every second. He was looking at the woods around him, as if trying to guess some presence among the trees. Again he turned his eyes to the sign and the flimsy fence that stood in front of them. Without a word, he got out of the car, opened the gate tied with a simple hook and returned to the wheel.

Alice, noticing the fear on his face, touched his leg. Trying to meet his eyes she whispered softly:

" Everything will be all right my love. Remember, it's only a few days. "

He swallowed dryly, ignoring her words and started the car, fixing his gaze on the road. Alice withdrew her hand, returning it to her lap. She understood that this was not something she could remedy and kept silent. Her eyes escaped out the car window, scanning the landscape around her. The property was huge. On both sides of the road stood copious trees and among them he could see some colorful flowers growing, a fountain and what he identified at a glance as a playground.