"And basically, I have to continue with the exercises for a couple of weeks and the foot will be healed", I tell my boyfriend who called me right after I left the doctor's office for my daily rehab session after my injury.
"Almost there, then. I swear your injury has felt eternal. Even worse than one of mine", he laughs.
"That's your overprotective nature. And...what's going on?"
"What happened?"
When I make my way into the building where I live, I see builders working there. They weren't here when I left and no one informed us of any future work that needed to be done.
"Eh...there are builders in the building. I'll see why they are here and call you later, ok?"
"Sure. Let me know if you need anything before my match".
"I will".
My worst fear seems to come true when I notice the builders are working on the lift.
"Excuse me? Is there something wrong with the lift?"
"Yes, ma'am. We were called because someone got stuck in it and found there were quite a few things that weren't working well. So we need to repair it urgently. If someone uses it, there could be an accident".
"Well, it's good you saw the problem before that happened. How long will it take you to fix it?"
"Around two weeks?", he says.
"Oh...that's a lot", I say, realising then these men are just doing their best and don't need my negativity. "Thanks for fixing it. I...I'll get the stairs, I guess".
"Sorry about that".
By the time I get to my floor, which is the 9th floor, I'm almost in tears. My foot hurts so much.
I lay down on the sofa, trying to will the pain to go away. But two weeks of this? All the work done to heal my injury will be gone. I'll probably injure the foot more.
My phone starts ringing and I see it's Rúben.
"Hey", I say, trying not to sound like someone who is about to cry.
"Hi! What were the builders doing then?"
"They...", but I can't continue without little sobs coming out of me.
"What's wrong?", I can hear the concern in Rúben's voice. "Did any of them do anything to you?"
"No. They were really polite but...I'm not going to be able to use the lift for two whole weeks, Rúben. My foot hurts so much from walking up the stairs".
Now I'm full-on crying.
"Don't cry, please. Not while I'm not there to comfort you. There is a very easy solution to that".
"Which is?"
"Move in with me while the builders are there".
"You sure?"
"More than sure", he laughs. "Get everything ready. I'll pick you up after training".
**
A couple of hours later I'm feeling a lot better. The foot doesn't hurt anymore and I've been able to walk around the apartment to collect my things. When my doorbell rings, I know it's Rúben so I slowly make my way to the door.
"Hi", I say, hugging him before he can even walk inside the house.
"Feeling better?", he asks, kissing the top of my head.
"Yes. I'm not in pain anymore and knowing I won't have to go up and down the stairs for the next few weeks cheered me up".
"And you get to spend a lot more time with me", he says, kissing my nose.
