The One That Got Away (Love Hotel #1)

Chapter 35

35

MAX

‘Just checking you’re still alive,’ Colton’s voice boomed down the phone. I was on my way to reception and thought it’d be a good time to return all the missed calls he’d left over the past few days.

‘Sorry, man. I’ve been kind of busy.’

‘Busy, or getting busy ?’

‘How did you know?’ I laughed.

‘C’mon. It was only a matter of time before shit happened between you two. How long did you last before jumping each other’s bones?’

‘Friday.’

‘Damn. That was quick. So have you been holed up in your hotel room since then?’

I told Colton all about the move to the villa and what happened during our massage.

‘You dirty dog!’ he laughed.

‘We’ve left the villa a couple of times since then for walks and stuff, but the rest of the time, well, like I said, we’ve been busy .’

Ever since we’d agreed on Saturday to continue what we’d started, I’d been in a hedonistic haze. I’d lost count of the amount of times Stella and I had sex.

We’d screw then rest. Once we got the energy, we’d drag ourselves away from the bed, the sofa, floor or one of the other surfaces we’d defiled and get something to eat. Then we’d end up kissing and the same pattern would be begin again: fuck, sleep, eat, repeat.

We were both insatiable. But now it was Tuesday and we only had four full days left here, we both agreed we needed to actually leave the villa and reconnect with civilisation.

Surprisingly we’d kept up with our daily Love Tasks. We’d taken selfies in bed. I’d sneaked a few photos of Stella in the pool in one of her many sexy bikinis and we’d both creepily taken pics of each other sleeping.

Keeping up with the playlist thing was easier than I thought. We’d gotten used to putting on music to drown out the noises we made during sex, so we picked a handful of songs from that selection.

I’d chosen tracks like ‘I Want to Sex You Up’ by Color Me Badd, ‘Too Close’ by Next and ‘Coming Home’ by Usher, ‘Pony’ by Ginuwine and ‘Sexual Healing’ by Marvin Gaye and Silk’s ‘Freak Me’.

Stella’s selection included Madonna’s ‘Sex’, ‘Freak Like Me’ by Adina Howard, ‘Physical’ by Olivia Newton-John, Ariana Grande’s ‘34+35’, ‘Kiss It Better’ by Rihanna and ‘Hotter than Hell’ by Dua Lipa.

I smiled as I thought about how things had changed since the angry playlist Stella first sent me. In the beginning it was hard for us to be within three feet of each other without all hell breaking loose. Now, if she didn’t have her arms or legs wrapped around some part of my body, I didn’t feel right .

But it was fine. I wasn’t getting attached. I just liked being around her, that was all.

‘I’m happy for you, bro!’ Colton said. Even though I couldn’t see him, I could tell he was grinning.

‘Thanks.’

‘So are you two officially together now?’

‘No, we’re just… it’s a casual thing.’

‘Does she know that?’

‘It was Stella’s idea. The morning after stuff happened, there I was worrying about hurting her when I explained I wasn’t ready for a relationship and she basically laughed in my face and asked why I assumed she’d want anything serious with me! She said she was horny and my dick was available, so she thought, why not?’

‘Sounds like you’ve met your match!’ he chuckled.

Under different circumstances, I would’ve agreed. If ever I was interested in a relationship, I’d want someone strong and confident like Stella. But anyway, that wasn’t gonna happen. Work had to come first.

‘Col. I better go. Gotta arrange the car for our trip today.’

‘Where you going?’

‘I’m taking Stella to Córdoba.’

‘Isn’t that one of your favourite cities in Spain?’

‘Yep.’

‘So let me get this straight: you flashed two hotel staff so you could give Stella your towel and protect her modesty, you’ve spent days holed up in the villa together because you can’t tear yourself away from her arms, you’ve cooked for Stella and now you’re taking her to your favourite place, but it’s just casual, right?’

When he put it like that, it did sound sus. But what he thought wasn’t important. Me and Stella knew it was just a friends-with-benefits situation and that was all that mattered.

‘That’s right, it’s not serious. Córdoba’s a nice place. If you came to Spain, I’d take you there too.’

‘Yeah, but you’d take me to see the factory that’s nearby, not to wander the streets holding hands like you’re about to do with Stella.’

‘Gotta go,’ I said, avoiding his comment. ‘Say hi to Betty and Natalie.’

‘Laters.’ He hung up.

When I got back from organising the car, Stella was ready and so we set off straight away.

I could lie and say we spent the journey there talking and admiring the scenery, but the truth was, we spent most of it kissing.

When the driver sheepishly announced that we’d arrived, we dragged ourselves apart and out of the car.

‘I didn’t even get to ask you where we were going!’ Stella straightened her skirt and attempted to fix her hair.

‘This is Córdoba: one of my favourite cities in Spain.’

‘I haven’t heard of it before. What’s here?’

‘I’m about to show you.’ Before I even realised I’d done it, I took Stella’s hand and led her through a large ancient gate which was surrounded by high stone walls and battlements. ‘This is the old Jewish Córdoba, which is called La Judería .’

I showed Stella some of the famous Cordovan courtyards or patios as they were known as in Spanish.

‘It’s really pretty,’ Stella said, taking in the beauty of the courtyards which were decorated with colourful flowers planted in pots, hanging from the walls or on the stone paving. Some courtyards even had wells, fountains and antique furniture.

Hearing her say that she thought the city was pretty caused a warm fluttery sensation in my chest. I loved this place and really wanted her to like it too. So seeing the awe written across her face made me so happy.

‘Every May they have a competition here to find the best patio .’

‘That sounds amazing!’

My heart swelled again as we continued walking.

‘This is Calleja de las Flores ,’ I pointed. ‘It’s one of the most popular streets here.’ The whitewashed walls were lined with blue flowerpots filled with bright pink flowers.

After we’d taken some photos, I led Stella to the famous Great Mosque of Córdoba which had a cathedral inside.

Annoyingly, Colton was right: Stella and I strolled around admiring the stunning architecture hand in hand like our palms were moulded together. The only time we separated them was when we went to the toilet.

And I was kind of embarrassed to admit that when Stella released her palm from mine, I missed the warmth and softness instantly.

Shit. I sounded like some loved-up teenager.

‘That was incredible!’ Stella said as we stepped out of the mosque. ‘I’ve never heard of a cathedral being built inside a mosque before. And how did they build everything so beautifully all those years ago?’

‘No idea, but it’s impressive. You hungry?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Let’s go eat.’

I took Stella to one of my favourite restaurants and she tried the Salmorejo , which was a cold soup that was a traditional dish from Córdoba, made from tomato, olive oil, breadcrumbs, garlic and vinegar topped with Serrano ham and pieces of boiled eggs .

‘This is actually really nice.’ She scraped the last spoonful from the bowl.

‘Glad you liked it.’

‘Thanks for bringing me here. It means a lot that you took me to one of your favourite places. It’s like you’re letting me in.’

‘Letting you in?’

‘Yeah. Like you trust me.’

‘But I do trust you.’

‘Yeah? Will you answer a question for me then?’ She leant forward and looked deep into my eyes.

‘Anything,’ I said quickly. Damn those eyes. I shouldn’t have left myself too open. But I couldn’t help it. I felt so comfortable around Stella and whenever her gaze was locked on me, I was putty in her hands. Right now, if she asked me to rob the Bank of Spain, I’d agree.

As Stella opened her mouth, I braced myself.

‘Why have you cut yourself off completely from football?’

Damn.

Stella’s question hit me like a punch in the gut. I sucked in a breath and my brain scrambled. I didn’t know what I thought she’d ask, but I wasn’t expecting that .

My immediate thought was to shut down. To tell her I didn’t want to talk about it, like I always did whenever anyone tried to raise it. But Stella had some kind of magical power that made me feel like it was okay to open up and be honest.

After inhaling again, I tried to speak.

‘I…’ My voice shook. ‘I don’t… Watching people do what I used to. What I wanted to keep doing but couldn’t, it’s painful. I had it all. My whole career in front of me and then… It’s hard to watch someone living your dream knowing you’ll never make it happen. ’

‘I get that,’ Stella rested her hand on mine, ‘but it seems like you’ve blocked out all mentions of football for years and I’m just wondering how well that’s worked for you?’ She paused. ‘Do you feel better, denying yourself?’

Good question.

‘Honestly? Not really. Still hurts.’

‘That’s what I thought.’ Stella paused again. ‘When we first went to the villa and we were talking about the TV, you said you don’t watch games any more. Have you really not seen or been to one since your injury?’

‘Nope.’ I shook my head.

‘Football is everywhere, so that must be exhausting. How do you avoid it on TV or online and in the newspapers?’

‘I don’t watch TV and I’m always working so I don’t have time to read newspapers.’

‘Colton used to love football too, didn’t he? Didn’t you ever want to go to a match with him?’

‘He asks me all the time,’ I sighed, ‘but I always say no.’

‘Have you ever tried?’

‘Once. Years ago. About a year after my injury. But when I arrived at the stadium, I started shaking. I couldn’t move. Colton had to take me back to his place. I was too embarrassed to go home.’

His mum said it was probably some kind of panic attack, but I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that it was better if I stayed away from football. Too many bad memories of that fateful day an ill-timed tackle resulted in my right leg being shattered in two places.

I hoped once it healed and if I kept up with the physio that I’d be able to play again, but nope. Even after seeing countless doctors and specialists, it was clear. My career was over .

‘That sounds awful. Did you ever see anyone? Obviously I know you had physiotherapy and stuff, but I mean like a therapist. To help mentally?’

‘Nah. I was still living with my parents at my gran’s and you know what my mum and dad were like. If I mentioned wanting to see a shrink, they would’ve laughed me out of the house.’

‘And now?’

‘Don’t know,’ I shrugged.

‘Might be worth thinking about seeing a therapist and trying to get your love for football back again. Of course it won’t be easy and it won’t be the same, but eventually I reckon you could find some joy from it again – in a different way. I mean, we’re in Spain and weren’t Real Madrid one of your favourite football teams?’

‘Yeah,’ I smiled. ‘I’d always hoped I’d play for them one day.’

‘Well, just because your old dreams didn’t happen, doesn’t mean you can’t make new ones.’

Of course Stella was right, but I’d never really thought about doing anything else.

My life had always been mapped out for me.

It was only ever gonna be about football. Nothing else mattered.

But then that was ripped away.

And when I finally dragged myself out of the black hole I’d spiralled into, I threw all of my energy into getting Mum’s business off the ground instead.

As far as I was concerned, my dream had expired, so that was it. I’d missed my one chance. Although it sounded strange now, I’d never really considered the fact that I could have another roll of the dice.

Stella’s question swam around in my mind.

If I could create a new dream, what would it be ?

I didn’t know the answer right now, but for the first time in what seemed like forever, I felt like maybe the world was open to me again.

And that maybe I deserved another shot at happiness.