Myria POV
Finally home. The beer with Sandra was awkward and took forever. I had suspected for some time that she was trying to flirt with me and today my suspicions were confirmed, she was. I tried to be nice and make some excuse to make it clear that there was nothing wrong with her, so I explained that I can't have anything with anyone at the moment because I like someone else and I can't reciprocate.
I don't even know if that's an excuse or the truth, but if it's the latter I'm pretty fucked.
Alba was there with Rosa, they didn't come over to say hi, I don't understand why, I guess they wanted privacy to talk about Rosa and Elena's story. I really like Rosa for my friend, I hope she doesn't get tired of her and ruin everything.
As I'm finishing my shower and getting into bed, I get a text.
ALBA: Are you home yet?
ALEJANDRA: Yeah, shall I put the chapter on now?
ALBA: I'm not home yet, I'm in the taxi.
It's late at night, how can she expect us to watch the drama now and go to work tomorrow just like that, I'm having a hard time following her.
ALEJANDRA: How do you stay up so late if you get up early?
ALBA: Wanna know my secret?
ALEJANDRA: Please?
ALBA: Can't tell you, I'd have to kill you.
I put the broken heart icon on her. She responds with a laugh.
ALBA: Well, since I don't want you to die young, we can negotiate. I can tell you my secret and share my ancient wisdom if you tell me one of yours in return.
ALEJANDRA: What kind of secret do you want?
ALBA: A worthwhile one, mine is very valuable.
ALEJANDRA: Hmmmmm I'll think of something.
ALBA: You take the deal?
ALEJANDRA: Of course, it's better to tell you a secret than to have you kill me.
ALBA: Good answer. So my secret to going to bed so late and getting up early....
She stops writing.
ALEJANDRA: Just say it.
ALBA: Sorry, I was paying the taxi driver.
She puts on a laughing icon and I laugh too.
ALBA: As I was saying, my secret to staying up so late and getting up so early is drinking an industrial amount of coffee in the morning.
'Really? That shit?'
ALEJANDRA: That's your secret? I feel scammed.
ALBA: What did you expect? I drink one before I leave home, then my assistant brings me another one to the office as soon as she get there, another one mid-morning... and by lunchtime I have so much caffeine in my body that I've forgotten all about sleep.
I grinned when she named her assistant, I was thrilled that, even if it's silly, she remembers me on something as basic as her morning wellness.
'Agh, I'm such an idiot.'
ALEJANDRA: Your assistant takes good care of you.
ALBA: Well, that's why I pay her.
Bringing her coffee is not my job. But I have to admit that I don't hate it anymore.
ALEJANDRA: To bring you coffee?
ALBA: To make my day easier.
I make her day easier. That's it, an idiotic grin, as if my lips had been stapled to the sides of my face and couldn't return to their natural position.
ALEJANDRA: And does she do that?
ALBA: Sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't, but she's pretty good with coffee.
ALBA: But don't try to distract me, you owe me a secret.
ALEJANDRA: That's right, I hadn't forgotten. A secret on a par with yours... Let me think... Your secret is that when you're sleepy you drink coffee... I'd never have thought of something like that... I think I have one that might be on the same level.
Alba puts the eye-covering monkey emoticon
ALEJANDRA: Got it. My secret to waking up in the morning is to set my alarm clock.
I put the emoticon of the face with the sunglasses on.
ALBA: You're an idiot.
ALEJANDRA: I'm sharing my ancient wisdom too, you should appreciate it.
ALBA: Wait, I'm wearing my pajamas.
'I wanna see that.'
I squeeze my eyes. I want to see that, but I can't. I'm never gonna see that. I have to think about something else and stop getting nervous. I send orders to my head to stop imagining Alba undressing.
Erase mental image. Erase mental image. Stop thinking about that. Think about sad things, think about the day you ate the last piece of chicken and Elena looked at you with glassy eyes and you felt so guilty you decided to go and buy her more chicken but the store was already closed.
'That's it, image deleted.'
ALEJANDRA: Okay.
We spent the rest of the night talking nonsense, in the end we didn't see the drama because hours flew by without us noticing, but I didn't care, I loved falling asleep talking nonsense with Alba.
In the morning she sent me a picture of her coffee.
ALBA: Ancient wisdom to face the day.
It made me grin. I sent her a picture of my alarm clock.
ALEJANDRA: And ancient wisdom to get up.