I choose you

Chapter Twenty Three-ANDRÉS

I almost canceled.

Not because I didn’t want to go.

Actually, that was the strange part.

I wanted to go.

I just wasn’t used to making plans with Mateo simply because I wanted to spend time with him.

Our lives had settled into a strange rhythm.

We lived together.

We ate together sometimes.

We spoke when necessary.

We shared a bedroom.

He sent me messages throughout the day.

I answered when I could.

I respected him.

More than I had before.

Especially after the dinner at Galicia.

But we weren’t romantic.

Not really.

We weren’t the kind of married couple who spent their weekends holding hands and looking for places to go.

So when Saturday finally came, I stood in front of my closet for several minutes wondering what exactly I was supposed to wear.

It was ridiculous.

I had dressed for court hearings without thinking twice.

I had walked into meetings with some of the most intimidating executives in the country without feeling nervous.

But choosing an outfit for an evening with my husband?

Somehow that required thought.

Eventually, I settled on something simple.

Dark trousers.

A fitted shirt.

A light jacket.

Nothing complicated.

When I came downstairs, Mateo was already waiting.

He looked at me.

Then smiled.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

He looked at my clothes.

“You look nice.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled again.

I pointed toward the door.

“Are we leaving?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

He laughed softly.

⸻

The drive was quiet at first.

Not uncomfortable.

Just quiet.

I looked out the window as the city slowly disappeared behind us.

Mateo had arranged everything privately.

No crowds.

No unnecessary staff.

No security following us closely enough to make the evening feel like a military operation.

I appreciated that.

After about an hour, I looked at him.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Because I don’t want to tell you.”

“You realize that’s irritating.”

“I know.”

I rolled my eyes.

He smiled.

And somehow, I found myself smiling too.

The road became quieter.

The buildings became fewer.

Trees surrounded us.

Then, eventually, we arrived.

I stepped out of the car.

And stopped.

The observatory was beautiful.

It sat on a hill overlooking the city.

There were trees everywhere, and the sky above us seemed enormous.

The entire place was quiet.

Peaceful.

There were a few people around, but not many.

Mateo had chosen a private area for us.

I looked around.

“This is…”

I didn’t finish.

Mateo waited.

I turned toward him.

“Beautiful.”

His smile was immediate.

“I’m glad.”

I walked forward.

The air was cooler here.

The city lights were visible in the distance, stretching across the horizon.

I had always liked places like this.

Quiet places.

Places where I could think.

Places where nobody expected anything from me.

No work.

No family politics.

No lawyers.

No negotiations.

No arguments.

Just the sky.

Mateo walked beside me.

For several minutes, neither of us spoke.

And strangely enough, I didn’t feel the need to fill the silence.

That was new.

We reached the viewing area.

I looked through the telescope.

“Come here.”

Mateo stepped closer.

I moved slightly aside.

“Look.”

He bent down and looked through it.

“What am I looking at?”

“The moon.”

“I know what the moon is.”

I laughed.

“Then why did you ask?”

“Because you’re acting like a professor.”

“I’m explaining.”

“You’re enjoying yourself.”

I looked at him.

Maybe I was.

I looked back through the telescope.

“It’s clearer tonight.”

Mateo stood beside me.

“You really like this.”

“Yes.”

“I remembered you saying that.”

I glanced at him.

“You really remembered.”

“Of course.”

I didn’t answer.

Something about that stayed with me.

He remembered.

Not because I had asked him to.

Not because it was important to him.

He remembered because he had listened.

I looked back at the sky.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For bringing me here.”

“You’re welcome.”

⸻

Dinner came afterward.

Mateo had arranged a table outside.

The view was incredible.

The city glittered below us.

The sky above us was dark and clear.

There were candles on the table, but nothing excessive.

The food was good.

Very good.

We talked.

Not about family.

Not about business.

Not about the marriage.

Just… things.

I told him about something ridiculous that had happened at the office.

He laughed.

Then he told me about a business meeting he had attended earlier that week.

I listened.

And surprisingly, I found myself interested.

“Wait,” I said.

“What?”

“You negotiated that?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

He explained.

I listened carefully.

The structure of the deal was complicated.

But the strategy behind it made sense.

When he finished, I said,

“That’s actually smart.”

His eyebrows lifted.

“Actually?”

I realized what I had said.

“Don’t start.”

He laughed.

“I’m not starting anything.”

“You are.”

“I’m just happy you think I’m smart.”

“I said the strategy was smart.”

“Same thing.”

I shook my head.

“You really enjoy arguing.”

“With you? Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you always look annoyed.”

I stared at him.

Then I laughed.

A real laugh.

Not a polite one.

Not the small laugh I sometimes gave when someone said something mildly funny.

I actually laughed.

Mateo looked at me.

And stopped laughing.

His expression softened.

I noticed.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re staring.”

“I’m allowed.”

“No, you’re not.”

He smiled.

“Fine.”

I returned to my food.

But I was smiling.

⸻

After dinner, we walked outside.

The temperature had dropped.

I folded my arms.

Mateo noticed.

“You cold?”

“A little.”

He immediately took off his jacket.

I looked at him.

“No.”

“Take it.”

“You’ll be cold.”

“I’m fine.”

I hesitated.

Then accepted it.

“Thank you.”

He nodded.

We continued walking.

Our shoulders were close.

Not touching.

Just close.

For some reason, I became very aware of it.

I looked up.

The stars were brighter than they had been in the city.

“Beautiful,” I whispered.

Mateo looked at me.

“I know.”

I turned toward him.

He wasn’t looking at the sky.

He was looking at me.

I frowned.

“What?”

He shook his head.

“Nothing.”

I looked away.

“You do that too much.”

“Do what?”

“Look at me like that.”

He was quiet for a moment.

Then said softly,

“I know.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

So I didn’t.

We kept walking.

⸻

On the drive home, I was tired.

But it was a good kind of tired.

The kind that came from having a genuinely good day.

I looked out the window.

The necklace Mateo had given me was still around my neck.

His jacket was around my shoulders.

And for the first time since our marriage, I realized something.

I had actually enjoyed myself.

Not because I had to.

Not because Héctor had asked me to.

Not because Mateo was my husband.

I enjoyed it because I wanted to.

I looked at Mateo.

He was driving.

Quiet.

Focused.

I watched him for a few seconds.

Then said,

“Thank you.”

He glanced at me.

“For the evening?”

“Yes.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“I really did.”

His smile appeared.

Small.

Warm.

Almost shy.

And for some reason, I didn’t look away.

I simply watched him.

Then turned back toward the window.

I wasn’t in love with him.

I wasn’t suddenly ready to become the husband he had always wanted.

Nothing had changed that dramatically.

But something had changed.

I had stopped thinking of every moment with Mateo as something I had to endure.

Tonight had been easy.

Comfortable.

Peaceful.

And maybe that was important.

Maybe this marriage didn’t have to become something overnight.

Maybe we could simply learn each other.

Slowly.

One conversation.

One dinner.

One quiet evening under the stars.

One weekend at a time.

I leaned my head against the window.

And smiled.

For once, I wasn’t thinking about work.

I was thinking about the stars.

The quiet.

The dinner.

The laughter.

And the man sitting beside me.

Mateo.

Maybe…

just maybe…

I was beginning to understand why he had waited so long.