It all started with a game

Chapter 22

The amount of girls I've slept with is not a number I'm proud of. I wish I was still a virgin, maybe then things with Beatrice wouldn't be so complicated. If I wasn't so messed up, maybe then things would be simpler.

I tried to reassure Mateo, "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm an eighteen year old guy who's never had sex because he's been hung up on the same girl for years who apparently has been sleeping with other guys and I can't even be mad about it because she was never mine in the first place." He squeezed his eyes shut.

"She doesn't deserve you."

Mateo clutched his head. "I know that, but I really wanted it to be her. I thought she could be one and this whole time she's been sleeping with other guys."

"It'll be okay."

Everything went silent for a long minute, the only sound able to be heard being the sound of Mateo's ragged breaths. He covered his face with his hands, his voice cracking. "Why doesn't she want me?" And then floodgates opened.

I was up in an instant. I hadn't seen Mateo cry since we were kids. I took a spot on the couch beside him, letting him rest his head against me as he cried in silence. He let everything out, neither of us saying a word, and we would never speak of this afterwards; he wouldn't want to. We'd pretend like nothing ever happened, because he would do the same for me. So that way he could cry without having to worry about it making him feel less manly. "It'll be okay," I whispered again, knowing the only thing I could do to help him was to sit with him.

I hated Maria for what she put him through. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve any of it. Mateo was the best guy I knew and she treats him like trash.

Mateo wallowed in his feelings, not holding anything back before wiping his face, blowing his nose, and then grabbing the spare controller—the one he threw completely busted beyond use—and went back to his games like nothing had ever happened, like our entire conversation had never occurred. The only acknowledgment that any of it was real being a soft 'I love you, mate' before he stood up to fix his game.

"Alright, tell me about Beatrice," he demanded.

It did not feel like this was the time to talk about her, as much as I wanted to. But not talking about her was the equivalent of calling out the fact that Mateo just spent the last fifteen minutes crying, breaking my silent promise to him that I would never bring it up again to save him from his own internal humiliation. "We don't have to talk about that right now," I danced around the subject.

Mateo tried to put on a smile. "Just tell me about it. I need something to distract me from the fact that Maria never wants to see me again."

Fair enough. "What do you want to know?"

Mateo kept his eyes on the screen, in the middle of what I assumed was an intense battle but I'll be honest, I have no clue how that game works. "Tell me about the dinner. You met her mom, that's a big deal right?"

"I guess. Her mom absolutely hates me, so I can't say it went great. She couldn't even remember my name. I'm pretty sure she called me Reginald once."

Mateo let out a slight laugh, the most he's done all day. "Reginald?" He joked. "How in the world does she get Reginald from Ryder?"

I shrugged. "Like I said, she hates me."

"At least she doesn't have a good relationship with Beatrice, right? So I mean Beatrice isn't going to dump you if her mother doesn't like you."

That was very true, Sonny and Klaus were the ones I had to worry about on that factor. I have no two where I stand with those two, and I'm fairly certain the gorilla is planning my murder in depth as we speak, just in case I hurt his little sister to which he will have a full plan to end me.

Mateo continued, "Did you have to meet her dad?"

"No, he passed away." I wondered what he was like, if he and Beatrice were close. It didn't seem like it by the way she spoke of him. It also made me wonder if her father was the 'he' she referred to when arguing with her mother. I didn't want to assume anything, but it made me sick to think about someone doing that to her and her brothers. What kind of person would put a child through that? I spent the whole night trying not to hate her mother for the way she treated Beatrice but after hearing that, I don't know how I'm supposed to like someone that put her own children through that, someone who would put Beatrice through that. What kind of person stands back and watches as her children are being abused? Beatrice spent most of the night crying, while she thought I was asleep because of what her mother did. She's her mother, she's supposed to protect her from stuff like this.

I clenched my fist at the thought. How am I supposed to like her mother after that?

"What happened to him?" Mate questioned, his mind slowly getting off the topic of Maria.

"House fire."

"Man, that's a rough way to go out."

I nodded slowly, trying not to think about the fact that it could have just as easily been Beatrice instead of her father. "Yeah."

The door to the basement opened before we could continue the conversation. Probably a good thing considering the more we talked about it the more worked up I got.

"Niños, dinners ready!" Mamá García called from the doorway.

"Coming!" Mateo shouted back, turning off his game.

I followed him up the stairs, meeting Mamá García at the top. "How are things going with the girl, mijo?" She questioned me, a slight smirk on her features letting me know she'd heard my talk about Beatrice when I came over this morning. Maybe I talk about her a bit too much.

"They're good," I bit my lip, trying to keep my face as neutral as possible.

Mamá García did not seem very pleased with me at the moment. "So why is it that you've met her mother and yet I haven't gotten to meet her?"

"It just never came up?" I tried, knowing it wouldn't work.

She scoffed, giving me a disappointed look. "I think you're worried I won't like her."

Who wouldn't like Beatrice? I think Mamá García would love her, and that's what I was afraid of. If we ended, if the game ended, how was I supposed to tell Mamá García that? How was I supposed to let Mamá García love her and then have to tell her that I messed things up like I usually do.

I couldn't do that. "If things get serious, I promise I'll bring her over."

A/N
Hi lovies!
What did we think of the chapter?

I have planned out a whole book and am working on a second one so that way I can have options for you guys once this book is finished. I hope you like them <3

I have high hopes for the next chapter so I hope it turns out well.

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Random question of the chapter: what is your dream career?

Lots of love,
Rachelle <3