Chapter 9: Change
1448 Words
Madrid, Spain
Three Years Later – June
"You're staring."
Reina looked up from her notebook.
Across the room, Brittany was attempting to fit the contents of her life into three suitcases.
Poorly.
Very poorly.
Clothes covered both beds.
Several books were stacked in the middle of the floor.
A pair of shoes sat on Reina's desk for reasons neither of them understood.
"No, I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm observing."
"That's just a fancy word for staring."
Reina smiled.
Three years had passed since she arrived in Madrid.
Three years since Brittany walked into their dorm room and announced that she was relieved her new roommate looked normal.
Three years since Brittany had made her laugh for the first time after her father's death.
A lot had changed since then.
Somehow Brittany hadn't.
At least not in the ways that mattered.
Not every holiday was spent in Madrid.
Some Christmas breaks brought Reina back to New York.
Back to the Hernandez mansion.
Back to Carlos and Jimena.
Sometimes when she thought about New York, her mind drifted to La Paloma.
The chandeliers.
The lobby.
The young manager who had made everyone feel important.
She could no longer remember the sound of his voice.
Only the feeling he had left behind.
Not enough to matter.
Just enough that whenever she passed the hotel, she found herself glancing toward the entrance.
The visits with Jimena were never easy.
Neither of them seemed to know what to do with each other at first.
There was too much history.
Too much grief.
Too many things neither of them had said out loud.
But over time, the arguments became less frequent.
The tension eased.
Not because they suddenly became friends.
They had simply learned how to coexist.
They were polite.
Careful.
And both avoided the conversations that mattered most.
The visits became routine over the years.
Carlos always made sure her room was ready.
He asked about grades.
Classes.
University plans.
Everything except feelings.
Some things never changed.
Other holidays were spent in California with Sofia's family.
At some point Sofia's mother stopped asking how long Reina was staying.
She simply assumed she was coming.
Sofia always complained about it.
"My own mother likes you more than me."
Reina never bothered arguing.
Mostly because she suspected Sofia might be right.
Somewhere along the way, Los Angeles stopped feeling like the place she'd lost.
It started feeling like the place she could return to.
Sunny afternoons.
Movies.
Long conversations that lasted past midnight.
Moments that felt normal.
The kind of normal she'd spent years trying to find again.
And somehow, without realizing it, she had.
Little by little.
One holiday at a time.
"You're making a mess."
Brittany gasped.
"A mess?"
She placed a hand over her heart.
"The audacity."
Reina pointed toward the mountain of clothing threatening to take over the room.
"Evidence."
Brittany looked around.
Then nodded thoughtfully.
"Fair."
Three years together had taught Reina many things.
One of them was that Brittany's definition of organized and everyone else's definition of organized were very different.
Reina had changed too.
Not just because she'd grown older.
Somewhere along the way, she'd realized she loved buildings as much as her father had loved paintings.
Her sketchbooks had gradually filled with arched windows, grand staircases, soaring ceilings, courtyards, and beautifully designed rooms instead of portraits.
She loved imagining not only how a building would look from the outside, but how every space inside would feel.
How sunlight would move through the windows.
How people would experience each room.
This year she'd even convinced her advisor to let her take an advanced architectural drafting and design elective.
Officially it was preparation for university.
Unofficially...
It confirmed what she'd already begun to suspect.
She didn't just enjoy architecture.
She wanted to create places people would love someday.
Graduation was only two days away.
Brittany would be leaving for England shortly after.
The thought still felt strange.
For years, Reina had never needed to wonder where Brittany was.
She was always nearby.
Usually talking.
Usually eating.
Often both.
The idea of the room without her felt wrong.
Empty.
A little too quiet.
"You know," Brittany said while folding a sweater, "most people are sad when their friends leave."
Reina narrowed her eyes.
"Who says I'm not sad?"
"You've spent the last week organizing my packing schedule."
"Because you clearly needed help."
"Control freak."
"Disaster."
Brittany grinned.
"That's fair."
Later that afternoon, they sat beneath their favorite tree overlooking the courtyard.
Students moved between classes below.
The air was warm.
The sky was clear.
One of those rare days that felt almost perfect.
Almost.
"So."
Reina immediately became suspicious.
"So?"
"What are you going to do next year?"
The question lingered between them.
Reina already knew.
Study.
Get top grades.
Apply to universities.
Return to New York.
Simple.
At least in theory.
"Finish school."
Brittany rolled her eyes.
"Besides that."
"Apply to architecture programs. Hopefully NYU."
"Besides that."
Reina frowned.
"What answer are you looking for?"
Brittany smiled.
"A fun one."
"Then you're asking the wrong person."
That earned a laugh.
Then Brittany's expression softened.
"You're going to be okay, you know."
The comment caught Reina off guard.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Brittany shrugged.
"Because change is scary."
Reina stared at the courtyard.
Students laughing.
Talking.
Living.
Three years ago she would have given anything to feel normal again.
Now she did.
Mostly.
And somehow that scared her too.
Because normal things could change.
People could leave.
Life could move forward whether you were ready or not.
"I'll miss you."
The confession slipped out quietly.
Brittany smiled.
"I know."
The answer only made it worse.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Brittany nudged her shoulder.
"I'm not dying, you know."
Reina laughed.
"I know."
"England isn't another planet."
"Debatable."
"Rude."
A smile tugged at Reina's lips.
The familiar ache remained.
But it felt different from grief.
Lighter somehow.
Because this goodbye wasn't forever.
That evening, Reina opened her notebook.
The pages had become worn over the years.
Filled with letters.
Questions.
Memories.
Conversations that existed only between her and her father.
She turned to a blank page.
Then began writing.
Dear Dad,
The words came naturally now.
Like breathing.
Brittany graduates this week.
A small smile appeared.
I think she's more excited about going home than she is about graduation.
The pen moved across the page.
She's going to London.
She wants to study psychology.
Which makes sense.
She's always been good at understanding people.
The smile faded slightly.
I'm going to miss her.
For a moment she stared at the words.
Then continued.
I didn't realize how much I'd come to depend on her until now.
The confession felt uncomfortable.
Reina hated depending on anyone.
Maybe because she knew how quickly people could disappear.
Yet Brittany had become family.
Not by blood.
By choice.
She found herself thinking about her first birthday in Madrid.
Sofia had called from California.
Brittany had appeared with a cupcake she'd somehow managed to smuggle into the dorm.
They were the only two people who acknowledged it.
She had never forgotten that.
Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness became the memories that lasted the longest.
You would've liked her.
A tear landed on the page.
This time she let it.
Thank you for helping me find her.
Graduation arrived two days later.
Families filled the auditorium.
Parents.
Siblings.
Grandparents.
People carrying flowers and cameras.
People celebrating.
Reina sat among the crowd, clapping as names were called.
When Brittany crossed the stage, she looked directly at Reina and grinned.
The same grin she'd worn the day they met.
Confident.
Bright.
Impossible to ignore.
For the first time, Reina felt proud and sad at the same time.
Proud because Brittany had worked hard for this.
Sad because things would never be exactly the same again.
After the ceremony, Brittany threw her arms around her.
Without warning.
Without permission.
As usual.
"I'm going to miss you."
Reina laughed.
"You're literally coming back for visits."
"That's not the point."
The smile faded slightly.
For the first time all day, Brittany looked emotional.
"You'll call me?"
"Of course."
"Every week?"
"Maybe."
"Reina."
"Fine."
Brittany nodded.
Satisfied.
Then she smiled.
"There she is."
"What?"
"The girl who finally lets people care about her."
Reina rolled her eyes.
But she couldn't stop smiling.
As they stood together beneath the Madrid sun, Reina realized something.
Three years ago she had arrived believing she'd already lost the most important people she would ever know.
She'd been wrong.
Life had a strange way of introducing people exactly when you needed them most.
She had no way of knowing...
It wasn't finished introducing people yet.
- Writer
