With My Heart Wide Open

Chapter 33

Sergio sat in his car in front of Audrey's apartment, trying to get his anger under control. He couldn't believe that Karim could be so heartless and he obviously didn't know his friend as well as he had thought. That was his child, his blood. How could he just walk away from that? Shaking his head, he sat for a moment longer. If he had known that Karim would end up being such an asshole, he would have discouraged Macy from ever getting involved with him. He understood that it really was none of his business, but Macy was Audrey's best friend and if Macy was important to Audrey, then she was important to him as well. Macy clearly deserved better.

Exiting his car, he made his way up to Audrey's apartment, hoping that she was still awake. Letting himself into the apartment, he saw her sitting on the couch, reading a book. Seeing her immediately brought a wave of calmness over him. Walking directly to her, he reached for the book and set it aside, pulling her up into his arms. Holding her tightly, he took in the scent of her hair and the warmth of her body, finally feeling as if he had some control over his emotions.

"I missed you too." Audrey said giggling.

Looking into her eyes, he felt a strong need to tell her how important she was to him.

"Audrey, I love you so much. I don't think that you understand how much you mean to me....you ground me. You make me feel like....with you by my side, I will be able to navigate this crazy world. I will never and I mean never hurt you....or treat you...like shit....or make you feel inferior to me in any way..."Sergio was starting to choke up, but he continued. He needed her to know everything he was feeling. "You are amazing...no amazing doesn't even cover it....words can't describe you. I just want you to know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I will never do anything to hurt you....I will always be here for you no matter what..."

"Sergio....I love you too, but what is this all about? Are you okay?" she asked.

They both turned towards the door when they heard a knock. Audrey leaned up and kissed Sergio apologetically on the lips, before she turned to answer the door. Opening it, she saw Karim standing there and he looked rough. His lip appeared to be split and the side of his face was swollen.

"Karim? What happened to you?"

"Nothing. Is Macy here? I need to talk to her?"

"Yeah, come in. I will go get her."

Audrey turned to walk down the hall towards Macy's room as Karim stepped inside of the apartment. She noticed Sergio standing by the couch, looking agitated. She didn't know what was going on, but if she had to guess, she would say that Sergio was angry at Karim. The obvious reason made her heart drop. If he was here to break up with Macy or to tell her that he wanted nothing to do with the baby, the other side of his face wouldn't be pretty anymore either. Knocking on Macy's door, she explained that Karim was here and Macy joined her in the hallway.

"If you want, Sergio and I can go to his house."

"No, please stay...at least until I know why he is here."

"Alright...we will do whatever you want."

The women returned to the living area where the men were just standing there, as if in a dead lock or waiting to draw for a duel. It didn't take long for Macy to see that Karim wasn't in the best shape. She rushed over to him.

"Karim, what the hell happened to you?"

Karim brushed her hand away. The silence was deafening. Nobody said anything; the only sound was Karim releasing the breath he had been holding. Karim glanced at Sergio before turning his attention back to Macy.

"Nothing that I didn't deserve. Can we talk Macy? Can you come back to my place so that we can talk? I really need to talk to you." He said, struggling to keep it together.

"Yes, of course." Macy answered, looking from Karim, to Sergio and back to Karim. The tension between the two had eased a bit since she had walked into the room. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she was sure she would find out when they got to Karim's house.

****

"You really like to punch people." Audrey joked.

"Only the people that piss me off." He responded. "I can usually control my temper pretty well...until someone disrespects a lady. All I see is red when that happens."

Audrey was grateful that Sergio was looking out for Macy. It meant a lot to her that he would come to the defense of her best friend. She really hoped that things were going well between Macy and Karim and not how she feared they might. Sergio had said that Karim had been pretty unwavering in how he felt about the baby. Maybe Sergio had literally knocked some sense into him. At least that was her hope.

"Did they say anything about what your schedule will look like in the next month or so? Sergio asked, interrupting Audrey's thoughts.

"No, not really. Why?"

"Well if you have a little time off, I want to take a little vacation."

"That would be nice, even though this still feels a little like vacation to me."

"That will change soon enough. We are both going to be very busy soon."

"I know..."

"What do you miss about home?"

"Madrid really isn't as foreign as I imagined, but I will miss one thing for sure."

"And what is that, my love?" he asked, pulling her closer.

"Fireworks on the 4th of July. Independence Day celebrations were always one of my most favorite things."

Sergio sat in thought for a moment. Audrey was here with him and had given up so much to be here in Madrid. He had to think of a way to make Madrid feel like home to her and not like a vacation. He didn't want there to be anything that would make her want to leave him here in Spain. Even if it meant he had to create his own fireworks for her.