Page 13 of A Christmas Adventure

Her mother drags her out of the bakery under the amused gaze of the manager, who tells her not to worry, that she'll have time to help him on more days. The two of them eat at a home-style restaurant where Maite has a reserved table, and when they finish, they stroll through the town taking a long walk until they end up in front of Olga's house.

Maite opens the outside gate, and the two of them enter the small front patio. Violeta notices that it's quite neglected, and her mother explains that it's one of the things Olga has yet to fix. As soon as Maite rings the doorbell, they hear a voice from inside that sounds distant, inviting them to come in.

"In the kitchen," they hear as soon as they enter the house.

Violeta perceives a pleasant aroma of coffee, which, mixed with the good temperature of the house, immediately makes it a cozy home, but she feels a certain uneasiness. Something has been disturbing her since she heard Olga, and she's unable to define what it is until she enters the kitchen following her mother. When Olga turns around and her eyes lock on her, Violeta feels her mouth go dry as she recognizes the unknown woman she slept with at that hostel in Huesca. The two of them stare at each other, unable to say anything. Olga was about to open a cabinet and has frozen in time. Her head is boiling, and she wonders how it's possible that with all the times Maite hastalked to her about her daughter, she hasn't shown her any photos. It wouldn't change things, but at least she wouldn't have been caught off guard.

"What's wrong, Olga? Are you okay?" Maite asks, approaching her neighbor.

Olga gapes a couple of times until she manages to pull herself together and react.

"Yes, sorry, I was just doing some mental calculations."

They give each other two kisses, and Maite turns towards her daughter, pulling her friend by the hand.

"I introduce you to Violeta. This is Olga."

The two stand face to face for a fraction of a second in which, if the tension in the atmosphere could be visualized, Maite would suffer a collapse.

"It's a pleasure," Violeta reacts, planting two kisses on her cheek.

She's flustered and doesn't know if she's doing the right thing, but given Olga's lack of communication, she decides to pretend they don't know each other.

"Likewise," Olga responds. "Your mother has told me a lot about you."

She gives her an intense look that makes it very difficult for Violeta to breathe normally.

"I hope it was good," she says, trying to keep her composure.

Olga smiles in that charming way that seduced Violeta in a split second, causing that attraction she felt towards her to appear and hit her like a treacherous wave that catches you from behind and shakes your whole body untilit plunges you under the water. Neither of them is quite sure how they should act, but in a silent conversation where they look at each other for a few seconds, they understand that Violeta has done the right thing and that, at least for now, it's best that Maite doesn't know anything about their encounter that night.

The three of them sit down to have coffee, and it's Maite herself, oblivious to the turmoil of her companions, who initiates the conversation by asking Olga how her morning went with the people bringing the materials. Olga answers as if she were a robot, recounting the details while making an effort to avert her gaze from Violeta, who is so nervous she doesn't know where to put herself.

"Do you have a bathroom?"

"Luckily, yes," Olga replies with a smiling grimace.

"What kind of question is that, daughter?" says Maite, embarrassed.

Violeta gets up without saying anything and follows the instructions Olga has given her. When she gets to the bathroom, she locks herself in and presses her back against the door, trying to normalize her heart rate. Since she has seen Olga, she can hardly think; it's not just about everything she remembers from that night, it's that in the light of day, she finds her even more attractive.

"What a mess," she says, chewing each letter while looking up at the ceiling.

Chapter 8

"What's wrong? You seem odd," Maite asks her daughter as soon as they return to their house.

"What?" Violeta responds, trying to buy time.

"Is it that you didn't like Olga?"

Violeta turns to her mother with a frightened face, as if what she just said was something completely impossible. How could she not like Olga when she likes her so much?

"No, I mean, yes, of course I like her."

"Then why have you been acting like that the whole time?" her mother takes off her coat and looks at her with uncertainty.

"Acting like what?"