Snowflakes fall on him, landing on his jacket and in his hair. I can’t believe he’s really here. I fumble to open the window. He gives me that smile that would take anyone’s breath away.
“Hello, Witch.”
I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless, and he seems to know it, because he quietly hops the fence that divides our yards and climbs up the ladder to reach my room. I step back, facing him. His eyes look right through me. I want to speak and tell him what happened, but from the way he looks at me, I know he already knows. Without warning, he pulls me forward until I crash onto his chest. He holds me tight, making me feel safe. And at that moment, I don’t know why, but tears well up in my eyes, and I find myself crying inconsolably. Ares just comforts me, caressing the back of my head.
“He . . . almost died . . .” I struggle to say the words. “I don’t know what I would have done if he . . . I feel so guilty.”
He just lets me cry and mumble all the things I want to say, pressing me tight against his chest. God, I’ve missed him so much. We break away, and he takes my face in both hands, his thumbs wiping away my tears, and then he presses his lips lightly to mine, giving me a soft, gentle kiss.
He rests his forehead on mine.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. I step back, putting distance between us. I can’t concentrate with him so close to me.
“I . . . I don’t know, it all happened so fast. Besides, you were so far away; I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Bother me? Raquel, you are one of—if not the—most important person in my life. You will never bother me; your problems are my problems. I thought the whole point of being a couple was to be able to count on each other. It upsets me that you feel you can’t count on me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, that’s not what I want, I just want you to tell me if you’re ever in a difficult situation. Don’t keep quiet because you don’t want to bother me, okay?” I give him an honest smile.
“Okay.”
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” he asks. I take a deep breath.
“No,” I reply.
“Okay.” Ares picks up a dark backpack that I hadn’t noticed on the floor and puts it on the computer table. From it, he pulls out a beautiful gift bag.
“Merry Christmas, Witch,” he says, extending his hand with the gift. I stare at him, surprised.
“You didn’t have to give me anything,” I say. He strokes his chin as if in thought.
“I think you told me you only accept gifts on special occasions, so I have to take advantage of this moment.”
“Do you remember everything I tell you?” I ask.
“Yup. Everything I care about stays here.” He touches his forehead. “Come on, take it. You don’t have any excuse to refuse.”
Sighing, I grab the bag. Ares looks at me impatiently. He seems more excited than I am, and his excitement spreads to me a little. I put it on the bed and open it. The first thing I pull out is a golden box with chocolates that not only look expensive but foreign.
“Chocolates?”
“I know, I know, I’m a cliché,” he says, raising his hands. “There’s more.”
“Hey, I thought it was one gift,” I accuse him.
“As I said, I have to take advantage of this opportunity.”
The next thing I pull out is a small square box that I remember very well: the iPhone. I give him an are-you-kidding-me look.
“It’s a new one! It’s not the one from that time, I swear,” he says quickly. “I know you like iPhones and you haven’t been able to buy another one, and that phone Dani lent you is one phone call away from self-destructing.”
“You are . . .”
“Please?” He has those begging eyes that remind me of the cat from Shrek.
“You just want a phone so I can take sexy photos to send you.”
Ares acts surprised.
“How did you know?” he demands. I roll my eyes, smiling, and pull out a small, elongated box. When I open it, my heart melts; it’s a gold necklace with a pendant with my name on it, but the R in Raquel is crossed with Ares’s name. It looks like a little cross of our names. No one has ever given me something so detailed and cute. I don’t know why I feel like crying again.
He helps me put it on and gives me a short kiss on the back of my neck before stepping back and leaning against the computer table, crossing his arms over his chest.